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Operation Pedestal: The Fleet That Battled to Malta, 1942 Hardcover – June 1, 2021

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 2,309 ratings

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Renowned historian Max Hastings recreates one of the most thrilling events of World War II: Operation Pedestal, the British action to save its troops from starvation on Malta—an action-packed tale of courage, fortitude, loss, and triumph against all odds.

In 1940, Hitler had two choices when it came to the Mediterranean region: stay out, or commit sufficient forces to expel the British from the Middle East. Against his generals’ advice, the Fuhrer committed a major strategic blunder. He ordered the Wehrmacht to seize Crete, allowing the longtime British bastion of Malta to remain in Allied hands. Over the fall of 1941, the Royal Navy and RAF, aided by British intelligence, used the island to launch a punishing campaign against the Germans, sinking more than 75 percent of their supply ships destined for North Africa.

But by spring 1942, the British lost their advantage. In April and May, the Luftwaffe dropped more bombs on Malta than London received in the blitz. A succession of British attempts to supply and reinforce the island by convoy during the spring and summer of 1942 failed. British submarines and surface warships were withdrawn, and the remaining forces were on the brink of starvation.

Operation Pedestal chronicles the ensuing British mission to save those troops. Over twelve days in August, German and Italian forces faced off against British air and naval fleets in one of the fiercest battles of the war, while ships packed with supplies were painstakingly divided and dispersed. In the end only a handful of the Allied ships made it, most important among them the SS Ohio, carrying the much-needed fuel to the men on Malta.

As Hastings makes clear, while the Germans claimed victory, it was the British who ultimately prevailed, for Malta remained a crucial asset that helped lead to the Nazis’ eventual defeat. While the Royal Navy never again attempted an operation on such scale, Hasting argues that without that August convoy the British on Malta would not have survived. In the cruel accountancy of war, the price was worth paying.



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“An eye-level view of mortal danger set against a major inflection point during World War II. . . . Operation Pedestal is the story of desperate warriors shepherding a frail cargo through all the fire and steel their enemy can hurl. Mr. Hastings paints a portrait of naval combat with an artist’s brush guided by more than a half-century of combat reportage. Compassionate toward men who braved bombs, torpedoes, fire and a cruel sea, he showcases the Royal Navy—along with the merchant vessels it guarded—at its finest hour.” — Wall Street Journal

"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 harbor. Real-world war is sloppier than the Hollywood version, even more so under the author’s gimlet eye. . . . Another enthralling Hastings must-read." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Those who read Hastings’ meticulously researched and clearly written account of Operation Pedestal will emerge with a greater appreciation of the dangers, continuous stress, and deprivations facing men who went to war at sea in WWII. . . . Hastings’ treatment of this important but not often remarked on campaign belongs on the bookshelf of readers interested in World War II in Europe and of those looking for a reminder of what men can and are willing to do when the need is great and the cause is just.” — American Spectator

“Military historian Hastings…delivers a sterling account of the August 1942 mission to bring food, oil, and other supplies to the besieged island of Malta…. Buoyed by prodigious research and vivid prose, this is a brilliant illumination of one of WWII’s most dramatic episodes.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Hastings, author of best sellers such as All Hell Let Loose and The Secret War,recalls an event that is often overlooked in World War II history: the four-day battle over a convoy relief mission that brought aviation fuel to besieged British forces in Malta. . . . the prolific Hastings weaves Allied and Axis participants’ remembered accounts (which he acknowledges are often contradictory or embellished) and official archival documents into a free-flowing narrative. . . . Hastings should please his current fans and attract new devotees with this lucidly limned account, suitable for general readers and specialists alike.” — Frederick J. Augustyn Jr., Lib. of Congress, Washington, DC

“[A] breathtakingly dramatic account . . . . Hastings details the violence and valor of that week with all the elegance for which he is famous. . . . The result is a history at once objective and sympathetic, written with a profound respect for the men—many of them civilians—who faced such immense peril. . . . In expertly recounting their courage and the horrors they faced, Max Hastings has helped ensure the well-deserved immortality of this band of heroes.” — The Objective Standard

About the Author

Max Hastings is the author of twenty-eight books, most about conflict, and between 1986 and 2002 served as editor in chief of the Daily Telegraph, then as editor of the Evening Standard. He has won many prizes, for both his journalism and his books, the most recent of which are the bestsellers Vietnam, The Secret War, Catastrophe, and All Hell Let Loose. Knighted in 2002, Hastings is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, an Honorary Fellow of King’s College London, and a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. He has two grown children, Charlotte and Harry, and lives with his wife, Penny, in West Berkshire, where they garden enthusiastically.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper; First Edition (June 1, 2021)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 464 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0062980157
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0062980151
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.5 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.37 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 2,309 ratings

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Sir Max Hastings
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Max Hastings is the author of twenty-seven books, most of them about war. Born in London in 1945, he attended University College, Oxford before becoming a journalist. In 1967 he was a World Press Institute Fellow in the United States, then stayed to report the 1968 US election. Thereafter he worked as a reporter for BBC TV and British newspapers, covering eleven conflicts including Vietnam, the 1973 Yom Kippur war and the 1982 South Atlantic war. His first major book was BOMBER COMMAND, published in Britain and the US in 1979. He has since authored such works as VIETNAM, CATASTROPHE, ARMAGEDDON, RETRIBUTION, WINSTON'S WAR, THE KOREAN WAR AND INFERNO. Between 1986 and 2002 he served as editor-in-chief of the British Daily Telegraph, then editor of the London Evening Standard. He has won many awards both for his books and his journalism, including the 2012 $100,000 Pritzker Library prize for lifetime achievement, and the 2019 Bronze Arthur Ross medal of the US Council For Foreign Relations for VIETNAM. He lives in Berkshire, UK, with his wife Penny and has two grown-up children, Charlotte and Harry. Max says: 'I am lucky enough to have been able to earn my living doing the things I love most: travelling and hearing incredible stories from people all over the world, then writing about their experiences in war, when mankind is at both its best and worst'. Among the scariest moments of his career as a war correspondent, he cites following the embattled Israeli army on the Golan Heights in October 1973, and reporting the last weeks in Vietnam in 1975, before flying out of the US Embassy compound in its final evacuation.

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Customers say

Customers find the book to be an informative and educational account of Operation Pedestal. They praise the writing style as well-written and accessible. The narrative quality is described as gripping, vivid, and tragic. Overall, customers consider it a worthwhile purchase and enjoy reading the book.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

13 customers mention "History"13 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's history engaging and informative. They describe it as an excellent overview of the epic sea and air battle in the Mediterranean. The book is well-documented and provides thoughtful analysis of the shifting power dynamics.

"...Max Hastings is a guarantee, and the book is well documented and written in a compelling style. A small note...." Read more

"...Well recommended as an excellent read." Read more

"The size and complexity of the operation is daunting but absorbing history...." Read more

"...Hastings' research is impeccable including giving all sides to accounts where more than one is available...." Read more

8 customers mention "Writing style"8 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's writing style clear and accessible. They describe it as a well-told story of heroism in a sea battle. The author is described as first-rate, making things clear.

"...is a guarantee, and the book is well documented and written in a compelling style. A small note...." Read more

"Well written but story of heroism that had good ending despite dumb moves by RN" Read more

"...This wonderfully written and accessible account of Operation Pedestal takes us literally inside the naval and merchant ships relying on ships' logs..." Read more

"...that Max explains the whole situation puts you right there, making things so clear...." Read more

6 customers mention "Narrative quality"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the narrative gripping and vivid, with a good ending. They appreciate the thoughtful analysis and first-hand accounts of the battles.

"...usual superb job here, putting together a blunt and gripping narrative of the August convoy...." Read more

"Well written but story of heroism that had good ending despite dumb moves by RN" Read more

"...a real service by focusing on Operation Pedestal with both a compelling story and some very thoughtful analysis of the shifting power of naval and..." Read more

"...Pedestal into historical perspective, then tells the exciting and tragic narrative with many first-hand accounts from both the Allied and Axis..." Read more

4 customers mention "Value for money"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book a worthwhile purchase and an easy read. They appreciate the account of an underappreciated naval operation.

"A superb account of an often overlooked but crucial naval operation during WWII...." Read more

"I enjoyed this book...." Read more

"...Worth purchasing and an easy read." Read more

"Very worthwhile..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on August 14, 2021
    Probably the best essay on Operation Pedestal I've ever read. Max Hastings is a guarantee, and the book is well documented and written in a compelling style.
    A small note. I'm Italian; I find a bit annoyng that the terms in Italian are often written with spelling errors or that the sentences in Italian are reported in a lame Italian. This is a problem of many Anglo-Saxon authors; I recently read Sicily 1943 by James Holland, and here too I found more than one error.
    For example, Max Hasting says that "fondo alla pasta!" is a command familiar in every Italian family kitchen: well, it is not, it has never been heard of, and all in all the phrase does not even make too much sense in Italian. Just as the war cry of an Italian commander "Dai alle panzone" makes no sense: these are three words in Italian which, placed side by side, do not form a meaningful sentence. And again, Max Hasting defines Pinocchio as a Disney cartoon character: Pinocchio is one of the classic characters of Italian children's literature of the 19th century, to the point that the puppet that represents it is sold in thousands of copies in junk shops for tourists scattered throughout the peninsula. It is certainly not a Disney character; the film, moreover, only arrived in Italy after the war.
    This does not invalidate my positive opinion on the book, but a little more editing would have made reading less annoying for an Italian reader.
    18 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2021
    I enjoyed parts of this saga dealing with the Italian navy and air force during the war. It is info not generally accessible.
  • Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2021
    In that crucial summer of 1942, Allied prospects in the Mediterranean Sea hung by a number of embattled threads. One of these was the British base at Malta, under Axis siege by air and sea. Prime Minister Winston Churchill made the fraught decision to send a relief convoy to Malta, into the teeth of Italian and German air and naval assets. "Operation Pedestal" is the story of that convoy.

    Author Max Hastings has done his usual superb job here, putting together a blunt and gripping narrative of the August convoy. He successfully juggles a complicated story, highlighting the heroism and the failures, and the ordinary people caught in between. The text includes a nice selection of period photographs , but could probably have used more maps. Well recommended as an excellent read.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2024
    The size and complexity of the operation is daunting but absorbing history. The human element on both sides is sometimes gruesome but that is what it is really about and comes across unstinteny hard.
  • Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2021
    Well written but story of heroism that had good ending despite dumb moves by RN
  • Reviewed in the United States on July 29, 2022
    A superb account of an often overlooked but crucial naval operation during WWII. Hastings' research is impeccable including giving all sides to accounts where more than one is available. This wonderfully written and accessible account of Operation Pedestal takes us literally inside the naval and merchant ships relying on ships' logs, diaries and other first-hand accounts by participants in the operation as well as official histories by all parties, the British, German and Italian. Hastings' grasp of naval strategy (along with air cover), his insights into the key personalities involved and his grasp of the terror of naval warfare makes this an outstanding account.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2022
    Sir Max Hastings did students of World War Two and of the challenges of technological change in large military bureaucracies a real service by focusing on Operation Pedestal with both a compelling story and some very thoughtful analysis of the shifting power of naval and air forces. Every professional should read this and think about the lessons for todays military.
  • Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2021
    Hastings does an excellent job of putting Operational Pedestal into historical perspective, then tells the exciting and tragic narrative with many first-hand accounts from both the Allied and Axis participants. Excellent detail with insight into how the steady toll of losses to the convoy impacted the remaining sailors & airmen throughout the voyage.

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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Well done
    Reviewed in Canada on April 28, 2023
    Another excellent book from Mr. Hastings.
  • Martyn Roy Bentley
    5.0 out of 5 stars A must read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 11, 2024
    As ever, Max Hastings makes history very readable. It was as much a page-turner as the crime fiction I read for light relief. I was truly invested in the stories of these incredibly brave men. This was not jingoistic flag waving; it gave stories from all sides and heaped praise and criticism wherever appropriate. I was unaware of this action in WW2 and it opened my eyes. Well worth a read.
  • Polarlicht
    5.0 out of 5 stars Operation Pedestal: The Fleet That Battled to Malta So wünscht Man sich ein Geschichts-Buch
    Reviewed in Germany on August 16, 2022
    Sehr gut recherchiertes Buch, da Max Hastings über die menschlichen Schicksale bei
    Aliierten und Achsen-Mächten eine Spannung aufbaut, die den Leser das Buch nicht aus der Hand nehmen lässt. Klarer Vorteil:
    Keine trockene Geschichts-Abwälzung, sondern eine Berichtestattung über das grösste
    Konvoy-Unternehmenm der Royal Navy mit dem Ziel, Malta von der Belagerung der Achsenmächte
    zu befreien, was letztendlich auch gelang und damit die Versorgung der deutschen Truppen im Mittelmeerraum deutlich reduzierte und die Dauer des Zweiten Weltkriegs reduzierte.
    Die hier genannte Kritik, dass das Buch keine neuen Denkanstösse vermittelt, keine Zeugen-Auusagen herausholt, oder nur eine Wiederholung der Argumente anderer Historiker wiederholt, ist meiner Meinung nach ungerecht.
    Im Gegenteil: Sein lebendiger Schreib-Stil setzt sich wohltuend ab von den hiesigen Historikern, die sich ständig in in Zitaten und moralisch-wälzendem Ethos darstellen müssen..
    Aber der Geschmack ist individuell, also entscheiden Sie selber, ob Sie ein leicht-zulesendes
    Geschichtsbuch lesen müssen, oder eben nicht.
    Meine Kaufempfehlung: 5 Sterne
  • Mr Eric Bertrand
    4.0 out of 5 stars an interesting not widely known Mediterranean battle
    Reviewed in France on April 16, 2022
    Highly factual but hard to follow given the large number of ships and vastly more numerous named seamen. A reference chart accessible during the reading would have been most welcome
  • Nerio S.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Ottimo saggio, stile avvincente.
    Reviewed in Italy on August 14, 2021
    Probabilmente il miglior saggio sull'operazione Pedestal che abbia mai letto. Max Hastings è una garanzia, ed il libro è ben documentato e scritto con uno stile avvincente. L'autore è britannico, quindi la storia è narrata dal punto di vista degli Alleati; se volete approfondire il coinvolgimento italiano nella Battaglia di Mezzo Agosto, forse questo non è il libro migliore.
    Un piccolo appunto: trovo un po' fastidioso che i termini in italiano siano spesso scritti in modo errato o che le frasi nella nostra lingua siano rese in un italiano claudicante. Ho letto di recente Sicily 1943 di James Holland, ed anche qui ho trovato più di un errore.
    Ad esempio, Max Hasting dice che “fondo alla pasta!” (in italiano nel testo) è una frase che richieggia in tutte le cucine italiane. Non nella mia, parrebbe. Così come l'urlo di battaglia di un comandante italiano "Dai alle panzone", sempre in italiano nel testo, non credo sia stato tradotto molto bene. Ed ancora, Max Hasting definisce Pinocchio un "Disney cartoon character", con buona pace di Collodi. Il film Disney, per altro, arrivò in Italia dopo la guerra.
    Questo non infirma il mio giudizio positivo sul libro, ma un minimo di attenzione in più avrebbe reso la lettura meno fastidiosa per un lettore italiano.