Monte Cassino

April 12, 2004
In the months before D-Day, the Italian campaign dragged on with huge casualties on both sides. Parker (The Battle of Britain
) details, with the aid of hundreds of survivor interviews and war diaries, the Allied siege of the monastery at Monte Cassino, a mountainous fiefdom massively fortified by the German commander, Albert Kesselring. With command and ground-level detail that buffs will savor, Parker goes over what seems like every inch of the multinational force's campaign, which reduced the site (and its countless artifacts) to a ruin.

May 1, 2004
In winter 1944, Allied forces in Italy launched an offensive campaign against the Gustav Line. The strongest point in this chain of German fortifications was a promontory that hovered 1700 feet above the main road to Rome and was crowned by a Benedictine abbey. This was Monte Cassino. Here four bloody battles were fought involving American, British, New Zealand, French, and Polish troops against the tenacious troops of the German Tenth Army. Some of the bloodiest combat of World War II took place in this unmerciful terrain during one of the worst winters in Italian history. British writer Parker (Battle of Britain) captures the horrific nature of the combat. Like most historians of these battles, he is very critical of Allied leadership for deciding to strike at the strongest point in the German defenses. His sympathies are with the grunts from both sides, and through the use of diaries, memoirs, and oral accounts from participants he evokes the incredible ordeal of the Cassino battles and largely vindicates the title of his book. An outstanding example of military history, Parker's study is of the same caliber as John Ellis's masterpiece, Cassino: The Hollow Victory, and should be in every World War II collection. Jim Doyle, Sara Hightower Regional Lib., Rome, GA

Copyright 2004 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2004
The abbey of Monte Cassino sits on the peak of a steep slope overlooking the Liri Valley, which is the most direct approach to Rome from the south. The monastery was a repository of numerous artistic treasures and priceless manuscripts. For five months in 1944, a multinational Allied force pounded away at superbly entrenched German troops in a desperate attempt to force their way through to Rome. Parker's account of this campaign is both disturbing and uplifting. Using interviews with survivors and wartime letters, Parker captures the heroism, horror, and sheer brutality of a battle that rivals Stalingrad for savagery. In the end, the road was cleared and the Germans abandoned Rome, but they reestablished their strong defensive line further north, and they remained ensconced there until the end of the war. An outstanding chronicle illustrating both valor and futility.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)