The Day of Battle

The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944

By: Rick Atkinson

Narrated by: Rick Atkinson

Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

In An Army at Dawn, Rick Atkinson, winner of the Pulitzer Prize, provided a dramatic and authoritative history of the Allied triumph in North Africa. Now, in The Day of Battle, he follows the strengthening American and British armies as they invade Sicily in July 1943 and then, mile by bloody mile, fight their way north toward Rome.

The Italian campaign's outcome was never certain; in fact, Roosevelt, Churchill, and their military advisers engaged in heated debate about whether an invasion of the so-called soft underbelly of Europe was even a good idea. But once under way, the commitment to liberate Italy from the Nazis never wavered, despite the agonizingly high price. The battles at Salerno, Anzio, and Monte Cassino were particularly difficult and lethal, yet as the months passed, the Allied forces continued to drive the Germans up the Italian peninsula. Led by Lieutenant General Mark Clark, one of the war's most complex and controversial commanders, American officers and soldiers became increasingly determined and proficient. And with the liberation of Rome in June 1944, ultimate victory at last began to seem inevitable.

Drawing on a wide array of primary source material, written with great drama and flair, this is narrative history of the first rank. With The Day of Battle, Atkinson has once again given us the definitive account of one of history's most compelling military campaigns.

©2007 Rick Atkinson (P)2007 Simon and Schuster Inc.

Critic reviews

"[An] empathetic, perceptive analysis." ( Publishers Weekly)

Outstanding!

A really great book and the author does a great job reading it for audio book. I didn't realize this was a part of a series until after I purchased it. I will surely go back to read the first of the series and will be anticipating the third book. My only reason for not giving this five stars is that the book comes from an 90% American perspective. Minimal time is dedicated to the Commonwealth and German forces. I only wish it had been a little more well rounded but for what it was, it was an outstanding book on the American forces in the MTO!

A reporter's eye with a historian's perspective.

Rick Atktinson really seems to capture the strength of the reporter, to give the gritty detail and a feel for the experience of the participants, but still capture the larger perspective of the historian for the events. The Day of Battle manages to illuminate this under reported and ill-understood theater of war without overblowing its importance. North Africa/Italy was a sideshow of a sideshow, with the main event taking place on the Eastern Front, but it was also the crucible that formed the Anglo-American army destined to liberate Western Europe. I really wish an unabridged version was available however.

The Day of Battle (abridged)

Rick Atkinson is a consumate story teller using the English language to good effect. His research is superb.

A Day of Battle another great addition

As a member of the U.S. Military I have read many books about wars. I find that Mr. Atkinsons books draw you in and hold you to the words. The insights and little facts about the key players are great it brings them to life. I can hardley wait for the next book.

Breathtaking

This is the brutal retelling of the Italian campaign. If you can stomach the vivid reality of war, this book will change your ideas about what WWII really was for the men fighting in Italy. Another marvelous piece of history and prose from Mr. Atkinson.

Read if you plan to go to Italy.

This book gives you some sense of history. The war in Italy is often overlooked, but it lasted for years. We always have the idea that Italy is a sunny place, but in the hills in the winter it is cold and snowy. Parts of the movie Patton is set in Sicily, so you get the idea that its hot and dry in all of Italy.

The book does reinforce the idea that the Italians maybe make better lovers than fighters (although in Roman times that was not the case). The biggest problem when Allies land on the beaches in Sicily was what to do with all the Italian soldiers who would surrender as soon as they saw the Americans. Eventually the U.S. army just gives up and tells them to leave their guns and go home. After Sicily, the Allies are primarily fighting the Germans so things get much tougher. Places like Anzio were hard fought gains. Other interesting tidbits was that the allies could not bomb Rome because of the feared backlash of American Catholics if they were to damage the Vatican.

We have no clue

I'm reading about WWII because I did not understand how many people gave their lives in that war. My father is from Sicily and told stories of what German occupation was like. I've been to his home town twice and viewed the road where the German's came into their town. I saw the caves that my father and his family hid. I read this book to find out how Italy was liberated. This book does a good job of showing how ugly war really is.

Great book

Outstanding. I love reading Atkinson.

Good book for Non-Fiction Readers only

Any additional comments?

The book was a great Non-Fiction read. I thought it was going to be more like Band of Brothers. Is is not.