[.ca] One Hundred Days: The Memoirs of the Falklands Battle ... (ISBN 1557506523)

Woodward denies HMS Invincible was hit on 30 May:
The fact that HMS 'Invincible' had a damaged gas turbine engine replaced under the cover of darkness on 5 June 1982 (See Rodney Burden et al, Falklands: The Air War, p. 238, Arms & Armour Press, 1986) and that with the fighting at an end the aircraft carrier anchored on 1 July 1982 off the Islands sporting a new coat of sea grey paint (See John Godden, Harrier: Ski-Jump to Victory, Brasseys, 1983, p. 79) seemed in Argentinian eyes to confirm their belief that some damage had been inflicted on the 'Invincible' during 30 May. It is of some interest that Admiral John Woodward does not mention these facts in his memoirs. (See Sandy Woodward with Patrick Robinson, One Hundred Days: The Memoirs of the Falklands Battle Group Commander, HarperCollins Publishers, 1992) It should be stated that painting 'Invincible' in the foaming brine, the cold, the yawning swells, with General Winter whipping up 20-foot waves would have been extremely difficult. Worser still the British Ministry of Defence claimed shortly after that the last Exocet missile was fired into the smouldering hulk of the 'Atlantic Conveyor' (See Paul Eddy & Magnus Linklater, The Falklands War: Sunday Times Insight Team, Andre Deutsch, 1982), a story which was disproved the following year in Air War South Atlantic by Jeffrey Ethell and Alfred Price. Admiral Woodward may persist in denying the 'Invincible' had been attacked, but the night of 30-31 May was indeed marked by a single Vulcan bomber fitted with Shrike anti-radar missiles mounting an attack on the Westinghouse long-range radar in Stanley which had been tracking the aircraft-carrier.

Thorough and enlightening:
Co-written with Patrick Robinson (fiction novelist and author of USS Seawolf, Nimitz Class, and others), this biographical/historical book is a detailed and enjoyable look at a very difficult and tense military deployment. Woodward's writing is honest and open, revealing his concerns and doubts about his leadership while at the same time providing the reader with a wonderful background into the strategy and tactical planning of the British command.

In the finest traditions of the Royal Navy:
A superior autobiography. Although the focus is plainly on the Falklands, the author provides a fascinating account of the RN's submarine training program -- which reminds one of why the British military, though tiny in size, still maintains some of the best trained warriors in the world. The meat of the book retells the story of PM Thatcher's courageous decision to retake the Falklands. The author provides a fine defense of the UK's controversial decision to sink the Argentine crusier Belgrano and a compelling account of the terror visited upon his task force by (French-made) exocet anti-ship missles. Unlike many commanders' post-mortems, this book contains little of the standard blame shifting usually found in such works. The Admiral takes you through his decision-making process step-by-step never letting the reader forget that the decisions he made often were made on the basis on VERY incomplete information under intense time-pressure (from the US, the UN and the coming South Atlantic winter) and, often, under fire. Overall, one comes away thinking the author would have done a bang-up job at Trafalger or Jutland . . . or even taking on the Soviet Navy in the North Atlantic. A must have for those interested in finding out what -- to paraphrase the Iron Duke -- a damn near run thing the Falklands campaign really was.

Great Book at the right level of detail:
Written with the right level of detail. Laden with the real suspense of what it is like to be at war and in command. If you want to get inside what a modern military operation is like read this. The section on how the author progressed through the naval ranks is excellent.

Feel the responsibility and tension of war!!:
Admiral Woodward's account manages to deliver the sense of being in charge of tens of ships loaded with thousands of men, all involved in a modern armed conflict at sea. The professionalism necessary to handle the situation is clearly conveyed. As well as the stress that life-or-death decisions place on the shoulders of those "managing" a war-front.