Bomber Command

Stunningly real. Gritty. Breathtaking.

My favorite WWII book, second only to The Rise and Fall. I often fear getting into my car to hear the book, wondering what our poor lads will suffer tonight. And the most thoughtful and cogent analysis of area bombing you will EVER hear. I told my WWII POW father to NOT read this book. He will be right back there in the 15th AF flying over Poland and Hungary. Too real. Just awesome.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

A more effective recount of 1940s paperwork

I struggle slightly with this title. Large portions of the book felt cold and impersonal as the author quoted memorandum after memorandum in tedious detail. The personal stories of tribulation and courage where too few and far between, and the pain and suffering of war was relegated to almost a footnote.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

A well told story

This is a well told story of the other great air campaign of the Second World War. In the US we normally only hear of the 8th Air Force. Well done on a wonderful telling of the story of Bomber Command from 1939 to 45.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Good overview of British bomber campaign

Hastings gives a comprehensive overview of the British WWII bombing campaign. He describes it from pretty much all angles. After listening to it, I had an even greater respect for the British bomber crews (it seems like being assigned to a heavy bomber crew was almost a death sentence during the war) while also confirming my already very negative opinion of the British leadership for their callous disregard for the massive civilian casualties -- or even for the lives of their own airmen. If the allies hadn't been the victors, Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur "Bomber" Harris, in particular, would have almost certainly been charged as a war criminal. The need for area bombing of civilian targets by all the allies is a debate that will probably never be settled, but I think it will remain a serious black mark on an otherwise noble war effort.

On a side note, why do the Brits think that all american's talk like John Wayne? Barnaby Edwards' narration is great except when he tries to do accents. His american accent is absolutely awful and detracts from the book. His Canadian accent isn't much better. Can we make an agreement that the American's won't try to do a British accent if the the Brits will agree not to try sound like Americans?

Another great book by Max Hastings

A master writer at the top of his game. Well worth the time. Well narrated too.

another great book by mr hastings

the remarkable courage of these men can not be adequately described. my 30 years in the USAF and that of my fellow service members is utterly pale by comparison. as far as the opionions expressed about the killing of civilians, I for one do not share this compassion. war is a very ugly ordeal and unless all those involved military and civilian feel the pain it will inevitably always be with us. That I'm sorry to have to say.

Outstanding

Max Hastings demonstrates his skill as an author. Well done! Especially for one of his early works.

A British Story in British Voice

Would you listen to Bomber Command again? Why?

I tend to listen to each of my Audible purchases twice. Not this one, although I may do so in the future. It just isn't as comprehensive a book as Max Hastings' later works.

What did you like best about this story?

Barnaby Edwards' reading was excellent. I appreciated the second to last chapter, which detailed the experience of the Germans "under the bombs" (whereas the bulk of the book dealt with the British experience of the campaign).

Which character – as performed by Barnaby Edwards – was your favorite?

To an American ear, his Churchill performance seemed spot on.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I had no extreme reaction to this book. The material verged on dryness a lot of the time. Hastings takes on a very strong British tone in this book. There's a slight air of detachment that persists throughout the telling. That's not to say the material isn't enlightening.

Any additional comments?

As an American brought up on tales of the air war over Europe, I realized that the breadth of my knowledge dealt with the American and German perspectives. I wanted to know what the British went through. I appreciated this book because it gave me exactly that: a British perspective on their area bombing campaign. I've gained plenty of knowledge on their campaign, and along with it, a new appreciation for what the British bomber crews went through in the night skies over Western Europe.

In this book, you spend a lot of time in the bombers with the crews, and an equal amount of time at the planning table with figures like Butch Harris. What you don't experience in great detail, however, is the experience of the Germans. Hastings does devote some time to explaining the German air defenses. He quotes the night fighter pilots on one or two occasions. The second to last chapter is devoted to the experience of the civilians on the ground at Darmstadt. However, I craved more--so much that I've actually bought a separate book on the Hamburg raid of 1943 to bolster what I feel is a gap in my knowledge.

The short is this: Bomber Command isn't as comprehensive as Max Hastings' later works, such as Nemesis and Inferno.

The vast majority of this book is from the British perspective--which makes complete sense, absolutely. I just felt that it bore mention that as I listened, I had a continuous urge to get out of the Lancasters, Sterlings, and Wellingtons. The voice and tone are also distinctly British, which isn't easy to explain, but as an American, I had trouble *feeling* the events that Hastings was recounting. There's a sort of divide between our cultures that other Americans will probably notice as they listen to this story. I don't enjoy saying this, but I couldn't bring myself to root for the British bomber crews in the same way that I do for the boys in the Fortresses and the Liberators.

If you, like me, are an American who's looking to expand his knowledge about the air war, this book is worth your time. You'll learn a lot. Just be prepared to know the British side--don't expect a comprehensive telling from all who experienced the night bombing campaign.

1 of 2 people found this review helpful

You'd better be a big fan of history

There were some very good portions of the book, but it dragged endlessly in some areas making the listening arduous to say the least, boring to say the most. An abridged version, I think, would be much better and you could cut the length in half. I believe it had too much added hyperbole for dramatic effect and that coupled with getting too far into the minutia of each operational plan and detail was mind numbing. Edwards was just alright, his singing was horrible though, yes he sings at one point. I guess I expected more from this book and was looking for the British side after listening to "Masters of the Air" by Donald L. Miller. This book is completely and strictly an historical account for history's sake and it reads like one. As opposed to "Masters of the Air" "Bomber Command" is boring.

I enjoy history and especially WWII and while I'm not looking for it to be entertaining in the fictional sense of entertainment it does need some level of personal dramatic effect to bring it to life. This book had none of that. That said, if you really enjoy knowing each and every detail of WWII without really getting a feel for the personal emotions of the characters being discussed then you'll likely enjoy this book.

Fantastic classic

After reading this over two decades ago, I can't believe how many key points I'd forgotten.

A must listen for any interested in WWII history.