Anzio: Italy and the Battle for Rome - 1944

Clark's excellent work is a searing indictment. Anzio was the marriage of some of the best Allied troops of the War to a brilliant idea that was executed by egotists and incompetents. At this late stage of the War, the best managerial talent on the Allied side was elsewhere preparing for end games in the Pacific and Northern Europe. This alone was a warning not to proceed. Churchill must have known that the never strong Alexander was way over his head, which was why he was there and not leading Overlord. Eisenhower could not have failed to see that Mark Clark, as vain and egotistical as MacArthur, but with none of his talent, was operating well beyond his operational limits. Under two useless commanders, a hapless Lucas slouched into a tactical victory and then did his level best to make the worst of it. Those who suffered terribly, like the 1st Battalion of the Irish Guards, were wasted for nothing. What could have quickly exposed Hitler's southern flank, something he never really understood -- see Payne's excellent Franco and Hitler: Spain, Germany, and World War II, and made other theaters somewhat easier to manage, was thrown out the window. Clark, who thought his MacArthur-like appearance in Rome made history, was soon forgotten and bad memories of Anzio buried in the victories that followed elsewhere. For some the memories were not so easily erased. My father lost all but five of his company at Anzio and woke up screaming at night for the next several decades. Now he is beyond screaming and I'm not sure if this troubling book would have quieted him any. The editor could have cleaned up some of the sudden switching back and forth between units on either side -- easy to understand if you were there but not if you were not -- and insisted on better maps and more of them.

I just had to buy this book, because my father was one of those soldiers who were trapped on the Anzio beachhead for four months, under constant German bombardment. He was a tank destroyer driver in the Third Division, and luckily survived the carnage there. This book is very well-written, and should be a "must read" for all those who had a parent or grandparent in that action, and also of course, for anyone interested in what was considered a "sideline" piece during the war. It certainly wasn't a "sideline" for the men trapped on that beach! It was interesting when, in the book, the author spoke about the German propaganda leaflets dropped to the Allied soldiers, particularly the one about "Death's Head Beach". When I was much younger I was looking through my fahter's war memorabilia, and came across that very leaflet, along with several others from Anzio! I wish I had them now, just as I wish my father was alive to read the story of his many fearful days and nights.

I purchased this book as a fathers day gift for my father who fought at Anzio. When I asked him how he liked the book his comment was that it made him feel as if he was back in Anzio. He told me he had to put the book down several times before finishing it since it brought back such vivid memories and that it was one of the best books he has ever read. I am taking that to mean the book was pretty good!!!

Lloyd Clark has produced an excellent, well rounded and comprehensive account of one of the most overlooked campaigns in World War II. He places the story in the overall context of the war and his narrative is both detailed and engaging which is quite rare in Military History. Mr. Clark's description of the principle commanders helps the reader understand the campaign at a much better level in terms of the decision making processes of the campaign. Furthermore, Clark's coverage is balanced so that the reader understands the Axis role clearly as well. In summary, Clark has produced a definitive work of narrative history for the Italian Campaign of World War II that is so often overlooked in the rush to examine the nearly simultaneous Normandy campaign. Well done Mr. Clark, well done.

Lloyd Clark has written a tremendous and powerful new account of the Battle of Anzio. This book does something that few histories of World War II are able to do- it provides all level of analysis by examining tactics, strategy and grand strategy while still providing insight into the average soldier's thoughts and experiences. Clark has combined the best of writers like Carlo D'Este by examining overall straregy and Anglo-American cooperation while providing the "face of battle" accounts that are the hallmarks of Steven Ambrose's work. These accounts of everday soldiers are plentiful, not excessive, and are well chosen. They represent the experiences of those who fought the battle on both sides. Thus, the Germans figure in the story not as numbers or divisions but as real people (albeit fighting for an odious cause)- this is not often the case in many other books. Clark also vividly portrays Lucas, Mark Clark and Kesselring among others. Interestingly, Kesselring comes out looking particularly strong as a commander. Kesselring's planning and defensive strategy are examined and in my opinion found to be quite good. Lucas seems to be the man caught in the middle- between an amateurish armchair general Churchill, a weak Alexander and a publicity driven, deeply flawed Mark Clark. Those familiar to the subject will find plenty of new material to chew on here. For those coming to the subject for the first time, this is perhaps the most important book to read about the Italian campaign to come out in quite some time. Clark has made this book extremely accessible with really top notch maps, a glossary, a list of main players and an order of battle tucked in the appendix. It is very much worth readers' time to examine the maps of Anzio- particulary those on p. 118 and 156 as so much of the battle takes place on an extremely small front as such Clark isn't describing cities and towns as objectives but individual roads, buildings, geographical oddities and small hamlets around which the fighting takes place. A quick scan of the excellent maps will go a long way in furthering your understanding. Rarely does a history book keep my attention to the point where I feel the desire to read it one sitting- this new book certainly did and I finished it the same day I started. The Italian Campaign was a hard fought affair and Clark makes the case why we must understand it. The battle that waged in Italy strained the American-Anglo alliance but never seriously threatened it. Thousands of Brits and Americans spilled their blood in Italy - this battle deserves our attention just as much as the contemporary battle of the Atlantic, the war in skies over Europe or even the near contemporary Operation Overlord on 6 June.