The Gothic Line
Canada's Month of Hell in World War II Italy
- Publisher
- Douglas & McIntyre
- Initial publish date
- Jun 2006
- Category
- Canada, World War II, Italy
-
Paperback / softback
- ISBN
- 9781553650683
- Publish Date
- Jun 2006
- List Price
- $36.95
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Description
BOOK TWO in the Canadian Battle Series
Stretching like an armour-toothed belt across Italy’s upper thigh, the Gothic Line was the most fortified and fiercely defended position the German army had yet thrown in the path of the advancing Allied forces. On August 25, 1944, it fell to I Canadian Corps to spearhead the famed Eighth Army’s major offensive, intended to rip through the Gothic Line.
Never had the Germans in Italy brought so much artillery to bear or deployed such a great number of tanks. For twenty-eight days, the battle raged as the Canadians, with British and Polish troops advancing on their flanks, slugged into the German defences. On September 22 the Canadians finally won, opening the way for the next phase of the Allied advance. The price was high—the greatest toll in casualties suffered during the long years of the Italian campaign.
The Gothic Line: Canada’s Month of Hell in World War II Italy brings the story of what renowned military historian Jack Granatstein hails as Canada’s most momentous World War II battle to vivid life by telling the story through the eyes of the soldiers. It is a suspenseful, dramatic book that gives back to Canadians a forgotten and neglected part of their historical heritage.
About the author
Hailed by Jack Granatstein as Canadas leading popular military historian and short-listed for both the 2007 and 2013 Pierre Berton Award for popularizing Canadian history, Mark Zuehlke is the author of 26 books, including 14 devoted to military history. Tragedy at Dieppe is the latest in his bestselling Canadian Battle Series, which includes Ortona, The Liri Valley, The Gothic Line, Juno Beach Operation Husky, Holding Juno, Breakout from Juno, Terrible Victory, and On to Victory. He is also the co-author of The Canadian Military Atlas.
Zuehlke first began writing about the role Canadians played in World War II after discussing the Battle of Ortona with several veterans following a Remembrance Day ceremony in Kelowna, B.C. Discovering no book had been written on this pivotal battle, he decided to fill that gap, which resulted in the publication of Ortona: Canadas Epic Worl
Awards
- Short-listed, Hubert Evans Non-Fiction Prize
Editorial Reviews
"Mark Zuehlke is to be commended for doing his part to bring this piece of brave and tragic history to life with his three-part series on Canada's battles in what Churchill incorrectly described as 'the soft underbelly of Europe.'"
Calgary Sun
"Zuehlke is quickly becoming the Pierre Berton of Canadian Military history."
Globe & Mail
Other titles by
Muggins
The Life and Afterlife of a Canadian Canine War Hero
Liri Valley
Canada's World War II Breakthrough to Rome
Gothic Line
Canada's Month of Hell in World War II Italy
Ortona
Canada's Epic World War II Battle
The River Battles
Canada’s Final Campaign in World War II Italy
The Cinderella Campaign
First Canadian Army and the Battles for the Channel Ports
Scoundrels, Dreamers & Second Sons
British Remittance Men in the Canadian West
Through Blood and Sweat
A Remembrance Trek across Sicily's World War II Battlegrounds
Forgotten Victory
First Canadian Army and the Cruel Winter of 1944-45
