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Customer Reviews (1)

Not unpleasant to read.
Positive about the book is the number of pictures and also the descripton of the planned SAS mission 'Mikado'. The war is covered well, but the book contains a lot of errors and overclaims. And unfortunately the number of maps is unsufficient. ... Read more

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Sovereignty of the Falkland Islands. Falkland Islands, Falklands War, History of the Falkland Islands, Timeline of the history of the Falkland Islands, Falklands Crisis (1770), Re-establishment of British rule on the Falklands (1833), 1982 invasion of the Falkland Islands, Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata ... Read more

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18 folding maps in folding case. Maps only, w/o the text volume ... Read more

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The Argentine invasion of the Falklands in 1982 sparked national outrage and Britain felt she had to avenge the humiliation and protect her own. This volume explores both the military and political dimensions of this important conflict, including detailed accounts of the air / sea battle, the Battle for San Carlos Water, Goose Green, Mt Harriet, Tumbledown and many others. It explains how success in the Falklands set the stage for the years of Thatcher's dominance, and restored British prestige. Including first hand accounts from both soldiers and civilians, this is an interesting and thoroughly up to date appraisal. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Good overview of the war
I wanted to read a concise overview of the Falklands war to add to what I remembered from the time.The Osprey books generally do a good job with quick overviews and this one was just what I wanted with the right amount of detail.

A good account of the war
As usual, Osprey describes war histories in a very effective way. This book is ideal for anyone who wants to have a neat idea of what happened in Falkland/Malvinas in 1982.

Not enough sources, too many errors
If you are looking for a narration of the Falklands War from the English point of view, this is the right book for you: brief, exciting and with many illustrations. However, if you want an exhaustive, updated and impartial chronicle of this conflict, you will be disappointed with this work ofDuncan Anderson.
The reasons are not difficult to guess. In the section "Select bibliography", the author mentions NINE books; only "half-book" (the work of Virginia Gamba-Stonehouse with Lawrence Freedman) have Argentine origins. Hardly surprising, the text of Anderson is strongly unilateral and full of errors. Here a brief selection:
3) Page 11: no mention to the first English invasion of Buenos Aires in 1806 under the command of Popham and Beresford (the same expedition who occupied Cape Colony before)
"...an along with [Argentine] independence in 1820..."
Argentine independence took place in 1816, not 1820
"In 1831 the American frigate Lemington..."
The US-American ship's name was Lexington
8) Page 25: "...Harriers...would have to face some 120 Argentine machines of equal of superior performance."
A quarter of these 118 Argentine aircraft were COIN/trainer turboprops (Pucará & Turbo Mentor) with a maximum speed of 500 km/h. Only 32 machines (8 Mirage III and 24 Daggers) were theoretically superior to the Sea Harrier, but they operated at the limit of their range (they wouldn't perform any air refuelling) and their missiles were very inferior to the AIM-9L Sidewinder
12) Page 32 (photo): "Douglas A-4C Skyhawks."
These are A-4B of the Grupo 5 de Caza (Fight Group 5)
14) Page 35 (map): "Task Group 79.1 & 2 (Aircraft-carrier and 2 destroyers)" and "Task Group 79.4 (3 frigates)"
These groups included four destroyers (Hércules, Santísima Trinidad, Comodoro Py and Comodoro Seguí) and three corvettes (Drummond, Granville and Guerrico)
15) Page 37: "Unknown to the RAF, the Argentine engineers who had constructed the airfield had made a mistake when plotting its position on survey maps. As a consequence, the airfield's position on maps the crew was using was 1,000 m from its actual position."
Really? Perhaps the Argentine engineers made this error on purpose for the British maps; or perhaps that was only an excuse of the British pilots for their failure to hit a 1,250 m runway meanwhile their Argentine colleagues hit frigates that were ten times smaller...
"...one bomb hit the centre of the runway, cratering it badly and ensuring it could not be used by fast jets."
The bomb hit only a border of the runway, that was never able to operations with fast jets because it was still too short
17) Page 40: "She [the Belgrano] sank within 45 minutes, with the loss of 368 lives."
The Belgrano sank within one hour, with the loss of 323 lives
18) Page 41: "During the next 24 hours Lynx helicopters sank and disabled two Argentine patrol boats on their way to the islands."
No Argentine patrol boat was sunk. The Skua missiles were unable to sink the 800-ton Alférez Sobral: damaged and with seven killed it was able to reach Puerto Deseado without help. The Sobral wasn't on the way to the island but on the search of the crew of the Canberra shot down at 1 May: the two airmen were never found
19) Page 43: "The first success came on 9 May when Coventry, a Type 42, shot down two Skyhawks and a Puma helicopter."
The two A-4C were not hit by Sea Darts missiles but they crashed due to bad weather (like two Sea Harriers three days before)
"...a bomb from the second attack wave hit Glasgow, but passed through her without exploding."
Right, but Glasgow was so badly damaged that some days later it had to take the way back to England
21) Page 50: "In fact, the settlements [at Goose Green] held 1,500; with added reinforcements the number was to rise to 1,630."
At 26 May, the settlements held only 845 men (included 202 ground crew from the airfield). At 28 May two reinforcements came: a platoon of the Regiment 25 (44 men) and the Company B of the Regiment 12 (132 men)
23) Page 53: "As he [Jones] single-handedly stormed an Argentine trench from the rear, he was cut down by a burst of machine gun fire from behind".
I don't want to offend the memory of "H" Jones, but I must tell you the other version of his death:
As the Company A was stopped by the fire of the defenders of Darwin in a path between two minefields, three Paras took off und shuttled their helmets. The Argentine officer, Lt Juan José Gómez Centurión, accepted the parliament's offer and met one of the enemy soldiers who introduced him as Lieutenant Colonel Jones and demanded the surrender of the Argentines. Surprised and annoyed, Gómez Centurión broke up the parliament and both officers went back to their men. At this moment a British MG that used the break to flank the Argentine's position opened fire and hit three Argentine soldiers. Gómez Centurión saw Jones behind a fence and fired twice with his rifle: Jones was hit from a bullet in the neck and died.
24) Page 54: "...the Argentines [suffered] 55 dead and 86 wounded. In addition, 1,536 physically uninjured Argentines became prisoners of war."
The Argentines suffered 50 dead and almost 120 men were wounded. Only 1,083 soldiers surrendered
"...the Argentines...were...equipped with automatic weapons...and supported by mortar and artillery fire and ground attack aircraft."
The Argentines had only four machine guns (one 12,7mm and three 7,62 mm), whereas their enemy had 56 MG (14 to 1). As the Argentines, the Paras had 105mm guns (at the end six), 81 mm mortars (at the end eight) and air-ground support. And they had something that the Argentines didn't have: 12 granade-throwers M79, MILAN and Blowpipes missiles and naval fire support from the 114mm gun of the frigate Arrow
26) Page 58: "The frigate Cardiff, returning from bombarding Stanley, sighted the landing craft."
Cardiff was not a frigate but a Type 42 destroyer. By the way, one hour before a British Gazelle helicopter was shot down by "over-anxious" crew of Cardiff: four men were killed
27) "The landing craft [Foxtrot 4] was saved from almost certain destruction by the arrival of two Sea Harriers..."
The Foxtrot 4 was sunk together with the transported material
29) "...British gunners were trained to a much higher standard."
The principal advantage of British artillery was the 17 km range of their guns compared with the 10,5 km range of Argentine OTO Melara howitzers
"...additional fire support was to be provided by automatic 4." guns of four warships..."
The standard gun of British warships is 4,5in (114mm)
36) Page 86: "Nearly 100 Argentine dead were found in positions on the ridge [Wireless Ridge]..."
The Regimiento 7 lost in Longdon and Wireless Ridge only 35 killed
Finally: in this book I couldn't find any reference to the help of the Chilean dictatorship to Britain (military intelligence, aggressive movements of his army and navy against Argentine, a British Recce-Canberra unit that operated with Chilean colours from the Patagonia, etc): this help was acknowledged in public by Margaret Thatcher in 1999, when her friend, ex-dictator Augusto Pinochet, was arrested in England.

More than twenty years after the conflict, such inaccuracy is simply unacceptable. It is lamentable that Anderson, in spite of his notables academic records (he is head of the Department of War Studies at Sandhurst), has been incapable to write a true valuable work on this tragic conflict.

Fantastic history of the Falklands war
I found this to be extremely informative as well a gripping read.Excellently written and involves the reader to make the material come alive.If you have any interest in this conflict this is *the* authoritative read. ... Read more

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Drawing on a vast range of previously classified government archives as well as interviews with key participants, this first volume of the official history of the Falklands Campaign is the most authoritative account of the origins of the 1982 war.

In the first chapters the author analyses the long history of the dispute between Argentina and Britain over the sovereignty of the Islands, the difficulties faced by successive governments in finding a way to reconcile the opposed interests of the Argentines and the islanders, and the constant struggle to keep the Islands viable. He subsequently gives a complete account of how what started as an apparently trivial incident over an illegal landing by scrap-metal merchants on the island of South Georgia turned into a major crisis. Thanks to his access to classified material, Sir Lawrence Freedman has been able to produce a detailed and authoritative analysis which extends the coverage given by the Franks Committee Report of 1983.

This volume is ultimately an extremely readable account of these events, charting the growing realisation within the British government of the seriousness of the situation, culminating in the Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands at the start of April 1982.

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The Falklands War began when Argentinian troops invaded the Falkland Islands on 2 April 1982. Martin Middlebrook has sought out all the available evidence from documentary and personal sources on both sides and comes to some controversial conclusions about the conflict. His book, which contains material on the Exocet attacks on British ships, on the loss of HMS Coventry and the Sir Galahad tragedy, and on the controversial sinking of the General Belgrano, has been revised for this edition. Paced like the war itself, leading to a tense and stirring climax, this book will remain the definitive work on this recent and most unusual conflict. ... Read more

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First class, gripping account of the 1982 Falklands War !
Noted military historian / writer Martin Middlebrook has excelled himself with this fastidiously researched & tightly written account of the short lived, but bloody, 1982 war between Britain & Argentina over the tiny Falklands Islands in the South Atlantic. The author has effectively covered both the British & Argentinian perspective's of the campaign, and gives a fairly unbiased approach to the subject matter at hand.

Middlebrook provides a comprehensive, historical background to the issue of how the crisis developed in the Falklands, and the political climate in Argentina prior to the ill fated invasion. Middlebrook additionally illustrates how the British Lion then roused from it's slumber, swung swiftly into action and assembled a formidable task force, and sailed them thousands of miles away into the South Atlantic to battle against a numerically superior force.

The book provides detailed and intriguing insights into the naval aspects of the campaign including the loss of the Argentinian cruiser, General Belgrano and several English ships such as Sheffield, Sir Galahad & Atlantic Conveyor.The author examines the constant threat & fear that the Excocet missile posed to British shipping & their crews, and a bold plan to land SAS troops at Rio Grande to destroy Argentinian Super Etendard jets, the only jets capable of air launching the deadly Exocet. In addition, Middlebrook paints a gripping picture of the air war between British Harriers & Argentinian Skyhawks & Daggers, and the fight for supremacy of the skies over the Falklands. Finally, he covers the land campaign and the hard fought battles by Britsh Paratroop & Commando units against a dug in opposition & bitterly cold weather for key points including Goose Green, Tumbledown Mountain, Darwin Hill & finally the capital of Stanley.

A key aspect of the book that maintains the readers interest is the many, enthralling first hand comments by participants in the war including serviceman & politicians from both sides, Falkland Islanders, and the relatives of those involved in the crisis.Middlebrook combines details on the military technology that are easy to follow for the layman, with a fluid and well paced writing style that make the book compelling reading. Middlebook has written numerous other titles on military history, and this is another fine addition to his line up. Highly recommended for those seeking a concise, intriguing & well written book on the Falklands War. ... Read more

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In this official history of the Falklands Campaign, Lawrence Freedman provides a detailed and authoritative account of one of the most extraordinary periods in recent British political history and a vivid portrayal of a government at war.

After the shock of the Argentine invasion of the Falklands in April 1982, Margaret Thatcher faced the crisis that came to define her premiership as she determined to recover the islands. Freedman covers all aspects of the campaign - economic and diplomatic as well as military - and demonstrates the extent of the gamble that the government took. There are important accounts of the tensions in relations with the United States, concerns among the military commanders about the risks they were expected to take, the problems of dealing with the media and the attempts to reach a negotiated settlement. This definitive account describes in dramatic detail events such as the sinking of the Belgrano, the battle of Goose Green and the final push to Stanley. Special attention is also paid to the aftermath of the war, including the various enquiries, and the eventual restoration of diplomatic relations with Argentina.

Product Description

Drawing on a vast range of previously classified government archives as well as interviews with key participants, this first volume of the official history of the Falklands Campaign is the most authoritative account of the origins of the 1982 war.

In the first chapters the author analyzes the long history of the dispute between Argentina and Britain over the sovereignty of the Islands, the difficulties faced by successive governments in finding a way to reconcile the opposed interests of the Argentines and the islanders, and the constant struggle to keep the Islands viable. He subsequently gives a complete account of how what started as an apparently trivial incident over an illegal landing by scrap-metal merchants on the island of South Georgia turned into a major crisis. Thanks to his access to classified material, Lawrence Freedman has been able to produce a detailed and authoritative analysis which extends the coverage given by the Franks Committee Report of 1983.

This volume is ultimately an extremely readable account of these events, charting the growing realization within the British government of the seriousness of the situation, culminating in the Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands at the start of April 1982.

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The author sought out all the evidence from documentary and personal sources on both sides and comes to some controversial conclusions about the Falklands conflict. The book includes material on the Exocet attacks on British ships, on the loss of the "Coventry" and the "Sir Galahad" tragedy and on the controversial sinking of the "General Belgrano". ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Very good book on a overlooked subject!
With a lack or "great" titles on this subject, this book is my favorite if the 3 I have read.Middlebrook has a great style in writing and all of his works always hits the mark.While not wasting very much time with the events on the world stage, Middlebrook informs the reader on this important "war" fought at the height the Cold War.The reader is given many first person accounts (mostly British, with some Argentine, and Falklander comments) which greatly add to the enjoyment of this book.The reader can see how the UK, one of the worlds Former "superpowers" could very easily have lost this war and control over the Falklands.The Land, Sea, and Air stories are all told (the Air war was lacking of the 3), as well as some of the behind the scenes maneuverings in London, Buenos Aries, and Ascension Island. Logistically the British were very challenged, this point was not delved into enough for my liking.Over all, a great author comes through again.

Good but heavy
Again written in Middlebrook's style. Lots of details but heavy to read. He includes chapters from the start which explain the issues surrounding the war, the initial invasion by the Argentines and life for theinhabitants after the war starts. There are also chapters on the sinking ofthe General Belgrano and the Sheffield and the immensly interesting"Black Buck" missions the British launched from Ascension Island.This book is difficult to read due to the amount of information thatMiddlebrook includes, however, don't be put off by this. The book is anexcellent introduction to the Falklands War and explains how it unfolded.If you are interested in the wider perspective of the war then you shouldtry Nigel West's " Secret War for the Falklands ". ... Read more

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Chapters: Falklands War. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 337. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: The Falklands War (Spanish: ), also called the Falklands Conflict/Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom (UK) over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. The Falkland Islands consist of two large and many small islands in the South Atlantic Ocean east of Argentina; their name and sovereignty over them have long been disputed. The Falklands War started on Friday, 2 April 1982 with the Argentine invasion and occupation of the Falkland Islands and South Georgia, and ended with the Argentine surrender on 14 June 1982. The war lasted 74 days, and resulted in the deaths of 255 British and 649 Argentine soldiers, sailors, and airmen, and three civilian Falklanders. It is the most recent conflict to be fought by the UK without any allied states and the only external Argentine war since the 1880s. The conflict was the result of a protracted diplomatic confrontation regarding the sovereignty of the islands. Neither state officially declared war and the fighting was largely limited to the territories under dispute and the South Atlantic. The initial invasion was characterised by Argentina as the re-occupation of its own territory, and by the UK as an invasion of a British dependent territory. Britain launched a naval task force to engage the Argentine Navy and Argentine Air Force, and retake the islands by amphibious assault. The British eventually prevailed and at the end of combat operations on 14 June the islands remained under British control. However, as of 2010 and as it has since the 19th century, Argentina shows no sign of relinquishing its claim. The claim remained in the Argentine constitution after its reformation in 19...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=11523 ... Read more

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Volume 1 only! Reprint of the Second Edition originally published in 1938. ... Read more

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Falkland Islands. List of Falkland Islands placenames, Timeline of the history of the Falkland Islands, Falklands War, Politics of the Falkland Islands, Sovereignty of the Falkland Islands, Geology of the Falkland Islands, Economy of the Falkland Islands, Falkland Islanders, Origins of Falkland Islanders, Military of the Falkland Island. ... Read more