The Winter Campaign in Italy 1943 - Orsogna, San Pietro and Ortona

A gripping tale of three crucial battles fought at the end of 1943 as Allied forces approached the Gustav Line in Italy. After repulsing the German counter-attack at Salerno in September 1943, the US Fifth Army and British Eighth Army advanced up the Italian Peninsula. By October, the Allied armies had reached the Volturno Line, forcing a critical decision in German strategy: a prolonged defence would be conducted in southern Italy, contesting the Allied advance using the complex terrain features. By mid-November, the two Allied armies were approaching the German defensive lines along the Garigliano and the Sangro rivers. Here, US 5th Army would attack through the Mignano gap towards San Pietro Infine, while British Eighth Army would seize Ortona on the Adriatic coast and Orsogna. A brutal struggle ensued, with the German defenders attempting to hold their positions. The fighting at Ortona in particular (labelled a ''mini Stalingrad'') would be particularly grueling for the Canadian forces involved. This fascinating work focuses on several little-known battles fought in Italy following the German withdrawal from the Salerno bridgehead and from Taranto. Maps and diagrams present an easy to follow overview of the multiple operations of this complex campaign. The forces of the opposing sides (including American, German, Canadian, New Zealand and British troops), and the three decisive battles fought in late 1943, are brought vividly to life in period photos and superb battlescene artworks.>

Product details

• Authors: Pier Paolo Battistelli, Battistelli Pier Paolo
• Assisted by: Johnny Shumate (Illustration), Shumate Johnny (Illustration)
• Publisher: Osprey Publishers
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 23.11.2023
• EAN: 9781472855695
• ISBN: 978-1-4728-5569-5
• No. of pages: 96
• Dimensions: 180 mm x 246 mm x 4 mm
• Series: Campaign
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > 20th century (up to 1945); Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; USA, Canada, HISTORY / Europe / Germany, Germany, HISTORY / Europe / Italy, HISTORY / Military / United States, Italy, Second World War, United Kingdom, Great Britain, United States of America, USA, c 1938 to c 1946 (World War Two period), c 1939 to c 1945 (including WW2), Land forces & warfare, Specific battles, Land forces and warfare, Southern Italy: Places of interest