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Operation Pedestal cover art

Operation Pedestal

By: Max Hastings
Narrated by: Max Hastings,John Hopkins
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Publisher's Summary

The Sunday Times best seller

In August 1942, beleaguered Malta was within weeks of surrender to the Axis, because its 300,000 people could no longer be fed. Churchill made a personal decision that at all costs, the ‘island fortress’ must be saved. This was not merely a matter of strategy, but of national prestige, when Britain’s fortunes and morale had fallen to their lowest ebb.

The largest fleet the Royal Navy committed to any operation of the western war was assembled to escort 14 fast merchantmen across a thousand of miles of sea defended by 600 German and Italian aircraft, together with packs of U-boats and torpedo craft. The Mediterranean battles that ensued between 11 and 15 August were the most brutal of Britain’s war at sea, embracing four aircraft-carriers, two battleships, seven cruisers, scores of destroyers and smaller craft. The losses were appalling: defeat seemed to beckon.

This is the saga Max Hastings unfolds in his first full-length narrative of the Royal Navy, which he believes was the most successful of Britain’s wartime services. As always, he blends the ‘big picture’ of statesmen and admirals with human stories of German U-boat men, Italian torpedo-plane crews, Hurricane pilots, destroyer and merchant-ship captains, ordinary but extraordinary seamen.

Operation Pedestal describes catastrophic ship sinkings, including that of the aircraft-carrier Eagle, together with struggles to rescue survivors and salvage stricken ships. Most moving of all is the story of the tanker Ohio, indispensable to Malta’s survival, victim of countless Axis attacks. In the last days of the battle, the ravaged hulk was kept under way only by two destroyers, lashed to her sides. Max Hastings describes this as one of the most extraordinary tales he has ever recounted. Until the very last hours, no participant on either side could tell what would be the outcome of an epic of wartime suspense and courage.

©2021 Max Hastings (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers Limited
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

Critic Reviews

"Veteran military historian Hastings’ first full-length narrative of war at sea measures up to his usual high standards.... Vividly chronicling the sinking of the aircraft carrier Eagle, Hastings initiates 250 pages of gripping fireworks and insights that continue well past Aug. 15, when five battered merchantmen limped into Malta’s harbour. Real-world war is sloppier than the Hollywood version, even more so under the author’s gimlet eye. Heroism was in abundant supply but not universal. Through Hastings’ keen analysis we see how commanders on both sides showed as much bad judgement as intelligence.... Another enthralling Hastings must-read." (Kirkus)

"One of the most dramatic forgotten chapters of the war, as told in a new book by the incomparable Max Hastings." (Daily Mail)

"Over this past year of pandemic, we’ve lost so much. People have died, great institutions have gone under, life itself seems permanently altered. Yet one certainty remains: Max Hastings still churns out military histories, and they continue to be outstanding. This book like all the others...is a cracker. With his usual combination of sensitivity to human suffering and superb dramatic instinct, Hastings has given us a gripping tale.... The immediacy of this book obliterates the cold detachment that time’s passage usually allows.... We feel in our bones torpedoes hitting home...the four-day ordeal British sailors endured...is a drama superbly told.... The delight lies in the detail, the percussive power of tiny facts...is what makes Hastings such a superb storyteller." (The Times

What listeners say about Operation Pedestal

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Absolute must listen to.

What a great Audi book to listen to. The history of it and the way it was read really took you there with these brave souls.

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Great read

Hastings continues to write both educational and entertaining books - his deadication to research gets the story told

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Very thrilling

I enjoyed this book very much for the thrilling way it captures the events. Hastings writes from the perspective of all the combatants, english and American sailors, italian submarine captains, south african fighter pilots, german generals it is very comprehensive. The action never stops. Ohio you rock.

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excellent story of a tragic mission

a great retelling of an amazing and little known episode of WW2..
courage and sacrifice during the darks years of the war.
informative and thrilling minute by minute narrative

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Brilliant

Magnificently written chronicle of amazing events. All bases covered, from historical context to Everyman experiences. Truly Excellent.

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  • 01-09-2021

Great story, well written snd narrated.

Disliked repeated over use of the word “obliged” otherwise was a compelling account of bravery and seamanship

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Unsurpassed detail and analysis

This is a harrowing account in intimate detail, describing the experiences of individuals during this epic operation. Max Hastings research is broad ranging, detailed and comprehensive. His analysis, thought provoking.
This is an intelligent listen for anyone with a fascination for history and the desire to have a greater understanding of how operations such as this impacted the conduct and outcome of WW2.

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