Falklands commando

Falklands Commando

Author	Hugh McManners
Publisher	Kimber
ISBN #	0-71830-532-9
On-line Merchant	Amazon
This Book was added by	Kate Plowman

Cover Notes
A commander of a Naval Gunfire Support Team, which acted in support of the infantry units during the Falklands War - an evocative account of that campaign.

Reviews

Kate Plowman rated this book Excellent
The author of 'Falklands Commando' was the commander of a Naval Gunfire Support team that worked with the Special Boat Squadron during the Falklands War. From subsequent books by Hugh McManners, it seems as if writing this book was an act of catharsis, and there are glimpses - no more -of this during the book, especially in the last chapter.

He writes engagingly about the journey down, and the routine that emerges during such a long voyage - and the confusion that surrounded such a sudden and unexpected deployment.

His war began with an operation (carried out in conjunction with the SBS) to 'neutralise the Argentine heavy weapons company' thought to be located in Fanning Head and thus to be threatening the Task Force landings. There was then an operation to keep the troops in West Falkland from assisting their colleagues engaged in the main battles on East Falkland. An Argentine garrison and fuel dump were destroyed there; prisoners subsequently captured reported on the demoralisation this caused. The raid on Fox Bay was successful, but the journey back (by small boat) was eventful as the propeller was lost. Meanwhile, the other half of his team was carrying out a complementary task on Port Howard, to the north of Fox Bay, to destroy trench positions and a gun battery - again, completely successful.

Operation Brewers Arms was undertaken to clear the area between Mount Brisbane and Berkeley Sound, without tying down troops from 3 Commando Brigade. Finally, his team was responsible for coordinating the naval gunfire that supported the two-day 'big push' on the nights of 11/12 to 13/14 June.

McManners writes that he is happier relating the entire story, rather than 'edited highlights'; this also makes it much more interesting for the reader: a glimpse of life as a whole. One fact which he does not mention, but which emerges in other books on the conflict, is that 148 (Meiktila) Commando Forward
Observation Battery (McManners' unit's full title) was within three months of disbandment; the last words of his Acknowledgements Section, 'I hope [the book] may give my readers an idea of the sort of tasks in which we were all [in 148 Battery] engaged and the relevance of these tasks for the final victory', makes it seem like a manifesto for the Battery's continued existence. It is comforting to know that the proposed disbandment was rescinded.

DONALD WITTE rated this book Excellent
AS ABOVE, EXCELLENT BOOK. I HAVE READ IT 3 - 4 TIMES OVER THE YEARS. GIVES YOU AN INSITE OF HOW REAL PRO'S DO THEIR JOB.

John King rated this book Excellent
Well written, un-put-downable book which eschews the urge to novelise in order to increase sales. Written a few years after the war itself, this reprint is fresh and alive with the memories of the author. A very personal view with a lot of detail of his own experiences as well as those he knew. The epilogue is a good prelude to his other book: The Scars of War, which is also a highly recommended read.

Colin Clarke rated this book Excellent
And this book was re-released with new material in 2002. Even better than the original. Buy one, if you want a good insight into the experiences of a soldier at war.

Drew Morritt rated this book Excellent
A fantastic book written only 2 years after the conflict. Anyone who has served in the Forces will immediately recognize the confusion & frustration felt by McManners and his NGFO team. His descriptions of their physical exhaustion & discomfort and how overwhelming they can be, even to Special Forces are honest and no holds bar. Glad this was re-released as originals would be all but impossible to find.

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