The Falklands War 1982

Osprey Essential Histories #15

by Duncan Anderson

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.

Genres: History, Military History, Military Fiction, Nonfiction, British Literature, War

96 pages, Paperback

First published February 25, 2002

Reviews

[Nate Hill · Rating 2 out of 5]

A good summary of the Falklands' War written from a distinctly British perspective. At times, the editing was distracting as characters were mentioned out of context and only by their last name. Additionally, many of the Argentinian successes are painted in the light of luck rather than tactical and operational acumen. No mention is made of the efforts made by the Argentinian Navy to sink the flagship of the British nor is much made of the fact that the fuse settings on the bombs essentially changed the outcome of the conflict. Overall, I leave with a better understanding of the conflict.

[Andrew Wardle · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. From a series called "Essential Histories" and it was exactly what it said on the tin - a short book about a short war. I'm old enough to remember this war but it was interesting to read about it without the filter of wartime censorship (not that there seems to have been much) and journalistic bias. The military events are told clearly and concisely and there are good maps and photographs. Enough soldiers' accounts feature to tell the human story, but not (as with many modern history books) so many that they get in the way of the narrative. And the author is very good on the political machinations going on behind the scenes. I was interested to read that the EEC (as it then was) imposed a total trade embargo on Argentina just a week after the invasion. Wonder if that would happen post-Brexit, Messrs. Farage and Johnson ?
The author does occasionally get a little carried away with his own eloquence:
"Elsewhere the news was greeted with disbelief.......then incredulity". In that context those words are synonymous.
In his retrospective analysis of the conflict, he says of the diaries of Argentine and British soldiers, that because they were so similar in age, it would be "invidious" to single out any individual as typical. I have no idea what he means by this - surely it would have been more so had the Brits all been veterans and the Argentinians (as reported in the press at the time) all callow teenage conscripts ?
And the ARA General Belgrano mounted fifteen, not twelve, 6" guns.
But these are minor blemishes on a very good book.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice introductory summary to this unusual conflict, though written mainly from the British perspective. Certainly inspires the reader to learn more about the Falklands War from both sides. A worthwhile read for anyone new to the topic.

[Almantas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Osprey Publishing Essential Histories publication.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting background and discussion of what happened (on the land side) this war.

[Erick Mertz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Understanding the complexities of The Falkland Island War is part of a writing project I'm currently working on. I was six when the war took place and scarcely remember more than my father's terse assessments of what was happening half a world away.

Without recommendation, I picked this up blindly and read it as work education.

All in all, this was a fairly good book from a military history stand point. The author gives a lot of details of unit movement, hardware and troop configurations, etc... This is an invaluable read if you're looking for an understanding of the war as a series of operations by groups of men.

On that note, it's a pretty much lacking a view on the human story. There are less than five pages dedicated to what life on the ground was like for the soldiers and citizens in the Falklands. Those details aren't exactly pertinent to my work but it was a glaring omission to be sure.

So, read it for military knowledge; pick up something else for that human touch.

www.erickmertzwriting.com

[Sean Chick · Rating 3 out of 5]

A workman like volume, very British centeric and lacking a section on tactics. This is important in an era when conventional warfare was (and is) becoming rare. The book mentions that the Falklands War led to a noticeable boost in patriotism and British influence and prestige, but forgets to mention that this boost was rather short-lived. Falklands was more like a last gasp of empire and "rule Britannia" jingoism for a nation in perpetual decline, largely because of the policies of Thatcher and her ilk.

[Declan Waters · Rating 4 out of 5]

The most recent military engagement by the British military forces done entirely on their own. When Argentina invades the Falklands they probably didn't expect a military response but this is what they got.

Being Oprey this focuses on the battles and engagements of the war and the differences between the British forces and their Argentinian counterparts.

A good introduction / overview the war including many things I didn't know (not having read about it much, and being very young when it happened).

[Bruinrefugee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read concerning a short war that really caught the news when I was young. While perhaps not of earth-shattering significance to the rest of the world, this book puts the entire chain of events into a good context while not losing sight of the high stakes for those involved.

[Teufel Wolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent short history of the Falkland's War from British POV.

[Kevin Greathurst · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good update on what we did

A good read to find out what some of the other's did as I was RCT attached to 1/7 GR from start to endex.