Circles of Hell

The traditional view of the Italian campaign is that the British carried the burden - pursuing a retreating, but still highly effective German army. But Monte Cassino destroyed two good divisions and left the GIs to do the business. Alexander, long considered the epitome of the modern British general, was weak and irresolute with his prima donna commanders, Clark and Montgomery. Clark, obsessed with Rome, ordered his MPs to fire on British forces if they crossed the city limits before his 8th Army. And yet, at the end, the spring offensive across the Po was one of the most brilliant campaigns of World War II. This book is a tribute to the ordinary soldiers who paid the price for victory.