The New York Times Book Review - Richard Toye
Operation Chastise, about the so-called Dambusters raid, carries the subtitle The RAF's Most Brilliant Attack of World War II. In terms of sheer daring, and in terms of the inventive power that went into the famous bouncing bombs, this cannot be denied. Yet the tale told by Max Hastings…is more complex and less celebratory than the book's cover implies. His 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.
Publishers Weekly
12/09/2019
Hastings (Vietnam: An Epic Tragedy, 1945–1975) recounts the May 1943 British bombing raid that breached the Möhne and Eder dams in Germany’s Rühr Valley, knocking out power stations and unleashing deadly floods, in this thorough, character-driven history. Though Royal Air Force officials recognized the vulnerability and strategic value of Germany’s water supply as early as 1937, Hastings writes, they lacked the firepower to destroy such massive structures. Civilian aircraft engineer Barnes Wallis learned that a relatively small charge could achieve the desired result if it were detonated underwater and close to the target. After experimenting with marbles skipped across the surface of a washtub, he developed “bouncing bombs” that, if released from a low height, could breach the German dams. Nineteen bombers were modified for the mission, and Hastings details the experiences of crewmembers including squadron commander Guy Gibson, whose memoir is one of the book’s key sources. (Only 32 of Operation Chastise’s 130 airmen survived the war.) Hastings skillfully describes the hazards of flying at low altitudes through enemy territory and solemnly accounts for the loss of life caused by the flooding: nearly 2,000 people—many of them female forced laborers from Poland, Russia, and Ukraine—died. Though technical details occasionally slow the narrative’s momentum, military history buffs will prize this definitive account of the RAF mission. (Feb.)
From the Publisher
"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
Wall Street Journal
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.
New York Times Book Review
[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 Journal of Books
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.
Booklist
"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."
Military History Matters
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.
Washington Post
"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
"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.
Wall Street Journal
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.
Booklist
"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."
The New York Times Book Review
[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 does not dismiss the attack’s economic impact as comprehensively as some have done, even if it did not have the decisive effect that had been hoped for. But he sticks to his view, first articulated over 40 years ago, that the costs of the wider bomber offensive outstripped its results.
Library Journal
02/01/2020
Hastings (Vietnam: An Epic Tragedy, 1945–1975) gives new consideration to Operation Chastise, an attack on German dams by the Royal Air Force's 617 Squadron in May 1943. This particular attack, a legendary effort aimed at destroying dams in Germany's Ruhr Valley, is considered to be a significant step toward the Allies winning the War. Hastings introduces the primary figures involved in the development and implementation of the attack, such as Commander Guy Penrose Gibson, who are as varied and intriguing as any characters in a historical fiction novel. The author creates a slow buildup to the attack and its aftermath, lauding the heroes involved while dispelling myths about the operation and shedding new insight on the preparation, including the fact that the Royal Air Force identified dams as strategic objects long before 1943. VERDICT Readers of military history will find much to enjoy in this brisk, propulsive read that keeps the pages turning without sacrificing detail.—Brett Rohlwing, Milwaukee P.L.
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2019-10-28
The master of military history takes on Britain's celebrated May 1943 Dam Buster air attack.
As his latest skillful history demonstrates, Hastings (Vietnam: An Epic Tragedy, 1945-1975, 2018) 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. By the outbreak of World War II, British intelligence had figured out which German targets were most essential to its war effort. Near the top were several dams in the Ruhr valley. Destroying such massive structures required explosives and accuracy beyond current technology, but officials listened when engineer Barnes Wallis proposed a huge bomb that would skip along the water, strike its target, and sink to allow surrounding water to multiply the explosive force. Skeptics abounded, but many leaders cherished fantasies about a dramatic stroke that would bring a quick victory. Wrote one, "if this new weapon is intelligently used…industry in Germany would be so crippled as to have a decisive effect on the duration of the war." Hastings delivers his usual expert account of the preparations, which involved two years of testing and two months of training. Although described as a "crack squadron," the fliers were a mixed group. Some volunteered, but many crews were simply transferred to the unit. Flight leader Guy Gibson was a genuine hero, fearless and keenly appreciated by superiors but not popular with his subordinates. The author's gripping account of the mission features many errors, heroics, and terrible losses. Bombs destroyed two dams, and the survivors returned to universal acclaim. Many historians look unfavorably on the results, but Hastings maintains that the raid was among the most damaging of the war. Sadly, Allied commanders continued their inexplicable habit of not following up successes. Continued conventional bombing would have hampered repair work, but it was absent; the dams were back in operation within months. The author also provides a list of the crew and two clear timelines of significant events.
Another Hastings must-read.
