Battle Studies, Country Studies, & Staff Rides

Not only did the conflict provide a fascinating example of modern expeditionary warfare, but it also brought to the fore numerous questions regarding international law, sovereignty, the inheritance of colonialism, the influence of history on national policy and the use of military force for domestic political uses.

This book traces the interaction of war and diplomacy and analyzes why the Falklands conflict of 1982 engaged the British and Argentine people in a deeply personal way. It also examines the interpretation of the war in Britain, revealing how the war--a successful one--was seen by its critics as an example of "Thatcher's Britain." This "small war" exemplified what one historian calls "the myriad faces of war" and had--and has--resonances larger than its size.

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 Britishprestige. Including first hand accounts from both soldiers and civilians, this is an interesting and thoroughly up to date appraisal.

While many books have been written on the Falklands War, this is the first to focus on the vital aspect of logistics. The challenges were huge; the lack of preparation time; the urgency; the huge distances involved; the need to requisition ships from trade to name but four. After a brief discussion of events leading to Argentina's invasion the book describes in detail the rush to reorganize and deploy forces, dispatch a large task force, the innovative solutions needed to sustain the Task Force, the vital staging base at Ascension Island, the in-theater resupply, the setbacks and finally the restoring of order after victory.

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.

Part A of this case study presents a historical account of this dispute, from the late 17th century through the invasion. Part B recounts Secretary of State Alexander Haig’s mediation efforts, as he shuttled between London, Buenos Aires, and Washington. This case raises issues involving problems of negotiating “under the gun” and the dilemmas faced by negotiators and mediators in crisis situations.