The Italian Campaign

World War II #11

by Robert Wallace

Book 11 of the Time-Life World War II series. This Time-Life volume includes photographs, maps, illustrations, and narratives of the invasion and fighting in Italy.

Genres: History, Military History, Military Fiction, Nonfiction, World War II, War

208 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1978

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Valerie Sherman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two things come to mind in this volume: (1) Italy, I'm sorry we bombed your historical buildings; and (2) at this point in the war, the multinational and multiracial character of the Allied armies is taking shape; it's awesome that fascist Italy and Germany were defeated by Poles, Indians, African Americans, Japanese Americans, Algerians, and more.

[Michel Siskoid Albert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Time-Life's World War II series examines one of the most ignored fronts of the War with The Italian Campaign, a grinder of a conflict that I had heard about because a grandparent had told me many Canadians lost their lives taking a hill or mountain, but reading through the book, it's not clear which of the many mountain battles that would be. That's how bloody and awful this particular conflict was (and indeed, while there are only a couple of gory pictures, the prose doesn't mince words and gets very graphic at times - a lot of this is in the soldiers' own words, so I'm not complaining, but again, I'm surprised I was gifted these books when a I was a child). As usual, I get a little lost in the play-by-play with all these numbered units etc., but the stories are vivid enough that it doesn't matter. Of particular interest: How Italy saved its art treasures (or in some cases, didn't), the multicultural composition of the Allies at this point, and how invasion turned into liberation, helping to explain why Italy wasn't put on the same black list as Germany and Japan after the War.

[Travis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a good one in the series as it was interesting and I learned a lot. For starters, Operation Husky (invasion of Sicily) was the largest initial landing in an amphibious assault (not D-Day). The Nazis booby trapped all manner of things in their withdrawal including candy bars (so I would have been a goner). A Japanese American unit known as the 442nd became the most decorated unit. I vaguely recall learning about Mussolini’s ignominious death in high school, but I’m not sure if I learned he was initially imprisoned by the Italian King, then rescued by the Nazis, and then ultimately killed and displayed by Italian partisans. The Battle of Monte Cassino, which saw the monastery unfortunately and unnecessarily destroyed was interesting but also falls into a huge “fail” for the Allies in my opinion. Lastly, something I was aware of but often forget with so much going on in WWII is the loss of priceless art and architecture. As sad as it is that the Nazis and war led to so many pieces being lost forever, it’s also remarkable how much was saved.

[D-day · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of the Time-Life series on WW2, this volume discusses the Allied invasions of Sicily and the liberation of Italy

Chapters
1- The Allied Invasion of Sicily in July 1943. Operation Husky is still the largest amphibious invasion in history
2- The removal of Mussolini from power by Italians and the invasion of Italy by the Americans at Salerno and the British at Taranto. (Aug to Sep 1943)
3- The Allied capture of Naples and advances towards Rome (Sep to Oct 1943)
4- The Allied capture of Ortona, and the struggles advancing to Rome (Nov 1943 to Jan 1944)
5- The almost disastrous Allied landing at Anzio and subsequent siege by the Germans and the final breakthrough at Monte Cassino (Jan to Jul 1944)
6-The Allied capture of Rome, the long pursuit of German forces into Northern Italy and the death of Mussolini (Jul 1944 to Apr 1945)

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone thinks that Italians make better lovers than fighters. That might be true but that doesn't stop them from protecting themselves when necessary.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of photos and maps. Good research material.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good introductory book for anybody who is pathetically ignorant about the Italian campaign, as I was. I learned quite a bit from the first half of the book, but then felt that it got bogged down with the usual "this division went here, this division went there" kind of thing. It's a book about war, so this kind of thing is inevitable, and my inability to keep track of it all probably says more about my attention span than the writer's ability. Still, I feel that, as with many of these books that go into great detail about troop movements and geography, that 3-4 more well-placed maps would've done a world of good in helping to tell the story. Despite my complaints, again, this is a pretty informative book. I especially liked the way that the writer worked in several examples of the valor of individual soldiers, showing that the course of a significant battle can turn on the acts of just one person.

[Jared · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderfully detailed account of a part of the war many don't know about! When comparing it to Normandy one can truly appreciate the sacrifices made here. Photos used in the book are powerful and really paint a powerful picture. This book also really shows the Allies for what they had become, an international force working together. Though not everything was nice and happy among them as the account clearly points out.

[William Razavi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another volume I'm reappraising after a few years since I last read it.
Holds its own as part of the series when combined with Italy at War, The War in the Desert, and The Mediterranean. This book covers the period from 1943-45 and has a very gratifying ending. That really makes it all worth it.

[Robert Snow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bought this Life Time series in the early 1980's on WWII, a volume came to the house every 2 or 3 months so I could take my reading. It was very informative and enjoyable read, I still use it for reference.

[Jerome Otte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent account of the fighting in Sicily and Italy. The account of the six-month battle for Monte Cassino takes up a large portion of the book, and is very well told.