Unauthorized Action

Great Britain was under pressure from the Soviet Union and the United States to mount a second front in the west. The British military and political leadership of the day saw these sort of raids as an expedient means of launching attacks with minimal risks. The author placed responsibility (or blame) for the raid on Vice-Admiral Mountbatten. High-ranking military leaders chose to hold back and let Mountbatten take the blame if it landed in his lap as they were jealous of his promotion. The 1994 edition included new information showing that the raid’s decision-making process had been compromised.