Brilliant soldier's eye view
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It is fitting that I finished this book on the anniversary of the day the battle started. It is a soldier's story, by a member of 2 Para's patrols platoon.
This book concentrates solely on Geddes' experience of 2 Para's battle at Goose Green in 1982. He commanded a patrols section.
The book concentrates on their actions - the voyage down, to their battle.
It is good to read of the bravery and compassion of 2 Para's soldiers, to rescue their wounded comrades and take out the Argentine bunkers. In particular Geddes feels that a corporal, Dave Abols, turned the action in 2 Para's favour by working round to the machine-gun position which killed Colonel H, standing up in a hail of fire and firing an anti-tank rocket into it.
I was interested to hear his opinions of the actions of his CO, Colonel H Jones. Although apparently the best CO he ever had, Geddes feels that was doing the wrong job at Goose Green: instead of 'command and control', organising air strikes and bunker-busting fire support, Jones seems to have let things get too personal, turning down sensible ideas from his company commanders, and lost his life by letting rage at the death of his best friend, the adjutant Captain Wood induce him to make a foolish charge at machine-gun post.
Geddes also points out how all the soldiers were let down by the lack of logistical support - e.g. the infamously non-waterproof boots, and also the leaving behind not only of the bandsmen stretcher-bearers, but also their stretchers! Many men waited many hours on the battlefield for evacuation to the field hospital; one man waited for 20 hours for treatment!
I enjoyed this book, reading it in not much more than a single sitting - highly recommended.
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