The Rock Of Anzio: From Sicily To Dachau, A History Of The U.s. 45th Infantry Division [Paperback]

Flint Whitlock (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 7, 1999

Anzio was one of the greatest battles of World War II—a desperate gamble to land a large amphibious force behind German lines in Italy in the hope that the war could be shortened by capturing Rome. It also turned out to be one of the bloodiest battles in U.S. military history. Allied forces quickly found themselves trapped on the beachhead, forced to endure unimaginable hardships, and subjected to four months of constant German attacks.While the Germans decimated most of the Allied units at Anzio, they threw their strongest efforts against one American division—the 45th Infantry Division. The 45th was a National Guard unit made up of “citizen soldiers” from the Southwest, including thousands of Native Americans.Through sheer determination and against overwhelming odds, the 45th Division “Thunderbirds” saved the beachhead at Anzio from annihilation, just as they had done at Salerno six months earlier, breaking the back of the German onslaught. Eight members of the 45th—including the first three Native Americans so honored—earned the Congressional Medal of Honor for the division’s 511 days of combat.From Italy, the 45th went on to blaze a distinguished path through France and Germany, suffering some of the heaviest casualty rates of any U.S. Army unit in World War II. And in the war’s final days, the 45th Infantry Division liberated the notorious Dachau concentration camp, resulting in a controversial incident in which Nazi camp guards were executed by outraged American soldiers—a shocking story told here in complete detail for the first time.Based on extensive research into archives, photos, letters, diaries, previously classified official records, and scores of personal interviews with surviving veterans of the 45th, The Rock of Anzio is written with an immediacy that puts the reader right onto the battlefield and shows us war through the eyes of ordinary men called upon to perform extraordinary deeds.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Each chapter reminds readers of the ultimate price paid by many of the men who fought at Anzio... Well-written and interesting." --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Pulitzer Prize-nominated author Flint Whitlock is a former U.S. Army officer who served on active duty from 1965 to 1970, including a tour in Vietnam. He has been a military historian since 1986 and is the author of Soldiers on Skis, The Rock of Anzio, and The Fighting First. He is a regular contributor to World War II magazine and WW II History magazine. He is the president of the newly formed Colorado Military History Museum, Inc. He lives in Denver, Colorado.

Product Details

• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books (October 7, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813336872
• ISBN-13: 978-0813336879
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,379,974 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is a proper cenotaph to men of the 45th Division, May 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Rock Of Anzio: From Sicily To Dachau: A History Of The U.s. 45th Infantry Division (Hardcover)

I served through the eight campaigns the Forty-Fifth "The 45th Division "Thunderbird" Infantry Division is credited with an I heartily agree with statement by Colonel Anse H. "Eddie" Speairs (Ret) formerly of C Company, 157th Infantry Regiment that, "No Marine has more love for the corps than we have for the 45th." I was one of the many Thunderbird veterans interviewed by Flint Whitlock by phone and letter and am thankful he was there to record our history. Tom Clancy wrote in one of his books, "If it isn't written down it didn't happen." I'm forever thankful Flint Whitlock "made it happen." the 45th Division was populated by many American Indians from more then twenty tribes. America should be proud of them - they were great. I served with A Battery 160th Field Artillery and was awarded a Silver Star and two Purple Hearts.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thought Provoking, July 11, 2000

By 

Paul Magnanti - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Rock Of Anzio: From Sicily To Dachau, A History Of The U.s. 45th Infantry Division (Paperback)

My late grandfather was a Thunderbird (157th rgmt, M co), and seldom talked of his World War Two days. After reading this book, I now know why. I can only imagine what it must have been like to live for days on end in a wet foxhole, always cold and miserable. Only have the faintest idea of what horrors he saw when Dachau was liberated. The stories of those days were never told by him. As with many men of his generation, he did not want to remember those terrible events of nearly sixty years ago. _The Rock of Anzio_ tells the story that my grandfather was never able to tell, a story that should be told.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting look at a National Guard Division, June 13, 2000

By 

Mitch Reed (Washington DC, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Rock Of Anzio: From Sicily To Dachau, A History Of The U.s. 45th Infantry Division (Paperback)

I really enjoyed this book. It moved so well, and kept my interest from cover to cover. I have read many unit histories, and this work is the most complete. It cover the unit from activation, through all of its battles. Anzio and Dachau must get the highest praise. Anzio is written so well, I can hardly see how the US prevailed in that battle. I also never knew of the conflict between the Thunderbirds (45th ID) and the Rainbows (42nd ID), over the liberation of the Dachau Concentration camp (even having visited it). The author does a great job, buy this book!