{"product_id":"9780802161604","title":"The Savage Storm","description":"\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eAcclaimed WWII historian James Holland\nboth narrates and reframes the controversial first months of the Italian\nCampaign and sets a new standard in the chronicling of war\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eFollowing victory in Sicily, while\nthe central command planned the spring 1944 invasion of France, Allied troops\ncrossed into southern Italy in September 1943, expecting to drive Axis forces\nnorth and liberate Rome by Christmas. Italy quickly surrendered but German\ndivisions fiercely resisted, and the hoped-for quick victory descended into one\nof the most challenging and protracted battles of the entire war.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJames\nHolland’s \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Savage Storm\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, chronicling the dramatic opening months\nof the Italian Campaign in unflinching and insightful detail, is unlike any\ncampaign history yet written. Holland has always narrated war at ground level,\nbut here goes further by chronicling events almost entirely through the\ncontemporary eyes of those who were there on all sides and at all\nlevels—Allied, Axis, civilians alike. Weaving together a wealth of letters,\ndiaries, and other documents—from the likes of American General Mark Clark,\nGerman battalion commander Georg Zellner, New Zealand lance-corporal Roger\nSmith, legendary war reporter Ernie Pyle, and Italian politician Filippo\nCaracciolo—Holland traces the battles as they were experienced across plains,\nover mountains, through shattered villages and cities, in intense heat and,\ntowards the end of December 1943, frigid cold and relentless rain.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSuch close-up\nviews persuade Holland to recast important aspects of the campaign,\nreappraising the reputation of Mark Clark himself and other senior commanders\nof the U.S. Fifth and British Eighth armies. Given the shortage of Allied\nshipping and materiel allocated to Italy because of the build-up for D-Day,\nmore was expected of Allied troops in Italy than anywhere else, and, as accounts\nat the time attest, a huge price was paid by everyone for each bloodily\ncontested mile. Putting readers vividly in the moment as events unfolded, with\ncharacters made unforgettable by their own words, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Savage Storm\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is\na defining account of the pivotal months leading to Monte Cassino, and a\nlandmark in the writing about war. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"James Holland","offers":[{"title":"Grove\/Atlantic |  Hardback | With dust jacket |  2023-12-22","offer_id":44230061261055,"sku":"9780802161604","price":47.95,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0329\/9075\/7001\/files\/BNCImageAPI_3dc527a3-efc1-4c13-b5c5-3875550f94d1.jpg?v=1692996791","url":"https:\/\/riverbookshop.com\/products\/9780802161604","provider":"River Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}