Naples '44: A World War II Diary of Occupied Italy in Around the World in 80 Books

Sep 18, 2019 Jim rated it it was amazing

Shelves: memoir, military-non-fiction, world-war-2

This is a delightful memoir, diary really, by an author whose work I hope to encounter again. This isn't a tale of derring-do by a fearless commando. Lewis is an intelligent and tender-hearted citizen of the world thrust reluctantly into a wartime situation where he sees little actual warfare. In fact, he had a Webley revolver (aka known as the "wobbly Webley" by anyone who used it) thrust upon him at embarkation with 5 rounds of ammunition. Apparently he had never fired the weapon in training a This is a delightful memoir, diary really, by an author whose work I hope to encounter again. This isn't a tale of derring-do by a fearless commando. Lewis is an intelligent and tender-hearted citizen of the world thrust reluctantly into a wartime situation where he sees little actual warfare. In fact, he had a Webley revolver (aka known as the "wobbly Webley" by anyone who used it) thrust upon him at embarkation with 5 rounds of ammunition. Apparently he had never fired the weapon in training and held true to that throughout the war, retaining the same 5 rounds for the duration.

Lewis was employed in the capacity of intelligence officer, a sort of pseudo-policeman on liaison duties with the locals. In this capacity he sees little combat, but witnesses firsthand the detritus of war and the effect it has on the city of Naples and environs. Because he is recording observations in a diary not necessarily meant for publication, he can be very frank and open in his observations. He was generally unimpressed with the indiscipline of American troops and comments on the brutality of one British officer who beat a civilian during an interrogation and then ordered a nearby soldier to shoot him. I was happy to note that Canadian troops with whom he worked left a favourable impression on him.

Lewis was ideally situated to witness the corruption of Italian officials, particularly police and prison officials. He had frequent dealings with deserters and bandits (often one and the same), prostitutes, gangsters, and black market smugglers. And while he gives these characters their due, it is the poor, starving, bombed-out disease ridden civilians of Naples that get Lewis' sympathy. He is truly compassionate to these unfortunate people, and to his credit does not take advantage when he is offered some hapless sister or daughter in exchange for a can of rations.

Although this is a diary, it is not written in an abbreviated point form like one might expect in a document meant only to be read by oneself. In fact, the writing is on par with anything produced by any novelist of the time. While Lewis may not have been a frontline soldier, his book is nonetheless an outstanding read given to us by an observer with a sharp eye and a tender heart. I am quite sure that I will be reading it again. ...more

21 likes · Like · see review