With recently released previous classified documents, the authors aim of the book is to cover part of the Falklands War history that has never really been touched - the perspective from the Army units.
The book goes into detail of the many errors and misjudgements made by senior officers and how some of the deaths could have been prevented. It also goes to show that many of the pervious accounts written about the war don't tell the whole truth of what really happened.
If you are researching the war and trying to find a balanced view then the book really gives a new perspective.
I found the book to be very in-depth but at a cost to the reader, too many names and scenarios are presented leading to quite a difficult and confusing read.
A book for the military historian rather than a book for everyone.

This detailed description of the actions of the Welsh Guards During the Falklands War of 1982, brings previously classified information to the truth behind some of the actions or inactions that led to the high casualty figures from the attacks on the ships in Bluff Cove. The author, who was a young subaltern in the Welsh Guards at the time, writes from apposition of senior rank and is able to apply an analysis based on his extensive experience as a commander. I was serving in the RAF at the time, and we heard in the UK both during and subsequent to the War that there were terrible mistakes made that resulted in unnecessary losses of men and materials.
The book also reveals that the Command and Control of the operation to free the Falklands from Argentinian occupation was flawed between the Armed Services in theatre and that standard operating procedures that existed, were not applied. This resulted in spasmodic communications, indecision at all levels that left the troops on the frontline in impossible and fatal situations.
All that being said, after the conflict there was a major overhaul of Command and Control procedures and the formation of the Joint Force Headquarters to avoid the mistakes that were made. As a member of JFHQ in the latter part of the 1980s I can attest that all Services then worked as one with the various capabilities employed as the situation demanded.
An excellent book and a wonderful testament to those who fought.

This review must, necessarily, begin with an acknowledgment that those of us who listened to the accounts of a war taking place 8000 miles away fed in carefully controlled reports from BBC and ITV reporters embedded with the Task Force are ill-placed to comment on many aspects of this worrying analysis from one who was there. Crispin Black, at the time a young Welsh Guards junior officer, was there on that dreadful afternoon when so many young Welsh Guards and other personnel suffered death and mutilation in a few short minutes, so his words must command our attention. Indeed, he poses questions that demand answers whether from a formal further Inquiry or otherwise. At the time and even now, having read this book and many others that consider aspects of the Falklands War, I could not - and cannot - understand how service personnel could be left in such a vulnerable position for so long, surrounded by large quantities of ammunition and facing an Air Force that had shown itself capable and courageous in pressing home attacks.

Unfortunately, and probably understandably, the author runs the risk of undermining his otherwise careful analysis by indulging in some inter-service rivalry that has no place in such an analysis. It is generally best to let the facts and objective analyses speak for themselves; chauvinism in such narratives serves to prompt questions over the objectivity of the analysis.

In the final analysis, however, the circumstances that led to such a ‘butcher’s bill’, as Wellington would have it, are such as to demand the most thorough and objective investigation that spares nobody’s blushes, however senior.

An interesting look at the war in the Falklands. The author's purpose is to explain the issues that led to increased casualties by the British forces. The book is a good reminder of the issues that can happen in any job situation - poor communications, political infighting, inadequate resources; all led to needless casualties during the war. The author does a great job using documents from the war, the investigations that followed as well as firsthand accounts. A terrific read!

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.