Author Description

Operation Shingle was a bold gamble by the Allies to break the stalemate in Italy. The plan was to outflank the German army firmly entrenched behind their Gustav Line with an amphibious assault at Anzio that would sunder the German defenses and leave the road to Rome wide open. When the Allied troops launched the surprise assault on January 22, 1944, they did it with too few men, too few supplies, and too little support. The result was a desperate battle fought by men who knew there were only two options: victory or death. Utilizing first-hand accounts of front-line soldiers, after-action reports, and official histories, T.E. Fehrenbach vividly recreates that period where brave men rose to the challenge against incredible odds, and wrested victory from the jaws of certain defeat.