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106airfield as a forward operating base for fighter-bombers and that was theTask Force%u2019s main concern. At the same time the Argentineans went tosome lengths to deceive us, both by making the runway appear to bemore extensively cratered than it was and by employing decoys. Forinstance, what initially appeared to be possible Etendards, turned out tohave been %u2018Aermacchis%u2019 (MB339 trainer/light attack aircraft) standing onmetal planking which had been deliberately arranged to simulate theshape of swept wing aircraft.For its attack tasks, the GR3 carried and delivered a variety ofweapons, including cluster bombs, 2-inch rockets, 1000 lb bombs and, indue course, the laser guided bomb. The cluster bomb had a marked effectagainst troops in defensive positions, both in terms of casualties and inthe lowering of morale. This was particularly true in the battle for GooseGreen where missions flown in close support of 2PARA had asignificant effect on the outcome of that battle. It was also a highlyeffective weapon against storage areas, such as fuel, and againsthelicopters caught on the ground.Regrettably, the full potential of the LGB could not be made use ofuntil just one day before the ceasefire. It was not until then that the lasertarget markers were positioned at the right time and place. However, fourbombs delivered from loft profiles that day achieved two direct hits onpin-point targets and served notice to the Argentineans that we now hada weapon of extreme accuracy; I have always believed that this may havebeen one of the factors that swayed the Argentinean decision tosurrender so quickly.The GR3 was capable of carrying a reconnaissance pod equippedwith a fan of five cameras, giving horizon-to-horizon cover. Using thiscapability, and the organic processing facilities within Hermes, we wereable to find concentrations of enemy defensive positions and otherlucrative targets, notably, on one occasion a well camouflaged HQbunker just west of Stanley and, on another, a line of more than twentysoft-skinned vehicles. Both of these targets were subsequently attackedalthough, in the latter case, it was too dark to be certain that the vehicleshad not moved.Shortly after the landings in San Carlos Water, a Harrier ForwardOperating Base was built close to one of the settlements. It had metaltaxiways and a short landing strip laid courtesy of the Royal Engineers.Refuelling facilities were available and up to four aircraft could be