With only 69 Marines and 10 Royal Naval Hydrographers at his disposal, Norman had to plan a defence in the face of overwhelming odds. The book covers key events during the war, from the liberation of South Georgia to the controversial sinking of the Argentine cruiser General Belgrano and the loss of HMS Sheffield.

I would not have written that but there is a vast cultural difference between Argentina and Great Britain.It exposes the international intrigue involving US President Ronald Reagan and his ally Margaret Thatcher, and the covert military operations including a daring British special forces attack on the South American mainland. Taking Britain's painful process of decolonisation as his starting point, Ezequiel Mercau shows how the Falklands lobby helped revive the idea of a 'British world', transforming a minor squabble into a full-blown war. An account of the Falklands conflict from a senior fighting participant, drawing on both British and Argentinean sources.

The cover of each copy is fashioned from dark green leatherette and includes the recipient’s name embossed in gold. In the case of the UK that image was maybe prolonged – it was given an afterlife, a kind of zombie-life. Taking the form of a number of set-piece interviews, this is perhaps the best book, for my money, in understanding the Argentine side of the Falklands War by those who were there. Although Desmond Rice and Arthur Gavshon’s The Sinking of the Belgrano covered much more than just the sinking of the ship, it represented the first time that an account from a member of the crew of HMS Conqueror had appeared in print. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account.

Publication, reproduction, use in advertising or for purposes of trade is strictly prohibited without written permission. The book covers: preparation and departure; at sea; planners and hoaxers; Ascension Island; and HMS Intrepid in "bomb alley".

Here is a quote from Captain David Pentreath, RN commander of the frigate HMS Plymouth: "It was perfect weather. I may have only been 9 at the time but i still remember BBC Radio’s famous Goose Green “announcement”, the tears from a British Naval commander and the state of the nation at that time… Will look out for your book. Boasting original perspectives on the Falklanders, the Four Nations and the Anglo-Argentines, and based on a wealth of unseen material, he sheds new light on the British world, Thatcher's Britain, devolution, immigration and political culture. All the Exocet attacks on the Battle Group are included, culminating with the desperate fight to save the ship, which came perilously close to sinking. Mike Norman and Michael Jones's account doesn;t bring anything new to the history, but does put it into a different and very interesting perspective as they use first-hand accounts of the men who were stunned into fighting to defend themselves from the sudden Argentine invading forces.His two books taken together present a very readable, well informed history of the military operations in the war.