The Argentine Antiaircraft artillery was a lethal foe and prevented the enemy air force from damaging vital targets like the runway at Puerto Argentino which was the life line that connected the continent with the garrison in the islands. It was an exemplary team work by the 3 Armed Forces as their missiles and gunners were able to repel the aviation of the 3rd largest world fleet.
The painting shows the momento in which Cabo Principal C. A. Almada of the Fuerza Aérea shots down #3 of the Sea Harriers with his twin barrel 23 mm Rheinmetal during the attack to the airport on May 1. The attacking planes entered the circuit very low and when the pilot felt the first rounds hitting him he tried to breakt to the left. Almada took the opportunity given the pilot when he presented him with the full top view of his turning plane and shot him down with a second barrage.
It is estimated that 17 Harriers were shot down, 11 probables and 11 damaged for a grand total of 39 with just 22 admitted by the British. In their efforts to deprive the Argentines from their victories the Brits many times hide the true numbers and they “blank” their losses with pretended accidents. They disregard of the Argentine forced them to bring all their Harriers allocated to NATO including those of the RAF that were flown in dangerous flights from Ascension Is with IFR in order to reach Malvinad and cover the losses caused by the Argentine Antiaircraft gunners.