Bomber Command cover art

Bomber Command

Preview

Try Premium Plus free
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Bomber Command

By: Max Hastings
Narrated by: Barnaby Edwards
Try Premium Plus free

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $33.99

Buy Now for $33.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.
Cancel

About this listen

With an introduction read by Max Hastings. Bomber Command's offensive against the cities of Germany was one of the epic campaigns of the Second World War.

More than 56,000 British and Commonwealth aircrew and 600,000 Germans died in the course of the RAF's attempt to win the war by bombing. The struggle began in 1939 with a few score primitive Whitleys, Hampdens and Wellingtons, and ended six years later with 1,600 Lancasters, Halifaxes, and Mosquitoes razing whole cities in a single night. Max Hastings traced the developments of area bombing using a wealth of documnets, letters, diaries, and interviews with key surviving witnesses. Bomber Command is his classic account of one of the most controversial struggles of the war. Max Hastings, author of over 20 books, has been editor of the Daily Telegraph and the Evening Standard. He has received many awards for his journalism and was knighted in 2002.

©1979 Max Hastings (P)2014 Audible Studios
Germany Great Britain Military War Submarine City Air Force

What listeners say about Bomber Command

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    92
  • 4 Stars
    33
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    83
  • 4 Stars
    28
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    86
  • 4 Stars
    23
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Max Hastings’ Masterpiece, undiminished by the passage of time.

Simply put, Hastings argues the pros and cons of one of the most contentious chapters of World War Two military history in a clear, incisive and forensic way, yet manages to retain all the drama, feeling and conflicted emotions that this series of events inspires.

If you’ve read a bit about the Second World War, and think you know what the bombing campaigns were about, think again after you’ve listened to this brilliant narrative.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Truthful, painful, sobering

Without diminishing the legacy of the aircrew involved, Hasting offers a crushing honest portrayal of RAF Bomber Command.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

fascinating and troubling

Huge losses and yet immense bravery of the crews. Area bombing now in light of Tokyo firestorm raids and Cold War threats of nuclear annihilation make this doctrine commonplace.
Thoughtful, well written and narrated it is a great look into the minds of all involved.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Bloody interesting listen

Max Hastings has a knack for making detail, even very technical detail, enthralling and pivotal to the story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Many Feelings Built Up Inside Me as I Listened to this Historical Portrayal

Like many I know I lost relatives who participated in Bomber Command. Thank you for writing and turning this into a talking book. There were so many things that were revealed to me and many aspects were included. We all have our views on Hitler and what he did but I was flabbergasted when I heard about the control his mistress had over him - cosmetics! He definitely wasn’t someone who should have held onto purse strings z

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Very detailed account of bomber command

an excellently researched account of bomber command. The book contains a good balance of first hand accounts and historical facts with the main protagonist views covered in detail.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

a good balance

I found this book to be well balanced between the historical fact and the authors opinion. Well worth a listen.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Well worth it

Good quality history lesson. Previously I had good opinion of Harris not so sure now. What astounding me most was how ‘self centred’ these top generals were/are. They appear to give no credit to their subordinates at all. Guess nothing has changed.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

great history of bomber command

very detailed account that demonstrates how bomber command came to be , the decisions made and how in hindsight , it was a mistake.
very good "read"

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great book..."warts and all"

I was expecting this to be all butterflies and rainbows. But its a true story of how politics gets in the way of everything. I think the commanders who sent those boys to war without proper navigation into suicide missions should be held as "war criminals!!"......this is not a happy good feeling book. But opens your eyes to rampant self interest of high command. Thank god the good guys had a "few good men (Churchill)"....as the top brass and officers were clearly incompetent!!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.