In this third volume of his critically acclaimed trilogy tracing Canada's involvement in World War II's Italian campaign, Mark Zuehlke vividly recounts the Battle of the Gothic Line. The line was meant to be impregnable -- a final fortified position that would enable the battered German divisions to bring the Allied advance up Italy's boot to a decisive halt. On August 25, 1944, it fell to the soldiers of I Canadian Corps to spearhead the British Eighth Army's attempt to rip a hole in the line. For the next 28 days, the Canadians slugged their way through a rugged killing ground in the most costly battle of their campaign. The Gothic Line portrays the horror, the fear, the courage, and ultimately the glory that Canadians won on this remote battlefield.-- From the book jacket.

Introduction: Long March to the Gothic Line -- Part 1. Return to the Adriatic. -- Sojourn in Florence -- A Very Happy Family -- Inevitable Wrangles -- With the Greatest Energy -- Under the Boot Heel --A Tremendous Nut to Crack -- Part 2. Drive to the Gothic Line. We Begin the Last Lap -- Ah, Cannon! -- Quite an Affair -- A Gallant Do -- Most Difficult and Unpleasant -- Something Radically Wrong -- Part 3. The Gatecrash. Go Down, Boys -- A Definite Breach -- A Bitter Day -- Pure Bloody Murder -- A Greater Sorrow -- Absolute Bedlam -- A Long Chance -- Part 4. The Dog Fight. All This Unpleasantness -- A Sure-thing Gallop -- It was Useless -- A Hard Row to Hoe -- Five Minutes to Twelve -- Part 5. This is Our House. A Carefully Coordinated Plan -- Little Reason For It -- To the Last Man -- Going to Bleed You -- We'll All Be Heroes -- The Gallant Attackers -- Well Done, Canada -- Epilogue: The Gothic Line in Memory -- Appendix. A. Eighth Army Order of Battle -- Appendix. B. Canadians at the Gothic Line -- Appendix. C. Canadian Infantry Battalion (Typical Organization) -- Appendix. D. Canadian Military Order of Rank -- Appendix. E. German Military Order of Rank -- Appendix. F. The Decorations..