Product Description Martin Middlebrook is the only British historian to have been granted open access to the Argentines who planned and fought the Falklands War. It ranks with Liddell Hart's The Other Side of the Hill in analyzing and understanding the military thinking and strategies of Britain's sometime enemy, and is essential reading for all who wish to understand the workings of military minds.The author has managed to avoid becoming involved in the issue of sovereignty and concentrates entirely upon the military story. He has produced a genuine 'first' with this balanced and unique work. Among the men he 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 Defence of Port Stanley and soldiers of all ranks who fought the final battles.
Customer Reviews: Comprehensive and readableApril 18, 2008 Jeremy A. Thompson(Philadelphia, USA) 6 out of 6 found this review helpful
This is an excellent book, compelling and well written. The author clearly went to tremendous efforts to research and understand the Argentine perspective. The many quotes from the Argentine military help one get an understanding of the rather miserable experiences they had fighting the British. Rather worryingly, the author gently suggests they might try again, even though the current Argentine govenment has allegedly ruled out the military option.
Well writtenAugust 15, 2007 Mr. M. Kneale-little(Australia) 3 out of 3 found this review helpful
A good book covering the angles from a different side - detailed in some areas but silent on others especially as a cross reference against the very British publications (eg Max Hastings etc).
A very good book on the individual stories and very well worth the read if nothing more than on the very different perspective from the Argentine side.
A must read if you have any interest in this conflict...May 9, 2007 Photogs-Wings(Northern Virginia) 13 out of 14 found this review helpful
I have never read one of Mr Middlebrook's books before, but I am now searching for other titles by him. Because this was one of those books that I had a hard time putting down. Up front let me say that my nationalty is British and I can remember the Falklands War like it was yesterday. However despite having read numerous accounts of the British Victory very little has been said from the perspective of the soldiers who wore the Argentine Unform. This book changes all that, and thru what where obviously some pretty intense interviews as you read this book you start to get a feeling and even an understanding of the passions and emotions of the young soldiers facing the Brits. In the western press we hear about the superiority of the British War machine during the conflict; however the Argentines did put up a spirited if ineffective defence of the Falklands. Another thing that I thought was very interesting about this book is that we get to see how and why misinformation was distributed in the fog of war. I suppose the difference between the British and Argentine governments is that we laid open the books after the conflict to the public versus the Argentines who outright lied to preserve face. Then there are the issues of the foot soldiers on the Argentine side who despite facing what is arguable the best trained army in the world, displayed uncommon gallantry far and above what the pro British press has previously reported. About the only thing I wish Mr Middlebrook had fleshed out a little more is politcs of the Argentines on the mainland.
The Falklands War from an Argentine Perspective?August 24, 2005 P. C. Rixon(Australia) 15 out of 17 found this review helpful
For those of you looking for something different to Sir Lawrence Freedman's official history, or Max Hastings 'Falklands War', try Martin Middlebrook's 'The Argentine Fight for the Falklands'. I bought it thinking it was another Argentine perspective. But for Falklands analysts it is still worth having in the library. Pages 131-132 alone are worth the price. Two British frigates were very nearly sunk by an Argentine submarine. Why they survived makes interesting reading and is very useful for capability analysis today.
