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Swordpoint: The WWII Collection
An ambitious plan, a looming fortress, a devastating battle...Famous for its ancient hilltop monastery, Monte Cassino achieved a new and grimmer renown in the Second World War when it became a German bastion against the Allied advance through Italy.
Even in February 1944, when the abbey buildings had been reduced to rubble by aerial bombardment, the mountain itself continued to command the adjoining river valleys and to block the road to Rome.
Cassino had to be taken. Frontal assault had proved a costly failure, but now the highly ambitious Brigadier Heathfield had devised a plan for an outflanking operation. Total victory, or total defeat, could hinge on this single mission.
A stirring and powerful thriller concerning the final years of the Second World War, perfect for fans of Alistair MacLean, David McDine and Jack Higgins.
Even in February 1944, when the abbey buildings had been reduced to rubble by aerial bombardment, the mountain itself continued to command the adjoining river valleys and to block the road to Rome.
Cassino had to be taken. Frontal assault had proved a costly failure, but now the highly ambitious Brigadier Heathfield had devised a plan for an outflanking operation. Total victory, or total defeat, could hinge on this single mission.
A stirring and powerful thriller concerning the final years of the Second World War, perfect for fans of Alistair MacLean, David McDine and Jack Higgins.
299 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1980
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 5, 2024
Another book from my TBR pile - this time a fictionalised version of the events leading up to the capture of Monte Cassino during the second world war. The fact that so many things had gone wrong during this campaign just compounded the hardship and struggles these ordinary soldiers had to face.
Sometimes nick named "D-day dodgers" these soldiers often fought in incredible conditions and this book helps tell their story.
No story about the second world war can hide the damage done to everything in its path - which in this case included the physical landscape. This was one of the defining points of the Italian campaign yet is often over looked for the more famous events.
This book does not hide from any of the facts (the lice, elements and poor planning and sheer bad luck). Sometimes in these modern times we need to look back and take a closer look at history
Sometimes nick named "D-day dodgers" these soldiers often fought in incredible conditions and this book helps tell their story.
No story about the second world war can hide the damage done to everything in its path - which in this case included the physical landscape. This was one of the defining points of the Italian campaign yet is often over looked for the more famous events.
This book does not hide from any of the facts (the lice, elements and poor planning and sheer bad luck). Sometimes in these modern times we need to look back and take a closer look at history
September 13, 2020
British forces at Monte Cassino nd environs
For the American reader this book is a little more challenging due to the heavy use of British slang and British military jargon. I chose to read this book because my father fought in the battle for Cassino while serving with the US Army. Through all of my father's experiences across North Africa and Italy he made us believe that Cassino was his most difficult.
The author explains that for the purpose of this book he changed the troops from US to British. There are some amusing parts and there are a series of half baked military decisions and since this is fiction there are aspects of the book that are not historically accurate, however there is no question that this battle as well as all battles in WWII could have been managed more effectively.
For the American reader this book is a little more challenging due to the heavy use of British slang and British military jargon. I chose to read this book because my father fought in the battle for Cassino while serving with the US Army. Through all of my father's experiences across North Africa and Italy he made us believe that Cassino was his most difficult.
The author explains that for the purpose of this book he changed the troops from US to British. There are some amusing parts and there are a series of half baked military decisions and since this is fiction there are aspects of the book that are not historically accurate, however there is no question that this battle as well as all battles in WWII could have been managed more effectively.
January 10, 2024
The story takes places in the battle for San Eusebio as part of the battle for Monte Cassino, a bloody WWII battle in Italy. The action was excellent using a close lens of individual combat and a wider lens of the battlefield. The major characters were well drawn and the battle scenes realistic. A couple of the North Yorkshire soldiers (Fletcher-Smith & Sizzling, e.g.) had some surprising parts of their personalities and development revealed.
While many of the personal scenes were well done, the story dragged a little with some of the strategic and tactical details. I found myself wanting to hurry up with my reading.
An enjoyable read. I will follow more of Max Hennessy's WWII novels.
While many of the personal scenes were well done, the story dragged a little with some of the strategic and tactical details. I found myself wanting to hurry up with my reading.
An enjoyable read. I will follow more of Max Hennessy's WWII novels.
March 8, 2020
Strongpoint
Given 5 stars simply because this book is worth them! An excellent story well told,my late father was in Italy during WWII and told brothers & myself something of that campaign.
Given 5 stars simply because this book is worth them! An excellent story well told,my late father was in Italy during WWII and told brothers & myself something of that campaign.
August 21, 2023
A slow starting novel in setting the scene with the characters builds into a high action novel of war. It doesn't shirk from the detail and horror of war for both sides at the battle of Monte Cassino in WWII
March 21, 2020
Astonishingly good writing!
Cannot recall any war literature in the fiction genre that I was more impressed by. Mr. Henessy’s successor knows his stuff.
Cannot recall any war literature in the fiction genre that I was more impressed by. Mr. Henessy’s successor knows his stuff.
December 1, 2020
Awe-inspiring!
Rarely do I give 5 stars so wholeheartedly. This is near-photographic realism painted by the strokes of the written word.
Rarely do I give 5 stars so wholeheartedly. This is near-photographic realism painted by the strokes of the written word.
November 13, 2022
One of Hennessey's best books, about the difference between planning a military operation and the people who actually make it work or fail on the ground.
July 5, 2023
Edit: I ended up going back and finishing the book. There was a lot of personal stuff on the some of characters about 20% in, running a couple of chapters. I guess the reasoning for that part was to build up the characters to make them real so that you feel for them when they get killed. And that is exactly what happened because quite a bit is written about some of them and you never hear about them again except when they are killed and they are never mentioned again after that.
A different take but a waste of space for me. I simply skipped a lot of that character build up and never missed it. I think a better way would have been to add a few comments about the characters here and there. That would have improved the flow of the book and the reader wouldn't have had to take a break from the plot flow to invest in character history, characters that the sole purpose was to be killed after a character build up.
Apart from that the rest of the book was pretty good. The action part was well written, very realistic and fast paced. We not only get to the see the action at the front but the SNAFUs of the admin in the back. You can see how the different commanders all try to do their own thing, the competent and the incompetent and how it worked out. Overall, a very decent WW2 action book, with the exception of that part. I've uprated the book to 4 stars from 2. I would have given it 5 if I didn't have to suffer through that character building part.
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I dnf'd this one at 16%. I came here to read a WW2 action book about the fight at Monte Cassino. Instead I was given a tour of a Yorkshire platoon, from their beginnings to their prowess at getting food and/or women. This is a short book, I got the CV of about a dozen characters. Is the author going to be doing a full POV of everyone of these dozen characters? If not, why spend so much time on them. When I got to the dozen page romance sidetrip of Warley, I gave up. To be honest, I don't care if Warley gets his girl or not and Hennessy doesn't seem to be in a hurry to get to the battle.
A different take but a waste of space for me. I simply skipped a lot of that character build up and never missed it. I think a better way would have been to add a few comments about the characters here and there. That would have improved the flow of the book and the reader wouldn't have had to take a break from the plot flow to invest in character history, characters that the sole purpose was to be killed after a character build up.
Apart from that the rest of the book was pretty good. The action part was well written, very realistic and fast paced. We not only get to the see the action at the front but the SNAFUs of the admin in the back. You can see how the different commanders all try to do their own thing, the competent and the incompetent and how it worked out. Overall, a very decent WW2 action book, with the exception of that part. I've uprated the book to 4 stars from 2. I would have given it 5 if I didn't have to suffer through that character building part.
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I dnf'd this one at 16%. I came here to read a WW2 action book about the fight at Monte Cassino. Instead I was given a tour of a Yorkshire platoon, from their beginnings to their prowess at getting food and/or women. This is a short book, I got the CV of about a dozen characters. Is the author going to be doing a full POV of everyone of these dozen characters? If not, why spend so much time on them. When I got to the dozen page romance sidetrip of Warley, I gave up. To be honest, I don't care if Warley gets his girl or not and Hennessy doesn't seem to be in a hurry to get to the battle.
July 23, 2025
Very nice book some terms were confusing but all in all a very good read.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews