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The Battles for Cassino encompassed one of the few truly international conflicts of the Second World War. A strategic town on the road to Rome, the fighting lasted four months and cost the lives of more than 14,000 men from eight nations. Between January and May 1944, forces from Britain, Canada, France, India, New Zealand, Poland and the United States, fought a resolute German army in a series of battles in which the advantage swung back and forth, from one side to the other. From fire-fights in the mountains to tank attacks in the valley; from river crossings to street fighting, the four battles of Cassino encompass a series of individual operations unique in the history of the Second World War. Authors Jeff Plowman and Perry Rowe have spent several years studying the conflict together and walking the battlefield to take the hundreds of comparison photographs which are the raison d'etre of all After the Battle publications. Photographs have been selected from archives and private collections around the world to present a balanced view, combined with maps, orders of battle, citations and detailed captions. The Cassino battles, epitomised by the controversial bombing of the monastery which towers menacingly over the battlefield, stand at the centre of the Italian campaign. The dogged defence by a 100,000 men of the German XIV. Panzerkorps under General Frido von Senger und Etterlin, facing a greater multi-national force, was only routed in the end by a gallant French flanking manoeuvre, with the Poles marking the final victory by hoisting their national flag over the ruins of the Monastery.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
A massive study, if you buy this excellent book you will I am sure have absolutely no regrets.
15 July 2011
Format:Hardcover
I have to admit I got this book this morning and have spent much of the day in its company and it has not been time wasted.
Cassino is a battle which I would have an awareness of but would claim no degree of knowledge or expertise in respect of the complex and costly (to both sides)series of battles fought around ,the Monastery , the town and the surrounding countryside.
Looking through the extensive photographic coverage alone and the work which went into finding the locations this in itself was a major undertaking. The use of colour photographs certainly adds to the already successful format of "then and now" photographs.
The text, (that which I have read) is very detailed and informative but before tackling the book I will read a brief overview of the battle to get "tuned in", as a history goes this is a detailed work and I would not consider it a lightweight read but within it some amazing accounts of courage from both the Allied and German sides.
After The Battle have a well deserved reputation for publishing first rate history both in their quarterly magazine and in the series of books they have produced over the years, this work can only enhance this reputation.
This book is not cheap and for your money you will get quality both in terms of presentation and content for there is nothing second rate in this detailed study of a series of battles which lasted almost five months.
Cassino is a battle which I would have an awareness of but would claim no degree of knowledge or expertise in respect of the complex and costly (to both sides)series of battles fought around ,the Monastery , the town and the surrounding countryside.
Looking through the extensive photographic coverage alone and the work which went into finding the locations this in itself was a major undertaking. The use of colour photographs certainly adds to the already successful format of "then and now" photographs.
The text, (that which I have read) is very detailed and informative but before tackling the book I will read a brief overview of the battle to get "tuned in", as a history goes this is a detailed work and I would not consider it a lightweight read but within it some amazing accounts of courage from both the Allied and German sides.
After The Battle have a well deserved reputation for publishing first rate history both in their quarterly magazine and in the series of books they have produced over the years, this work can only enhance this reputation.
This book is not cheap and for your money you will get quality both in terms of presentation and content for there is nothing second rate in this detailed study of a series of battles which lasted almost five months.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This book follows the familiar After the Battle format, with maps, pictures and photographs on every page, most with pictures of the site in the current day for perspective. It is a physically beautiful production, well printed and bound, with 400 A4 pages. But it is so much more than an illustrated history. There is a comprehensive general narrative, and remarkable detail of the background for every photo. Details of each battle, the units, commanders, and even noted medal winners are all included.
There has obviously been an enormous effort put into writing this book, well beyond commercial considerations. It is clearly a labor of love. On the first pages author Perry Rowe reveals his grandfather fought in the battle, while co-author Plowman first started researching New Zealand units in Italy almost a decade earlier. The detailed coverage of New Zealand units in what was, for them, their most famous battle of the war is therefore not surprising. What is remarkable is the also very detailed coverage of the German, English, United States, French and Polish perspectives as well. This is a book that tries to tell all sides of the story, with understanding applied to each.
I realise that many people give five stars too easily, but to put it in perspective, I would rate this book alongside Douglas Nash's Hells Gate and Richard Winter's Beyond Band of Brothers as the best book of world war two frontline history I have read in the past few years. There are numerous good operational level histories of Cassino already in print, including by Majdaleny, Parker, Ellis and D'Este. But for tactical detail, and getting a feeling of what Cassino was like for both sides, this book is unequalled.
Finally, for any wargamers looking for sufficient detail of terrain, weapons and units to game this battle, look no further. Highly recommended.
There has obviously been an enormous effort put into writing this book, well beyond commercial considerations. It is clearly a labor of love. On the first pages author Perry Rowe reveals his grandfather fought in the battle, while co-author Plowman first started researching New Zealand units in Italy almost a decade earlier. The detailed coverage of New Zealand units in what was, for them, their most famous battle of the war is therefore not surprising. What is remarkable is the also very detailed coverage of the German, English, United States, French and Polish perspectives as well. This is a book that tries to tell all sides of the story, with understanding applied to each.
I realise that many people give five stars too easily, but to put it in perspective, I would rate this book alongside Douglas Nash's Hells Gate and Richard Winter's Beyond Band of Brothers as the best book of world war two frontline history I have read in the past few years. There are numerous good operational level histories of Cassino already in print, including by Majdaleny, Parker, Ellis and D'Este. But for tactical detail, and getting a feeling of what Cassino was like for both sides, this book is unequalled.
Finally, for any wargamers looking for sufficient detail of terrain, weapons and units to game this battle, look no further. Highly recommended.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
If you are interested in World War II and especially the subject of the title, you will not be disappointed.
The book is to a very high standard, well researched and full of text and photographs from the period and up-to-date shots.
In my opinion this book has the WOW factor when it comes to dealing with a specific battle that was hard fought and cost so many lives.
It is no one of the best so far from the After the Battle stable.
The book is to a very high standard, well researched and full of text and photographs from the period and up-to-date shots.
In my opinion this book has the WOW factor when it comes to dealing with a specific battle that was hard fought and cost so many lives.
It is no one of the best so far from the After the Battle stable.
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