See Naples and Die: A World War II Memoir of a United States Army Ski Trooper in the Mountains of Italy - Softcover

Ellis, Robert B.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0786401907 ISBN 13: 9780786401901

Publisher: McFarland, 1996

Synopsis

In 1943, 18-year-old Robert Ellis joined the elite U.S. Army Ski Troops of the 10th Mountain Division. This division has been called the most elite and publicized American military unit in World War II. While a member of the unit Ellis maintained a detailed battle diary and conducted extensive wartime correspondence. Upon their arrival in Italy, the U.S. Army Ski Troops played a major role in the defeat of the Germans in Italy. They also faced some of the bloodiest combat of the war; the 10th Mountain Division suffered the heaviest casualties relative to time-in-combat of any U.S. division in the Italian campaign. While the author details the exceptional service of the unit, he also explores the brutal reality of infantry service and reveals how the battles were falsely represented by the media.

About this title

About the Author:

The late Robert B. Ellis, was a retired CIA officer and lived in San Francisco, California.

From Library Journal:

During a period of 114 days of combat, from January 8 to May 12, 1945, the U.S. Army's 10th Mountain lost 992 men killed in action and 4,154 wounded. Ellis's memoir, based on his letters to family members and a diary he kept, covers primarily the time from his outfit's departure for Italy to VE Day. Ellis bolsters his main sources with accounts of military historians, a smattering of records and personal correspondence offered by comrades-in-arms, and other sources. The author frames his honest, graphic, and often funny wartime narrative within a broader autobiographical context. He persuades the reader of the strategic value of his unit's role in tying down German forces while the Allies pushed through western Europe; at the same time, his readers are saddened by the loss of so many Allied troops in a war already won. Although he documents his bonds of comradeship with fellow soldiers on virtually every page, he also makes clear his distaste for military regulations. Numerous illustrations and maps assist the reader. Recommended without qualification.?John Carver Edwards, Univ. of Georgia Libs., Athens
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: McFarland
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0786401907
• ISBN 13: 9780786401901
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 264