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.

Covering the origins of the 1982 war, this book describes the long history of the dispute between Argentina and Britain over the sovereignty of the islands, and the difficulties faced by governments in finding a way to reconcile the dispute.

“A highly readable yet harrowing account [of] defeat, disappointment, tragedy, and eventual triumph set against the stormy waters of the South Atlantic.” —Naval Historical Foundation April 1, 1982: Major Mike Norman, commander of Naval Party 8901, was looking forward to a peaceful yearlong tour of duty on the Falkland Islands. But events turned out differently—because the next day, the Argentines invaded and he and his forty-three Royal Marines found themselves fighting for their lives. They took up defensive positions around Government House and on the approach to Stanley from Cape Pembroke to protect Governor Rex Hunt and delay the advance to Stanley. They were prepared to die executing his orders. After a desperate battle in the gardens and even inside the house against superior numbers, Hunt ordered them to lay down their arms. As the surrender took place, an Argentine told a marine: The islands are ours now. The response was simple: We will be back. They were, and this is their story. The Royal Marines of Naval Party 8901—as well as some members of the previous detachment—volunteered to join the Task Force and, some seventy-five days later, the men who witnessed the raising of the Argentine flag over the islands on April 2 saw the triumphant return of the Union Jack. Mike Norman’s dramatic account, written with fellow Falklands veteran and acclaimed historian Michael Jones, draws on his own vivid recollections, the log recording the defense of Government House, the testimony of the marines under his command, and newly released files from government archives. It’s a powerful and moving tribute to the marines who confronted the Argentines when they invaded and then fought to force them out.

This second volume of the official history of the Falklands Campaign follows the task force to the South Atlantic, through the battles to the eventual surrender of the Argentine garrison. It also describes the efforts to find a diplomatic solution, the economic sanctions and how the war was covered in the media.

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

Selected as a Financial Times Best Book of 2013 In Strategy: A History, Sir Lawrence Freedman, one of the world's leading authorities on war and international politics, captures the vast history of strategic thinking, in a consistently engaging and insightful account of how strategy came to pervade every aspect of our lives. The range of Freedman's narrative is extraordinary, moving from the surprisingly advanced strategy practiced in primate groups, to the opposing strategies of Achilles and Odysseus in The Iliad, the strategic advice of Sun Tzu and Machiavelli, the great military innovations of Baron Henri de Jomini and Carl von Clausewitz, the grounding of revolutionary strategy in class struggles by Marx, the insights into corporate strategy found in Peter Drucker and Alfred Sloan, and the contributions of the leading social scientists working on strategy today. The core issue at the heart of strategy, the author notes, is whether it is possible to manipulate and shape our environment rather than simply become the victim of forces beyond one's control. Time and again, Freedman demonstrates that the inherent unpredictability of this environment-subject to chance events, the efforts of opponents, the missteps of friends-provides strategy with its challenge and its drama. Armies or corporations or nations rarely move from one predictable state of affairs to another, but instead feel their way through a series of states, each one not quite what was anticipated, requiring a reappraisal of the original strategy, including its ultimate objective. Thus the picture of strategy that emerges in this book is one that is fluid and flexible, governed by the starting point, not the end point. A brilliant overview of the most prominent strategic theories in history, from David's use of deception against Goliath, to the modern use of game theory in economics, this masterful volume sums up a lifetime of reflection on strategy.

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.