3 Days in June 3 Para’s Battle for Mt. Longdon

by O'Connell, James; Pike, Hew

• ISBN13: 9781913183592
• ISBN10: 1913183599
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2021-06-08
• Publisher: Monoray

Summary

An extraordinary 360-degree account of the bloodiest Falklands battle

A unique and unprecedented masterpiece of immersive military publishing, Three Days In June is an incredible real-life account of modern warfare.

Recreating 3 Para's bloody Falklands battle for Mount Longdon from the multiple angles of each rifle company and medical team, James O'Connell - who fought there and was seriously injured himself - has written a gut-wrenching 360-degree classic.

When 3 Para began their assault under cover of darkness on Mount Longdon in June 1982, nobody knew what to expect. The three platoons of B Company each approached the mountain silently, treading carefully through a series of defensive minefields. But following an explosion, the fighting quickly escalated with shocking speed and severity, resulting in some of the bloodiest close hand fighting, injuries, and shocking loss of life experienced by British troops since World War II.

Frustrated by highly inaccurate books written about the battle, James O'Connell decided to set the record straight. What he did next was extraordinary. He revisited the Falkland's several times, interviewing comrades (and Argentine soldiers) while literally walking through the battle with them, step-by-step. When combined with his in-depth research and access to the Battalion's records and never-before-published radio logs, the resulting book is one of breath-taking detail, harrowingly realistic action and unlike anything you have ever read before.

Author Biography

James O'Connell, born in Merseyside, where he still lives, enlisted in the Parachute Regiment in 1979.

In April 1982, after a posting in Cold War Germany and a tour of Northern Ireland, the call came to take part in the British Task Force to re-capture the Falklands. During the attack on Mount Longdon, James was shot in the face. A bullet passed through his nose, destroying his right eye, cheekbone and front teeth. Though he survived, five years of reconstructive surgery followed, and James left the army in 1985 as a result of his injuries.

Following the conflict, transition to civilian life was a difficult and James suffered from what was likely undiagnosed PTSD. He eventually met and married his wife Maureen, and they have two sons.

Since 2014, James has worked to get posthumous medals and memorials for Sgt Ian McKay and Cpl Stewart McLaughlin, and has travelled to the Falklands several times in order to write this book.