Lawyer Posted December 10, 2003 Share Posted December 10, 2003 I'm looking for one or two books on the Italian campaign that are enlightening and readable. I'm more interested in overall strategies, tactical considerations, leadership, personal experiences, and battle descriptions than a detailed list of what unit was where on a given day. I already have the official US Army greenbook accounts. I've enjoyed books by MacDonald, Toland, Keegan, and Ambrose dealing with the western front. Can you suggest a good book along those lines that focuses on Italy? Thanks for any help. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Speedy Posted December 10, 2003 Share Posted December 10, 2003 A lawyer asking for a readable book? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hagar Posted December 10, 2003 Share Posted December 10, 2003 I highly reccommend Monte Cassino by Mathew Parker. He does a marvelous job of communicating to the reader just how difficult and murderous this campain was. Its quite possible that The battle for Monte Cassino was harder fought than Stalingrad, certainly some of the Axis troops who fought at both battles thought so, and this book will explain why. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kozure Posted December 10, 2003 Share Posted December 10, 2003 One book which I've read which sounds too specific for your purposes but may be of interest to others reading this thread is: Zuehlke, Mark. Ortona: Canada's Epic World War II Battle Douglas and McIntyre, Vancouver, 2003. ISBN 1-55054-557-4 It specifically focuses on the efforts of the 1st Canadian Infantry Division at Ortona. It contains many vignettes at the company, platoon and individual and gives a very frontline impression of the fighting. Other books by Zuehlke include The Liri Valley: Canada's World World II Breakthrough to Rome and The Gothic Line: Canada's Month of Hell in World War II Italy. I haven't read either of these, but once again, they are pretty specific to the areas the titles describe. A more general overview of the Canadians' campaign in Italy can be found in: Dancocks, D.G. The D-Day Dodgers: The Canadians in Italy, 1943-1945 McClelland & Stewart Inc., Toronto, 1991. ISBN 0-7710-2544-0 I haven't read this one, but I've heard it referred to on many occasions. Of course, you're looking for much more general histories, I believe, so these will probably not be of interest. However, others poking into this thread may find it of value. [ December 10, 2003, 11:05 AM: Message edited by: Kozure ] 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Dorosh Posted December 10, 2003 Share Posted December 10, 2003 Dancocks is good. Zuehlke is bad. See my (and those of others) review of LIRI VALLEY by Zuehlke at amazon.com - see also the author's own admission that he doesn't know what he's talking about. Zuehlke is okay, but he adds nothing to the official history by Gerry Nicholson or Dancocks except some first hand accounts (by interviews done many years after the war). As Kozure points out, it gives an okay first hand look at things, but Zuehlke isn't really a "professional" military historian like some of the bigger lights in the genre. Stauffenberg and Mitcham's BATTLE OF SICILY is the only book I've read to date that used both Axis AND Allied sources - and lots of good detail on Italian units to boot. Most Canadian histories, for example, have no reference to any research done from German vets, archives, histories, etc. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Dorosh Posted December 10, 2003 Share Posted December 10, 2003 Originally posted by Hagar: Its quite possible that The battle for Monte Cassino was harder fought than Stalingrad, certainly some of the Axis troops who fought at both battles thought so, and this book will explain why. How do you (or they) define "harder fought"? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burke Posted December 10, 2003 Share Posted December 10, 2003 One book I'd recommend against is Backwater War: The Allied Campaign in Italy by Edwin Hoyt (listed on BFC's site). In terms of research and factual data it's probably fine, but the style of writing is so horrific I had to put it down. Virtually every sentence is poorly worded and often full of ridiculous cliches. It read like a fifth-grader reporting on the war in Italy. Two books that I have found enjoyable are The Battle of Sicily by Mitcham and Stauffenberg and Drop Zone Sicily by William Breuer. The later is extremely readable and engaging, though as you'd expect its scope is limited to the airborne assault on Sicily. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airborne Posted December 10, 2003 Share Posted December 10, 2003 Also consider "Tug of War" by Bidwell (and someone else). Also on the BFC site under CMAK bibliographies. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andreas Posted December 11, 2003 Share Posted December 11, 2003 Originally posted by Michael Dorosh: </font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Hagar: Its quite possible that The battle for Monte Cassino was harder fought than Stalingrad, certainly some of the Axis troops who fought at both battles thought so, and this book will explain why. How do you (or they) define "harder fought"? </font> 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andreas Posted December 11, 2003 Share Posted December 11, 2003 Back on topic, if you are interested in personal experiences, for the Commonwealth I would recommend Lord Carver's 'Imperial War Museum Book on the war in Italy', which is a trawl through the IWM personal memory archives of veterans (his history is best not mentioned, read it for the personal accounts and ignore the apologism inbetween), and one of the three books by the IWM's oral historian Peter Hart: 'The Heat of Battle', dealing with the Italian campaign of the 16th Durham Light Infantry. Go the Geordies! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Dorosh Posted December 11, 2003 Share Posted December 11, 2003 Originally posted by Andreas: </font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Michael Dorosh: </font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Hagar: Its quite possible that The battle for Monte Cassino was harder fought than Stalingrad, certainly some of the Axis troops who fought at both battles thought so, and this book will explain why. How do you (or they) define "harder fought"? </font> 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bimmer Posted December 11, 2003 Share Posted December 11, 2003 Carlo D'Este's _Bitter Victory: The Battle for Sicily, 1943_ is a fine and detailed account of that particular portion of the Italian campaign. It is very much a traditional military history, with a linear style and top-down perspective. It has been a while since I read it, but my recollection is that it was better than anything else I'd read on the subject. Also, keep an eye out for the second volume of Rick Atkinson's Liberation Trilogy. I don't know when it's due, but it should cover much of the Italian campaign (Volume 1, _An Army at Dawn_, is a fine work about the American North Africa campaign). 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawyer Posted December 11, 2003 Author Share Posted December 11, 2003 Thanks very much for the suggestions so far! I especially appreciate the input from both Michael Dorosh and Andreas (The Uber Grog Twins), as well as from Speedy "The Ultimate Effete Aussie" who put his low-alcohol Miller Lite down long enough to type a few useless words and retrieve another hanky to wave at the passing fellows on the street... But I notice the recommendations, while all worthy, seem to focus on Brits and Canadians as the allies. Anybody have recommendations that describe the US experience? Thanks. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Dorosh Posted December 11, 2003 Share Posted December 11, 2003 Originally posted by Lawyer: But I notice the recommendations, while all worthy, seem to focus on Brits and Canadians as the allies. Anybody have recommendations that describe the US experience? Thanks. Did the US fight in Italy? Funny, I've never seen any movies about that... :confused: You're familiar with Murphy's TO HELL AND BACK naturally. JasonC could quote you the exact titles of the official US History, but you said "readable". The Sicily book that was mentioned two or three times here is an excellent account of all the participants there, US included. Beyond that, I'd be interested as well in other suggestions. The Men at Arms boys just released a new title on US forces in Italy and North Africa - if you want a basic primer. Check the Commonwealth infantry tactics thread for some online links to the US Army official history as well. MEN AT ARMS 347 - The US Army in World War II (2) The Mediterranean by Mark R Henry and Mike Chappell is available at amazon.com - I've picked up a copy and am pleased with it,though you're likely looking for the middle ground between primer and official history. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawyer Posted December 11, 2003 Author Share Posted December 11, 2003 Hey thanks, Michael. The Audie Murphy book is perfect for a first person account, and I didn't know about it. I'll add it to my list. Now if I can find a larger analysis book that goes beyond Sicily..?? BTW, I have "Eisenhower's Leutenants" which is a good resource for all US fronts, but I haven't had time to read it yet. I was hoping there might be an Ambrose type of general story presentation of Italy from bottom to top. Is there such a thing available? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andreas Posted December 11, 2003 Share Posted December 11, 2003 'A walk in the sun' is supposed to be a good first-hand GI story in Italy - according to the dust jacket. If I can ever work up an interest in US personal accounts again, I'll read it and let you know. 'The recollections of Rifleman Bowlby' is a good personal UK soldier's account. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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