Customer Reviews

No picnic: 3 Commando Brigade in the South Atlantic, 1982

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Well, half of it is boast and brag, accusations and self-defense. When successfully ignoring that one may learn something :) ... I strongly recommend to read Admiral Sandy Woodward's 'One-hundered Days - The Memories of the Falkland Battlegroup Commander' - best before reading this book because the sea-action preceeded the land-action and the abilities of the ships defined possible and impossible approaches.