Customer Reviews

Bitter Victory: The Battle for Sicily, 1943

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Bitter Victory is an excellent portrayal of the Sicily campaign of WWII. It shows the battle as both the great victory it was, and as a series of mistakes and missed opportunities. The campaign as a predecessor for D-Day is presented also. I would have liked to have seen more names of officers and more information about specific units. The author is capable of being very technical, but for the most part stays away from military technical jargon. This is not a teaching treatise for West Point; nor is it fluff for an ABC mini-series. Overall, I recommend this book to those interested in the second World War. It is very unfortunate it is out of print.

I strongly agree that it is unfortunate this title is out of print. This is the book that turned me on to D'Este's writing. He has an excellent knack for enlivening his very detailed but smooth reading narrative with colorful anecdotes not often seen elsewhere. His account of the fighting around Primosole Bridge (darkly foreshadowing Montgomery's later, very similar failure during Operation Market Garden) is particularly good. There is a lack of coverage of the air and naval war around Sicily, and how operations on the Eastern Front (where the Battle of Kursk was raging) affected the German conduct of the battle, if at all. However, these are very minor criticisms, and I view this book as a classic.

On July 10, 1943 while the great battle in the east at Kursk was being fought, the Western Allies took their first big step to get back on the continent by landing on Sicily. Within a few days Hitler will start transferring divisions back to southern Europe to protect his southern flank.

Bitter Victory is an exhaustive and brilliant telling of not only the Sicily invasion but of one of the most discordant times between the US-British alliance. The author will describe the battle for Sicily in great detail but will also cover the friction between Patton and Montgomery and the upper echelons of British and American Commands.
The author methodically takes you step by step from the Allies choosing of strategy to follow, to the North African campaign when the Allies were first thrown together to the contentious planning of Operation Husky, to the troubled landings on Sicily. Once on the island the author delivers a detailed day to day account of the battles as Patton and Montgomery move north to capture the island and the Axis forces defending it. The island was captured but much of the garrison was allowed to escape to Italy.

To get a better understanding of the invasion of Sicily, the author starts in North Africa and the Torch landings where the mistrust and animosity began. The early days of 2nd Corps under General Fredendall were not auspicious; Alexander and Montgomery looked down on the Americans from the very beginning and their attitudes wouldn't change throughout the war despite the fact that once competent commanders took over and with a little experience, the American soldier became as good a soldier as British or French etc. They both continued to undercut, and subordinate American involvement in Tunisia and later in Sicily.

The planning for Sicily was simply terrible, uncoordinated and lacking confidence. Once the airborne / amphibious landing took place in the south, Montgomery almost immediately changed the battle plan, excluding the Americans from their part in the plan. It was a terrible mistake on Montgomery's part for several reasons. First, the German resistance was stronger than Montgomery figured and the US forces would have been a big help if they were deployed as planned. Second, he underestimated Patton for Patton went ahead on his own and captured the majority of the island and beat Montgomery to Messina. The plan for the ground assault was faulty and insufficient air and sea power was not called in as well allowing most of the Axis garrison to leave through Messina and reach Italy where the Allies would have a much tougher time defeating them. These aspects and more are covered by the author.
Fifteen maps and 40 photos are included. The maps cover the key engagements on the island. The photos show mostly officers and men and a few battlefield shots. There is also an impressive Appendix that show Org charts and Order of Battle, key documents and further commentary. They're also extensive Footnotes and Bibliography as well as a useful Index if further study is desired.

The author has written the definitive account of this campaign. Mr D'Este, a veteran, knows his subject matter thoroughly and gives an excellent assessment of all aspects of it: the operational, political and personal. Eisenhower, Montgomery, Patton, Alexander and Bradley as well as some of their subordinates are discussed and appraised. A new reader after finishing this book will have a good understanding of the hardships of Operation Husky as well as the friction that grew between the two Allies. The more experienced reader will enjoy it for its sound tactical appraisal. I would highly recommend this book to anybody interested in the campaign or the early relationship of the Allies. The author's books on the Anzio landings and on Normandy are also comparable accomplishments and should be considered as well.

I was quite please with Bitter Victory. It showed promise and in the end D'Este delivered. His succinct delivery of the facts combined with the narrative to connect the pieces is what sets this apart from other military history.

For the most part the beginning does a nice job in summing up what led to the Battle of Sicily. He gave a quick history of the allies and axis in North Africa and what and how the armies were shaped leading in to Sicily. The first of only two cons is in the rather lengthy political discussion that developed how the United States and Britain maneuvered around one another, how they though of one another and, ultimately, the command structure that ultimately was decided upon. While his summation is accurate and a good assessment his delivery feels a bit dry.

This is quickly remedied when he finally gets to the amphibious and airborne landings that led to the invasion. I was quite shocked to see how the Italians reacted, preferring to give up right away because they simply didn't believe in the war against the US and UK. That being said once the allies came up against the Germans it was precisely what I thought it would be. D'Este's narrative shines as he weaves the two armies, the US 7th and the UK 8th, together and shows how the marginalized US army ultimately made a name for itself under Patton while the Brits under Montgomery bogged down and couldn't go anywhere.

It was quite shocking to see how the US and UK treated one another. I kind of assumed that after the US showing at the the end of the North African Campaign the Brits had reassessed their allies and respected their army. No so as the US was essentially there for materiel and man power, using the command structure of all Brit chiefs to push Eisenhower out of the decision process. D'Este does a wonderful job showing this relationship and how the two constantly seemed to dislike each other so much.

Finally the only other downside to D'Este's narrative of the Battle of Sicily was the discussion at the end of the book where he talked about Naval and Air support, or lack thereof, and how their failure ultimately let the German army escape intact and with all their equipment. Aside from the two downsides in the narrative I found Bitter Victory to be a rewarding read, one that helped enlighten me more on World War II and the Allied relationship with one another. A definite recommend.

4 stars.

Carlo D'Este has always been an author whose material I have wanted to delve into for sometime, and I finally decided to read his books on Sicily, Italy, and Normandy. I naturally read this one first since it came first in chronological order, and I must say if the other two are even close to the awesomeness that was this book I will be very impressed.

The book discusses the events leading up to Operation Husky, the Allied campaign in Sicily, the neighboring island to the West of Italy. D'Este gives background information on Operation Torch in Africa, as well as the planning (or lack of it) that went into Operation Husky. D'Este also delves into the various characters of this campaign such as Patton, Eisenhower, Monty, Bradley, as well as lesser known members of the Allied Forces, including Alexander, Tedder, Cunningham, etc. D'Este also explores the German and Italian forces main players such as Guzzoni, Hube, Kesselring, etc.

The actual part of the book concerning Operation Husky and its immediate aftermath are very well done as well, and an enjoyable read throughout. D'Este was fair to those who deserved it and called out those who deserved it as well at times in this book, which is refreshing to see when so many authors choose to just kiss up to the heroes of the Allies of WW2.

Overall, a great read on a lesser covered campaign of WW2!

I've always enjoyed Carlo's books. They are always intensely researched and well written. However, sometimes his inaccurate conclusions drive me up a wall. For example, in one paragraph, he states that Monty really wasn't a vain glorious, power hungry commander, but rather he just wanted to do things right. Then in the very next paragraph, Carlos writes about how Monty tried to replace Alexander with himself and then have Patton placed under his direct command. This type of contradictory writing is common among historians. But instead of calling a spade a spade, Carlo tends to spend way too much time attempting to justify an individuals actions, when they are all too apparently self-serving. And finally, after studying WWII myself for the last 30 years, I believe that Carlos gives way too much credit to the British.

I haven't finished the book yet but my impressions may be worth a few lines. D'Este gives us what seems to me a reasonably complete picture of the planning and execution of the invasion and conquest of Sicily, with the British on one side and the Americans on the other. Both forces together were under the command of an uncertain Eisenhower, with a history in administration rather than combat, and a reserved Alexander, a general too genteel to make demands on subordinates.

The description of rivalry, mistakes, and competition are right up front, and they're fascinating. Mostly -- notoriously -- Montgomery is pitted against Patton, two prima donnas. He's honest about Patton's faults and virtues but I suspect his admiration taints his interpretation of Patton's character. Nine tenths of Patton's performance is supposed to be an attempt to overcome his anguish over self doubt. I remain skeptical.

Patton's iron-clad rules for his troops were necessary after their having been mauled at Kasserine. Morale and spirit were at their lowest point and they needed a kick in the pants. But the harsh authoritarianism never changed, even when the Allies were clearly about to crush the German Army. D'Este tells us that Patton's self doubt was expressed in letters back home, but the excerpts we see from Patton's writings -- past and contemporary -- reveal an entirely different philosophy of leadership, in which "courage" makes all the difference. There's no doubt about Patton's bravery, but one can't help wondering if he gave any thought to the results of all those courageous displays by the Japanese in the Pacific. Or whether it was really true, as he claimed, that the American soldier was the best in the world. This sort of simplistic, categorical thinking suggests a personality not given to introspection and self doubt.

Of the movie, "Patton," D'Este says it was largely accurate but was mistaken in presenting Patton as a "blood-thirsty warrior, bent on fulfilling his destiny at the expense of his troops." The film is supposed to have been based on Omar Bradley's memoirs, and Bradley was "openly anti-Patton." I wasn't able to read the film that way at all. It seemed to me a homage. The film gives us a long sequence in which Patton leads a funeral service for one of his junior officers and recites a letter sent to the man's parents. And, if anything, Bradley is presented as perhaps Patton's closest friend, anxious only to see that Patton keeps out of trouble. The Bradley we see on the screen is hardly the man whose "personal papers reflect a deep personal dislike of Patton, the man, and a professional disdain for Patton the soldier." I'm just not certain that an author who can squeeze a movie through such a subjective transducer can interpret written historical materials with better accuracy. Maybe.

But I guess I'll leave it at that. Since I haven't finished the book I don't have a general impression of it yet. So far -- some 150 pages into it -- it strikes me as a view of Sicily from the top down. I have a good idea of how well the commanders got along. I have no idea what the men scrubbing the pots and pans in the galley thought or felt. But I suppose that's not what the book was intended to be about.

Another readable master piece by Carlo D'Este. Coalition fighting at it's best with all the drama, political intrigue and the characters that made this campaign very interesting-Monty, Leese, Alexander, Patton, Bradley, Simonds, Dempsey-just to name a few. Great read as always.

I am very pleased with this purchase. I ordered this book after reading Decision in Normandy by the same author. Bitter Victory was advertised as new and it was. It came quickly. I am 100% pleased with this purchase.

Fred Strong