Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Falkland War from the top, 27 Mar 2001
Finaly I was able to buy "No Picnic". I found the book very interesting, and it gives new insight to the the war in 1982. I have read most of the books on this subject (Adkin, Bramley, Ward ,Clapp, Jolly etc) and Thompsons book give us insight in all the considerations that a leader of a military operation have to handle. Why he had to postpone 2.Paras attack on Goose Green for 24 hrs, why 3.Para was not allowed to attack Mount Longdon when they wanted to. From books like Excursion to hell (Bramley) we have seen what frustrations desicions taken by "the top" made, but in No Picninc we see why it had to be done.For a reader who want a broader picture of the conflict, I recomand this book.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Hat, 6 Jan 2003
'No Picnic' is very much a military buff's Falklands book; it starts right at the moment that Julian Thompson receives the call to assemble his Commando force, and stops just as the Argentines surrender, and there's nothing about the whys and wherefores of the war's political background (Max Hastings' 'Battle for the Falklands' has all that). Much emphasis is placed throughout on the difficulties involved in keeping the war machine oiled, and Thompson maintains a strategic focus throughout; i.e. there are no sweaty descriptions of assaulting Argentine trenches, as of course Thompson did not do that.It's very dry (the initial chapters consist mostly of detailed descriptions of the composition of units and divisions and so forth, whilst, later on, the great loss of life on the Galahad is mentioned only in passing) and a bit lovey as well (everybody performs with consummate professionalism whilst the soldiers sleeping in freezing driving rain are never downhearted), although Thompson does admit to making mistakes - the spartan use of the task force's light tanks, for example - and the descriptions of night patrols during the build-up to the final assaults is fascinating. Perhaps the greatest drawback to authors writing about the Falklands War is that it was a modern oddity, a professionally conducted stand-up fight between two defined armies, away from urban areas and civilians. There was no room for innovative or flashy generalship and the British won mainly through superior training, morale and artillery support, none of which lend themselves to drama. 'No Picnic' therefore is very much a specialist's tome, the polar opposite of Ken Lukowiak's 'A Soldier's Song'. As an aside, it's never explained why the soldier on the cover is carrying what appears to be an M16; where did he get it?
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting and Objective, 21 Aug 2002
Thompson's book is exactly what a general's war reminiscences should be; apparantly honest, clearly objective and always enlightening whilst avoiding the temptation to present merely a series of justifications for decisions which at the time, or since, have been controversial. The books is not a grand overview of the war, nor a detailed first hand presentation of the front line fighting but instead an account focussing on the logistical and strategic elements to the campaigns of 3 Commando Brigade. Despite the occasionally dry subject matter Thompson keeps the narrative flowing and, as the commander of the Brigade, is able to supply some unique insights into problems with the organisation of the chain of command in the South Atlantic campaign and the very real threat to the entire British enterprise posed by equipment shortages. A valuable addition to any bookshelf, particularly one already already bearing a broad history of the conflict or other military memoires.
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