Invasion Diary
by Richard Tregaskis
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A dramatic and richly detailed chronicle of the Allied invasions of Sicily and Italy from one of America's greatest war correspondents. Following the defeat of Axis forces in North Africa, Allied military strategists turned their attention to southern Italy. Winston Churchill famously described the region as the "soft underbelly of Europe, " and claimed that an invasion would pull German troops from the Eastern Front and help bring a swift end to the war. On July 10, 1943, American and show more British forces invaded Sicily. Operation Husky brought the island under Allied control and hastened the downfall of Benito Mussolini, but more than one hundred thousand German and Italian troops managed to escape across the Strait of Medina. The "soft underbelly" of mainland Italy became, in the words of US Fifth Army commander Lt. Gen. Mark Clark, "a tough old gut." Less than a year after landing with the US Marines on Guadalcanal Island, journalist Richard Tregaskis joined the Allied forces in Sicily and Italy. Invasion Diary documents some of the fiercest fighting of World War II, from bombing runs over Rome to the defense of the Salerno beachhead against heavy artillery fire to the fall of Naples. In compelling and evocative prose, Tregaskis depicts the terror and excitement of life on the front lines and recounts his own harrowing brush with death when a chunk of German shrapnel pierced his helmet and shattered his skull. An invaluable eyewitness account of two of the most crucial campaigns of the Second World War and a stirring tribute to the soldiers, pilots, surgeons, nurses, and ambulance drivers whose skill and courage carried the Allies to victory, Invasion Diary is a classic of war reportage and "required reading for all who want to know how armies fight" ( Library Journal ). This ebook features an illustrated biography of Richard Tregaskis including rare images from the American Heritage Center at the University of Wyoming. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
Another first hand account of WWII battle by Richard Tregaskis, author of the acclaimed Guadalcanal Diary. A journalist on front-line assignment, Tregaskis joins the troops as they board transports for the invasions of Sicily and Italy and then goes with them into battle. Written in diary format, we follow the action day by day with the men and with the officers as they serve in one of the most difficult theatres of WWII. We also get a close description of medical care after Tregaskis, himself, was hit by artillery and wounded in the head. Well-written in modulated journalistic tones by a man who had already become well-acquainted with the horrors of war by the campaign of Guadalcanal.
Extending Seoulful's excellent review only to suggest it also provides a view of the medical care received by soldiers with head injuries such as Tregaskis received. The care received for similar injuries in the Iraq conflict has not seemed to have improved very much.
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16+ Works 1,641 Members
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- Languages
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- ISBNs
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