The War North of Rome: June 1944 - May 1945 [Hardcover]

Thomas R. Brooks (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2002

By the time the Allied forces vanquished the enemy in Italy, Russian soldiers were already dancing on Hitler's grave. Nevertheless, the young men north of Rome fought as bravely, and suffered as much, as troops on any front in WWII. Their record of courage and sacrifice is described here in this fascinating account.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Thomas R. Brooks served as rifleman in the 10th Mountain Division 1943-46, before going on to Harvard. He has written six books, primarily on business and labor history. He has also written for Commentary, The New York Times Magazine, New York, and many other publications.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 421 pages
• Publisher: Book Sales (April 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785814000
• ISBN-13: 978-0785814009
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.5 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,880,241 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Detailed, but....., August 2, 2006

By 

J. Brewster (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The War North Of Rome: June 1944- May 1945 (Paperback)

This is a welcome book as it covers a neglected campaign, but the book is marred by an impression of sloppiness. If the publishers had provided better maps they might have realized that often left is used when it should be right, east instead of west, an endless series of misstatements geographically. As the book is a compilation of army and divisional histories, it often ignores actions not covered in its sources, creating many disconcerting gaps. For example the 8th Army storms one river line, then the book goes to a chapter or two on the 5th Army, and when it returns to the 8th Army it has advanced unnoticed twenty or thirty miles further. Sometimes it seems if no one cared: in the final chapter half the footnotes disappeared. It's a good book and worth the price, but you cannot help wishing a little more effort had been made: in the end it must be described as the best we are going to get.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Blizzard of Details, April 21, 2004

By 

David McEldery "TV Junkie" (Plains, MT USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The War North Of Rome: June 1944- May 1945 (Paperback)

I originally bought the hardcover edition for research purposes. It doesn't have the narrative flow of Rick Atkinson's "An Army at Dawn" and is a bit of a slog for the casual reader. However, there are many gems contained within, such as references to the Polish troops whose heroism was rewarded at the Yalta Conference by turning them over to the Russians after the war. There is little reference to the role played by the various air forces in both tactical and strategic support, and I found that disappointing. However, the assault on the Gothic Line is pretty well covered, and there is a blizzard of details on troop movements. The action is presented in a very dry, forthright manner. It depends more on official reports than on first hand accounts. I'd still buy it as a reference work, though another reviewer presents a good case for carefully checking other sources too.

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it, the real unknown war!!, August 4, 2000

By 

Mitch Reed (Washington DC, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The War North Of Rome: June 1944-May 1945 May 1945 (Hardcover)

I read this book while I was living in Italy, so I found it even more interesting. The fall of Rome happened the same time the Invasion of Normandy did, and with the Battles in Western Europe raging on, this arena of combat has allways been overlooked. While few can name any key battles after the fall of Rome, the combat was as heroic and bloody as in any theater. Brooks does an amazing job of recanting this remarkable campaign. The level of detail is superb, and the book was very easy to read. The vast types of units that are described (US Mountain troops, Ethnic units, and varoius allies) makes the book even more enjoyable. This might be a tough book to find, however keep trying, it is well worth it.