The Battle for the Falklands

by Max Hastings, Simon Jenkins, Simon Hastings Max & Jenkins

Book Overview

"Must be read by all our military people and anyone who wants to find out what really happened on the Falkland Islands." --James M. Gavin

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393301982
• ISBN13: 9780393301984
• Release Date: September 1984
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 1.42 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

The politics and logistics of an avoidable war.

This has to be the most definitive account, from a British perspective, of a war that continues to invoke emotive reactions when discussed either side of the Atlantic. The narrative is perfectly balanced with the immediacy of the action described by Max hasting who was on the ground with the Task Force and the intrigue of the politics explained with unnerving clarity by Simon Jenkings. The book interwieves a stark narrative of the realities of battle with an enlightening view on the working of politicians and their influence on the start and ultimate outcome of war. While the book should appeal for those with a thirst for the factual, there is sufficient analysis of both the strategy of battle and the politics of war to satisfy most. I began reading this book looking for answers to how and why the war started, in this regard I feel the account fully satisfied my curiosity. What surprised me was the degree to which the descriptions of the strategy for naval warfare invoked images and scenarios that were as reminiscent of ancient history as they were relevant to contemporary conflicts. Descriptions of diplomatic efforts to forestall a war, the series of mis-communications that led ultimately to open conflict, the initial celebrations in suport of the Task Force and the ultimate subdued reaction to conclusion of war all make sobering reading. For detailed tactical accounts of naval battles this must be one of the best case studies since the Second World War. The ultimate question as to whether the war was justified or otherwise is analysed in conclusion although the authors err on the side of impartiality raising more questions than answers. A thoroughly recommended read.

A fascinating book

This book is an in-depth study of the war fought between the United Kingdom and Argentina over the Falkland Islands from April to June 1982. The book begins with a highly informative history of the islands, focusing on the two countries' claims to the islands. The war is recounted in excellent depth, focusing heavily on the British side. The final chapter is on the aftermath of the war, which is severely limited, due to the fact that the book was published in 1983.Finally, there are three excellent appendices: A covers the British task force, giving everything from silhouettes of the ships and airplanes through list of the units involved complete with their commanders; B lists the honors given to Falklands veterans; and appendix C contains the Franks Report on the conflict. The maps contained in the book are excellent, as are the numerous black-and-white pictures.This book is quite fascinating, and highly informative on the war. I found myself completely unable to put this book down, but just had to read a little more, and a little more, and a little more... I wish that it contained more information on the Argentine side, which would give the book more all-around information. However, that said, it is a great book, giving the reader a good idea of what happened both on the battlefield, and in the halls of the politicians (a great deal of the British side was run for more political, rather than military reasons).This is a great book, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in this fascinating war.

Anomaly

I was six and a bit when the war began and ended, and I only have patchy memories of the period. I can remember Moira Stewart constantly calling it 'The Falklands Crisis' on the news, and I can remember news footage of grey ships sitting in a sunlit harbour, and Simon Weston, the badly-burned survivor of the 'Galahad', who went on to be something of a mini-celebrity. And, for that matter, Adrian Mole's dad leaping out of bed on learning that the islands had been invaded, as he believed that they were off the coast of Scotland. But that's about it. Nobody ever played Falklands War games at school and although Action Men (GI Joe figures, if you're American) were still popular, they always fought the Germans, not the 'Argies'. I think that more people in Britain genuinely hated the Argentines because of Maradona's 'Hand of God' goal than for the Falklands. For a long time computer games featured Harriers and Exocets, but after a few years the whole affair faded away, with the occasional media spurt - 'Tumbledown', for one - to keep it distantly in the imagination. As such, it's nice that this book is still in print. Originally released in 1983, it was reissued in 1997 (with a new foreword, although the content is still the same). It alternates between presenting a view of the conflict on the ground, and a view of the conflict in Whitehall - the former bits are engaging, whilst the latter are very dry and a little dull. That - and the fact that there isn't even a mention of the Sun's infamous 'Gotcha' headline - is the only real drawback, as I see it, as the history presented here seems definitive (of course, I wasn't there, so I have no way of knowing how definitive. But it rings true). I was surprised to learn that there were essentially only two land battles - Goose Green and the extended series of fights around Stanley - and I was also surprised at how passive the Argentines seemed. The Argentine Air Force seemed to be hammering the British Navy to start with, but then seemed to give up - the book explains that this was due to attrition, but that doesn't seem right. There are some useful illustrations, maps and so forth, and the photographs in the middle are poignant - lots of ramrod straight military men, some of them looking as if they had stepped straight from Rorke's Drift, some of them dead. As it was published in 1983, the only serious downside is that there isn't much from the Argentine point-of-view. By all accounts it seems as if the Argentines could have prolonged the battle for months, but they chose not to - political pressures at home, or psychological defeat? It's odd to see James Callaghan's name, not once, but several times.

The best account to date of a tragic conflict

This is without a doubt one of the best books ever written about this tragic war. The book while a little dry at times none-the-less is a detailed analysis of the precursors to the war, the battle timelines and the final victory as the British recapture the Falklands. The book points out the failed Argentine tactics of sending young inexperienced conscripts to defend the Falklands against a well armed and highly professional military force. Also, don't miss the fact that while the Argentine Navy was one of the strongest voices for the invasion of the Falklands, once the Argentine Heavy Cruiser, the General Belgrano was sunk, the Argentine Navy returned to port and left the real fighting to the Army and Air Force.Few books, regardless of the balanced writing, even this one, has ever made the point that when the British liberated the Falklands they also set into motion the forces that liberated Argentina and allowed it to return its rightful place among the world's democracies.