Mountain Commandos at War in the Falklands: The Royal Marines Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre in Action During the 1982 Conflict

by Rodney Boswell, Julian Thompson (Foreword)

Sunset, 8 June 1982, East Falkland. Eight specially trained Royal Marines infiltrate Goat Ridge, a long rocky hilltop between Mount Harriet and Two Sisters which are occupied by a battalion of 600 Argentine infantry. The next day, from their hiding place just metres away from the enemy, they note and sketch the Argentine positions, then withdraw as stealthily as they had come. Their daring patrol provides essential intelligence that guided the British assault which overwhelmed the Argentine defences two days later. This was just one example of the missions undertaken by the Royal Marines Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre during the Falklands War, all of which are described in graphic detail in Rod Boswell's eyewitness account. Using his own recollections and those of his comrades, he describes their operations in the Falklands - the observation posts set up in the no man's land between San Carlos and Port Stanley, their role in the raid at Top Malo House, and the reconnaissance patrols they carried out close to the Argentine lines during the conflict. His first-hand account gives a fascinating insight into the operational skills of a small, specially trained unit and shows the important contribution it made to the success of the British advance. It also records the entire experience of the Falklands War from their point of view - the long voyage south through the Atlantic, the landings, the advance and the liberation of Stanley.

Genres: History

311 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 30, 2021

Reviews

[Martin Koenigsberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Royal Marines Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre are the guys who teach the guys. They run courses for The Royal Marines, other British Army units and other NATO formations. The expertise is not only for Mountain and Arctic conditions, but also in reconnaissance of all kinds- with a focus on insertion and extraction unseen. The Royal Marines had a long time responsibility on the Northern Flank of NATO, supporting the Scandinavians in the event of the Cold War going hot, so the eruption of the South Atlantic crisis caught them as out of focus as it did all the British Military establishment- but the HQ of the group was not going to be left out. Captain Rod Boswell was the Boss- and he immediately saw a role for his gang- whether the Staff did or not. In this book, he tells the story of the unit in the Falklands War, giving the reader yet another perspective from within British Special Forces. With its mix of man management, corporate politics and tales of derring-do- I think this book will interest any reader- from history buff to general audience.

Where the SAS and the SBS gave the Army and Marines respectively their Strategic Special Forces for the use of the Task Force Command- Boswell's boys were the Tactical Recon for the Brigade Command. The Top Malo House Raid is the most famous action of this formation in the war, but Boswell explains a lot of other contributions to the overall effort. Along the way the characters of the unit- and the esprit de corps come through every page. I really enjoyed a new lens through which to view the South Atlantic crisis- hearing about a unit I had not met before in non-fiction. Boswell is good at explaining that his guys are more than a fancy climbing club- real soldiers with very real skills.

There are some adult themes, and a few graphic passages, so this is a good read for the Junior Reader over 11/12 years. For the Gamer/Modeler/Military Enthusiast, this book is full of interesting tidbits. The Gamer gets a lot of information - enough to try to run these guys as part of Skirmish or larger style game. The Top Malo house chapters alone will allow for a good recreation on a table of this action. The modeler will also get a lot of build and diorama ideas all over this book. For the Military Enthusiast its a close look inside a heretofore undiscussed unit in the British order of Battle for the Falklands. I think the general audience reader will also enjoy the story of Military teachers going and proving all their lessons in the real world of combat.

[mrs m g salmon · Rating 5 out of 5]

worth a read

A great book on the M&AW cadre and it’s little known but vital role in the Falklands.
This book fills a missing niche in history.