Cassino: Anatomy of the battle

by Janusz Piekałkiewicz

Historical Times [Published 1988]. First US Edition, published under the title Anatomy of the battle. Hard cover, 192 pp. 150 black and white photos and maps throughout. [From front jacket flap] THE BATTLE FOR Monte Cassino was one of the most savage conflicts of the Second World War; British, New Zealand, Indian, French, Polish and American forces were halted and locked with Kesselring's crack German troops in the drive to capture Rome. It became a long, bitter struggle in which the ancient Benedictine Abbey, dominating the line of the Allied advance, became a symbol of the determination of both sides. Many aspects of the struggle still remain the tactical direction of the Allied offensive, for example, and in particular the role of Freyberg and other commanders in the destruction of the monastery and town. Even the question of whether the battle was necessary or whether the Allies should have by-passed Cassino altogether is still a topic of intense debate. The author illuminates these and other crucial issues using a wealth of documentary evidence from Allied and German sources, and his detailed day-today narrative provides a graphic account of how the infantry troops on both sides responded to the combat in the town, the Liri valley and on the mountain itself The result is a uniquely rounded study of a battle which will intrigue military historians for a long time to come.

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

Janusz Piekałkiewicz (1925 – 1988) was a Polish underground soldier, historian, writer, as well as a television and cinema director and producer.

He was a world-renowned author on many aspects of World War II history; over 30 of his books have been printed, most of them in German, and later translated to other languages. He also wrote from his experiences during the war and specialized in detailing operations within the secret services. A unique characteristic of many of his books is that chapters contain two parts. Firstly, he describes details and contemporary quoted sources and then, in the second part, he provides analysis and own commentaries to those events. According to critics, this results in a very objective presentation of the material. In addition to his well-known history books, he also wrote books about treasure hunting.