Monte Cassino

This book is a story of the horrors of war seen from the perspective of the soldiers on the battlefield. Before D-Day th... (more)

This book is a story of the horrors of war seen from the perspective of the soldiers on the battlefield. Before D-Day there was Monte Cassino, the desperate six-month struggle in the mountains of central Italy that left more than 350,000 men dead or wounded. Hitler had declared that the Allied drive toward Rome must be stopped at all costs, and German commander Kesselring chose the fortresslike monastery of Monte Cassino as the centerpiece of the defensive line. With months to prepare, Kesselring took advantage of the treacherous terrain to establish a virtually impregnable position. As the Allied forces, which included Americans, British, Canadians, Indians, South Africans, Tunisians, Algerians, Moroccans, Senegalese, Brazilians, and royalist Italians, pushed their way forward, the coldest, rainiest winter in Italian history rendered air and armor power useless and turned the landscape into a hellish killing ground.--From publisher description. (less)