An account by the only British historian to have been granted open access to the Argentines who planned and fought the Falklands War. Avoiding involvement in the issue of sovereignty and concentrating entirely upon the military story, this history is a unique and balanced look at the 1982 war for the islands that the UK called the Falklands and Argentina called the Malvinas, a ten-week conflict that killed nearly a thousand people. Among the men the author met were the captain of the ship that took the scrap-metal merchants to South Georgia; the admiral in charge of planning the Falklands invasion; the marine commander and other members of the invasion force; two brigadier-generals, five unit commanders, and many other men of the large army force sent to occupy and defend the islands; the officer in charge of the Argentine garrison at Goose Green; and, finally, the brigadier-general responsible for the defense of Port Stanley and soldiers of all ranks who fought the final battles.

The announcement of the imminent withdrawal of the British Royal Navy's ice patrol ship HMS Endurance in early 1982 prompted the Argentinian Junta in Buenos Aires to plan a military grab of the Falklands-a siege they assumed would succeed with little resistance. Such an adventure was attractive as a distraction for the Argentine public at a time of political unease. In April the Junta, led by Gen. Leopoldo Galtieri, made its move. This fascinating book examines the history, organization and equipment of the Argentine forces that battled for control of this remote British outpost.

A detailed history of the brief 1980s conflict between the UK and Argentina, from the author of The First Day on the Somme. With the surprise Argentine invasion of the remote Falkland Islands on April 2, 1982, the United Kingdom found itself at war. Due to the resolve of a determined Prime Minister and the resourcefulness of the Armed Forces, a task force, codenamed Operation Corporate, was quickly dispatched. Remarkably, just over two months later, the islands were liberated, and the invaders defeated. By any standards this was an outstanding feat of arms, cooperation made possible by political resolve, sound planning, strong leadership and the courage and determination of the British forces. Martin Middlebrook, the renowned military historian, has skillfully weaved the many strands of this extraordinary achievement into a fascinating, thorough and highly readable account. Thanks to his meticulous research he covers action at sea, on the land and in the air as well as providing the strategic overview. The author’s use of many first-hand accounts reveals what it was like to be part of this audacious military endeavor. The experiences of the Falkland Islanders during the Argentine occupation are also included. Thirty years on, Middlebrook’s The Falklands War is still an authoritative and thoroughly readable account of this historic enterprise. Originally published as Operation Corporate: The Story of the Falklands War, 1982. Praise for The Falklands War “The author’s descriptions of confrontations in the air, on the sea and on the various battlegrounds are superb, as are his explanations of the use of new weapons, such as the Sea Harrier and the Exocet missile.” —Publishers Weekly

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 re-organise and deploy forces, despatch a large task force, the innovative solutions needed to sustain the Task Force, the vital staging base at Ascension Island, the in-theatre resupply, the set-backs and finally the restoring of order after victory.??Had the logistics plan failed, victory would have been impossible and humiliation inevitable, with no food for the troops, no ammunition for the guns, no medical support for casualties etc.??The lessons learnt have never been more important with increasing numbers of out-of-area operations required in remote trouble spots at short notice. The Falklands experience is crucial for the education of new generations of military planners and fascinating for military buffs and this book fills an important gap.

In 1982 the second largest country in South America went to war with one of the major NATO powers, over a sparsely populated group of islands in a remote corner of the South Atlantic. Known as the 'Falklands' in Great Britain (even if few Britons knew of their existence before 1982), and as the 'Malvinas' in Argentina (which laid claim to the islands), the skies above and beyond this apparently insignificant territory became the backdrop to a major sea, air, and land war that neither side could afford to lose. For the first time, Wings of the Malvinas provides a comprehensive and exhaustively researched history of the battle from the Argentinean side, from the first landings at Stanley airport to the near-suicidal bombing attacks on the Royal Navy landing force in the San Carlos strait. Far more than just a history of units and operations, Wings of the Malvinas uncovers the personal stories from both sides of the conflict: "The earth seemed to come to life; missiles, tracers, explosions, and they all seemed to be coming towards my plane. I knew I mustn't lose concentration! ...Again I pulled the trigger, watching the rockets heading for the target, when suddenly I heard bangs shaking my plane again and again. A light, an explosion and sparks began to jump everywhere to the right of my instrument panel...the canopy disintegrated and I felt the freezing air from outside. I was flying just 30 feet from the ground and I was out of control! My hands flew to the ejection handle. There was nothing more to do, I was very low, out of control and I felt that death was very close, but I wasn't scared, I was quiet." Illustrated throughout with maps, diagrams and more than 450 photographs - the vast majority of them previously unseen, Wings of the Malvinasis the definitive account of the Argentinean air war over the Falkland Islands and the hostile waters of the South Atlantic.

The bestselling, highly-acclaimed and most famous account of the Falklands War, written by the commander of the British Task Force.