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I got this book as a gift for Christmas, and finished it in about a week -- I was that riveted!
THE LIRI VALLEY: CANADA‘S WORLD WAR II BREAKTHROUGH TO ROME was written by Canadian military historian, Mark Zuehlke. Zuehlke wrote two other books on the Italian campaign, ORTONA: CANADA‘S EPIC WORLD WAR II BATTLE, and THE GOTHIC LINE: CANADA‘S MONTH OF **** IN WORLD WAR II ITALY.
I haven‘t read the other two, but THE LIRI VALLEY was of particular interest to me as the battle represents one of my regiment‘s many WWII battle honours (as it does for many Canadian units).
Picking up shortly after Ortona, the book follows the Canadians in Italy as they are about to descend on the Liri Valley and the smashing penetration and breakout from the Hitler Line, anchored by Monte Cassino on one side (where it joined the Gustav Line) and Gaeta on the other.
This was the first time in the history that an all-Canadian Corps, under Canadian command, took a lead role in breaching a major German defensive line. Many of the units that made up the I Canadian Corps still exist today, and are highly honoured regiments: RCR, Hasty P‘s, 48th Highlanders, PPCLI, Seaforth Highlanders, Loyal Edmonton Regt, Van Doos, Lord Strathcona‘s Horse, GGHG... all played important roles and some, such as the GGHG, earned their baptism by fire, fighting for the first time in their histories as entire regiments.
The bravery of the soldiers and officer on the ground is highlighted in the stories, although an important theme is the Canadian leadership‘s first baby steps leading a Corps under command of the British Eighth Army.
The Italian campaign is often ignored by historians. It was relatively small (compared to the Eastern Front with it huge battles, such as the 5 million men at Kursk), and represented a marginal strategic goal of the allies (Italy at the beginning still had its own army, and most of the Germans were still deployed elsewhere on more important fronts). But the necessity of Italy became apparent when plans were first laid for Operation Overlord, and the Allies needed to put the Germans on the run in the south, to draw resources away from a 1944 Axis that was essentially at the peak of it‘s strength (save for their recent removal from North Africa).
Zuehlke has a solid understanding of the campaign, and has done fantastic research. Many living veterans of the campaign are interviewed, including Strome Galloway, an eminent Canadian soldier who was, for a time, a Major in the RCR, but denied the CO‘s chair because of an ingrained bias against reservists.
I highly recommend this book, in particular if your regiment was in the 1 CID during the war, and won some of its honours on Italian soil. It is an interesting insight to regimental history, and a testament to Canadian valour and tactical problem solving.
THE LIRI VALLEY: CANADA‘S WORLD WAR II BREAKTHROUGH TO ROME was written by Canadian military historian, Mark Zuehlke. Zuehlke wrote two other books on the Italian campaign, ORTONA: CANADA‘S EPIC WORLD WAR II BATTLE, and THE GOTHIC LINE: CANADA‘S MONTH OF **** IN WORLD WAR II ITALY.
I haven‘t read the other two, but THE LIRI VALLEY was of particular interest to me as the battle represents one of my regiment‘s many WWII battle honours (as it does for many Canadian units).
Picking up shortly after Ortona, the book follows the Canadians in Italy as they are about to descend on the Liri Valley and the smashing penetration and breakout from the Hitler Line, anchored by Monte Cassino on one side (where it joined the Gustav Line) and Gaeta on the other.
This was the first time in the history that an all-Canadian Corps, under Canadian command, took a lead role in breaching a major German defensive line. Many of the units that made up the I Canadian Corps still exist today, and are highly honoured regiments: RCR, Hasty P‘s, 48th Highlanders, PPCLI, Seaforth Highlanders, Loyal Edmonton Regt, Van Doos, Lord Strathcona‘s Horse, GGHG... all played important roles and some, such as the GGHG, earned their baptism by fire, fighting for the first time in their histories as entire regiments.
The bravery of the soldiers and officer on the ground is highlighted in the stories, although an important theme is the Canadian leadership‘s first baby steps leading a Corps under command of the British Eighth Army.
The Italian campaign is often ignored by historians. It was relatively small (compared to the Eastern Front with it huge battles, such as the 5 million men at Kursk), and represented a marginal strategic goal of the allies (Italy at the beginning still had its own army, and most of the Germans were still deployed elsewhere on more important fronts). But the necessity of Italy became apparent when plans were first laid for Operation Overlord, and the Allies needed to put the Germans on the run in the south, to draw resources away from a 1944 Axis that was essentially at the peak of it‘s strength (save for their recent removal from North Africa).
Zuehlke has a solid understanding of the campaign, and has done fantastic research. Many living veterans of the campaign are interviewed, including Strome Galloway, an eminent Canadian soldier who was, for a time, a Major in the RCR, but denied the CO‘s chair because of an ingrained bias against reservists.
I highly recommend this book, in particular if your regiment was in the 1 CID during the war, and won some of its honours on Italian soil. It is an interesting insight to regimental history, and a testament to Canadian valour and tactical problem solving.