No Picnic

by Julian Thompson

Published 18 February 1985
This book tells how in 1982 Britain went to war with Argentina, whose troops had invaded and occupied the Falkland Islands, a British Crown Colony. In a campaign lasting a little over two months, British servicemen reoccupied the islands and, after several hard-fought actions, forced the invaders to surrender. This is Brigadier Julian Thompson's story: he led 3 Commando Brigade who bore the brunt of the fighting. It is a first-hand account of a war that was, by any standards, balanced upon a knife-edge between triumph and disaster. In this revised edition of 3 Commando Brigade's actions in the Falklands - first written while the events were still fresh in the author's mind - the text has been enhanced by important additions to the public's knowledge of the land campaign, as well as insights into the difficulties and frustrations of command.