ORTONA
Finished Ortona by Mark Zuehlke last week. Fantastic book, focusing a narrow beam on the actions of the 1st Canadian Division fighting in Italy in December '43. Zuehlke isn't a trained history academic (he's written mystery novels, mostly), but I think that's a strength here. Much like Beevor is able to bring the personal and the human into the scale of massive strategic operations (see Stalingrad or Fall of Berlin), Zuehlke is telling the personal story of the Canadians involved in the fight.
The book is focused mostly on the actions of the Canadians, but includes enough high level history to put the action into strategic and operational perspective. The maps are excellent, the structure of the book solid, and the history well researched. The books answers the questions Who, What, Where, When and Why perfectly.
In fact, this book feels very much like a throwback to history the way I remember is being when I was growing up. There isn't a lot of sociological or cultural political discussion and a distinct absence of disapproving modern morals. It is pretty much a record of what happened during the battle.
As for what happened, basically the Canadian Division spent itself in a series of brutal fights to displace the German defenses and to take the town of Ortona. The losses suffered were terrible and not helped by the weather (mud and rain) or the terrain (river valleys, deep gullies and city streets).
I'm also happy to see a book covering a Canadian effort in World War II that isn't about Dieppe (okay, there's a few other good ones out there - The Long Left Flank being a stand out). Instead, this is a book that discusses Canada's efforts in a respectful and honest way. The commander of the Division isn't a particularly inventive thinker, but we see that many of the troops under his command where.
Highly recommended, and next up, Juno by the same author.
The book is focused mostly on the actions of the Canadians, but includes enough high level history to put the action into strategic and operational perspective. The maps are excellent, the structure of the book solid, and the history well researched. The books answers the questions Who, What, Where, When and Why perfectly.
In fact, this book feels very much like a throwback to history the way I remember is being when I was growing up. There isn't a lot of sociological or cultural political discussion and a distinct absence of disapproving modern morals. It is pretty much a record of what happened during the battle.
As for what happened, basically the Canadian Division spent itself in a series of brutal fights to displace the German defenses and to take the town of Ortona. The losses suffered were terrible and not helped by the weather (mud and rain) or the terrain (river valleys, deep gullies and city streets).
I'm also happy to see a book covering a Canadian effort in World War II that isn't about Dieppe (okay, there's a few other good ones out there - The Long Left Flank being a stand out). Instead, this is a book that discusses Canada's efforts in a respectful and honest way. The commander of the Division isn't a particularly inventive thinker, but we see that many of the troops under his command where.
Highly recommended, and next up, Juno by the same author.