Customer Reviews

Ortona

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Mark Zuehlke is one of Canada's leading academic Second World War historians and his 1999 book, "Ortona: Canada's Epic World War II Battle", represents a fine example of the quality of his research and writing. As an American (hence by default I am likely more American-centric in my readings and studies) I knew nothing (short of having heard of the town) about Ortona's place within the larger context of WWII, or that it holds such a prominent place in the history of Canadian troops to have fought in Europe in 1944-45. Zuehlke has done his job in spades in conveying the importance of Ortona to the Canadian soldiers of WWII.

Clocking in at 382 pp. of formal prose, with an additional 44 pp. for Appendices, Notes and Bibliography, "Ortona" may be a bit long for many readers given that it is dedicated to a single battle period of relatively limited geography, in an oft considered secondary theatre (Italy), away from the more famous and main action (Monte Cassino and Liri Valley), fought by a comparatively small contingent of men from a lesser partner (in fact at that time Canada was considered part of the British Commonwealth forces) in the Grand Allied Coalition. However, Zuehlke does not waste words and his prose flows extremely well, keeping the readers interest throughout. So do not be deterred by the length of a book that may seem 'fringe' at first glance. The story deserves to be told and moreover warrants being read by an audience wider than one limited by nationalistic (Canadian) interest. Most American (and likely British) readers are enamored by stories of their own countrymen and even the Germans in the Second World War, but are much less likely to pick up a book dealing with one of the lesser partners (or even the largest partner - USSR). Here's a chance to pick up a really solid read that will expand your horizons.

Zuehlke does a bang up job researching his topic (as demonstrated by the 44 pp. of Appendices, Notes and Bibliography) and he presents his history with an 'academic' due that is not short on literary flair. There is plenty of human story here, lots of 'bang-em-up, shot-em-up' stuff, and yet he does not sacrifice the meat of history. "Ortona" is worthy of the men who fought in this portion of the war and deserves two hearty thumbs up (4.5stars).

The Canadian have been repeatedly set apart from the grand scheme of the hole war by some historian most of them from England, but in reality they have been deeply involve even if the quantity of man and woman was not as big as other countries.
Ortona gives you a sense of what it is to be a Canadian soldier. Well written, and well depicted, the story of some of the best regiment will give you a grip of the real thing, the fear and the bound that emerge from the hell of the shell and blood.

This book is a must have in any serious collection.

Paul Bougault
2Lt/Fus MR21/34thCBG/RCAC

When I saw this in a bookstore in Toronto a few summers ago, one of my sons knew it would be the perfect birthday gift, as my dad [and, of course, his grandfather] fought with the Canadian Army throughout the battles of Sicily and Italy.

Dad was a sergeant with an anti-tank battery with the 1st Anti-Tank Regiment, and while he was reluctant to discuss the war in any detail, there were times - especially with a few beers under his belt - when he would open up. Even then, however, the horrific battles at the Moro River and Ortona were off usually limits.

Then, in the early days of his brief battle with Alzheimer's, he spoke of those days in the halting, limited vocabulary that is the bane of the disease's sufferers. And I remember him telling how his AT battery would be called in to blast away the top floors of some high buildings in the town and open up gaps in the rubble for the Shermans.

He also spoke of the spooky German withdrawal, saying one day they moved into position only to find them "all gone ... all gone."

How thrilling it was to see these events covered in Mr. Zuehlke's book. Thank you, sir, for the one of the best volumes on the Canadian effort in that theatre of the war. It takes a Canadian author to recognize and credit the actions of the Canadian Army without referring to them as "British forces."

The book is an easy and fast read, very informative and MORE than adequate for the casual reader of world war II material. The blend of veteran testemonies and factual account is interesting and the formula works. It is not the most detailled military account around - and like a previous reviewer mentionned, Ortona is only covered at the end of the book. Still, I highly recommend this book to anyone intrested in the subject.

Mike Dorosh's review is accurate. Writing military history is about solid research and pinning down the facts, something that is continually missed in this series of books. While they could have made a solid contribution to the literature on the Canadian Army in the Second World War and on the Italian Campaign, these books offer nothing new - which is not really a problem on its own - but given the numerous errors, it is simply not worth reading.

This is really a great read. Zuehlke does a good job of focusing on small unit actions and tying them into an overall account. A great resource for wargamers also as most of the actions are desrcibed down to the platoon level.

A gripping story of one of Canada's important contributions in WWII. Hard to put the book down once started. An excellent illustration of what is perhaps the classic Canadian experience of the war. The author calls upon all possible sources in order to present a complete account of the overall battle, including the complete Canadian advance from the Moro, leading up to the streetfighting battle itself. A fine job by Mark Zuehlke, who could be the Stephen Ambrose of Canada.
P.S. My father was at Ortona, for him it was just another job. He should be proud.

I met Mark Zuehlke at my uncle's funeral (2006) in Victoria BC. My uncle was a WWII vet of the battle in Ortona. At the funeral, Mark presented his interview with my uncle that he used in this book. I was amazed at Mark's energy and passion. He truly wants to present and record Canada's contribution to the war effort through the eyes of those people who were there.

I had to have the book and read about this battle. The book descibes in detail each battle and extraordinary effort and bravery our soldiers gave. Several of the combat battles like fighting from house to house in Ortona, or the battle at the Gully would make good topics for movies.

This book made me feel proud to be a Canadian.

I didn't know about the battle for Ortona or the price Canadians paid in taking the town. Zuehlke takes you right into the mud and horror of what it took to push the Germans out.
Mistakes were made, the Canadian general in charge wasn't a brilliant one and the Germans were tough foes.
When you read a book like this, you understand the sacrifice made by those soldiers.
A book every Canadian should read to confirm how lucky the post-war generation has been.

ORTONA was my first book that I read out of Mark Zuehlke's Battle Series. Great work, very readable and not boring. This series of books should be read by high school students so they realize how lucky we are living where we are at in the world. A credit to Canadian literature.