The History of the South Atlantic Conflict: The War for the Malvinas [Hardcover]

Ruben O. Moro (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0275930815 | ISBN-13: 978-0275930813 | Publication Date: July 7, 1989

An important contribution to the political science and military history literature, this is the first book to present the Argentinean side of the battle for the Malvinas (Falklands) in May 1982. The author, a senior official in the Argentine Air Force who took part in the conflict himself, uses a wealth of documents, including previously unreleased British intelligence data and records of conversations between the top authorities, to construct a comprehensive account of the political and diplomatic aspects of the war, as well as the day-by-day military operations in the South Atlantic. The author begins by examining the facts and circumstances that put Great Britain and Argentina on a collision course, paying particular attention to the points at which war could have been avoided. He goes on to provide a detailed account of events, such as the attempts by the United States to intervene, the deployment of forces, the battle of May 1, the sinking of the cruiser ARA General Belgrano and the subsequent sinking of the British destroyer HMS Sheffield, the battle of San Carlos, the fight for Darwin-Goose Green, the march to Fitz Roy and Mount Kent, and the last stand of Puerto Argentino. In addition to offering a full portrayal of the battles and conflicts themselves, Moro also provides a cogent analysis of the interaction of political and military events in modern conflict, a particularly valuable case study of U.S.-Latin American relations, and a fascinating examination of weapons systems in modern warfare. Moro takes issue with published British reports that treat the war as a discreet event that is now over, arguing that the conflict is not only still alive but also threatens both hemispheric peace and U.S. influence in Latin America.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Between April 2 and June 14, 1982, Argentina and Britain were locked in a bitter struggle over the South Atlantic archipelago known as the Malvinas or Falkland Islands. Moro, an officer in the Argentine Air Force, presents a highly detailed account of the conflict, using a wide variety of sources and illustrating maneuvers and battles with a number of sketch maps. The author approaches the topic from a very pro-Argentine point of view, placing major blame for the extensive casualties during the clash on British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. At the same time, he is quite critical of the US for its logistical and communication assistance to the British forces, and accuses President Reagan of deserting his hemispheric allies. The translation is quite readable and seems to capture the spirit of the original Spanish. The bibliography is extensive, but does not include British materials since those documents have not been made available for researchers. For those interested in military history and Latin American diplomacy. Graduate level.”–Choice

“. . . This is an interesting and well produced book, written in the straightforward way on would expect of a military writer. . .”–Journal of the Royal Artillery

Language Notes

Text: English, Spanish (translation)

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 376 pages
• Publisher: Praeger Publishers (July 7, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0275930815
• ISBN-13: 978-0275930813
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,817,782 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A Grave Disappointment, October 8, 2000

By 

Gideon Afek - See all my reviews

This review is from: The History of the South Atlantic Conflict: The War for the Malvinas (Hardcover)

A glaring gap exists in the historical coverage of the Falklands War. That gap is due to the British monopoly in the writing of this war's history. The reader picks up Moro's book hoping and expecting to find a welcome new perspective, that of Argentina. The hopeful reader is destined to be disappointed, as the book is beset by severe deficiencies that render its value as negligible. The major flaw of this work is its credibility. The accounts presented are an obvious mixture of fact and fantasy that result in even the accurate narrations being cast in doubt. Wild claims of the aircraft carrier HMS Invincible being bombed and severely damaged are a good example, as are claims for British aircraft downed in fantastic numbers. Argentine forces are portrayed as heroic and effective to the extent that the uninformed is liable to believe that Argentina won the war. The reader is left frustrated, as it seems that the British accounts must be tainted with a lack of objectivity on occasion. Ruben Moro, however, does little but thicken the fog of uncertainty. Another disturbing flaw is the style in which the book is written. It is devoid of any objective and academic character, and is consumed by emotive and partisan rhetoric. At times the reader is impressed that he is reading an official history of the Galtieri Junta, published by the Ministry of Information of the time. History is yet to be graced by a serious and dependable Argentinian perspective of this war.

23 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Appalling, August 25, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The History of the South Atlantic Conflict: The War for the Malvinas (Hardcover)

A sad and twisted account of an invasion that went awry when the invaded nation decided to fight back. On finishing this book, it is difficult to see how it might have been improved except by, perhaps, not writing it. The author's claims are ludicrous rhetoric, easily falsifiable with even the most cursory glance at the facts. One suspects that the entire work was meant to justify the Air Chief's failures as a commander, besides the obvious politically nationalist angle in a nation that has never really other than toyed with democracy. I predict it will be a best seller in Argentina and not really help educate Argentinians on the realities of the political situation (or the war itself) in any way.

7 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The real story of the war that british will always hide, January 22, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The History of the South Atlantic Conflict: The War for the Malvinas (Hardcover)

The whole world knows that if it werent because of the type of bombs Argies were using, more than a half, or maybe more of the fleet itself would be in the bottom of the sea right now...
This book tells the real story, the truth about what happened in this war. Argentine forces are not meant to be shown as heroic by Comodoro O. Moro, but they REALLY ARE... why? i'll tell u some facts that make this people really heroic, even if they lost the war: while argentine air force planes faced a highly sofisticated british technology, in land, beside their cannons, argentine anti air artillery made disasters on enemy harriers which were afraid and couldn't destroy, Port Stanley runway of 1,250mts of lenght, while argie fighters/bombers were tired of hitting british frigates of only 120mts lenght. AND THAT IS THE ONLY TRUTH THAT NO ONE CAN DENY.
About the Invincible, i talked with one of the pilots that attacked the ship, and i can affirm that: THE INVINCIBLE WAS ATTACKED because: a turbine was sent from england 2 replace in that aircraft carrier, because it entered port stanley docks by the end of august and it arrived to england on 17th september 1982, because in its external repairs you could see the new paint, because there is a pic of a runway with a bomb impact, because after its arrival to portsmouth it entered in dry docks 2 be repaired on the inside, because it was about 2 be sold 2 australia and they offered the hermes in replace of the invincible.
The book express what the people who fought in that war saw with its own eyes, and u can buy it 2 prove that i'm not wrong and then compare with other british books that lie with their numbers
Give it a try and then make a review from it.
You wont be dissapointed