Operation Chastise: The RAF's Most Brilliant Attack of World War II
- Downloads：7077
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-01-25 16:21:08
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Max Hastings
- ISBN：0062953613
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Mark Haydock
，
Grat book about one of the more incredible missions in WW2
Anthony Bracciante
，
I first learned of The Dambusters raid from the 1955 movie of the mission。 It inspired me as a boy to build a model of the modified Lancaster bomber that dropped the skip bombs that breached the dams。 Max Hastings' has written an excellent account that explores the development of the skip bombs; the decision process to use them against the dams of the Ruhr valley; the formation and extensive training of 617 Squadron that conducted the operation; the raid itself and the losses incurred by the RAF I first learned of The Dambusters raid from the 1955 movie of the mission。 It inspired me as a boy to build a model of the modified Lancaster bomber that dropped the skip bombs that breached the dams。 Max Hastings' has written an excellent account that explores the development of the skip bombs; the decision process to use them against the dams of the Ruhr valley; the formation and extensive training of 617 Squadron that conducted the operation; the raid itself and the losses incurred by the RAF that manned the planes; and the consequences to the people on the ground。 Half of the drowned victims were women slave laborers from Russia， Poland and France。 While Chastise was a tactical success and provided a tremendous lift to the British people， it failed to deliver its' primary objective which was the German war industry in the Ruhr valley。 This book should be read by any person interested in the history of World War II。 。。。more
William
，
Excellent book。 Detailed on the mission and those involved。 Only 4 stars because the author decides to get political in my opinion at the end of the book。 Just tell us about the mission， not about whether or not you agree with certain aspects of the war。
Peter Fox
，
This book offers a sober appraisal of the Dam Busters raid。 It shows how history is different to film。 Barnes Wallis received a lot of official support to make it all work， rather than being the lone maverick who brought it off， almost in-spite of officialdom。 Guy Gibson wasn't particularly well liked and was quite unpleasant to his inferiors。 Bomber Harris had little faith in anything that wasn't an area attack， but was quick to jump on the success of this raid。Hastings demonstrates that by not This book offers a sober appraisal of the Dam Busters raid。 It shows how history is different to film。 Barnes Wallis received a lot of official support to make it all work， rather than being the lone maverick who brought it off， almost in-spite of officialdom。 Guy Gibson wasn't particularly well liked and was quite unpleasant to his inferiors。 Bomber Harris had little faith in anything that wasn't an area attack， but was quick to jump on the success of this raid。Hastings demonstrates that by not smashing the Sorpe dam， an unlikely event given its different construction to the others， this operation was only going to be a partial success at best。 Similarly， not following it up by bombing the repairs to the Mohne， it was only a temporary success。 What it did do， though， was to demonstrate to the Americans and the Russians that Britain was hitting Germany。 As a spectacle it was a success and it went a long way to raising British martial prestige。 This is far from a triumphalist account。 Hastings shows the German side of events， especially the devastation wrought。 This is no boy's own account of a wizard prang。 。。。more
Rick
，
"Operation Chastise: The RAF's Most Brilliant Attack of World War II" by Max Hastings was a solid entry on an interesting World War II operation—the bombing of key dams in Germany’s Ruhr Valley。 Max Hastings is an award-winning British journalist who has written extensively on World War II and is very knowledgeable on the broader subject。 So， what’s not to like？ The two reasons I gave the book only three stars was that it seemed the author was ‘phoning it in’ just a bit and that there are very g "Operation Chastise: The RAF's Most Brilliant Attack of World War II" by Max Hastings was a solid entry on an interesting World War II operation—the bombing of key dams in Germany’s Ruhr Valley。 Max Hastings is an award-winning British journalist who has written extensively on World War II and is very knowledgeable on the broader subject。 So， what’s not to like？ The two reasons I gave the book only three stars was that it seemed the author was ‘phoning it in’ just a bit and that there are very good earlier books on the same subject。 Hastings gained much and deserved fame for his 1979 tome on the British air offensive against Nazi Germany – “Bomber Command。” Some material from that earlier effort was repurposed here in Operation Chastise， so maybe Hastings didn’t have quite as much new material to bring to this offering。 In addition， there have been numerous books on Operation Chastise， two of which stand out and have been mentioned by other reviewers。 James Holland’s 2013 book: “Dam Busters: The True Story of the Inventors and Airmen Who Led the Devastating Raid to Smash the German Dams in 1943，” and John Sweetman’s 1982 book: “The Dambusters Raid: The Most Audacious Bombing Raid of the Second World War。” I like Hasting’s writing， and this popular retelling of the tale will undoubtedly be a successful venture。 IMHO while this tale is well told， not much new is brought to the history。 。。。more
Joseph Langham
，
A very engaging and thorough narrative of Operation Chastise which does so well to examine all the individual personalities involved in an honest light。 Hastings' assessment of the raid itself and Bomber Command tactics are critical yet well-balanced and I think will surely stand the test of time。 A very engaging and thorough narrative of Operation Chastise which does so well to examine all the individual personalities involved in an honest light。 Hastings' assessment of the raid itself and Bomber Command tactics are critical yet well-balanced and I think will surely stand the test of time。 。。。more
Mike
，
This is a good solid piece of work by Max Hastings。 It is extremely detailed and delves into the lives of some of the key players and the development of the dam busting bomb。 It answers questions regarding the true success of the mission and secondarily the overall policy of the Allied bombing campaign against civilian population centers with a reminder that history should be judged based on the mores of the time rather than looking back at it in hindsight。
Derek Stephen
，
With my father being a bomb aimer / navigator on Lancasters in Bomber Command during WWII， a book that I vividly recall as a young boy， that had pride of place on our bookshelves， was Enemy Coast Ahead。 It must have been one of the first “grown-up” books I read。 Then of course there was the film of the Dambusters with Richard Todd that I recall sitting with my dad watching whenever it was shown on TV。 When I came upon Chastise through an Amazon email I was intrigued to return to the subject matt With my father being a bomb aimer / navigator on Lancasters in Bomber Command during WWII， a book that I vividly recall as a young boy， that had pride of place on our bookshelves， was Enemy Coast Ahead。 It must have been one of the first “grown-up” books I read。 Then of course there was the film of the Dambusters with Richard Todd that I recall sitting with my dad watching whenever it was shown on TV。 When I came upon Chastise through an Amazon email I was intrigued to return to the subject matter of my youth。I have read other history books by Max Hastings and often think - if only the history text books I experienced at school （1960s / 70s） had been as engaging I might have been a more engaged student。It is interesting to read of the internal politics within the RAF and Bomber Command in particular and also the impact that this daring raid actually had。 It is too easy to be influenced by the glamour of the silver screen and the propaganda that surrounded this mission and Mr Hastings does balance this up with factual details that gives the reader a much wider perspective， including insights from the German people impacted by the raid。The heroism of the flight crews is unquestionable。 The skill of low flying such a distance is almost beyond belief。 The impact on the German war machine would appear to have been more psychological inasmuch as such a raid was possible rather than the actual damage to the military output which was only minimally impacted - a fact that came as quite a shock to me。 The opportunity to continue to hit the dams with conventional bombing appears to have been set to one side due to certain individual’s philosophy。This is a well researched and very well written book that takes the reader to the time and place which is what all historical texts should do - alas so many fail where Max Hastings excels。 。。。more
Jay Simmons
，
I read this back to back with James Holland’s Dam Busters。 Holland’s book is superior。 More depth and better development。 I have grown tired of modern historians moralizing over the conduct of WW II。 They weren’t there and apply modern thought to what was a very desperate time。 My father， a US MP was sent to England to guard accumulated military supplies in England prior to the US entry in to the war。 He arrived in Liverpool after a harrowing voyage on an obsolete English refrigerator ship。 He w I read this back to back with James Holland’s Dam Busters。 Holland’s book is superior。 More depth and better development。 I have grown tired of modern historians moralizing over the conduct of WW II。 They weren’t there and apply modern thought to what was a very desperate time。 My father， a US MP was sent to England to guard accumulated military supplies in England prior to the US entry in to the war。 He arrived in Liverpool after a harrowing voyage on an obsolete English refrigerator ship。 He was also assigned to areas in Coventry and the London docks。 Once when I was reading a youth history of the heroism of the RAF during the Blitz and asked him if he had met any RAF pilots， he commented， “it was a good thing for all of us that they didn’t realize they had already lost。” I did not understand so asked what he meant。 He said if you had seen the sights in England that he had， you would think they were the losers。 Significant destruction from the bombing。 So Chastise is another of the writings that says what the Allies did was bad without taking into account the context 。。。more
Scott
，
This book provides exactly the level of detail which I was seeking about this famous operation。 Over roughly 300 pages， Hastings provides us with all the relevant info without overwhelming us with minutia。 He also provides his typical （and very interesting） human interest angle on all those involved， especially the chapter which focuses on the consequences of the dam ruptures on German civilians and Allied nation slave-laborers/POWs。 This might not be Hastings' best， but it is a solid offering o This book provides exactly the level of detail which I was seeking about this famous operation。 Over roughly 300 pages， Hastings provides us with all the relevant info without overwhelming us with minutia。 He also provides his typical （and very interesting） human interest angle on all those involved， especially the chapter which focuses on the consequences of the dam ruptures on German civilians and Allied nation slave-laborers/POWs。 This might not be Hastings' best， but it is a solid offering of a fascinating slice of WW2。 。。。more
Robert Hepple
，
Published in 2019， 'Chastise - The Dambusters Story 1943' is an account of the bombing raid by the RAF against some of the Ruhr dams on May 17， 1943， as well as the events leading up to the raid and its aftermath。 There have been many books on this subject over the years， and they get a little better each time with added detail and so forth。 That said， the early books and the movie have many flaws and， even though most later books correct these， Hastings has to spend valuable pages correcting di Published in 2019， 'Chastise - The Dambusters Story 1943' is an account of the bombing raid by the RAF against some of the Ruhr dams on May 17， 1943， as well as the events leading up to the raid and its aftermath。 There have been many books on this subject over the years， and they get a little better each time with added detail and so forth。 That said， the early books and the movie have many flaws and， even though most later books correct these， Hastings has to spend valuable pages correcting distortions to the story due to the enduring appeal of the movie。 It does mean that much of what he says is not new， and probably acknowledges the possibility the many of his readers may know nothing of the story beyond the 1950s movie。 Where he does add to the info is some attempt to flesh out details of the aircrew， and in so doing makes for a great read。 。。。more
Christopher Rizzo
，
94
Michael Samerdyke
，
I am American， and the "Dam Buster" raid has never loomed large in my thinking about the Second World War。 However， I found "Operation Chastise，" Max Hastings' examination of this event to be a most compelling read。The first two chapter of the book are rather heavy with RAF politics and a bit slow-going， but once the gathering of the crews for "Chastise" begins， I could hardly put this book down。Hastings has a well-trained eye for character， what is said and left unsaid， and an awareness of "the I am American， and the "Dam Buster" raid has never loomed large in my thinking about the Second World War。 However， I found "Operation Chastise，" Max Hastings' examination of this event to be a most compelling read。The first two chapter of the book are rather heavy with RAF politics and a bit slow-going， but once the gathering of the crews for "Chastise" begins， I could hardly put this book down。Hastings has a well-trained eye for character， what is said and left unsaid， and an awareness of "the other side of the hill。" All of these come together splendidly in this book。Highly recommended。 。。。more
David Brown
，
This an excellent read。 The book relates the famous raid in detail as well as the politics and lobbying that led up to it。 The author does not pull his punches with regard to the characters。 They are described warts and all。 I was pleased to see that he has not been politically correct with reference to Gibson's dog， Nigger or the code word for success at the Mohne Dam。 This an excellent read。 The book relates the famous raid in detail as well as the politics and lobbying that led up to it。 The author does not pull his punches with regard to the characters。 They are described warts and all。 I was pleased to see that he has not been politically correct with reference to Gibson's dog， Nigger or the code word for success at the Mohne Dam。 。。。more
David Evans
，
I am slowly coming round to the view that the operation was indeed a waste of resources。 I used to be outraged at any critical appraisal of the breaching of the Mohne and Eder dams and that my boyhood heroes （gleaned from obsessive reading of Paul Brickhill’s superb book） were somehow implicated in a war crime。 Max Hastings has supplied a sobering and reasoned account of the buildup， prosecution and aftermath of the dams raid carried out by very young men （gap year students really） who were trai I am slowly coming round to the view that the operation was indeed a waste of resources。 I used to be outraged at any critical appraisal of the breaching of the Mohne and Eder dams and that my boyhood heroes （gleaned from obsessive reading of Paul Brickhill’s superb book） were somehow implicated in a war crime。 Max Hastings has supplied a sobering and reasoned account of the buildup， prosecution and aftermath of the dams raid carried out by very young men （gap year students really） who were trained to kill but hoped only to live。 Even when described so vividly， the events of 16-17th May 1943 are unimaginable now。 Terrifying for the aircrews struggling to align their Lancasters correctly （having already seen colleagues perish） and the poor victims trapped in the Ruhr valley as the deluge unfolded。 I know this was but a pinprick in terms of the war but the testimony of those involved makes it somehow personal and you pray for the survival of airmen and civilians alike。 There is room for a little humour amid the desperation - a farmer in the Eder valley who managed to get his pig upstairs only to see it crash out through a window as the flood levels rose about them。 The pig survived and was returned from where it ended up - six miles downstream。 I was pathetically pleased for him。 。。。more
Michael Hillman
，
The story of the Dambusters is well know from the film。 This book puts more historical background and accuracy。 I would have liked it to read more as a story - certainly the first half （before the actual raid） is fairly dry。
Henry Maudslay
，
A moving and exhilarating account of the exploits of 617 squadron and of my ancestor and namesake Henry Maudslay。 This book examines in balanced consideration the practicalities and moral consequences of bombing Germany's dams in 1943。 A really informative read and one that does well to present both the keen heroism of its young pilots and the tragic， unknowable devastation they oversaw。 A moving and exhilarating account of the exploits of 617 squadron and of my ancestor and namesake Henry Maudslay。 This book examines in balanced consideration the practicalities and moral consequences of bombing Germany's dams in 1943。 A really informative read and one that does well to present both the keen heroism of its young pilots and the tragic， unknowable devastation they oversaw。 。。。more
Miikka Lehtonen
，
A very thorough and comprehensive retelling of Operation Chastise， ie。 the British operation to blow up German dams。 The basic story is familiar to everyone who has seen the movie Dambusters， but turns out there's a lot more to the story than the movie covered。Hastings' book covers the origins of Chastise， the development of the bouncing bombs， the recruitment of the air crews who would be sent on this nigh-on suicidal mission， and then the actual night itself。 There's a lot of detail and backgr A very thorough and comprehensive retelling of Operation Chastise， ie。 the British operation to blow up German dams。 The basic story is familiar to everyone who has seen the movie Dambusters， but turns out there's a lot more to the story than the movie covered。Hastings' book covers the origins of Chastise， the development of the bouncing bombs， the recruitment of the air crews who would be sent on this nigh-on suicidal mission， and then the actual night itself。 There's a lot of detail and background on everything and everyone。But what was truly nice to see was that Chastise didn't deal with just the British side of the operation。 The demolition of the dams brought on a lot of pain and suffering to civilians and even prisoners of war and Nazi slave labourers in the area， and Chastise also covers their experiences in deep， if depressing， detail。Not the world's breeziest book to read by any means， but about as readable as you can make a large examination of a historical topic such as Operation Chastise。 。。。more
Roger Hankey
，
I （nearly） always enjoy Max Hastings's books I have ready about 10。 This one was not the 'best' one but it detailed and interesting part of the history of WW2， and part of the Bomber campaign in particular。 Like all Max Hastings books it is well written and informative。As well as some of the technical details of a special （and limited use） bomb it gave details of the people involved， and made them human with faults and strengths of people at great peril and under stress。 Like many books it quest I （nearly） always enjoy Max Hastings's books I have ready about 10。 This one was not the 'best' one but it detailed and interesting part of the history of WW2， and part of the Bomber campaign in particular。 Like all Max Hastings books it is well written and informative。As well as some of the technical details of a special （and limited use） bomb it gave details of the people involved， and made them human with faults and strengths of people at great peril and under stress。 Like many books it questioned the 'morality' of the area bombing campaign， and it talking about the dam busters raids pointed out that it would have been consderered a war crime after the end of WW2 （1977 Geneva convention）。 What few people may know is that the majority of the civilians who were killed （over 1300） as a result of the flooding caused by the raid were not German but slaves/POWs/forced labour from other countries。 The raid caused some disruption to the wartime production of the Ruhr but the opportunity for developing that disruption was lost by a failure to follow up。For me the book highlighted the difficulties of a 'just war'， and also how big events were needed to uphold morale in difficult times。 Although I was born after WW2 （in 1948） I was privileged to talk to many people who loved through the war and the German bombing of the UK。 Everyone has to make their own decisions of the morality of the bombing campaign。 This book does highlight some of the difficulty of that decision。I finished the book in a day - an easy read: not really due to the moral complexities， 。。。more
Christopher Letch
，
Very disappointed too short thought it was going to be the usual max fair very in-depth instead some info some good pics but overall naff ！！！！！！！！
Dave E
，
The bombing and breaching of several dams in northern Germany in 1943 is well researched， and proves quite interesting to someone who knew virtually nothing about the event beforehand。 Coverage ranges from the initial inspiration and planning of the event through the bombing itself。 It concludes with an analysis of the impacts not just to the military target， but to the affected humans as well。 The first third of the book detailed way too much of the planning stages of the event within the Briti The bombing and breaching of several dams in northern Germany in 1943 is well researched， and proves quite interesting to someone who knew virtually nothing about the event beforehand。 Coverage ranges from the initial inspiration and planning of the event through the bombing itself。 It concludes with an analysis of the impacts not just to the military target， but to the affected humans as well。 The first third of the book detailed way too much of the planning stages of the event within the British government， but the writing picks up considerably afterwards。 。。。more
Simon Jones
，
I read Max Hastings' war books for the simple reason that they're extremely readable and this is another example。 Even though it's a familiar tale， the author keeps the reader gripped， especially during his vivid description of the actual raid on the dams。 Having written that， because this is a book about one operation， it's therefore limited in its range， and I prefer his epic histories of an entire war， such as 'All Hell Let Loose' or 'Vietnam'。 I read Max Hastings' war books for the simple reason that they're extremely readable and this is another example。 Even though it's a familiar tale， the author keeps the reader gripped， especially during his vivid description of the actual raid on the dams。 Having written that， because this is a book about one operation， it's therefore limited in its range， and I prefer his epic histories of an entire war， such as 'All Hell Let Loose' or 'Vietnam'。 。。。more
John Hounslow
，
an epic tale of bravery and complex personalities。 Max Hastings at his best。
Charles Tibbitts
，
Interesting read and as expected drier then the Paul Brickhill Dambusters but still fascinating to get a more fact based version due to censors。 Enjoyed it
Ben
，
Hastings again delivers an informative， yet sobering read
Kraig Dodge
，
Another good Max Hastings book。 Enjoyed it very much。 Good telling of a specific WW2 operation。
Steve
，
If the only experience you have is seeing the 1955 movie 'The Dambusters' and wish to keep that undeniably propaganda-orientated movie unblemished in your heart， then you may not want to read this。 I loved the movie， but I wanted to know more about the minutiae of the operation。 I got much more than that from this book。 It is a stunning， detailed journey from mission conception through to execution and the subsequent fallout。 It is also though provoking， and removes much of the glossy sheen so a If the only experience you have is seeing the 1955 movie 'The Dambusters' and wish to keep that undeniably propaganda-orientated movie unblemished in your heart， then you may not want to read this。 I loved the movie， but I wanted to know more about the minutiae of the operation。 I got much more than that from this book。 It is a stunning， detailed journey from mission conception through to execution and the subsequent fallout。 It is also though provoking， and removes much of the glossy sheen so apparent in the movie。 There are some absolutes that cannot be challenged; the undeniable heroism and bravery of the flight crews and ground 'erks' of 617 squadron， the complexity and narrow operating parameters for success， the brilliance and persistence of Barnes Wallis and the utter stubbornness， gratuitous glory seeking and mind-numbingly crass outlook of C-in-C 'Bomber' Harris。 There are other areas where much has not been told。 The actual consequences of the raid were short-lived， German ingenuity and commitment ensured that the damage done to the Ruhr industries was fleeting and temporary。 The horror of the destruction to the civilian population below the dams， many of whom， were non-german work slaves。 However， I am not going to be drawn into the ethics and philosophy over the strategic bombing offensive， operation Chastise in particular， that is very much a subjective topic。 What I got out of this book was a thrilling account of the operation as it happened， almost sitting right up in the cockpit during the attack。 I got a detailed explanation of the bomb's development and more importantly， I got inside the minds of boffins， airmen and commanders themselves。 If much of the politics， decision making and outwardly jingoistic attitude of high command was not brilliant， the operation almost certainly was。 I long to see a remake of this movie， warts and all， from both British， American and German perspectives。 Off course， there would be the problem of Gibson's dog's name。。。。。。 。。。more
Susan
，
Very well researched and fascinating history of this campaign。
William Troy
，
Operation Chastise is the code name for the bombing of the Mohne and Eder dams in the Ruhr area of Germany by the British 617 Squadron in May of 1943。 It was made famous by the movie， The Dam Busters。 This book covers the complex process of developing the special dam busting bombs that skipped across the water and sunk and detonated bursting the dams and flooding a portion of the industrial region of Germany。 Thanks to a genius， self taught engineer named Barnes Wallis who designed the bomb code Operation Chastise is the code name for the bombing of the Mohne and Eder dams in the Ruhr area of Germany by the British 617 Squadron in May of 1943。 It was made famous by the movie， The Dam Busters。 This book covers the complex process of developing the special dam busting bombs that skipped across the water and sunk and detonated bursting the dams and flooding a portion of the industrial region of Germany。 Thanks to a genius， self taught engineer named Barnes Wallis who designed the bomb code named Upkeep and pressed the Air Ministry and Bomber Command to target the dams， the mission was approved， undertaken and completed successfully。 But it was not just Wallis， the Avro Lancaster team that modified bombers to carry Upkeep played a vital part as did of course， the members of 617 Squadron who maintained， prepared the aircraft and the crews that flew the mission。 Max Hastings does a great job presenting all of the major players in the process especially Hastings and the Wing Commander Guy Gibson VC who was the Squadron Commander。 133 men crewed the 19 Lancasters of the mission。 56 fliers would not survive the mission！ 8 Lancasters were lost on the mission。 Of the 77 who survived the mission， only 32 survived the war。 On the ground in Germany， the death toll was 1，294-1，579。 Many of those killed were slave laborers， mostly women transported from occupied countries especially Poland and Russia as well as some 50 French POW's。 Hastings places the mission in context and concludes that efforts today to condemn it as a war crime or as not worth completing miss the fact that it was completed in the context of World War II Total War where the Nazi's as well as the Allies were bombing cities attempting to convince the people that the war was not worth fighting。 He also thinks that the fliers who flew the mission deserve the admiration of the British， Canadian， New Zealand， Australian and American people as long as they cherish their wartime heritage。 It is a good read！ 。。。more
Bill Kupersmith
，