"Jim, there is nothing in Hastings' book that supports your view of incompetent leadership or any of your views."
Sigh - you haven't read his book Keith - you haven't even read the bits you scanned down - of any of your less than six historians
His acceptance of the review as "generous" shows that without any doubt.
What he actually said about the review
David Crane wrote generously in last week's books pages about my 1914 history, Catastrophe. I was dismayed that he should think I 'hate' the British army. On the contrary, I have loved it all my life, but want its reputation to rest on its achievements, not on jingo legends."
Nothing in the out of context quotes you have put up contradicts what Hastings has acknowledged as "generous" in the book - he did not reject it, as claimed and he actually makes a point of referring to the "jingoism" surrounding this subject - directed at people like you.
Your attitude to this review is little short of insane.
Jim Carroll