Tug of War
The Battle for Italy, 1943–1945
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- $13.99
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
When the Allies invaded mainland Italy in 1943 they intended only a clearing-up operation to knock Italy out of the war, but Hitler ordered the German armies to defend every foot of the country. The 'Tug of War' was the mysterious force which caused a war to race out of control, and attract vast numbers of men, tanks, guns and aircraft. The book analyses the main battles of Salerno, Cassino, Anzio and the march on Rome.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This is a first-class analysis of Allied operations in Italy against skilled and powerful German forces under the command of Albert Kesselring, a master of defensive warfare. Much of the discussion here has to do with what Graham and Bidwell, coauthors of Fire Power, call "the grit in the gearbox of coalition warfare,'' a coalition of American, British, Canadian, New Zealand, French and Polish units whose commanders were not cooperative. The authors are astute in their evaluation of the generals in question and their troops as well. General Mark Clark comes across, for instance, as a grudge-bearing Anglophobe who won victories almost in spite of himself. The fighting abilities of the French and Canadian troops in particular are roundly praised, in contrast to the American and British troops whose weaknesses are analyzed in detail. Tug of War is mainly a study of the dynamics of planning and execution over a period of 20 months, from the point of view of the Allied generals. Recommended for serious students of military history.
