Operation Pedestal

An epic, intimate new account of one of the greatest naval dramas of World War II, from number one bestselling historian Max Hastings.

“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