Product Description

Follows the task force to the South Atlantic, through the battles of early May that saw the loss of the Belgrano and the Sheffield, and on to the landings at San Carlos and the eventual surrender of the Argentine garrison.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #428621 in Books
• Published on: 2005-06-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 888 pages

From the Publisher
Published by Routledge, 28 June 2005

From the Back Cover

In the second volume of his 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. The book 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. War and Diplomacy describes in dramatic detail events such as the sinking of the Belgrano, the battle of Goose Green and the final push to Stanley. Attention is also paid to the aftermath of the war, including the various enquiries, and the eventual restoration of diplomatic relations with Argentina.

About the Author

Sir Lawrence Freedman is Professor of War Studies at King’s College where he is currently Vice Principal. He has written extensively on military strategy, cold war history and contemporary conflict and is a regular newspaper columnist.

Customer Reviews

Falklands War - The Big Brick
At nearly 800 pages you would expect this volume to be an entirely comprehensive history of the Falklands War. In fact Volume 2 of the excellent Official History leaves out far more of the war than you might expect. Sir Lawrence Freedman is extremely thorough on the London end of the conflict as is to be expected (we find references to Mrs Thatcher correcting grammar on memos sent to her!) from unfettered access to the government archives. The coverage of the negotiation process and the workings of Whitehall is fascinating to the uninitiated. It is highly recommended to those seeking to understand just how government and foreign negotiations work.

Freedman is comprehensive in addressing many minor details that have only been addressed in passing by other authors and in stating the government line on issues such as the sinking of the Belgrano. Whilst his analysis of many issues rings true and he dismisses practically all of the conspiracy theories with gusto, there is nothing in these pages that will convince the die-hards of anything other than a cover up.

The weakness of the book is in the depiction of the war in the Falklands themselves. South Georgia is dealt with in minute detail, whereas the rest of the campaign receives a much broader brush. This, Freedman himself comments in his introduction, is probably more due to constraints of space than to poor writing. I feel his remit was to tell the story from the archives rather than the people, which he rightly assumes is more than covered by other authors.

Again the narrative through the complex issues of negotiation and policy making is very strong, making the book extremely readable. There aren't many surprises or revelations to be had, but overall this book is a must have.

The cost of both volumes is somewhat severe, but hopefully they will be popular enough to make a revised, expanded edition possible so that the author can make this the complete, authoritative work on the subject.