A Hard Way to Make a War: The Allied Campaign in Italy in the Second World War [Hardcover]

Ian Gooderson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2009

This is one of the finest explanations of a combined forces 20th-century battle zone ever published.  The Allies’ invasion of Sicily on June 10, 1943, and the landings on the Italian mainland in September, gave them their first toehold in Europe since 1941. But it was achieved at a cost. Ian Gooderson offers a considered analysis that places the entire campaign—including the convoluted mixture of air, land, and naval actions—in context. Most important, he shows how the commanders on the battlefield dealt with the military issues as they arose.

 

Editorial Reviews

Review

"'...tactically the most absurd and strategically the most senseless campaign of the whole war.' Major-General J F C Fuller's verdict on the Italian Campaign, 1948"

About the Author

Ian Gooderson lectures at the Joint Services Command Staff College in Wiltshire.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Conway; 1 edition (September 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1844860590
• ISBN-13: 978-1844860593
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,334,021 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Allies in Italy, September 11, 2009

By 

JI Sowden (Wellington, New Zealand) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Hard Way to Make a War: The Allied Campaign in Italy in the Second World War (Hardcover)

I bought this on the strength of Gooderson's "Airpower at the Battlefront", and was not disappointed. The narrative of the campaign's in Sicily and Italy is sound, but where Gooderson really shines is in his analysis of those campaigns, how the two sides - and especially the Allies - were learning and improving from their experiences in battle with the Germans. The analysis is comprehensive, balanced, and supported by extensive archival research.

In common with practically all books on the Italian campaign, "A Hard Way To Make A War" is very heavily front-loaded. Roughly half the book is on the preparation for and invasion of Sicily, a quarter on Salerno, Much of the remainder up to the capture of Rome, and only a few pages on the last year of the war north of Rome. This is, given the thrust of Gooderson's thesis, understandable (i.e., by the last year of the war the Allies had pretty much figured out how to beat the Germans) but still a little unsatisfying, since there was a lot of hard fighting, and and a lot of innovation and excellence there that gets glossed over.

5.0 out of 5 stars A great strategic read about the Italian Campaign, February 7, 2011

By 

anactbloke - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Hard Way to Make a War: The Allied Campaign in Italy in the Second World War (Hardcover)

'A Hard Way to Make a War' provides a wonderful overview of what was the Allied Campaign in Italy in the Second World War. This book is a great introductory read if you, like me, are new to the campaign in Italy in World War Two.

If you are looking for micro level detail about individual battles this book is not for you. This book provides a tremendous overview about the strategy and decisions behind the scenes that shaped the overall campaign.

The book sets the scene in North Africa and follows the campaign all the way to the surrender of the Axis forces in May 1945.

This book is a good starting point for those interested in learing more about the campaign in Italy in the Second World War.