Max Hastings is the author of twenty-eight books, most about conflict, and between 1986 and 2002 served as editor in chief of the Daily Telegraph, then as editor of the Evening Standard. He has won many prizes, for both his journalism and his books, the most recent of which are the bestsellers Vietnam, The Secret War, Catastrophe, and All Hell Let Loose. Knighted in 2002, Hastings is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, an Honorary Fellow of King's College London, and a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. He has two grown children, Charlotte and Harry, and lives with his wife, Penny, in West Berkshire, where they garden enthusiastically.
"Operation Chastise is a remarkable book, well in keeping with the
impressive track record that Hastings long ago established as an
astute chronicler of the human dimension of 20th-century
conflict...Combining formidable narrative power with equally potent
explanatory insight, it situates the Dambusters Raid in the broader
strategic context of World War II as a whole, while serving as an
illuminating entry point into the ethical debates concerning the
Allies' air war against Germany." -- Washington Post"[Hastings's]
account of the events of May 16-17, 1943, will keep you on the edge
of your seat, but his analysis of their causes and consequences is
equally deserving of attention.... he sticks to his view, first
articulated over 40 years ago, that the costs of the wider bomber
offensive outstripped its results." -- New York Times Book
Review"Fascinating and immensely readable... a fine account, rich
in human drama and tragedy, told by a historian whose new books are
always to be welcomed. Operation Chastise is no exception." -- Wall
Street Journal"The master of military history takes on Britain's
celebrated May 1943 Dam Buster air attack. As his latest skillful
history demonstrates, Hastings is still on top of his game, showing
once again that the preparations, participants, and consequences of
a military action are as fascinating as the fireworks. Another
Hastings must-read."
-- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)"[A] thorough, character-driven
history....military history buffs will prize this definitive
account of the RAF mission." -- Publishers Weekly"Readers of
military history will find much to enjoy in this brisk, propulsive
read that keeps the pages turning without sacrificing detail." --
Library Journal"Following a superb rendering of the attack,
Hastings addresses two uncomfortable consequences: many civilians
and, ironically, enslaved laborers were killed, and the operation
failed its strategic ambition since the destroyed dams were quickly
rebuilt. Hastings has composed a fitting memorial to Operation
Chastise's participants." -- Booklist"Using his considerable
background and narrative skill, Sir Max Hastings covers this
operation from its genesis, through the technical and tactical
developments that made the operation possible, and then takes the
reader into the cockpit of the bombers that carried out the attack.
. . . Drawing from memoirs and numerous other personal accounts,
Hastings goes beyond a traditional unit history to not only tell
the tale of the British engineers and aircrews, but the German
civilians living below the dam and their tales of survival during
the attack. His sympathetic weaving of all these individual
experiences show the wide range of effects this battle had on the
survivors from both sides. . . . This is truly an incredible tale
of technology and heroism." -- New York Journal of Books"The book
here is a wonderful intellectual journey. . . . ideal for anyone
looking for an engaging and nuanced history of the famous
Dambusters operation in WWII. It is full to the brim with stirring
narrative, beautiful pictures, and detailed maps of the operation."
-- Military History Matters
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