A gripping tale of three crucial battles fought at the end of 1943 as Allied forces approached the Gustav Line in Italy. After repulsing the German counter-attack at Salerno in September 1943, the US Fifth Army and British Eighth Army advanced up the Italian Peninsula. By October, the Allied armies had reached the Volturno Line, forcing a critical decision in German strategy: a prolonged defence would be conducted in southern Italy, contesting the Allied advance using the complex terrain features. By mid-November, the two Allied armies were approaching the German defensive lines along the Garigliano and the Sangro rivers. Here, US 5th Army would attack through the Mignano gap towards San Pietro Infine, while British Eighth Army would seize Ortona on the Adriatic coast and Orsogna. A brutal struggle ensued, with the German defenders attempting to hold their positions. The fighting at Ortona in particular (labelled a 'mini Stalingrad') would be particularly grueling for the Canadian forces involved. -- Barnes & Noble.

Origins of the campaign – Chronology --Opposing commanders -- Opposing forces -- Orders of battle -- Opposing plans -- The campaign -- Approaching the winter line -- US Fifth Army approaches the winter line -- The first battle of San Pietro -- The second battle of San Pietro -- BR Eighth Army's crossing of the Sangro -- NZ 2nd Division's first attempts against Orsona -- The battle of Orsona : Operation Torso -- Outflanking Orsona: Operation Florence – Stalemate -- The advance from the Moro River -- Ortona : the first phase -- Fighting into Ortona – Aftermath -- The battlefields today.