Falklands Military Machine, The

The Falklands campaign of 1982 has engendered more detailed books than any other war of such short duration, but here, for the first time in one volume, is the background to the whole campaign. Strategically, to deploy a re-occupation force over a distance of 8,000 miles from home in the middle of an Antarctic winter, is an unsound undertaking, but the determination of the British Government to support the rights of a small community of British stock against unprovoked aggression by sending a Task Force to free them, is one of the outstanding military feats of the late 20th Century.

The Military Machine behind such a campaign, whether naval, land or air forces, had to be carefully planned and coordinated. That the first major elements of the Task Force sailed within five days of the call to arms is an achievement without parallel in modern times. Without the complete cooperation of servicemen and civilians alike in dockyards, stores depots, ports and airports, this force of more than 110 ships, including the pride of the British merchant fleet Queen Elizabeth II and Canberra, and 28,000 men, could never have sailed. Continual cuts in Government Defence spending since the withdrawal of British Forces from the Far and Middle East in the early 1970's had so depleted our resources that such a task was inconceivable except in the eyes of the most determined.

How this mammoth Task Force was assembled, with sufficient logistic backing, is a remarkable achievement of its own, carried through to its natural conclusion of total victory.

This book sets out to show how this victory was accomplished within the limited resources and how it was made possible with a skilled force of highly trained professional soldiers, sailors and airmen.