Anzio Italy and the Battle for Rome - 1944

After victories in North Africa and Sicily, the Allies invaded Italy in September 1943 and quickly bogged down, as German commander Kesselring fought a brilliant defensive campaign aided by miserable weather and primitive, mountainous terrain. To break the stalemate in January 1944, two Allied divisions landed behind German lines at Anzio, encountering surprisingly little resistance. Within days, German units rushed to the small beachhead for some of the most concentrated, brutal, bloody fighting outside the Russian front. British historian Clark delivers an absorbing account of the terrible battle. Historians criticize the force's commander, Gen. John Lucas, for not pushing inland to cut off the Germans or even capture Rome, though Lucas insisted he had too few men. Clark agrees, but adds that Lucas should have advanced far enough to occupy a stronger defensive position. By February, the Allies had secured the beachhead and the energetic Lucian Truscott took over from Lucas, but it was not until May that troops broke out. Clark does not rock any historical boats, but he tells a relentlessly fascinating story with plenty of asides about individuals' experiences. Carlo D'Este's 1991 history may still be the best on the subject, but no reader will be disappointed with Clark's. (Nov.)
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For the Allies in World War II, the fighting in Italy was miserable, frustrating, and, to critics, strategically questionable. Clark, a perceptive and empathic historian posted at Britain's military academy, concentrates on an episode that embodied the problems of the Italian campaign: the landing at Anzio near Rome in January 1944. Clark describes the Allies' disagreement at the top levels over the wisdom of the operation. American strategists disliked it as a logistical drain on the imminent cross-channel attack; its British advocates thought an Anzio coup would unhinge the German military in Italy. Clark then lets the battle unfold: the landing, quickly immobilized by the German army, degenerates into a five-month battle of attrition. While riflemen die by the thousands, a harrowing decimation Clark evokes in grim excerpts from survivors, battlefield commander John Lucas seems unable to control the situation and becomes the official scapegoat for Anzio's failure. Understanding both generals' plans and the feel of mud in a trench, Clark integrates all aspects of Anzio in this high-quality battle history. Gilbert Taylor
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