Goose Green: A Battle Is Fought to Be Won

Goose Green: A Battle Is Fought to Be Won by Adkin, Mark. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780850522075.

This new study of the first crucial clash of the Falklands War is based on the narratives of the commanders, British and Argentine, from brigadier to corporal. It follows in detail, and with the aid of many excellent maps, the 14 hours of vicious infantry fighting as both sides struggled for the tiny settlement at Goose Green. It shows too, how 2 Para came within an ace of failure as, nearing exhaustion, outnumbered, low on ammunition, and lacking adequate fire support, they fought over open ground, and in daylight, against prepared positions. Nor does the author fight shy of the controversial questions raised: was the battle necessary at all? Why did London overrule the brigade commanders reluctance to attack Goose Green? Did Colonel H Joness solo charge on Darwin ridge--which won him a posthumous VC--decide the issue? Goose Green was the first land battle of the war. It was also the longest, the hardest-fought, the most controversial, the most important to win, and the only one that hung in the balance for several hours. This, the first full-length book devoted solely to the battle, and the first to recount in detail the actions of both British and Argentines, is published to coincide with the tenth anniversary, and has the full backing of The Parachute Regiment. Without a doubt, Goose Green, with its wide research--including the collected views and comments of more than 45 veterans of all ranks and from both side--is a major contribution to British military history.