OPERATION CHASTISE

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.