World War II in the Mediterranean, 1942-1945 (Major Battles and Campaigns)

Rating:
Summary: A Dark Hole
Review: The Mediterranean theater, to many senior American commanders, represented a sideshow, a bill of goods foist upon them by Winston Churchill and his lieutenants, or a dark hole "into which one entered at one's peril." Carlo D'Este, in this slim, concise volume covers the action from Operation TORCH and the Tunisian campaign, through the conquest of Sicily, the battles of Salerno and Anzio, down to the Axis surrender in Italy. Short specific chapters with good maps nicely explain the operational developments while short analytic thumbnails delve into the personalities and backgrounds of the senior commanders on both sides of the frontlines. D'Este combines clear prose, well thought out analysis and up to date research into this dual purpose work: if you're only interested in a general summary of the theater read this book, and stop; if you want to pursue this subject, use D'este as a starting point and, by building on his excellent bibliographic essays, expand your library. I recommend, in particular, D'Este's BITTER VICTORY (Sicily), FATAL DECISION (Anzio), and anything by Martin Blumenson.

Rating:
Summary: A Dark Hole
Review: The Mediterranean theater, to many senior American commanders, represented a sideshow, a bill of goods foist upon them by Winston Churchill and his lieutenants, or a dark hole "into which one entered at one's peril." Carlo D'Este, in this slim, concise volume covers the action from Operation TORCH and the Tunisian campaign, through the conquest of Sicily, the battles of Salerno and Anzio, down to the Axis surrender in Italy. Short specific chapters with good maps nicely explain the operational developments while short analytic thumbnails delve into the personalities and backgrounds of the senior commanders on both sides of the frontlines. D'Este combines clear prose, well thought out analysis and up to date research into this dual purpose work: if you're only interested in a general summary of the theater read this book, and stop; if you want to pursue this subject, use D'este as a starting point and, by building on his excellent bibliographic essays, expand your library. I recommend, in particular, D'Este's BITTER VICTORY (Sicily), FATAL DECISION (Anzio), and anything by Martin Blumenson.