Logistics in the Falklands War: A Case Study in Expeditionary Warfare

There is the old saw: "Amateurs study Tactics and Professionals study Logistics"; however there have been many renowned commanders including Erwin Rommel who paid little attention to this important topic.This work shows the scramble in those days after the Argentinean invasion of the Falkland Islands to assemble the shipping and materials needed to assemble a workable counter-invasion force and to successfully eject the forces of the fascist Argentinian government. The thinness of the available forces; and that if the invasion had occurred six months later there would not have been available critical naval components, is covered.The long range bombing campaign is touched upon but the actual massive refueling effort (using almost all of the RAF in air refueling assets) to mount them was not.One item not mentioned was that the Atlantic Conveyor, which had all of the task force heavy lift Chinook Helicopters, also had the experimental flight deck kit "loaned" to the British by the USN and this was lost along with all the helicopters. The loss of these Chinook's greatly hampered and dictated some of the later operational decisions by the British. The availability of even one American LPH amphibious warfare ship would have really made a huge difference.This book is also a great cautionary tale. The USA defense since 1942 had depended upon forward deployment and engagement - take the battle to the enemy and away from US shores. The naval and naval auxiliary assets needed for this, even for relatively small ground forces of say one corps, are huge and admittedly expensive but cannot be whistled up out of thin air or a quick conversion from the merchant marine. This is one of the costs of defending the republic and the effect of short-term cost cutting can be disastrous as the British learned during this pivotal conflict.One note to the revisionist/"anti-imperial" crowd. International law has always held that if a nation submits a question to 'Bella" then that outcome settles the legalities of the question. The Argentinean militarily invaded the Faukland Islands and LOST, this extinguished their claims just as the Confederate's were as a result of the American Civil War.

Having known and served with MG (Ret) Privratsky it was a real pleasure to finally read his book on Logistics in the Falklands War. Not wanting to be bias but I admit to my professional relationships with MG Privratsky and having known of his expertise on the Falklands War first hand, I did read his book with a critical eye as a US Army former Logistician. As an avid reader of military history I have always looked for good reads that would address the monumental challenges of “Logistics” and there are not many good books out there that upfront and throughout the book address logistics from a holistic and detail approach – to include how it is planned and executed. Logistics in the Falklands War does a superb job of taking the reader from Strategic, Operational and tactical level logistics. Truly this book should become part of the US Army Logistics Corps recommended reading list. I was impressed with how the book painstakingly weaves all aspects of logistic challenges, issues, failures and successes into the British battle plans and even discusses logistics techniques and support from the United Kingdom to the objectives on the Falklands. First war account I have read, although small scale fight that gives today’s military logisticians some excellent insights into the challenges of orchestrating logistics on short notice, over long lines of communications, uncompromising terrain, weather, and no contractor base to bail you out! A must read for today’s military Logisticians!COL (RET) Fred HartUS Army OD

Just finished "Logistics in the Falklands War" My background is in infantry and Army aviation. I only know military logistics as a consumer. Having said that, I really liked this book. It has a lot to say and poses some open ended questions that militaries will be addressing for a long time. Mr. Privratsky's book is was well written in an understandable, logical progression and had enough shoot 'em up to keep an old infantryman interested. It is a wonderful primer on the Falklands War and may be the most complete, concise and intelligible description of military logistics from the civilian manufacturers to the foxhole ever written! The research and foot-noting is a thing of beauty, which most authors can only ascribe to. As much as I have read about military history, the Falklands War had up until now not made my reading list. Had I not read this book, I would have never known. Thanks for that. I did take the logistics lessons on board and agree the book provides an entrée` for further study. This would be a great book for required reading at the military staff and war colleges, especially for the consumers of logistics! Combat arms guys listen up.

I have read several books about the fighting in the Falklands, and most alluded to the difficulty in getting supplies to the front. This is typical of virtually every war, and I had attributed it primarily to the vast distance involved. I had never even read of Ascension Island. This book details the cause and mechanics of those problems. I was of course familiar with some - the difficulty in using ships taken from civilian trade, for instance - but I found it fascinating to read step by step how this unfolded and how these difficulties shaped the British war effort. This is particularly relevant today as Western nations have lost so much of their shipbuilding and trade shipping, and as civilian efficiencies and increased effectiveness of stand-off attack kit have made their ships increasingly less useful for military logistics.If one likes logistics or simply wants to understand how and why war unfolds as it does, this book is excellent. Considering the dry material, it is also surprisingly readable. Highly recommended.

I was there, and cannot fault this excellent book on any of the factual aspects of which I have direct knowledge.

A well done description and analisys on Falklands war and is important because in this book you can see a geral and integrated vision on all operations. Normaly the books only focusis in a specific action and this book complete the gap

Extremely well written book covering the Falklands war and the details we usually never hear about.

I read this book for study and professional development.

I came to this through watching a lecture on YouTube at the USAHEC: [...] by the author. I have family connections with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary in the Falklands war and have always taken a keen interest in this area. The issue of logistics in is a vital question in the war and only served thus far by a very weak book: "No Sea Too Rough" which focuses only on the RFA and even that is done very badly. I wrote a review of that which said that this magnificent story deserved better. That book is this one. It is superb.It takes a military logistics professional to tell this story, and maybe needs a foreigner to do so with some distance and perspective. Privatsky is a US one star general with logistics as his speciality. He tells this story with experience, acumen and respect. His command of detail talks of diligent research, privileged access but also a piercing focus on the key issues born of a lifetime's professionalism. As a result, he tells a story with disciplined analysis, measured judgement and no little skill.His prose is spare and economic, but needs to be. This is a story that needs no embellishment. As a Brit, one reads his understated narrative with a mounting sense of pride and respect. I defy any Brit to read this and not stand just a little straighter, a little taller. That is not to say this is a gushing anglophile whitewash; it is a tight professional analysis, rich in lessons for future military leaders (hence his invitation to the US Army's historical centre). But there is clear respect for the feat of arms he describes.This is a fine book. If this admittedly obscure topic is of interest, I assure you this will be of value to you.