discussion Books Falklands Controversy

[Guest]

Just read the Pook book a last in the trio.

Want to read controversy, how not to win a war, how not to command & despite all that we won. Yep the Flaklands 1982.

The books.

Sharky Ward Sea Harrier over the Falklands.

Jerry Pook RAF Harrier (GRs) Ground Attack Falklands.

Admiral Woodward One Hundred Days.

A taster. Who was the goon who put a submariner Admiral ALL his life in charge of essentially an air war ?

The Ships

Hermes The Admiral Woodward a tyrant with no idea of human contact.

The Captain Middleton scared of the Admiral & who threw tantrums.

The Officers & Fleet Air Arm scared stiff of both the above.

Andy Auld Harrier Commander & Flyer scared stiff of Woodward & Middleton.

The staff not a clue about deploying the RAF Harriers on Ground Attacks

Invincible The Captain Black spent time as an RN Pilot in the Fleet Air Arm..

Who over looked the deploying staff of the Harriers

Sharky Ward who refused “stupid orders” under threat of relief of command & was proved right.

A ship where the crew had had printed & wore tee shirts with

“There & Back with JJ Black”. A happy ship & it shows.

The whole thing a litany of the incompetence of the RN Top Commanders (exception JJ Black) & in most cases the stupidity of not listening to those who were carrying out the tasks.

Laurie

 

[stona]

The whole thing a litany of the incompetence of the RN Top Commanders (exception JJ Black) & in most cases the stupidity of not listening to those who were carrying out the tasks.

Laurie

No change there.

My father was a FAA pilot. He always said that the first obligation of the FAA was to defend the fleet and he didn't believe,in 1982,that it had that capability anymore. When the task Force set sail for the Falklands he told me that it was a disaster waiting to happen. It wasn't quite a disaster but the ships lost makes for sobering reading.

HMS Sheffield

HMS Ardent

HMS Antelope

HMS Coventry

RFA Sir Galahad

LCU Fearless

Atlantic Conveyor

The list of ships damaged,some severely,makes one fear what might have happened.

HMS Alacrity

HMS Arrow

HMS Glamorgan

HMS Glasgow

HMS Antrim

HMS Broadsword

HMS Argonaut

HMS Brilliant

HMS Plymouth

RFA Sir Lancelot

RFA Sir Bevidere

RFA Sir Tristram

It was a close run,lucky victory. Anyone who thinks we could pull something like that off today needs to have a cup of tea and a reality check

Cheers

Steve

 

[Guest]

Can't really call it much of a controversy as most people would agree with the general conclusions - it was an example of the old addage that the army with the LAST incompetent leaders won the war. If you look through the history of British military campaigns, it appears to be a general rule of thumb that we succeed DESPITE the leadership, not because of it (with a few honourable exceptions of course)!

 

[Guest]

Think you are right to a certain extent Andrew.

In the Falklands none of the staff on Hermes seem to understand the capabilities of the Harrier or its short comings.

On the Invincible they did mostly due to a man who knew his aircraft back to front abilities & faults Also the abilities of his pilots. In any matter in life if you have those abilities then you know what you can achieve. Go outside those parameters then you meet with almost certain disaster. Hermes turned down advice on those abilities given by Invincible & went for abilities of the Harriers which either they could not achieve or under used those abilities. So sad. Doing so risked ships & lives.

Ward & his squadron could as he describes it sanatize an area approx 20 miles in radius with their radar. As Hermes Harriers were not able to service properly or the pilots adjust it correctly that advised Hermes staff that the sanatize theory was not possible. Ward proved it but was not trusted to do it. A radar expert from the UK serviced Hermes Harriers radar but the pilots could not use it to it advantage. The expert went on to Invincible & told them the technicians of Wards squadron had serviced it better than he could. Tells a big story !

Laurie