Review (PDF) The Gulf War 1991 (Essential Histories)
The Gulf War of 1991 heralded a new type of warfare that was characterised by astonishing speed and high technology with remarkably low numbers of casualties amongst the coalition forces. Just under a million coalition personnel were deployed to the Gulf region to face a variety of threats from extreme temperatures to weapons of mass destruction (biological, chemical and suspected nuclear) and a formidable Iraqi occupation force. This book assesses the defensive Operation Desert Shield (the build up of coalition forces) and the offensive Operation Desert Storm (the liberation of Kuwait) as well as the key personalities on both sides.
Series: Essential Histories (Book 55)
Paperback: 96 pages
Publisher: Osprey Publishing (May 20, 2003)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1841765740
ISBN-13: 978-1841765747
Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 0.2 x 9.7 inches
Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #1,460,071 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #39 in Books > History > Middle East > Kuwait #196 in Books > History > Military > United States > Operation Desert Storm #641 in Books > History > Middle East > Iraq
In order to have a good grasp on what's happening in Iraq today, an understanding of the war in 1991 is essential. There's a fair amount of literature on the "first" gulf war, but Finlan's book would be a great place to start if you're not already familiar with the subject.The Essential Histories series is aimed towards the beginner, with the goal of providing a short and readable account of the main issues surrounding a particular conflict. Finlan's book does a very good job at providing context to the war by covering most of the relevant angles. If the book is to be faulted for anything, it would be that it's heavily skewed towards the military aspect of the war at the expense of the political details. The political background to the war was just as important as the military one and should have been given more attention.Finlan's treatment of the subject is objective and fair for the most part. While the book is quite short (only 84 pages of text) the purpose of the book is to be introductory, not all inclusive. The only factual innacuracy is that he attributed the 1996 Khobar Towers attack to Saudi dissidents, but it is widely known that Hezbollah, working with Iran, were responsible for the attack.Anyone desiring a greater understanding of Iraq that doesn't know quite where to start would most likely benefit from this book. For those already familiar with Iraq and its history, this book will not provide anything new.
As usual from Osprey Publishing this is welcome addition to my military history library. Years ago i was involved in the high level planning for this operation. I had been waiting for Osprey to develop an account of the operation and I am not disappointed by this volume.
This book will give you a very good overview of the 1991 conflict in about 90 pages. The events leading to the war, the opposing forces and the description of the operations are clearly exposed. The day-by-day color maps showing the ground war and the progression of the coalition forces are particularly excellent. The chapter on casualties is especially interesting concerning the iraqi combat and civilian losses, considering the discrepancies in numbers previously published (from estimates as low as 750 military deaths to the wild and groundless 200'000 total deaths boasted by some media).
Most Osprey series booklets are good introductions to the battles/campaigns they cover. However, this one is not. Not that it does not do a good job for its length (96 pages). It is simply that the political history and military campaign (especially the former) are far too complex for 96 pages. It just cannot be done. In addition, but again due to the short length of the book, almost no perspective (political, military or in terms of military personalities [even of Husein]) from the Iraqi side is provided. This is the deepest flaw of book.
Like all 'Essential Histories' books of Osprey this one gives a clear, but limited account of the war. It covers the most important political and - especially - military aspects of the war. But many - also noteworthy - events aren't mentioned. So, if you (as a start) just want to know the essentials about this conflict; read this book. For more detailed information read a more comprehensive book.
The Gulf War 1991 (Essential Histories) The Gulf War: Operation Desert Storm 1990-1991 (Modern Warfare) Air War in the Gulf 1991(Osprey Combat Aircraft 27) War in the Persian Gulf: Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, August 1990 - March 1991 (Center of Military History Publication) Second Front: Censorship and Propaganda in the 1991 Gulf War Gassed in the Gulf: The Inside Story of the Pentagon-CIA Cover-up of Gulf War Syndrome The Gulf Conflict, 1990-1991 Vietnam War: The Vietnam War in 50 Events: From the First Indochina War to the Fall of Saigon (War Books, Vietnam War Books, War History) (History in 50 Events Series Book 6) World War 2 History's 10 Most Incredible Women: World War II True Accounts Of Remarkable Women Heroes (WWII history, WW2, War books, world war 2 books, war history, World war 2 women) Essential Oils: 50 Essential Oil Dog & Cat Recipes From My Essential Oil Private Collection: Proven Essential Oil Recipes That Work! (Essential Oil Pet Private Collection Book 1) Essential Oils: Ultimate Essential Oils Guide and 89 Powerful Essential Oil Recipes! (2nd Edition) - How to Use Essential Oils for Aromatherapy and Healthy ... Loss, Essential Oil Recipes, Aromatherapy) ESSENTIAL OILS: Aromatherapy, Essential Oils For Beginners, And Essential Oil Recipes To Improve Your Health (Medicinal Herbs) (Essential oil recipes, ... Aromatherapy and essential oils Book 1) The Making of the Modern Gulf States: Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman (Routledge Library Editions: The Gulf) Arabian Gulf Intelligence: Selections from the Records of the Bombay Government, New Series, No.XXIV, 1856, Concerning Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Muscat ... Islands of the Gulf Histories of City and State in the Persian Gulf: Manama since 1800 (Cambridge Middle East Studies) Korea: An Illustrated History from Ancient Times to 1945 (Illustrated Histories) (Illustrated Histories (Hippocrene)) World War 1: World War I in 50 Events: From the Very Beginning to the Fall of the Central Powers (War Books, World War 1 Books, War History) (History in 50 Events Series) World War 1: Soldier Stories: The Untold Soldier Stories on the Battlefields of WWI (World War I, WWI, World War One, Great War, First World War, Soldier Stories) World War 2: World War II in 50 Events: From the Very Beginning to the Fall of the Axis Powers (War Books, World War 2 Books, War History) (History in 50 Events Series Book 4) The War of 1812 (Cambridge Essential Histories)
