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A Death in San Pietro: The Untold Story of Ernie Pyle, John Huston, and the Fight for Purple Heart Valley
By the time Mark Clark's Fifth Army reached the small village of San Pietro north of Naples in the first week of December 1943, a tough but rapid sweep through Sicily came to a muddy halt. On the slopes of a distant mountain, the death of a single platoon captain, Henry Waskow, epitomized the struggle.
A Death in San Pietro chronicles the quietly heroic and beloved Captain Waskow and his company as they make their way into battle. Waskow's 36th ("Texas") Division would ultimately succeed in driving the Germans off the mountains; but not before eighty percent of Waskow's company is lost in action.
For Americans back home, two of the war's most lasting artistic expression brought horrified focus to the battlefield, already dubbed "Purple Heart Valley" by the men of the 36th. Pulitzer Prize-winner Ernie Pyle's dispatch about Waskow's death and filmmaker John Huston's award-winning documentary of the battle rivets--and shocks--the nation, bringing, as if for the first time, the awful carnage of world war into living rooms across America.
A Death in San Pietro chronicles the quietly heroic and beloved Captain Waskow and his company as they make their way into battle. Waskow's 36th ("Texas") Division would ultimately succeed in driving the Germans off the mountains; but not before eighty percent of Waskow's company is lost in action.
For Americans back home, two of the war's most lasting artistic expression brought horrified focus to the battlefield, already dubbed "Purple Heart Valley" by the men of the 36th. Pulitzer Prize-winner Ernie Pyle's dispatch about Waskow's death and filmmaker John Huston's award-winning documentary of the battle rivets--and shocks--the nation, bringing, as if for the first time, the awful carnage of world war into living rooms across America.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published November 5, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
April 16, 2020
By the time Mark Clark’s Fifth Army reached the Liri Valley in south central Italy, a tough but rapid sweep through Sicily had come to a muddy halt. In December 1943, near a small village north of Naples, the paths of three men – platoon leader Captain Henry Waskow, award-winning journalist Ernie Pyle, and the young filmmaker John Huston – would cross. A battle-hardened German army was entrenched on the mountains surrounding the tiny village of San Pietro with every intention of stopping Clark’s determined march to Rome. Eighty percent of Waskow’s platoon would be wiped out, Pyle would write about the horrors of Waskow’s platoon’s demise for the American public, and Houston would return home to direct an award-winning documentary about the battle. Well researched, a deeply moving story.
December 20, 2023
It is a difficult task to weave together the careers of the American down-home war correspondent, Ernie Pyle, a brash young movie director, John Huston, and a few other celebrity reporters and photographers, around a bunch of soldiers from west Texas, as they fight bravely and die indiscriminantly in the brutal campaign of Italy.
The book features walk-ons from Patton, Mark Clark and other key ‘brass’ in charge of the Italy campaign, and these generally do not fare well. Mark Clark, in particular, was clearly a corporate-line-spewing, ambitious piece of work. That reality check was appreciated. Only General Walker, from Ohio, fares well here.
But the writing, particularly about the maneuvers and fighting, is often choppy and sometimes glaringly glib. For example: A piece of shrapnel pierced his companion’s helmet, killing him instantly. The attack continued after dark, and Company L made some progress among the olive orchards and terraces, and even penetrated German lines. There they were met with heavy automatic fire, and Amelunke’s communications man went down in a heap. Without sleep, little food and water, and with heavy casualties, Company L was near the end of its rope.
And the mixing of the descriptions of the State side success of Ernie Pyle, the carousing of John Huston, the comfortable life and lack of concern for the troops of General Mark Clark, with the incredible dangers faced and losses suffered by the infantry, makes the experience of reading this like trying to eat a fancy meal on an airplane in the middle of intense turbulence. It gives one a queasy feeling.
The main kernel of the story is Ernie Pyle’s encounter with the men of Company B of the 143rd, and the death of their young commander, Captain Waskow. I had hoped that Brady would provide background on Captain Waskow, such as stories from his childhood, or at least stories from his basic training or prior interactions with his men. Something to tell the story of why he was so loved by his men. Unfortunately, apart from some short descriptions of some of the other soldiers in his company, and his last letter home, there is none of that. So we are left to imagine it for ourselves. This is a shame.
Of course, Captain Waskow’s last letter home, which is published in full, gives some clue as to what sort of person he was, a portion of which I quote here:
… If you get to read this, I will have died in defense of my country and all that it stands for… To live for one’s country is, to my mind, to live a life of service; to—in a small way—help a fellow man occasionally along the way, and generally to be useful and to serve. It also means to rise up in all our wrath and with overwhelming power to crush any oppressor of human rights. … I volunteered in the Armed Forces because I thought that I might be able to help this great country of ours in its hour of darkness and need—the country that means to me more than life itself—if I have done that, then I can rest in peace, for I will have done my shares to make the world a better place in which to live….
It also reprints, in its entirety, the Ernie Pyle piece, entitled, “The Death of Captain Waskow.”
And, although I have read this now many times, I still cannot help tearing up at the line:
“I sure am sorry, sir.”
The book features walk-ons from Patton, Mark Clark and other key ‘brass’ in charge of the Italy campaign, and these generally do not fare well. Mark Clark, in particular, was clearly a corporate-line-spewing, ambitious piece of work. That reality check was appreciated. Only General Walker, from Ohio, fares well here.
But the writing, particularly about the maneuvers and fighting, is often choppy and sometimes glaringly glib. For example: A piece of shrapnel pierced his companion’s helmet, killing him instantly. The attack continued after dark, and Company L made some progress among the olive orchards and terraces, and even penetrated German lines. There they were met with heavy automatic fire, and Amelunke’s communications man went down in a heap. Without sleep, little food and water, and with heavy casualties, Company L was near the end of its rope.
And the mixing of the descriptions of the State side success of Ernie Pyle, the carousing of John Huston, the comfortable life and lack of concern for the troops of General Mark Clark, with the incredible dangers faced and losses suffered by the infantry, makes the experience of reading this like trying to eat a fancy meal on an airplane in the middle of intense turbulence. It gives one a queasy feeling.
The main kernel of the story is Ernie Pyle’s encounter with the men of Company B of the 143rd, and the death of their young commander, Captain Waskow. I had hoped that Brady would provide background on Captain Waskow, such as stories from his childhood, or at least stories from his basic training or prior interactions with his men. Something to tell the story of why he was so loved by his men. Unfortunately, apart from some short descriptions of some of the other soldiers in his company, and his last letter home, there is none of that. So we are left to imagine it for ourselves. This is a shame.
Of course, Captain Waskow’s last letter home, which is published in full, gives some clue as to what sort of person he was, a portion of which I quote here:
… If you get to read this, I will have died in defense of my country and all that it stands for… To live for one’s country is, to my mind, to live a life of service; to—in a small way—help a fellow man occasionally along the way, and generally to be useful and to serve. It also means to rise up in all our wrath and with overwhelming power to crush any oppressor of human rights. … I volunteered in the Armed Forces because I thought that I might be able to help this great country of ours in its hour of darkness and need—the country that means to me more than life itself—if I have done that, then I can rest in peace, for I will have done my shares to make the world a better place in which to live….
It also reprints, in its entirety, the Ernie Pyle piece, entitled, “The Death of Captain Waskow.”
And, although I have read this now many times, I still cannot help tearing up at the line:
“I sure am sorry, sir.”
March 18, 2020
I learned a little more about Plye, Huston, and Henry Waskow -- all interesting people. The Italian campaign is characterized by a lack of resources and a lack of imagination on the Allied side. I see the story as something often overlooked by the glory of the big breakout from Normandy. However, tying down German units in Italy helped, as well as providing training for leaders who helped strengthen the Allied leadership prior to Normandy. This is a quick read.
October 7, 2025
An engaging, well researched, and quick read about the confluence of characters and events during the Italian Campaign of World War II that needed to be told, especially as a backdrop to a widely read work by Ernie Pyle and a well-known short documentary by John Huston. Even if you are unfamiliar with these famous elements discussed in the book, there is a very human theme running throughout that deserves to be told and more widely known.
April 2, 2018
Excellent military history of a battle in Italy during WWII that has largely been forgotten today.
August 11, 2026
The only thing that kept me from 5 stars was I would have liked more maps and pictures.
February 27, 2015
I believe it was Winston Churchill who referred to Italy as the soft underbelly of Europe, having said something equally fatuous about Gallipoli in the previous World War. In Autumn 1943, the Allied forces had mopped up North Africa, and easily conquered Sicily. High command determined that, while the Italian mainland had limited strategic value, in and of itself, an invasion would be vital: the objective would be to knock Italy out of the War, and to tie up as many German resources as possible pending a 1944 invasion of France. The British forces would cross the straits of Messina, and work their way north; the American 5th Army would invade farther north, and secure Rome by Christmas. Limited bomber range from Sicily would determine that the invasion would land south of Naples (lightly held Corsica and Sardinia were determined not to be worthwhile objectives, despite the support airbases on those islands could provide a ground invasion). Just before the landing, Mussolini was deposed, and Italy officially surrendered; obviously, the whole thing was going to be a cakewalk.
The soft underbelly, of course, proved to be a meat grinder, as German forces dug into the Apennines and contested every inch of ground between Naples and Rome. Observing the carnage were Ernie Pyle, America's foremost war correspondent, and a filmmaking team led by John Huston, who had been tasked with getting authentic footage of actual battle, for use in a propaganda documentary, to show the troops "Why We Fight".
Huston, who I will admit could be a bit of a prick, is one of my favorite directors. He made three documentaries during and after the War (Report From the Aleutians, San Pietro, and Let There Be Light), which I would dearly love to see, and his presence is what drew me to this book. It turns out that Tim Brady used all the same sources that Mark Harris used in his epic Five Came Back, so I didn't really gain anything there. Brady provides a good overview of the whole debacle, despite some egregious errors in syntax and especially vague use of commas. The lack of competent copyediting is the sort of thing that can lead one to reading fiction, exclusively.
The soft underbelly, of course, proved to be a meat grinder, as German forces dug into the Apennines and contested every inch of ground between Naples and Rome. Observing the carnage were Ernie Pyle, America's foremost war correspondent, and a filmmaking team led by John Huston, who had been tasked with getting authentic footage of actual battle, for use in a propaganda documentary, to show the troops "Why We Fight".
Huston, who I will admit could be a bit of a prick, is one of my favorite directors. He made three documentaries during and after the War (Report From the Aleutians, San Pietro, and Let There Be Light), which I would dearly love to see, and his presence is what drew me to this book. It turns out that Tim Brady used all the same sources that Mark Harris used in his epic Five Came Back, so I didn't really gain anything there. Brady provides a good overview of the whole debacle, despite some egregious errors in syntax and especially vague use of commas. The lack of competent copyediting is the sort of thing that can lead one to reading fiction, exclusively.
May 19, 2014
In this fast-paced account, author Tim Brady sets out to explore the enduring impact of one brief moment in World War II. Focusing upon the US Fifth Army's campaign to break the German stranglehold on the Liri Valley in southern Italy as part of its drive toward Rome, Brady follows three men--celebrated war correspondent Ernie Pyle, ambitious film maker John Huston and Captain Henry Waskow of the 36th Infantry Division (the "Texas Infantry")--to the village of San Pietro in the shadow of Mount Sammurco above the Liri Valley.
Capably narrating the savage mountain combat required for the 36th Infantry Division to pry the determined German defenders out of their defensive positions, Brady also captures the ferociously destructive impact such battles had upon those Americans who fought them. Unfortunately, Brady is less adept at keeping the threads of his three principal characters woven tightly together, with John Huston's role as US Army documentarian feeling particularly extraneous at times. At times, the author seems to be writing a combat history of the 36th Division in Italy, a biography of Ernie Pyle or the story of American war correspondents on the front lines. Brady is also not well served by the various small errors of fact and unsteady copy editing that seem so common among so many publishers today.
Nonetheless, Brady captures the incredibly poignant intersection of Ernie Pyle, the GI's poet laureate, and the combat infantryman in the person of Henry Waskow with Pyle's heartbreaking column about the latter's death, and he reminds us of John Huston's remarkable achievement in his film "The Battle of San Pietro." He not only reminds us of the devastating price of war but he evokes the costs borne by those who survive the moment of battle.
Capably narrating the savage mountain combat required for the 36th Infantry Division to pry the determined German defenders out of their defensive positions, Brady also captures the ferociously destructive impact such battles had upon those Americans who fought them. Unfortunately, Brady is less adept at keeping the threads of his three principal characters woven tightly together, with John Huston's role as US Army documentarian feeling particularly extraneous at times. At times, the author seems to be writing a combat history of the 36th Division in Italy, a biography of Ernie Pyle or the story of American war correspondents on the front lines. Brady is also not well served by the various small errors of fact and unsteady copy editing that seem so common among so many publishers today.
Nonetheless, Brady captures the incredibly poignant intersection of Ernie Pyle, the GI's poet laureate, and the combat infantryman in the person of Henry Waskow with Pyle's heartbreaking column about the latter's death, and he reminds us of John Huston's remarkable achievement in his film "The Battle of San Pietro." He not only reminds us of the devastating price of war but he evokes the costs borne by those who survive the moment of battle.
January 14, 2014
The book is about the battles in Italy near the village of San Pietro. It was known as purple heart valley because of the number of casualties. The book focuses on the 36th Infantry division, a national guard unit from Texas. Alternating with this story are also stories about Ernie Pyle, a wartime correspondent and director John Huston.
I think the author was trying to show the Italian war from several perspectives. The every day life of the combat soldier through Ernie Pyle, a look at the combat zone through the history of the 36th infantry division and an idea of combat through the documentary director John Huston was trying to film. And finally the death of one soldier (Capt. Henry Waskow) who was respected by all who knew him. The author never tries to sum up all these stories, but I think he was trying to provide a detail and overview of combat in Italy.
The book wasn't a page turner, but the stories were interesting. And I had never read anything about the war department's need to make a documentary film. So, the book explored new territory and did provide detail about the combat in Italy. It was interesting, but the first book of Rick Atkinson's trilogy did explore much of this combat. That's why I gave it just 3 stars.
I think the author was trying to show the Italian war from several perspectives. The every day life of the combat soldier through Ernie Pyle, a look at the combat zone through the history of the 36th infantry division and an idea of combat through the documentary director John Huston was trying to film. And finally the death of one soldier (Capt. Henry Waskow) who was respected by all who knew him. The author never tries to sum up all these stories, but I think he was trying to provide a detail and overview of combat in Italy.
The book wasn't a page turner, but the stories were interesting. And I had never read anything about the war department's need to make a documentary film. So, the book explored new territory and did provide detail about the combat in Italy. It was interesting, but the first book of Rick Atkinson's trilogy did explore much of this combat. That's why I gave it just 3 stars.
May 28, 2014
This would be an okay book for someone younger than me. Basically, it didn't tell me anything I didn't already know.
The book's premise is sound. It shows how Ernie Pyle's column on the death of Captain Waskow and the John Huston documentary "The Battle of San Pietro" were both based on the same part of the Italian campaign. The book does a good job of showing how the GIs, Pyle and Huston all wound up in the same place. Yet I felt the book never rose above the ordinary.
Certainly someone who is just learning about the Italian campaign or American culture in WWII would find this book helpful, but I didn't think this broke any new ground for me.
The book's premise is sound. It shows how Ernie Pyle's column on the death of Captain Waskow and the John Huston documentary "The Battle of San Pietro" were both based on the same part of the Italian campaign. The book does a good job of showing how the GIs, Pyle and Huston all wound up in the same place. Yet I felt the book never rose above the ordinary.
Certainly someone who is just learning about the Italian campaign or American culture in WWII would find this book helpful, but I didn't think this broke any new ground for me.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews