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How WWII hung in the balance in the Mediterranean Sea – Interview with Sir Max Hastings
Check out this book here https://amzn.to/3p5MJHk
Interview Timeline
Sir Max Hastings is the author of twenty-six books, most about conflict, and between 1986 and 2002 served as editor-in-chief of the Daily Telegraph, then editor of the Evening Standard. He has won prizes for journalism and his books. He has recently published a history of WWII Operation Pedestal. We spoke about the book and the operation. Operation Pedestal: The Fleet That Battled to Malta, 1942 (Harper, 2021)
1:22 – Sir Max explains why he wrote about Operation Pedestal.
3:29 – Sir Max talks about Churchill’s thinking about Malta and Operation Pedestal.
6:45 – Sir Max discusses operations in the Mediterranean.
8:26 – Sir Max talks about the first few days of the Operation.
8:55 – Sir Max talks about how he balances the book between the Axis and Allies actions.
12:07 – Sir Max talks about Hitler’s thinking in regards to Malta.
14:55 – Sir Max talks about British successes early in the operation.
15:54 – Sir Max talks about the constant threats the British were facing each day of the operation.
21:40 – Sir Max talks about a dangerous sunset Italian and German air attack.
22:22 – Sir Max talks about how quickly the events in the operation got back to world leaders.
27:59 – Sir Max talks about the difficulties of being a ship captain.
31:46 – Sir Max talks about the civilians participating in the convoy operation.
33:31 – Sir Max talks about the Ohio and the attacks it endured.
37:10 – Sir Max talks about how mad the Royal Navy was at the Royal Air Force.
38:27 – Sir Max talks about how he got some of his information.
42:20 – Sir Max talks about the Arctic convoy.
43:19 – Sir Max talks about the sheer exhaustion of the men who were part of the operation.
46:02 – Sir Max talks about the risks taken in the operation as far as the amount of resources used.
47:47 – Sir Max talks about the emotional aspect of the burials at sea during the operation.
49:59 – Sir Max talks about the civilian burial practices and how the civilian crews acted.
52:33 – Sir Max talks about having visited Malta and their courage during the war.
54:00 – Sir Max talks about the war scars still left at Malta.
55:12 – Sir Max talks about how pivotal the few weeks of Pedestal were.
56:45 – Sir Max talks about the importance of willpower in the war.
59:22 – Sir Max talks about how little known this operation is despite its importance.
1:00:04 – Sir Max talks about his next project being about the Cuban Missile Crisis.
1:01:20 – Sir Max talks about his excitement in studying history,
1:02:35 – Sir Max talks about the importance of the story of Pedestal.
Links of interest
https://www.harpercollins.com/products/operation-pedestal-max-hastings?variant=32306180489250
Contact Information
For more “Military History Inside Out” please follow me at www.warscholar.org, on Facebook at warscholar, on twitter at Warscholar, on youtube at warscholar1945 and on Instagram @crisalvarezswarscholar. Or subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify Please see historyrabbithole.com for a list of my dozen or so blogs and podcasts. You’re sure to find something you like.
Guests: Sir Max Hastings
Host: Cris Alvarez
Tags: Books, audio interviews, author, podcast, Harper, WWII, Naval Warfare, United States, Germany, Britain,
Check out this book here https://amzn.to/3p5MJHk
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