A gripping tale of three crucial battles fought at the end of 1943 as
Allied forces approached the Gustav Line in Italy.
After repulsing the German counter-attack at Salerno in September 1943,
the US Fifth Army and British Eighth Army advanced up the Italian
Peninsula. By October, the Allied armies had reached the Volturno Line,
forcing a critical decision in German strategy: a prolonged defence
would be conducted in southern Italy, contesting the Allied advance
using the complex terrain features. By mid-November, the two Allied
armies were approaching the German defensive lines along the Garigliano
and the Sangro rivers. Here, US 5th Army would attack through the
Mignano gap towards San Pietro Infine, while British Eighth Army would
seize Ortona on the Adriatic coast and Orsogna. A brutal struggle
ensued, with the German defenders attempting to hold their positions.
The fighting at Ortona in particular (labelled a 'mini Stalingrad')
would be particularly grueling for the Canadian forces involved.
This fascinating work focuses on several little-known battles fought in
Italy following the German withdrawal from the Salerno bridgehead and
from Taranto. Maps and diagrams present an easy to follow overview of
the multiple operations of this complex campaign. The forces of the
opposing sides (including American, German, Canadian, New Zealand and
British troops), and the three decisive battles fought in late 1943, are
brought vividly to life in period photos and superb battlescene
artworks.
