22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
D'Este's Best Campaign History to Date..., September 26, 2003
Since the passing of the late Stephen Ambrose, Carlo D'Este has probably assumed the mantle of America's leading World War II historian and author. This work was his fourth dealing with military events in the European theater (and in this case, the third dealing with the Mediterranean). You probably won't find a better, more detailed account of the Anzio battle than in this book. It's well researched, very detailed and a quick moving read.
I gathered that D'Este believed that the Allies weren't all that allied and the Germans, outnumbered and outsupplied, simply took advantage of Allied mistakes and blunders and nearly made "Operation Shingle" a total disaster.
D'Este clearly admires Mark Clark's bravery, but questions his strategic abilities. He finds Alexander personally likeable, but one of the least decisive theater commanders of the war and Kesselring, daring, resourceful and opportunistic. The General he admires most is without a doubt, Lucian K. Truscott Jr, first commander of the famous U. S. Third Infantry Division, then is elevated to 6th Corps command when Lucas is relieved. The way the author marshalls his facts, you will find it hard to disagree.
But to me, the hero of the book is the ordinary land soldier, the men who endured the barbarous fighting, the nightmarish stalemate and the eventual breakout of the beachhead. This is a superb piece of military history and well worth the time it will take to read it.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
History of the Italian Campain (post Sicily to the Capture of Rome) done with competence and flair!, August 10, 2007
This review is from: Fatal Decision: Anzio and the Battle for Rome (Paperback)
Carlo D'Este's "Fatal Decision: Anzio and the Battle for Rome" is one of those books that should occupy a spot on the bookshelves of all students of WWII military history. One need not be overtly interested in the Mediterranean Theatre to find "Fatal Decision" compelling and worth the time invested to devour its ample 430 pp. of text (excluding nine Appendices totaling 33 pp. and [foot]Notes totaling 75 pp.). As is generally true of works by D'Este, "Fatal Decision" is an engaging read, penned by a genuinely talented writer who also happens to be a foremost historical researcher. Readers interested in the Mediterranean Theatre will find "Fatal Decision" extremely rewarding and are likely to place it in the top echelon of books devoted to the topic (the Italian campaign, essentially starting with the Anzio landings [Operation SHINGLE], focusing on that bridgehead and its surroundings, until the fall of Rome).
"Fatal Decsion" is divided into five 'acts': Part I - The Road to Rome (Chapt. 1-7); Part II - The Anzio Beachhead (Chapt. 8-11); Part III - "Lancing the Abscess" (Chapt. 12-15); Part IV - Stalemate (Chapt. 16-19); and Part V - Breakout (Chapt. 20-22), bracketed by insightful Prologue and Epilogue sections. In Part I, which might also be called 'Preamble to Anzio', D'Este brings the reader up to speed with regard to the Mediterranean Theatre leading up to the Anzio landings. Clocking in at 104 pp., Part I is a nice piece on its own quite apart from the sections that follow. Most readers will gain some new insights about the 'soft underbelly' mindset embraced by the Brits. Moreover, D'Este provides a fair and very balanced account of events that, and personalities who, led to the 'hell on earth' that was Anzio in Jan-Feb '44 (and beyond).
Part II, as the name implies, deals specifically with the Allied actions (and German counter-actions, generally) in the gaining of a 'back-door' foothold beyond the Cassino stalemate. Although only 83 pp. in length this section of the book is packed with combat and gives the reader a real sense of how brutal the action was. For example, remembrances of Anzio are very similar for those at the front lines, as well as in rear areas since little actually distinguished the two. As D'Este makes clear, casualties in 'rear' areas (e.g., aid stations on the beach) were often thought of as more dangerous than the front lines, mainly because of enemy arti(llary) - that ever present indiscriminate rain of metal death. Arti ruled the fates of nearly everyone at Anzio.
Part III of "Fatal Decision" deals more thoroughly with the German response to the Allied move into Anzio/Nettuno beachhead and really gives the reader a sense for how good defensive ground and solid leadership can overcome equal or overwhelming odds, much to the cost of the attacker. Together with a chapter in Part I ('Smiling Albert'), Part III paints a positive but generally fair picture of Field Marshal Albert Kesselring as a proficient practitioner of defensive warfare; one who often performed his 'magic' in spite (or in deference to) the OKW and Hitler. Again, like with Part II, Part III is full of combat action. If the reader is looking for 'shoot 'em, bang 'em up' stuff Parts II and III will not disappoint. The reader is also given a sense of how the German army in Italy, composed of veteran units with still much fight in them, rallied around a variety of Kampfgrueppen to stymie and often push back the Allied forces. Having said that, D'Este is careful not to commit acts of Wehrmacht envy in his analysis of German actions.
In Parts IV and V, D'Este presents thorough and thoughtful discussion of the long close-quarter fighting that occurred around the Anzio/Nettuno bridgehead and Monte Cassino area that slowly wore down the strength of both sides - at great human cost to the Allied battering ram. D'Este does a fabulous job describing the various actions to move out of the bridgehead and through the various defensive lines that Kesselring had established, until the final capture of Lt. Gen. Mark Clark's 'golden egg' - Rome.
All throughout "Fatal Decision" D'Este is, while keeping a generally fair and even hand, critical of command decisions the Allies took as regard the Italian campaign. First, the reader is treated to D'Este's expose of how great a role Winston Churchill appears to have played in making Operation SHINGLE a reality, one most battlefield commanders felt was an unwise use of resources, but the General Staff more or less willingly embraced. D'Este also shows how the personal and professional relationships of Churchill to (Gen.) Alexander (Allied ground forces Commander in Chief in Italy) and Mark Clark (commander of US Fifth Army in Italy) helped to make SHINGLE and the actions beyond all they were. Second, D'Este deals considerably, yet fairly, with where blame has been placed, both deservedly and not, on the shoulders of various commanders for the debacle that is Anzio. In this context he also provides considerable information with respect to relationships between commanders and how these influenced placement of blame, as well as doling out of 'punishment' to those 'deemed' responsible. Readers should not assume that blame is easy to assign, nor that it has been done so fairly over the years. In this regard D'Este does a great service to the historical community by presenting a clear and even-handed portrait of how and why events unfolded the way they did.
All in all "Fatal Decision" is a 5 star book worthy of a read by anyone who has even a passing interest in the Mediterranean Theatre of Operations, how American and British soldiers achieved what they did within a generally nationalistic and strained coalition.
[This review is of the hardback version]
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12 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Combines historical analysis with first hand accounts, April 11, 2002
This review is from: Fatal Decision: Anzio and the Battle for Rome (Paperback)
Carlo D'Este has written a series of books on the often-overlooked Italian campaigns of World War II. D'Este skillfully combines detailed historical analysis with interesting first hand accounts. The result is a highly readable book. The author uses the first several chapters to set the scene and explain the historical significance of the operation. There are extended passages on the conflicts between the Allied commanders. The central section of the book describes the actual conduct of the operation. The chapters cover the battle at the tactical level and include many short personnel stories. The author moves easily from strategic conflicts between Allied generals to the day-to-day struggle of the infantrymen in the mud of Anzio. The author is not afraid to state an opinion and all views are backed up by significant evidence. This makes the work more than just a collection of war stories. The only quirk I found was D'este obvious admiration of German generals and the German military in general. While he goes to great length to point out the weakness of Allied leadership, the Germans are let off rather lightly, despite the fact that in the end they lost.
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