A scene in Italy, during WWII. l943

[Sundance508]

'Italy, 1944 - this is the setting of one of the most convincing and quietly magnificent stories about man and war that has ever been written. Here, (distilled from the experiences and observations of one who fought with them in the British infantry unit) is the mood of those who fought and died at Anzio. Their task - to seize the Alban Hills and then Rome forty miles away. Instead, for more than four months, they sank into the mud of the Anzio plain and fought for their lives. Nothing has appeared since Erich Maria Remarque's ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT that can compare with this book's ability to penetrate the minds of men at war. There are no heroes, no heroines, no victories. This is a faceless, nameless, fragmented war. Even national differences - Britain, Italian, German, American - merge and are forgotten in this larger story of humanity. This story, in fact, does not need to be Anzio; it could be any battlefield where man has faced death.'


'A candle flickered in the corner of a stable on an Italian hillside, casting its moving shadows against the wall and among the darkened rafters. The cattle stalls were empty. A group of British soldiers were sitting on a pile of straw playing cards. Cigarette smoke rose above them. Someone was playing carols on a mouth organ. Outside was a snow-covered and a starlit night. Great pointed icicles hung from the barn roof ready to fall into the yard below with the crash of glass. Except for a stray shell exploding in the distance, all was quiet. Soldiers kept watch. Above them was the abbey of Monte Cassino, the oldest monastery in Christendom. It was Christmas Eve, l943.

A sergeant entered the stable and talked with a corporal lying on a straw-fllled manger. The corporal muttered, rolled out of the manger, swore, and went into the adjoining room. The carol playing ceased, the laughter stopped.'

'The patrol's on,' he said matter-of-factly. 'I'll need two of you.'


fr. 'Vessel of Sadness by. William Woodruff.
dedicated...To those who died on the plain of Latium,
January 22-May 26 1944.

 

[namvet]

my dad's TF provided gunfire support at Anzio

 

[MikeK]

'Italy, 1944 - this is the setting of one of the most convincing and quietly magnificent stories about man and war that has ever been written. Here, (distilled from the experiences and observations of one who fought with them in the British infantry unit) is the mood of those who fought and died at Anzio. Their task - to seize the Alban Hills and then Rome forty miles away. Instead, for more than four months, they sank into the mud of the Anzio plain and fought for their lives. Nothing has appeared since Erich Maria Remarque's ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT that can compare with this book's ability to penetrate the minds of men at war. There are no heroes, no heroines, no victories. This is a faceless, nameless, fragmented war. Even national differences - Britain, Italian, German, American - merge and are forgotten in this larger story of humanity. This story, in fact, does not need to be Anzio; it could be any battlefield where man has faced death.'


'A candle flickered in the corner of a stable on an Italian hillside, casting its moving shadows against the wall and among the darkened rafters. The cattle stalls were empty. A group of British soldiers were sitting on a pile of straw playing cards. Cigarette smoke rose above them. Someone was playing carols on a mouth organ. Outside was a snow-covered and a starlit night. Great pointed icicles hung from the barn roof ready to fall into the yard below with the crash of glass. Except for a stray shell exploding in the distance, all was quiet. Soldiers kept watch. Above them was the abbey of Monte Cassino, the oldest monastery in Christendom. It was Christmas Eve, l943.

A sergeant entered the stable and talked with a corporal lying on a straw-fllled manger. The corporal muttered, rolled out of the manger, swore, and went into the adjoining room. The carol playing ceased, the laughter stopped.'

'The patrol's on,' he said matter-of-factly. 'I'll need two of you.'


fr. 'Vessel of Sadness by. William Woodruff.
dedicated...To those who died on the plain of Latium,
January 22-May 26 1944.

Looks like some really good writing.

 

[waltky]

Mebbe dey'll make it into a movie.

 

[MikeK]

Mebbe dey'll make it into a movie.

I believe there has been a movie or two about Anzio. I think one was called, A Walk In The Sun.

But that doesn't mean there shouldn't be more.

 

[dpr112yme]

'Italy, 1944 - this is the setting of one of the most convincing and quietly magnificent stories about man and war that has ever been written. Here, (distilled from the experiences and observations of one who fought with them in the British infantry unit) is the mood of those who fought and died at Anzio. Their task - to seize the Alban Hills and then Rome forty miles away. Instead, for more than four months, they sank into the mud of the Anzio plain and fought for their lives. Nothing has appeared since Erich Maria Remarque's ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT that can compare with this book's ability to penetrate the minds of men at war. There are no heroes, no heroines, no victories. This is a faceless, nameless, fragmented war. Even national differences - Britain, Italian, German, American - merge and are forgotten in this larger story of humanity. This story, in fact, does not need to be Anzio; it could be any battlefield where man has faced death.'


'A candle flickered in the corner of a stable on an Italian hillside, casting its moving shadows against the wall and among the darkened rafters. The cattle stalls were empty. A group of British soldiers were sitting on a pile of straw playing cards. Cigarette smoke rose above them. Someone was playing carols on a mouth organ. Outside was a snow-covered and a starlit night. Great pointed icicles hung from the barn roof ready to fall into the yard below with the crash of glass. Except for a stray shell exploding in the distance, all was quiet. Soldiers kept watch. Above them was the abbey of Monte Cassino, the oldest monastery in Christendom. It was Christmas Eve, l943.

A sergeant entered the stable and talked with a corporal lying on a straw-fllled manger. The corporal muttered, rolled out of the manger, swore, and went into the adjoining room. The carol playing ceased, the laughter stopped.'

'The patrol's on,' he said matter-of-factly. 'I'll need two of you.'


fr. 'Vessel of Sadness by. William Woodruff.
dedicated...To those who died on the plain of Latium,
January 22-May 26 1944.

Would you know which countries Italy attacked during WW2?

 

[namvet]

'Italy, 1944 - this is the setting of one of the most convincing and quietly magnificent stories about man and war that has ever been written. Here, (distilled from the experiences and observations of one who fought with them in the British infantry unit) is the mood of those who fought and died at Anzio. Their task - to seize the Alban Hills and then Rome forty miles away. Instead, for more than four months, they sank into the mud of the Anzio plain and fought for their lives. Nothing has appeared since Erich Maria Remarque's ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT that can compare with this book's ability to penetrate the minds of men at war. There are no heroes, no heroines, no victories. This is a faceless, nameless, fragmented war. Even national differences - Britain, Italian, German, American - merge and are forgotten in this larger story of humanity. This story, in fact, does not need to be Anzio; it could be any battlefield where man has faced death.'


'A candle flickered in the corner of a stable on an Italian hillside, casting its moving shadows against the wall and among the darkened rafters. The cattle stalls were empty. A group of British soldiers were sitting on a pile of straw playing cards. Cigarette smoke rose above them. Someone was playing carols on a mouth organ. Outside was a snow-covered and a starlit night. Great pointed icicles hung from the barn roof ready to fall into the yard below with the crash of glass. Except for a stray shell exploding in the distance, all was quiet. Soldiers kept watch. Above them was the abbey of Monte Cassino, the oldest monastery in Christendom. It was Christmas Eve, l943.

A sergeant entered the stable and talked with a corporal lying on a straw-fllled manger. The corporal muttered, rolled out of the manger, swore, and went into the adjoining room. The carol playing ceased, the laughter stopped.'

'The patrol's on,' he said matter-of-factly. 'I'll need two of you.'


fr. 'Vessel of Sadness by. William Woodruff.
dedicated...To those who died on the plain of Latium,
January 22-May 26 1944.

Would you know which countries Italy attacked during WW2?

Ethiopia

 

[Sundance508]

'Italy, 1944 - this is the setting of one of the most convincing and quietly magnificent stories about man and war that has ever been written. Here, (distilled from the experiences and observations of one who fought with them in the British infantry unit) is the mood of those who fought and died at Anzio. Their task - to seize the Alban Hills and then Rome forty miles away. Instead, for more than four months, they sank into the mud of the Anzio plain and fought for their lives. Nothing has appeared since Erich Maria Remarque's ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT that can compare with this book's ability to penetrate the minds of men at war. There are no heroes, no heroines, no victories. This is a faceless, nameless, fragmented war. Even national differences - Britain, Italian, German, American - merge and are forgotten in this larger story of humanity. This story, in fact, does not need to be Anzio; it could be any battlefield where man has faced death.'


'A candle flickered in the corner of a stable on an Italian hillside, casting its moving shadows against the wall and among the darkened rafters. The cattle stalls were empty. A group of British soldiers were sitting on a pile of straw playing cards. Cigarette smoke rose above them. Someone was playing carols on a mouth organ. Outside was a snow-covered and a starlit night. Great pointed icicles hung from the barn roof ready to fall into the yard below with the crash of glass. Except for a stray shell exploding in the distance, all was quiet. Soldiers kept watch. Above them was the abbey of Monte Cassino, the oldest monastery in Christendom. It was Christmas Eve, l943.

A sergeant entered the stable and talked with a corporal lying on a straw-fllled manger. The corporal muttered, rolled out of the manger, swore, and went into the adjoining room. The carol playing ceased, the laughter stopped.'

'The patrol's on,' he said matter-of-factly. 'I'll need two of you.'


fr. 'Vessel of Sadness by. William Woodruff.
dedicated...To those who died on the plain of Latium,
January 22-May 26 1944.

Looks like some really good writing.

Yes...great writing...rather poetic....I may paste another excerpt when I have the time. I have read a lot of military history....nothing moved me like this book...it really gets down to the reality of all the suffering...soldiers and civilians.

 

[Vikrant]

Italian campaign was very brutal. Below are some actual black and white pictures of Indian soldiers in the World War II Italy.

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[regent]

Italy also attacked France, remember "the knife in the back" FDR statement?