Mussolini’s Army against Greece

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Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 0429015321
Total Pages : 246 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (29 download)

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Book Synopsis Mussolini’s Army against Greece by : Richard Carrier

Download or read book Mussolini’s Army against Greece written by Richard Carrier and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2021-03-08 with total page 246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book analyses why the Italian army failed to defeat its Greek opponent between October 1940 and April 1941. It thoroughly examines the multiple forms of ineffectiveness that plagued the political leadership as well as the military organisation. Mussolini’s aggression of Greece ranks among the most neglected campaigns of the Second World War. Initiated on 28 October 1940, the offensive came to a halt less than ten days later; by mid-November, the Greek counter-offensive put the Italian armies on the defensive, and back in Albania. From then on, the fatal interaction between failing command structures, inadequate weapons and equipment, unprepared and unmotivated combatants, and terrible logistics lowered to a dangerous level the fighting power of Italian combatants. This essay proposes that compared to the North African and Russian campaigns where the Regio Esercito achieved a decent level of military effectiveness, the operation against Greece was a military fiasco. Only the courage of its soldiers and the German intervention saved the dictator’s army from complete disaster. This book would appeal to anyone interested in the history of the world war, and to those involved in the study of military effectiveness and intrigued by why armies fail.

Mussolini's Army Against Greece

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Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 9780429506772
Total Pages : 208 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (67 download)

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Book Synopsis Mussolini's Army Against Greece by : Richard Carrier

Download or read book Mussolini's Army Against Greece written by Richard Carrier and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2021 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book analyses why the Italian army failed to defeat its Greek opponent between October 1940 and April 1941. It thoroughly examines the multiple forms of ineffectiveness that plagued the political leadership as well as the military organisation. Mussolini's aggression of Greece ranks among the most neglected campaigns of the Second World War. Initiated on 28 October 1940, the offensive came to a halt less than ten days later; by mid-November, the Greek counter-offensive put the Italian armies on the defensive, and back in Albania. From then on, the fatal interaction between failing command structures, inadequate weapons and equipment, unprepared and unmotivated combatants, and terrible logistics lowered to a dangerous level the fighting power of Italian combatants. This essay proposes that compared to the North African and Russian campaigns where the Regio Esercito achieved a decent level of military effectiveness, the operation against Greece was a military fiasco. Only the courage of its soldiers and the German intervention saved the dictator's army from complete disaster. This book would appeal to anyone interested in the history of the world war, and to those involved in the study of military effectiveness and intrigued by why armies fail.

Armies of the Greek-Italian War 1940–41

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Author :
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1472819195
Total Pages : 50 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (728 download)

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Book Synopsis Armies of the Greek-Italian War 1940–41 by : Phoebus Athanassiou

Download or read book Armies of the Greek-Italian War 1940–41 written by Phoebus Athanassiou and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2017-11-30 with total page 50 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In October 1940 an Italian army some 200,000 strong invaded Greece across its largely undefended border with Albania. Although supported by Great Britain, at first by sea and in the air and later by landing British and ANZAC troops from North Africa, Greece bore the main brunt of the six-month war. Outclassed in materiel and outnumbered, LtGen Papagos's Greek army was so successful against the Italians in north-west Greece that, by 22 November 1940, it was advancing into Italian-held Albania. This would eventually force Hitler to send in German reinforcements to support his beleaguered Italian allies, delaying his invasion of the Soviet Union. Complete with contemporary photographs and full-colour uniform plates, this fascinating study explores the history, organization, and appearance of the armies of this oft forgotten conflict.

Diary of a Disaster

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Publisher : University Press of Kentucky
ISBN 13 : 0813150507
Total Pages : 296 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (131 download)

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Book Synopsis Diary of a Disaster by : Robin Higham

Download or read book Diary of a Disaster written by Robin Higham and published by University Press of Kentucky. This book was released on 2014-07-11 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On October 28, 1940, the Italian army under Benito Mussolini invaded Greece. The British had insisted on guaranteeing Greek and Turkish neutrality, despite the fact that Greece was never more than a limited campaign in an unlimited war as far as they were concerned. The British, however, were never quite sure that Greece was not their last foothold in Europe, and they harbored dreams of holding on to this last bastion of civilization and of protecting it with a diplomatic and military alliance -- a Balkan bloc. These dreams bore little relation to military and economic realities, and so the stage was set for tragedy. In Diary of a Disaster, Robin Higham details the unfolding events from the invasion, though the Italian defeat and the subsequent German invasion, until the British evacuation at the end of April 1941. The Greek army, while tough, was small and based largely upon reserves. They were also largely equipped with obsolete French, Polish, and Czech arms for which there was now no other source than captured Italian materiel. Transportation was also lacking as Greece lacked all-weather roads over much of the country, had no all-weather airport, and only one rail line connecting Athens with Salonika and Florina in the north. Added to the woes of the Greek military, the British commander-in-chief for the Middle East, Sir Archibald Wavell, faced huge logistical challenges as well. Based in Cairo, he was responsible for a huge theatre of operation, from hostile Vichy French forces in Syria to the Boers in South Africa nearly six thousand miles away. His air force was comprised of only a handful of modern aircraft with biplanes and outdated, early monoplanes making up the bulk of his force. Radar was also unavailable to him. His navy was woefully short on destroyers and often incommunicado while at sea. While Wavell had roughly 500,000 men under his command, he was severely limited in how he could use them. The South Africans could only be deployed in East Africa and the Austrians and New Zealanders could not be employed without the consent of their home governments. In short, Churchill had instructed Wavell to offer support that he did not really have and could not afford to give to the Greeks. Higham walks readers through these events as they unfold like a modern Greek tragedy. Using the format of a diary, he recounts day-by-day the British efforts though the failure of Operation Lustre, which no one outside of London thought had any chance of stemming the Nazi tide in Greece.

The Hollow Legions

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Author :
Publisher : Chatto & Windus
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 360 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

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Book Synopsis The Hollow Legions by : Mario Cervi

Download or read book The Hollow Legions written by Mario Cervi and published by Chatto & Windus. This book was released on 1972 with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Bill the Greek

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Author :
Publisher : Page Publishing, Incorporated
ISBN 13 : 9781642144734
Total Pages : 46 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (447 download)

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Book Synopsis Bill the Greek by : Bill Kanellis

Download or read book Bill the Greek written by Bill Kanellis and published by Page Publishing, Incorporated. This book was released on 2018-07-27 with total page 46 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On October 28th, 1940 Benito Mussolini at 5 am, sent a telegram to his ambassador in Athens to demand that prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas allow his Italian troops to invade Greece without incident or face war. Since Greece had remained neutral during the start of WWII, Metaxas immediately replied with one word "oxi," which in Greek means no. The small and unprepared Greek Army with local volunteers, held the Italian Army at the border of Albania for six months from entering. After the humiliation of Mussolini's inability to conquer this small country, Hitler sent his troops on April 6th and by June 1st, 1941, Greece surrendered to Germany. During the occupation, the bank of Greece was completely looted by the Germans and 80 percent of the industry was destroyed. The country's food was allocated to supply Hitler's army in North Africa, which caused thousands of Greeks to die from starvation along with Nazi reprisals. Many Fortunes were spent to buy a sack of flour and other food necessities to survive. The following book is a true story of some of the conditions I experienced during the Nazi occupation and my coming to America.

The Balkans 1940–41 (1)

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Author :
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1472842588
Total Pages : 97 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (728 download)

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Book Synopsis The Balkans 1940–41 (1) by : Pier Paolo Battistelli

Download or read book The Balkans 1940–41 (1) written by Pier Paolo Battistelli and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2021-01-21 with total page 97 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first of two volumes on the Axis campaigns in the Balkans, exploring Mussolini's fateful decision to move against Greece in October 1940. The Greek President Metaxas rejected the Italian ultimatum with a famous 'Oxi' ('No'), and what followed was Italy's first debacle in World War II. In the wake of Italy's rapid annexation of Albania in April 1940, Mussolini's decision to attack Greece in October that year is widely acknowledged as a fatal mistake, leading to a domestic crisis and to the collapse of Italy's reputation as a military power (re-emphasized by the Italian defeat in North Africa in December 1940). The Italian assault on Greece came to a stalemate in less than a fortnight, and was followed a week later by a Greek counter-offensive that broke through the Italian defences before advancing into Albania, forcing the Italian forces to withdraw north before grinding to a half in January 1941 due to logistical issues. Eventually, the Italians took advantage of this brief hiatus to reorganize and prepare a counteroffensive, the failure of which marked the end of the first stage of the Axis Balkan campaign. The first of two volumes examining the Axis campaigns in the Balkans, this book offers a detailed overview of the Italian and Greek armies, their fighting power, and the terrain in which they fought. Complimented by rarely seen images and full colour illustrations, it shows how expectations of an easy Italian victory quickly turned into one of Mussolini's greatest blunders.

The Defence and Fall of Greece, 1940–41

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Author :
Publisher : Pen and Sword
ISBN 13 : 1473828309
Total Pages : 297 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (738 download)

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Book Synopsis The Defence and Fall of Greece, 1940–41 by : John Carr

Download or read book The Defence and Fall of Greece, 1940–41 written by John Carr and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2013-07-02 with total page 297 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This military history of the WWII Battle of Greece presents a vivid and detailed account with special focus on the Greek forces defending their homeland. On October 28th, 1940, the Greek Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas refused to accept an ultimatum from Italy’s Fascist leader Benito Mussolini. Immediately upon his refusal, Italian forces began the invasion of Greece via Albania. This aggression was prompted by Mussolini's desire for a quick victory to rival Hitler's rapid conquest of France and the Low Countries. But Mussolini had underestimated the skill and determination of the defenders. Within weeks, the Italian invaders were driven back over the border and Greek forces actually advanced deep into Albania. Eventually, Hitler was forced to intervene, sending German forces into Greece via Bulgaria on April 6th. The Greeks, assisted by British forces, were overwhelmed by the Germans and their blitzkrieg tactics. After Athens fell on April 27th, the British evacuated to Crete. But the following month, German airborn troops invaded and eventually took the strategically vital island. John Carr's masterful account of these desperate campaigns draws heavily on Greek sources to emphasize the oft-neglected experience of Greeks soldiers and their contribution to the fight against fascism.

Mussolini's War

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Author :
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 164313549X
Total Pages : 304 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (431 download)

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Book Synopsis Mussolini's War by : John Gooch

Download or read book Mussolini's War written by John Gooch and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2020-12-01 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A remarkable new history evoking the centrality of Italy to World War II, outlining the brief rise and triumph of the Fascists, followed by the disastrous fall of the Italian military campaign. While staying closely aligned with Hitler, Mussolini remained carefully neutral until the summer of 1940. At that moment, with the wholly unexpected and sudden collapse of the French and British armies, Mussolini declared war on the Allies in the hope of making territorial gains in southern France and Africa. This decision proved a horrifying miscalculation, dooming Italy to its own prolonged and unwinnable war, immense casualties, and an Allied invasion in 1943 that ushered in a terrible new era for the country. John Gooch's new history is the definitive account of Italy's war experience. Beginning with the invasion of Abyssinia and ending with Mussolini's arrest, Gooch brilliantly portrays the nightmare of a country with too small an industrial sector, too incompetent a leadership and too many fronts on which to fight. Everywhere—whether in the USSR, the Western Desert, or the Balkans—Italian troops found themselves against either better-equipped or more motivated enemies. The result was a war entirely at odds with the dreams of pre-war Italian planners—a series of desperate improvisations against an allied force who could draw on global resources, and against whom Italy proved helpless.

Mussolini's Defeat at Hill 731, March 1941

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Publisher : Pen and Sword Military
ISBN 13 : 1526765047
Total Pages : 257 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (267 download)

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Book Synopsis Mussolini's Defeat at Hill 731, March 1941 by : John Carr

Download or read book Mussolini's Defeat at Hill 731, March 1941 written by John Carr and published by Pen and Sword Military. This book was released on 2020-12-28 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This WWII history examines the most consequential and hard-fought battle between Greek and Italian forces in Albania. On March 9th, 1941, the Italians launched their Spring Offensive, designed to stem four months of humiliating reverses. Watched by Mussolini himself, the operation’s objective was a pair of parallel valleys dominated by the Greek-held Hill 731. The Italian Eighth Corps, part of Geloso’s 11th Army, had the task of seizing the heights, spearheaded by 38 (Puglie) Division. Holding the position was the Greek 1 Division of II Corps, with 4 and 6 Division on the flanks. For seventeen days, after a massive artillery barrage, the Italians threw themselves against the Evzones on the hill—only to be repeatedly smashed with appalling losses. It was a merciless fight at close quarters, where bayonets held the place of honor but the battered Greeks held. Mussolini had wanted a spring victory to impress the Führer. Instead, the bloody debacle of Hill 731 could well have contributed to Hitler’s decision to postpone his invasion of Russia. John Carr sheds light on this consequential episode in the Mediterranean theater of operations.

The German Campaigns in the Balkans (spring, 1941).

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Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 188 pages
Book Rating : 4.F/5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis The German Campaigns in the Balkans (spring, 1941). by :

Download or read book The German Campaigns in the Balkans (spring, 1941). written by and published by . This book was released on 1953 with total page 188 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

The Balkans 1940–41 (1)

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Author :
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1472842588
Total Pages : 97 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (728 download)

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Book Synopsis The Balkans 1940–41 (1) by : Pier Paolo Battistelli

Download or read book The Balkans 1940–41 (1) written by Pier Paolo Battistelli and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2021-01-21 with total page 97 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first of two volumes on the Axis campaigns in the Balkans, exploring Mussolini's fateful decision to move against Greece in October 1940. The Greek President Metaxas rejected the Italian ultimatum with a famous 'Oxi' ('No'), and what followed was Italy's first debacle in World War II. In the wake of Italy's rapid annexation of Albania in April 1940, Mussolini's decision to attack Greece in October that year is widely acknowledged as a fatal mistake, leading to a domestic crisis and to the collapse of Italy's reputation as a military power (re-emphasized by the Italian defeat in North Africa in December 1940). The Italian assault on Greece came to a stalemate in less than a fortnight, and was followed a week later by a Greek counter-offensive that broke through the Italian defences before advancing into Albania, forcing the Italian forces to withdraw north before grinding to a half in January 1941 due to logistical issues. Eventually, the Italians took advantage of this brief hiatus to reorganize and prepare a counteroffensive, the failure of which marked the end of the first stage of the Axis Balkan campaign. The first of two volumes examining the Axis campaigns in the Balkans, this book offers a detailed overview of the Italian and Greek armies, their fighting power, and the terrain in which they fought. Complimented by rarely seen images and full colour illustrations, it shows how expectations of an easy Italian victory quickly turned into one of Mussolini's greatest blunders.

The Defence and Fall of Greece 1940-1941

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Author :
Publisher : Pen and Sword
ISBN 13 : 1781591814
Total Pages : 280 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (815 download)

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Book Synopsis The Defence and Fall of Greece 1940-1941 by : John Carr

Download or read book The Defence and Fall of Greece 1940-1941 written by John Carr and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2013-07-02 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On 28th October 1940, the Greek premier, Ioannis Metaxis, refused to accept a deliberately provocative ultimatum from Mussolini and Italian forces began the invasion of Greece via Albania. This aggression was prompted by Mussolini's desire for a quick victory to rival Hitler's rapid conquest of France and the Low Countries. On paper, Greek forces were poorly equipped and ill-prepared for the conflict but Mussolini had underestimated the skill and determination of the defenders. Within weeks the Italian invasion force was driven back over the border and Greek forces actually advanced deep into Albania.??A renewed Italian offensive in March 1941 was also given short shrift, prompting Hitler to intervene to save his ally. German forces invaded Greece via Bulgaria on 6 April. The Greeks, now assisted by British forces, resisted by land, sea and air but were overwhelmed by the superior German forces and their blitzkrieg tactics. Despite a dogged rearguard action by Anzac forces at the famous pass of Thermopyale, Athens fell on the 27th April and the British evacuated 50,000 troops to Crete. This island, whose airfields and naval bases Churchill considered vital to the defence of Egypt and the Suez Canal, was invaded by German airborne troops the following month and eventually captured after a bitter thirteen-day battle. The remaining British troops were evacuated and the fall of Greece completed. ??John Carr's masterful account of these desperate campaigns, while not disparaging the British and Commonwealth assistance, draws heavily on Greek sources to emphasize the oft-neglected experience of the Greeks themselves and their contribution to the fight against fascism.

Regio Esercito

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Author :
Publisher : Independently Published
ISBN 13 : 9781097633685
Total Pages : 234 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (336 download)

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Book Synopsis Regio Esercito by : Patrick Cloutier

Download or read book Regio Esercito written by Patrick Cloutier and published by Independently Published. This book was released on 2019-05-08 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Regio Esercito: the Italian Royal Army in Mussolini's Wars 1935-1943. Foreword by Colonel John R. Griffin (retired), US Army Special Forces. A history of the Italian Army's campaigns in East Africa, Spain, North Africa, Greece, Yugoslavia, Russia, and Sicily. Sources include Italian, Russian, Yugoslav, and German texts; includes translated Russian passages. Mr. Cloutier brings attention to Italian battlefield successes. He examines a few strategic situations of World War 2, and holds that Italian forces at times were a key asset, whose misuse by the Axis cost them important victories. New material on the Spanish Civil War and Russian Front. Black and white; 232 pages, 76 maps, 70 photos, 19 drawings, appendix, and photo annex; 353 footnotes.

Joining Hitler's Crusade

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Author :
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1316510344
Total Pages : 457 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (165 download)

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Book Synopsis Joining Hitler's Crusade by : David Stahel

Download or read book Joining Hitler's Crusade written by David Stahel and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2018 with total page 457 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A ground-breaking study that looks at why European nations sent troops to take part in Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union.

German Antiguerrilla Operations in the Balkans (1941-1944).

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Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 114 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (36 download)

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Book Synopsis German Antiguerrilla Operations in the Balkans (1941-1944). by : Robert M. Kennedy

Download or read book German Antiguerrilla Operations in the Balkans (1941-1944). written by Robert M. Kennedy and published by . This book was released on 1989 with total page 114 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Mussolini's Death March

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Author :
Publisher : University Press of Kansas
ISBN 13 : 0700619089
Total Pages : 576 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (6 download)

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Book Synopsis Mussolini's Death March by : Nuto Revelli

Download or read book Mussolini's Death March written by Nuto Revelli and published by University Press of Kansas. This book was released on 2013-04-05 with total page 576 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In his quest for military glory, Benito Mussolini sent the Italian Eighth Army to the Eastern Front to help fight the Russians, only to have his forces routed within little more than a month of the launch of the Soviet counteroffensives of the winter of 1942-1943. The Cuneense, a division of mountain troops, was hit especially hard, with only a small percentage of its troops straggling back to Italy; the rest were killed in action or died of frostbite or in captivity from malnourishment, overwork, and disease. All told, the Italians suffered roughly 75,000 dead, more than in their six-month campaign in Greece and Albania or in their three years in North Africa. Nuto Revelli, who fought in Russia himself, interviewed forty-three other survivors of the campaign for a book that has become a classic among Italian war memoirs. First published in Italian in 1966 as La strada del davai, Revelli's account, now available in English, vividly recaptures the experiences and sobering reflections of these men. It provides a chilling look at an experience that, in English-language writing, has been overshadowed by that of the main actors on the Eastern Front. When news of the rout reached Italy, the shock was devastating. In Revelli's home province of Cuneo, the recruiting territory of the annihilated Cuneense Division, some villages lost almost all men of military age. The resulting rage and bitterness later fueled the partisan war against the Germans and Italian fascists. The veterans of Mussolini's Death March speak candidly of nights in the open, of extreme cold, gnawing hunger, and eruptive madness. Thousands who survived the Soviet onslaught were taken prisoner and died on the so-called davai marches-named for Russian guards' command to keep prisoners moving-or later in the camps themselves. Even so, they developed a favorable impression of the Russian people, who provided hospitality in their small houses and aid to the wounded. Together, their recollections provide an eye-opening look at a largely neglected aspect of World War II.