L2A3 Sterling
Submachine Gun

In 1982 British and Argentine forces faced off across some of the most desolate terrain on earth. The British had grown weary of policing the world and the Argentines smelled opportunity. In April, Argentine amphibious forces landed on the Falkland Islands followed the next day by a similar conquest of South Georgia, another nearby British dependency. However, the Argentines underestimated the implacable resolve of the Iron Lady.

The Stage

British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was having none of it so she dispatched a naval task force to oppose the occupation. However, global power projection is a tedious, expensive and time-consuming enterprise. By late May British forces had landed and were arrayed opposite the Argentines.

The Argentines had made good use of this time. Their defensive positions were sited in depth and fortified with interlocking fields of fire. The stage was set for a potential bloodbath of Napoleonic proportions.

Five hundred men of the British 2 Para supported by naval gunfire from HMS Arrow and 8 Commando Battery of the Royal Artillery faced off against the Argentine 12th Infantry Regiment. A set-piece assault against fixed fortifications is the chemical formula for chaos. Additionally, the BBC World Service had actually revealed the attack before it kicked off. Despite overwhelming odds 2 Para’s commander LTC Herbert “H” Jones gave the order.

The terrain was rolling and devoid of trees. Scant grass and copious peat bogs made for slow going, no cover and poor camouflage. Biting wind, freezing drizzle and thick fog added a generous layer of misery atop it all.

The Argentine Task Force Mercedes consisted of 1,083 men under the command of LTC Italo Piaggi. His order of battle included fast-firing antiaircraft cannon, three 105mm pack howitzers and on-call air support in the form of Pucara ground attack aircraft from the nearby Stanley aerodrome.

Both sides lost aircraft and took casualties in the frenetic combat following. With the overwhelming weight of Argentine fire threatening to crush the British attack, LTC Jones readied his Sterling submachine gun. What followed was old school battlefield valor.

The ridgeline was crisscrossed by 11 trenches just dirty with Argentine defenders and dug-in heavy automatic weapons. When the attack faltered, LTC Jones moved to the head of his battalion and led the assault himself. Without regard to the murderous fire pouring in from multiple sources Jones charged the enemy positions — single-handedly — engaging Argentine defenders with his L2A3 SMG.

The Weapon

The L2A3 Sterling SMG was an evolutionary development of the WWII-era Sten gun. Sten is a portmanteau reflecting the initials of the gun’s designers, Reginald Shepherd and Harold Turpin, along with the Enfield factory where the gun was developed. Crude, rugged and cheap, the Sten helped rearm the English Army left bereft of weapons after the Dunkirk evacuation.

British Tommies frequently referred to the Sten as the “Stench” gun and it was a desperation weapon pure and simple. The most basic versions consisted of only 47 parts and cost $10 apiece in 1942 ($155 today). The open bolt 9mm design was sound enough but the double-column single-feed magazines performed poorly.

Once the British caught their breath, they launched a program to improve the reliability and ergonomics of the Sten. George William Patchett, the chief firearms designer at Sterling Armaments Company, subsequently designed the Patchett prototype in 1944. The British Army ordered 120 copies for trials.

These early Sterlings saw action with the Paras in the defense of Arnhem during Operation Market Garden in September of 1944. They also served with Commando units operating in Occupied Europe. Colonel Robert Dawson of No. 4 Commando carried a Sterling during Operation Infatuate in November of that year.

The Rest Of The Story

“H” Jones was badly hit during his uphill charge toward the entrenched Argentine positions. He was then seen to tumble back to the base of the hill. Jones immediately got to his feet and resumed the attack.

Flanking an enemy trench Jones came under withering fire and was hit again while engaging the Argentine troops at close range with his Sterling. He fell dying mere feet from his objective. Jones’ personal example inspired the rest of his battalion to take up the attack and thoroughly demoralized the Argentine defenders.

As a result of Jones’ selfless bravery, the Paras subsequently seized the entire trench system. They took the nearby British communities of Darwin and Goose Green as well. The Paras secured nearly 1,200 prisoners and set the stage for the ultimate British conquest of the Falklands.

The military government of Argentina fell and was replaced by a burgeoning democracy. Margaret Thatcher’s conservative government was re-elected the following year in a landslide. LTC Jones was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross, England’s highest military award for bravery. LTC Jones demonstrated to the world the iron will of men like Nelson, Wellington and Kitchener lived still in modern British warriors.

Subscribe To GUNS Magazine

Purchase A PDF Download Of The GUNS Magazine June 2021 Issue Now!