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Not Mentioned in Despatches

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Fitz-Gibbons uses a resource which is a rarity in military historical reporting: courage. Courage to write a different kind of history: critical, unsparing. Too many writers of military affairs are mere hagiograhers, adding more worthless paper in the fawning admiration of famous men and amateurish (if any) research of the events. And so badly written history means wrong lessons learned, which tends to be a self-repeating process.

SFG blows apart the the idea that the British in this battle were competently led. Col H, for all his stature and personality, was in no way suited to the leadership of a combat unit in modern battle. His micromanaging, inability to accept the views and ideas of subordinates, and I daresay a poor tactical sense led to the attack stalling in the face of the enemy. Events occur too quickly on a modern battlefield for an infantry battalion colonel to manage in the proper time required to react to those events. Great leaders of history became great because they made the fullest use of their subordinates' initiative. It is the higher commander's role to provide fire support, logistic support, and reinforcements to the subordinate units as they create and react to battlespace events.

SFG shows in uncomfortable detail that Col H created his own problems, By having to see everything for himself meant that his situational awareness was tragically reduced to the company and platoon-level affairs directly in front of him. Two companies and the support company of the battalion languished in the rear, unable to move not by enemy fire but by H's irritated and often profane orders to wait while he was busy at the front line. 12 machine guns and other heavy weapons would have tipped the balance much more quickly and decisively.

Why do subordinates not proceed anyway? An army unit is like any other social organization, where people terrified for their job security will usually accept instructions which they know are worthless. In business, revenue is lost. In battle, men die and objectives fail.

Buy this book - it's lessons can be applied to any other battle in history, to business, to life in general. I cannot think of any situations that end in a better outcome when a leader ignores when the informed initiative of intelligent subordinates. And it should be a gift to anyone planning to be a historian. Nothing should be taken at face value, no heroes should be worshipped, no one is above criticism, a boisterous personality does not equal competence, and pride goes before the fall.

Meticulously researched and deftly written by military expert and historian Spencer Fitz-Gibbon, Not Mentioned In Despatches...: The History And Mythology Of The Battle Of Goose Green is an informed and informative analysis of the decisive British victory at Goose Green over the Argentinean forces in the 1982 "Falklands War". Examining incorrect beliefs that have been distorted to the proportion of myth, as well as presenting the specific dynamics of the battle itself in minute detail as it actually unfolded, Not Mentioned In Despatches... is an exhaustive, critical, and carefully presented survey and analysis taking the reader beneath the surface of what has been said in previous military histories and commentaries, in order to better understand what really happened.