Monte Cassino: The Hardest-Fought Battle of World War II [Hardcover]

Matthew Parker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2004

A gripping chronicle of the greatest and most terrible confrontation between Allied forces and the Nazi army, based on groundbreaking archival research and the compelling first-person accounts of four hundred survivors on both sides of the conflict.

Before D-Day there was Monte Cassino, the desperate six-month struggle in the mountains of central Italy that left more than 350,000 men dead or wounded. Hitler had declared that the Allied drive toward Rome must be stopped at all costs, and in the winter of 1943–44 the German commander Kesselring chose the fortress-like monastery of Monte Cassino as the centerpiece of the Gustav Line, one of the most impressive feats of defensive engineering ever conceived. With months to prepare his position, Kesselring took advantage of the treacherous terrain to establish a virtually impregnable position. As the Allied forces?which included Americans, British, Canadians, Indians, South Africans, Tunisians, Algerians, Moroccans, Senegalese, Brazilians, and royalist Italians?pushed their way forward, the coldest, rainiest winter in Italian history rendered air and armor power useless, and turned the landscape into a hellish killing ground.

The Battle of Monte Cassino is a story of the horrors of war seen from the perspective of the soldiers on the battlefield. Through interviews with hundreds of survivors, as well as wartime letters and diaries, Matthew Parker vividly captures the savagery of conflicts fought with grenades, bayonets, and bare hands. His extensive research in the military archives of the participating nations brings to light how incessant disagreements and backbiting at the Allied command level contributed to the carnage and confusion. The destruction of the fourteenth-century monastery itself becomes a powerful symbol of the toll war takes on history and culture. Monte Cassino was one of the most sacred sites in Christendom and the home to valuable religious artifacts, artworks, and manuscripts. In massive Allied bombings, the building and many of its irreplaceable treasures were reduced to rubble.

The first book in twenty years about Monte Cassino, this monumental work of history conveys the human face of war with authoritative power and unforgettable emotional resonance.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In the months before D-Day, the Italian campaign dragged on with huge casualties on both sides. Parker (The Battle of Britain) details, with the aid of hundreds of survivor interviews and war diaries, the Allied siege of the monastery at Monte Cassino, a mountainous fiefdom massively fortified by the German commander, Albert Kesselring. With command and ground-level detail that buffs will savor, Parker goes over what seems like every inch of the multinational force's campaign, which reduced the site (and its countless artifacts) to a ruin.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

The abbey of Monte Cassino sits on the peak of a steep slope overlooking the Liri Valley, which is the most direct approach to Rome from the south. The monastery was a repository of numerous artistic treasures and priceless manuscripts. For five months in 1944, a multinational Allied force pounded away at superbly entrenched German troops in a desperate attempt to force their way through to Rome. Parker's account of this campaign is both disturbing and uplifting. Using interviews with survivors and wartime letters, Parker captures the heroism, horror, and sheer brutality of a battle that rivals Stalingrad for savagery. In the end, the road was cleared and the Germans abandoned Rome, but they reestablished their strong defensive line further north, and they remained ensconced there until the end of the war. An outstanding chronicle illustrating both valor and futility. Jay Freeman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; Book Club (BCE/BOMC) edition (June 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385509855
• ISBN-13: 978-0385509855
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #233,163 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born in Central America in 1970, Matthew Parker spent part of his childhood in the West Indies, acquiring a life-long fascination with the history of the region and a hopeless enthusiasm for cricket. A first-class graduate of Oxford University, he has worked as a writer, an editorial consultant, a commissioning editor, and as a contributor to history television projects. Radio appearances include the Diane Rehm show in the United States. His books include Monte Cassino, Panama Fever: The Battle to Build the Canal and, most recently, The Sugar Barons: Family, Corruption, Empire and War in the West Indies. Matthew has written for a number of newspapers and magazines, including History Today, BBC History Magazine and the Guardian, and lectured at the Royal Geographical Society in London, the Explorers' Club in New York, Northwestern University in Chicago, and the Society of the Americas in Washington DC. His most recent television project was as historical consultant and interviewee for PBS's "Panama Canal". He currently lives in the East End of London with his family and annoying dog.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Poorly fought battle: well-written book, August 30, 2004

By 

Frank J. Konopka (Shamokin, PA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Monte Cassino: The Hardest-Fought Battle of World War II (Hardcover)

This book interested me for two reasons: 1: my father was one of those unfortunate souls trapped on the Anzio beachhead that was involved in the Monte Cassino operaton, and 2: being Polish I've always felt proud that the monastery was finally taken by Polish troops. That being said, I will admit that I enjoyed reading this book, as it revealed again that high ranking oficers well behind the front lines look at maps on walls and send men out to die without thinking through their "strategy". This was most likely carnage that could have been largely avoided, and was only successful due to the simple courage of the men on the front lines. Both Allied and Aixs fighters were interviewed for this book, and it's quite important to hear from these men, who are dying off every day. Their stories should not be lost to history, for both the victors and the vanquished have something important to impart to us about the horror and cruelty of war, even a "just war".

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Complete Details of Horrendous WW11 Battle, July 30, 2004

By 

N. Shoehalter (Berkeley, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Monte Cassino: The Hardest-Fought Battle of World War II (Hardcover)

Many of us remaining veterans of the Second World War have an incomplete picture of what was happening in Theaters of War other than our own. In my case, I was in the ETO (France, Holland, and later Germany)during the Battle of Monte Cassino in Italy. We thought we had a tough time, but reading Matthew Parkers detailed and precise history of that important battle pointed out how little we knew of what was happening to our fellow combatants (English, French, Polish) off in another part of the conflict. I recommend that young men and women read the history in light of todays "war." Veterans of all wars will be moved to tears as I was after reading Parkers final chapter.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredibly Informative, January 12, 2006

By 

J. E. Shiok (Anchorage, Alaska, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Monte Cassino: The Hardest Fought Battle of World War II (Paperback)

Having visited Salerno this past summer, I was disappointed to discover very little local information on the war and the Allied invasion there. Since I was staying with my wife's family, I asked them to recount their memories, which included climbing high on the coastal mountains as children and watching the troops come ashore. In their recollections they believed the invasion was virtually casualty-free for all. This surprised me, and I began searching for more information back here in the States.

Not only does Matthew Parker's book recount the battles of Monte Cassino, but it also provides significant background information on the events and decisions leading up to the Mediterranean invasions, including the one at Salerno, which was not casualty-free.

I read Parker's book while on Christmas holiday in Genova, Italy (2005), but unfortunately did not make it to Monte Cassino itself for a visit. Next time. Parker's book was difficult to put down and I've already recommended it to others.

I look forward to reading more from this well-researched historian. His work has brought much "readable" attention to aspects of WWII that are often overlooked. This is not a typical history book. It is accessible, well-written, and a good read. His reliance on eye-witness accounts and testimony is excellent. I hope he plans to write others books about WWII topics often overlooked, like the involvement of Polish troops throughout various theatres, like the Battle for Monte Ormel in the Falaise Pocket for instance, a valley of brutal fighting reminiscent of the horrors depicted at Monte Cassino.