- Paperback: 320 pages
- Publisher: Collins; Revised edition edition (2 April 2002)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0007141750
- ISBN-13: 978-0007141753
- Product Dimensions: 17.3 x 10.9 x 2.3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
526,156 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #30 in Books > History > Countries & Regions > South America > Argentina
- #77 in Books > History > Britain & Ireland > Falklands War
- See Complete Table of Contents
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More About the Author
Product Description
Book Description
A soldier’s eye view of the land war’
Product Description
Hugh McManners was among the first of the British Special Forces to land on the Falkland Islands and here, in this gripping narrative, is his first-hand account of this most famous of modern British military operations. This new edition includes a revised introduction, along with new photography and notes on the combat.
Author Biography
Editor’s Note on new edition
Contents
List of maps & diagrams
Acknowledgements
New Introduction (2002)
Original Introduction (1984)
Chapter 1 – The Calm Before the Storm
Chapter 2 – Preparation and departure
Chapter 3 – At sea
Chapter 4 – Planners and hoaxers
Chapter 5 – Ascension Island
Chapter 6 – Our war begins
Chapter 7 – Fanning Head
Chapter 8 – HMS Intrepid in ‘Bomb Alley’
Chapter 9 – The Fox Bay raid
Chapter 10 – Survival
Chapter 11 – Operations Brewers Arms
Chapter 12 – Beagle Ridge
Chapter 13 – Waiting to go home
Chapter 14 – Home
Epilogue (written for 2002)
Chronology
Glossary
Index
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Hugh McManners' Falklands Commando is unique in that most UK special forces books are written by former enlisted members who came from working class backgrounds. McManners comes from a more upper class background, having studied at Oxford. He was a Captain in the Royal Artillery, attached to 3rd Commando Brigade as the leader of a naval gunfire support team. As such, he often operated with SBS and SAS forces.
McManners writes well and describes how he saw the Falkland Islands conflict. Falklands Commando is not a comprehensive account of the South Atlantic War. You need not be familiar with all the details of that war, but the more previous knowledge you have, the more you can appreciate McManners' account.
McManners details the build-up, journey south, and the subsequent missions his team undertook to observe Argentinean positions and call naval fire upon them. All in all, it's an excellent account that puts a human face on conflict.
The most recent edition includes a foreword and afterwards by McManners in which he relates the Falklands experience to the present day and the War on Terror. If I had one criticism, it is certain segments of the account were footnoted, supposedly to relate additional information McManners later learned after the book first went to print. Only many of these footnotes were missing.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a very enjoyable book about a unit that has had nothing else written about it, apart from one account in 'Above All, Courage: The Eyewitness History of the Falklands War (Cassell Military Paperbacks)'. I finished it in a couple of days.
The unit has a specialised role in controlling the fire of ships and land-based artillery. The author's team worked in this role with the Special Boat Squadron during the Falklands War.
He writes engagingly about the journey down, and the routine that emerges during such a long voyage - and the confusion that surrounds such a sudden and unexpected deployment.
His team was in action virtually for the whole campaign, culminating in coordinating the gunfire that supported the two-day 'big push' on the nights of 11/12 to 13/14 June.
Reading the entire story of McManners' war, rather than 'edited highlights', is more interesting - life as a whole. One fact he doesn't mention, but which emerges in other books on the conflict, is that his battery was within three months of disbandment; the book seems like a manifesto for the Battery's continued existence. It is good to know that the proposed disbandment was rescinded.
The second edition contains some additions, e.g. the tale told by an SAS soldier about the accidental shooting of an SBS soldier, and also a new introduction and final chapter - an interesting perspective after 25 years, five of them as the Sunday Times military correspondent. It is sad to read about the fate of one of his team members, a victim of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
I certainly recommend the book - however, it's lost one star for the appalling typos - no proofreading evident at all!
The unit has a specialised role in controlling the fire of ships and land-based artillery. The author's team worked in this role with the Special Boat Squadron during the Falklands War.
He writes engagingly about the journey down, and the routine that emerges during such a long voyage - and the confusion that surrounds such a sudden and unexpected deployment.
His team was in action virtually for the whole campaign, culminating in coordinating the gunfire that supported the two-day 'big push' on the nights of 11/12 to 13/14 June.
Reading the entire story of McManners' war, rather than 'edited highlights', is more interesting - life as a whole. One fact he doesn't mention, but which emerges in other books on the conflict, is that his battery was within three months of disbandment; the book seems like a manifesto for the Battery's continued existence. It is good to know that the proposed disbandment was rescinded.
The second edition contains some additions, e.g. the tale told by an SAS soldier about the accidental shooting of an SBS soldier, and also a new introduction and final chapter - an interesting perspective after 25 years, five of them as the Sunday Times military correspondent. It is sad to read about the fate of one of his team members, a victim of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
I certainly recommend the book - however, it's lost one star for the appalling typos - no proofreading evident at all!
Format:Paperback
As the other reviewers have pointed out, this is by no means a comprehensive account of the entire Falklands War. It is, however, an excellent first person account of the conditions on the ground, how command decisions affected those doing the fighting, and a glimpse of the true nature of war. Hugh McManners is an excellent writer with an interesting story to tell, and the book was finished in about a day from me picking it up. I've re-read it a couple of times and enjoyed the story every time.
I'd definitely recommend this to anyone who was interested in the Falklands, the forces, or military history in general, to get an image of real life on the ground.
I'd definitely recommend this to anyone who was interested in the Falklands, the forces, or military history in general, to get an image of real life on the ground.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
review
Still readin the book but so far its giving a further insight into the not so well heard of skirmishes. Read more
Published 13 months ago by simo
The best book on the Falklands War I've read yet
I find it difficult to describe how strongly I feel about the power behind Hugh McManners book. It really gives a great idea of how it really was for the ordinary Tom (Soldier)... Read more
Published on 18 Feb 2002 by blobshire@yahoo.co.uk
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