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CASSINO 1944
by
Ian Gooderson
Brassey's "Battles in Focus"
reviewed by Ian Daglish
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As a specialist in the campaign for NorthWest Europe, I have up to now had only a passing interest in the Italian Campaign. However, I was attracted to this title when I recognised the name of its author. Ian Gooderson is a distinguished military historian known especially for his ground-breaking work on the influence of airpower over the battlefield. (Initially in 1992 with a paper in the Journal of Strategic Studies, and published in expanded form in 1998 by Frank Cassel as "Air Power At The Battlefront: Allied Close Air Support in Europe 1943-45".)
"Cassino" is a more modest undertaking but it nevertheless appears to be well written, both readable and authoritative. This reviewer is not close enough to the subject to spot mistakes, but the author's references indicate a fairly substantial amount of research. Nor do I know whether Gooderson is upsetting any accepted views of the subject, though his expertise in the area of aerial bombardment will bring insights to this aspect of the battles. Maps and photographic illustrations are adequate rather than lavish, but well chosen and positioned. Indeed, it was a surprise to count the maps and find only six: they are so clear and well positioned that the reader is rarely in doubt as to locations mentioned in the text. Also alongside the text are occasional helpful sidebars highlighting statistical, organizational, or biographical details.
The first third of the book sets the Cassino battles in the context of the overall campaign. Indeed, the author's stated theme is that "the Cassino battles are the Italian Campaign in microcosm. In a battle area comparatively compressed in space and time, these battles involved mountain warfare, river crossing operations, and urban fighting…" The unfolding story is therefore accessible to readers with limited prior knowledge of the Italian Campaign. This reader certainly found it an extremely helpful introduction to the subject.
A great deal of military history, especially when dealing with specific battles, tends to follow the normal course of a battle. It starts with order (the "big picture", the grand strategy) and descends through the operational to the tactical level, as plans come in contact with the enemy and become more or less unravelled (if not chaotic). This work is no exception. We find ourselves following the action at corps level, then division, and ultimately the actions of individual battalions. By the end of the story, we even find the (Polish) Kresowa Division's 13th, 16th, and 17th Battalions "so weakened by heavy casualties that the total number of troops engaged was in reality little more than the equivalent of a single battalion." Below battalion level there is little detail; you will not find here eyewitness accounts or analyses of low-level weapons and tactics. But that would arguably be beyond the remit of the work.
Overall, this book is a good summary of the battles for Cassino and a very good introduction to the Italian Campaign. As such it is highly recommended. If you are already well versed in the struggle for Italy, you may prefer to glance through a copy to see whether there is enough new material to warrant a purchase. Either way, keep a good lookout for work by this author.
(Ian Daglish is the author of "Operation BLUECOAT: the British Armoured Breakout from Normandy", published by Leo Cooper Pen & Sword. He is currently completing "Operation GOODWOOD: the Great Tank Charge")
CASSINO 1944
by
Ian Gooderson
Brassey's "Battles in Focus"
2003
ISBN 1 85753 324 0
price £14-99
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