I really enjoyed this book and could not put it down. The author was frank in his criticisms and flowing in his praise. I thought the descriptions of the tactical battles from the brigade commander's perspective were fascinating. The diagrams of 3 Commando Brigade's major battles were invaluable in digesting the detailed narrative and fully appreciating the enormity of the Brigade's mission. The professionalism and proficiency of this storied unit is given it's just due on these 159 pages. I think the true legacy of this text for me was how it has ignited a curiousity in me to read more about The Battle of the Falklands. Would like to know if there is a companion book out there from the Argentine infantryman's perspective that would shed some light on their actions.

This book is an excellent and readable memoir that anybody with an interest in the Falklands War, or in the Royal Marines, would be well advised to read. It is an easy read, but this doesn't detract from the fact that it is a serious piece of work that will hopefully have enduring value.

A previous reviewer describes the book as "boast and brag" and "accusations and self defence". Any member of the British defence community will tell you that the words "boast and brag" and Major-General Thompson are entirely incompatible. You will find no self-justification here and a refreshing lack of inflated ego.

Julian Thompson's NO PICNIC is an easy to read yet informative account of the 1982 Falklands War. Julian Thompson commanded the 3rd Commando Brigade, the initial assault force, during the Falklands War. From that perspective, he provides a history of the war. Unsurprisingly, the book focuses on the ground aspects, rather than the sea or air aspects of the war. All of the major ground battles are described. Moreover, Thompson gives in-depth insight into the operational level decisionmaking of the war. The book has a scholarly flavor because of Thompson's access to his own correspondence, assessments, and operational reports. In general, NO PICNIC is an instructive account of ground operations in modern warfare.

Ethell and Price present a summation of the air war in and around the Falklands Islands during the 1982 war. The detail is complete, down to a complete chronology, summaries of important missions, details on combat , aircraft losses, successful strikes, and opposing order of battle comparisons. This is a book more aimed at the military buff or military historian. The viewpoint is obviously British, but the authors present well documented information about the actions taken by the Argentinian forces and staff during the conflict.

Beyond the day-to-day action, the most interesting facet of this book is a revelation of the immense strategic effect British air power played in the contest. The embarked air wing sealed off the Argentine garrison, repeatedly drove Argentian aircraft away from support of their own troops, devised tactics to defeat numerically superior forces in spite of very limited resources, controlled the air, and confounded a tottering Argentine military establishment.

The British Navy payed heavily for the Falklands War, the army fought and won a decisive victory, the air arm triumphed.

Facts such as why the air wing guaranteed the Paras win at Goose Greene, and why the bombing raid on the Port Stanley airfield (much derided) produced an unforseen and brilliant strategic succes shed important light on the British triumph.

A must read for those interested in the strategy and tactics of air war.

I was 10 years old when I picked out this book in a grocery store to read on a family road trip; it had a cool picture of a jet on the cover. This book began a long-running fascination with everything military, especially fighters and the Harrier in particular. It is detailed and somewhat technical, but the fact that a 10-year-old was willing to struggle with it speaks volumes for its captivating narrative. Highly recommended should you happen to see this lying around somewhere.

As a student which has written papers on the Falklands Conflict of 1982, I have found this book to be an invaluable reference. Though written from the British point of view, this book does pretty well in being as unbiased as possible. Its day-by-day accounts are excellent, and the appendicies are excellent also. The only possible downside to this book is the Kill Tables in the back of the book are innacurate when compared to both British and Argentinian sources. But, considering the fact that these numbers were compiled by the authors can explain this.

El fasciculo en si, es bueno, aunque ciertamente no alcanza a cubrir las espectativas que el lector puede tener al momento de adquirir material procedente de la firma Osprey. Lo que resulta mas irritante son errores de traduccion, inaceptables para la cobertura de un conflicto de fecha tan reciente (1982), y que saltan a la vista por su obviedad, aun para cualquier lector de habla hispana; poniendo en entredicho el nivel de la obra ya desde las primeras paginas. Errores u horrores, tan banales como llamar al portaaviones "Veinticinco de Mayo", "Vicente de Mayo"; traducir "school" por "escuala" en lugar de "escuela"; y muchos otros pateticos ejemplos, que se podrian haber evitado con la simple inspeccion de un traductor o incluso de cualquier persona de habla hispana con nociones basicas acerca del conflicto. Salvando esos baches, la cobertura tecnico-descriptiva es simplemente excelente, tal como acostumbra Osprey siempre.

The author served along the British general in command of the Royal Marines Brigade in the Malvinas and later wrote Nine Battles to Stanley (published in 1999) that studied the ground war in much greater detail. Nicholas van der Bijl establishes that the 601st and 602nd Commando Units of the Argentine Army gave the British patrols a lot of trouble prior to the final battles. He sheds new light on the battle for Goose Green by proving that an Argentine company there was made up of tough hand-picked conscripts that had undergone Commando-training. I believe that this was the reason the Paras went through such a horrible time at Goose Green. I enjoyed this book for its colour plates and pictures of the elite RI 25. It is a good companion to his latest book Nine Battles to Stanley (click "Book Search" to find it or otherwise you will make no progress)in which he describes in great detail the ground war from the Argentine side, naming practically all the Argentine platoon commanders that saw action on Mount Harriet and Two Sisters, describing in detail the numerous Argentine platoon-sized nocturnal counterattacks that took place and which involved roughly 600 Argentine conscripts and regulars. The British commanders as his second books establishes, severely underestimated the Argentines, which resulted in higher (that could have otherwise been avoided)casualties among the British patrols and platoons that took the hills.

With a lack or "great" titles on this subject, this book is my favorite if the 3 I have read. Middlebrook has a great style in writing and all of his works always hits the mark. While not wasting very much time with the events on the world stage, Middlebrook informs the reader on this important "war" fought at the height the Cold War. The reader is given many first person accounts (mostly British, with some Argentine, and Falklander comments) which greatly add to the enjoyment of this book. The reader can see how the UK, one of the worlds Former "superpowers" could very easily have lost this war and control over the Falklands. The Land, Sea, and Air stories are all told (the Air war was lacking of the 3), as well as some of the behind the scenes maneuverings in London, Buenos Aries, and Ascension Island. Logistically the British were very challenged, this point was not delved into enough for my liking. Over all, a great author comes through again.

Again written in Middlebrook's style. Lots of details but heavy to read. He includes chapters from the start which explain the issues surrounding the war, the initial invasion by the Argentines and life for the inhabitants after the war starts. There are also chapters on the sinking of the General Belgrano and the Sheffield and the immensly interesting "Black Buck" missions the British launched from Ascension Island. This book is difficult to read due to the amount of information that Middlebrook includes, however, don't be put off by this. The book is an excellent introduction to the Falklands War and explains how it unfolded. If you are interested in the wider perspective of the war then you should try Nigel West's " Secret War for the Falklands ".

Ian Strange is one of the conservation leaders in the Falkland Islands. From his emigration to the islands in the 50's to the time the book was published (1975?), he describes the development and growth of the conservation movement in these remote islands off the coast of South America. He worked to build awareness and concern within the community for saving what remains of the natural habitat for the benefit of the threatened species that live there. With the support of community leaders and the local government, nature reserves and sanctuaties were finally established. They now protect several species of seal, penguin and sea birds by preserving the habitat they need to survive.

I've visited the Falklands in the austral springtime, and was struck by its natural beauty. I encourage you to learn more about the Falklands and perhaps visit this remote and wonderful place.

The authors, Robert McGowan and Jeremy Hands are a pair of newpaper journalists who hitch a ride on HMS Canberra on the way to the Falkland Islands war. Their shipmates are assorted British squaddies from some of Britain's finest regiments.. McGowan and Hands vividly catch the buzz of the expedition and tangibly capture the sights, sounds and smells of the battlefield in all its unsanitary, brutal and often vainglorious theatre. The impression the book leaves is that the British soldier remains one of the finest, bravest and best trained that there is. Little wonder that they made short work of the invading Argentine troops.

This is one of the most astounding sea stories I've read. Captain Barnard's narrative is direct, simple and powerful. It really tells the story of a triple marooning--the only one I know. The introduction by Professor Dodge is a "must skip"--it is poorly written and dull. But once you get into Barnard's historic narrative, it is a compelling read. Captain Barnard's narrative begins just prior to the first days of the War of 1812. They set out upon a sealing expedition to the Falkland Islands. The Barnard family (his father is with him--also a sealing captain) is Quaker, and live a ways up the Hudson River. Once upon the Falkland Island, they set up operations (itself a remarkably interesting procedure). In the first few months of the expedition (it is supposed to last about a year or so) they see signal fires from a strange ship. It turns out to be a British ship bound from Australia to England. It has run aground on the Falklands. The Barnard family goes to the British ship's aid, knowing full well the United States is at war with the British. After the rescue (the British shipis ruined) Captain Barnard--in private--informs the British captain (there are British Marines on board) that their two countries are at war. Though they agree to neutrality during their difficulties, the Brits reneg! The British take the Barnard party prisoner--seize their ship and smaller boats, and in turn maroon Captain Barnard with two ordinary seamen on the Falkland Islands. Since few ships went to those islands then, their marooning was essentially a death sentence. The harsh winter was ahead of them. This outstanding narrative is of that marooning--and from this original marooning, things become even more complex. This is a unique read--a little known historic niche. Captain Barnard's narrative is impressive for its detail, composure and--a testimony to masterful seamanship plus mental and spiritual discipline. A must, must read.

Nick Vaux commanded the 42 Commando during the Falklands campaign and has written about it in this non-fiction work. This engaging, fast read follows his command from England to the Falkland Islands where the unit suffers appalling conditions and undergoes horrendous demands but has a spectacular fight in the final liberation of the island. This is highly recommended for members of the profession of arms and provides other readers a sense of the desperate conditions of modern war.

The war in the south Atlantic over the Falkland Islands (Isles Malvinas) between Britain and Argentina in 1982 was one that seemed inevitable, and yet at the same time pointless. The historical record of ownership, well explained in the book, is a murky one, with neither nation having a paramount one. At that time, the military junta ruling Argentina was in a desperate state. The Argentine economy was in trouble again, and there was a growing undercurrent of popular discontent. Therefore, the leadership decided to launch a foreign war of expansion, based on two assumptions, only one of which was true.
They correctly believed that a successful invasion of the Falklands would unleash a wave of patriotism throughout Argentina that would submerge all the other problems in their society. However, they underestimated the resolve of Britain to maintain their control of the islands, and completely misread the position of most of the other nations in the world, especially the United States. It should have been obvious to the Argentines that the United States could not allow their NATO ally to be defeated, and therefore the Reagan administration ultimately would come down on the side of Britain.
The series of negotiations that led to war, described so well in the book, was a situation where both sides felt that they could not budge from their rigid positions. In many ways, there was a sense of inevitable tragedy about the positions taken by both the Argentines and the British. In this atmosphere, not even personal intervention by President Reagan could avoid the conflict. Of course, there was posturing between the major figures handling foreign policy for the Reagan administration. Specifically, Secretary of State Alexander Haig and Ambassador to the United Nations Jeane Kirkpatrick had opposing views that were played out in the press and served to complicate the issue.
Two major points in the book made a significant impression on me. The first was how outnumbered the British really were. Some of their victories were successful assaults against an entrenched enemy where they were outnumbered three and four to one. This is not to say that the Argentine forces simply gave up. They fought very well, in many cases the fighting was vicious hand-to-hand that was to the death. It truly was a war that was won by the bravery and tenacity of the British troops, and not really due to the technical prowess of the weapons. The second was the fact that a few more Exocet missiles could have led to an Argentine victory. The ones they had were able to inflict great damage to the British ships, and had the Argentines been able to hit the British aircraft carriers, it is most unlikely that the British could have won. To sum it all up, the clear conclusion is that while the British victory was total, it could have easily gone the other way.
While it will go down in history as a minor war over a very minor set of islands, the Falklands war ushered in a new era in warfare, in that ships were now more vulnerable than ever to weapons launched from great distances. It also led to a dramatic change in the Argentine political climate, leading to an end to the military rule that had carried out an extensive and one-sided civil war. This book will place you in the center of the action, military, diplomatic and political, and explains a great deal about how it all came about.

If you are writing about the Falklands War, this would be an important source book for details on some aspects. But if you want to know about the war, pick another book. Michael Clapp was Commodore (permanent rank was Captain) of the amphibious assault force, the naval officer in overall command of getting the marines a soldiers ashore along with their supplies. His book, written with a colleague, is a numbing and intensive description of logistical matters liberally strewn with incomprehensible acronyms. Much muted complaining about bad communications and fuzzy organization. It's a wonder the Argentines lost! Events outside his immediate concern get little notice. Sinking of the Belgrano and its consequences merits a mere dismissal as left wing whining. There is no sense of humanity here at all. Still, one has to give credit for the enormous logistical task successfully completed at such a distance from home base. But it's easy to put down.

1. I had read this book about two years ago and liked it great deal....Falkland war was a unique war in many respects. It was a war fought on doorsteps of adversary by a nation thousands of miles away. To regain a piece of land (or should I say an island) captured by not so weak enemy, whose logistics train was much much shorter was per-se a military operation, but in true sense it was first of all a major logistics exercise to make that military might reach that far from UK and then make that military might fight the battle. Operations actually were a much smaller part of the whole game.

2. Commodore Michael Clapp, was Commander of Amphibious Task Force of Royal Navy. He was the man at the most happening part of the war. It was very easy for him to push all the shortcomings and problems under the carpet and brag about the successes, which were by no means small. The virtues of the Victor are generally remembered and the vices forgotten. One must however remember that the ones who do not learn from history (past lessons) soon themselves become history. Commodore Clapp has been forthright in his approach and has very systematically brought out the chaos and problems of such operations. In the fog of war confusion and chaos would reign, but a side that minimises it, generally fares better.

3. He has highlighted as to how the then strategic perspective of UK had resulted into cutting of forces. How a maritime nation had become land centric and was reducing its naval forces. In such circumstances, it received a jolt at Falklands, which was contrary to the perception prevailing at that time. This jolt forced an ill prepared nation to gather itself and brace up for war. What was achieved in such a short span was commendable, but Cmde Clapp has done an essential service by putting the preparations and the war in correct perspective. Highlighting the plus and the minus dispassionately. Britain won the war, but few set backs due to logistics problems would have turned the tables. When at war one must fight whole-heartedly, but an analysis in retrospect is always very important to learn from them and not to repeat the same mistakes next time. Cmde Clapp deserves praise for doing that essential task, though it might have been unpleasant to do so.

4. A must read for those having interest in maritime affairs in general and in amphibious operations in particular.

I found the book "Amphibious Assault falklands" very interesting. It gives us the perspective of one of the leaders of the campain, and shows us all the considerations and planning before the assult. Together with the book "No picninc" I think this in one of the most informative books about the war, if you want to know the war from the top.