logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2014
14m 18s

14. Falklands

BBC Radio 4 Extra
About this episode

Lord West tells the story of the Royal Navy in the Falklands War.

Lord West travels to the Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton, home of the Fleet Air Arm, to explain the vital importance of air power in winning the Falklands War.

He visits the memorial to friends of his who died in the conflict, including when his own ship, HMS Ardent, was sunk.

For a different perspective, above the waves, he speaks to the Duke of York, who flew Sea King helicopters during the conflict.

Lord West also explains the wider significance of the war. Not only did victory reverse planned cuts to the Royal Navy, it also had a much wider effect on the strategic position at the end of the Cold War. Producer: Giles Edwards

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2014.

Up next
Jun 2014
15. 21st Century
Lord West concludes his history of the Royal Navy in the 20th century.Since the end of the Cold War, major changes in Britain have taken place in military, technological and social terms. How have these changes affected the Navy? Visiting HMS Queen Elizabeth, the Royal Navy's fut ... Show More
14m 6s
Jun 2014
13. North Atlantic
Lord West tells the story of how Britain and the Royal Navy came to focus heavily on the North Atlantic in the late Cold War.During his time in the Royal Navy, the focus was very largely on the North Atlantic. Lord West returns to North Norway to see the Royal Marines training an ... Show More
14m 11s
Jun 2014
12. Sky, Surf and Undersea
Lord West tells the story of how the Royal Navy lost its aircraft carriers but gained the United Kingdom's nuclear deterrent.The 1960s were a time of intense inter-service rivalry. The RAF and the Royal Navy exchanged blows in the corridors of Whitehall - and by the end of the de ... Show More
14m 15s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2023
WW2: Naval Power
In accounts of the Second World War, the role Navy's played is often overlooked. But the Navy's of both the Allied and Axis forces engaged in some of the biggest maritime campaigns in history. From near total elimination of forces, to epic sea battles, the Second World War change ... Show More
44m 50s
May 2023
5. Story of England: Modern Warfare
From the First World War to the Cold War, conflict in the 20th century has been crucial in shaping England as we know it. This is the final episode of Dan’s epic adventure, taking him deep inside the famous White Cliffs of Dover with Gavin Wright, into the complex warren of tunne ... Show More
1h 5m
Feb 2024
Combattre sur mer pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale - Entretien avec Loïc Guermeur
Mes chers camarades, bien le bonjour ! Quand on parle de la Seconde Guerre mondiale, il est généralement question du déroulement général de la guerre, de l’occupation, des principales batailles terrestres… et moins souvent de ce qu’il s’est passé du côté naval. Quelles étaient le ... Show More
1h 50m
Aug 2020
Radar and World War Two
During World War Two, British women were employed as operators of a top-secret radar system for detecting aircraft. The new technology had helped shift the balance of power in the air war with Nazi Germany. Laura Fitzpatrick talks to Margaret Faulds, who was stationed at a Royal ... Show More
8m 56s
Oct 2020
WW1 At Sea: The Battle of Jutland (1916)
Although overlooked today, the war at sea was a crucial part of World War I overall. The German use of the Unrestricted Submarine Warfare (in which non-military ships could be blown up by submarines without the latter surfacing, making it impossible for innocent men, women, and c ... Show More
56m 50s
Jun 2023
The 20th Century Arms Race
The 20th century heralded a revolution in how wars are fought. From military strategy and planning to the weapons and equipment used on the ground, modern militaries have radically changed how they operate. So what major changes have there been? And what is the purpose of war in ... Show More
31m 19s
Oct 2011
David J. Ulbrich, “Preparing for Victory: Thomas Holcomb and the Making of the Modern Marine Corps, 1936-1943” (Naval Institute Press, 2011).
The story of the United States Marine Corps in the Pacific Theatre in the Second World War is no doubt quite familiar to our listeners. Less well known, however, is the story of how the Marine Corps readied itself for the challenges of amphibious warfare during the interwar perio ... Show More
1h 11m
Oct 2023
205 - Victory to Defeat: The British Army 1918-40
As some of you may know, I am also a First World War historian, and the academic history of the war can be very different from the public perspective, which dwells on the first two years of the war.  Forgetting the victories of 1917 and 1918 is not new; it is something the Britis ... Show More
56m 31s
Dec 2020
Jeremy Black, "Tank Warfare" (Indiana UP, 2020)
The story of the battlefield in the 20th century was dominated by a handful of developments. Foremost of these was the introduction and refinement of tanks. In Tank Warfare (Indiana UP, 2020), prominent military historian Professor Jeremy Black offers a comprehensive global accou ... Show More
52m 59s