| Description |
xxxv, 364 pages, 24 unnumbered leaves of plates : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm |
| Note |
"Originally published as Chastise in Great Britain in 2019 by William Collins, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers"--title page verso. |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 345-350) and index. |
| Contents |
Grand strategy, great dams -- The Boffin and his bombs -- Command and controversy -- Men and machines -- The brink of battle -- Chastise -- At the dams -- The Möhnekatastrophe -- Heroes -- Landings. |
| Summary |
"The attack on Nazi Germany's dams on May 17, 1943, was one of the most remarkable feats in military history. The absurdly young men of the Royal Air Force's 617 Squadron set forth in cold blood and darkness, without benefit of electronic aids, to fly lumbering heavy bombers straight and level towards a target at a height above the water less than the length of a bowling alley. Yet this story--and the later wartime experience of the 617 Squadron--has never been told in full. Max Hastings takes us back to the May 1943 raid to reveal how the truth of that night is considerably different from the popularized account most people know. The RAF had identified the Ruhr dams as strategic objectives as far back as 1938; in those five years Wing Commander Guy Gibson formed and trained the 617 Squadron. Hastings observes that while the dropping of Wallis's mines provided the dramatic climax, only two of the eight aircraft lost came down over the dams--the rest were shot down on the flight to, or back from, the mission. And while the 617 Squadron's valor is indisputable, the ultimate industrial damage caused by the dam raid was actually rather modest. In 1943, these brave men caught the imagination of the world and uplifted the weary spirits of the British people. Their achievement unnerved the Nazi high command, and caused them to expend large resources on dam defenses--making the mission a success. An example of Churchill's "military theatre" at its best, what 617 Squadron did was an extraordinary and heroic achievement, and a triumph of British ingenuity and technology--a story to be told for generations to come."--Amazon. |
| Subject |
Great Britain. Royal Air Force. Squadron, 617 -- History.
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Operation Chastise, 1943.
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Dams -- Germany -- Ruhr (Region) -- History -- 20th century.
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World War, 1939-1945 -- Destruction and pillage -- Germany -- Ruhr (Region)
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World War, 1939-1945 -- Aerial operations, British.
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Ruhr (Germany : Region) -- History.
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| Added Title |
Chastise.
|
| ISBN |
9780062953636 (hardcover) |
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006295363X (hardcover) |
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