The second book in the Canadian Battle series, details the Allied Armies fighting their way up the Italian boot in early 1944. Rome was the prize that could only be won through one of the greatest offensives of the war. Mark Zuehlke, following his book, Ortona, returns to the Mediterranean theatre of World War II with this gripping story of courage in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.
The Liri Valley was a long, flat corridor through miles of rugged mountains. At one end stood the formidable Monte Cassino, at the other, Rome. In May 1944, I Canadian Corps drops up this valley toward the Italian captial, facing the infamous Hitler Line -- a bastion of concrete bunkers fronted by wide swaths of tangled barbed wire, minefields, and "Tobruk" weapon pits. The ensuing battle resulted in Canada's single bloodiest day of the Italian campaign. But the sacrifice of young Canadians during the twenty-four days of relentless combat it took to clear the valley paved the way for the Allies to take Rome.
The Liri Valley is testament to the bravery of such Canadians as Victoria Cross-winning Jack Mahony, Panzer killer Private J.A. Thrasher, and the badly wounded Captain Pierre Potvin who survived more than thirty hours alone in the hell of no man's land. This book, like the battle it records, will live long in reader's memories.
Authors
- Bibliography, etc. Note
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 471-480) and index
- Control Number Identifier
- CaOOCEL
- Dewey Decimal Classification Number
- 940.54/215622
- Dewey Decimal Edition Number
- 21
- General Note
- Issued as part of the desLibris books collection
- Geographic Area Code
- n-cn---
- ISBN
- 1553650131 9781926706085
- LCCN
- D763.I82
- LCCN Item number
- L57 2003eb
- Modifying agency
- CaBNVSL
- Original cataloging agency
- CaBVAU
- Physical Description | Extent
- 1 electronic text (xiv, 492 p., [16] p. of plates)
- Publisher or Distributor Number
- CaOOCEL
- Rights
- Access restricted to authorized users and institutions
- System Control Number
- (CaBNVSL)thg00604362 (OCoLC)456139362 (CaOOCEL)417017
- System Details Note
- Mode of access: World Wide Web
- Transcribing agency
- CaBVAU
Table of Contents
- Contents 8
- Preface 10
- Acknowledgements 14
- Maps 16
- Introduction: The Road to the Liri Valley 22
- ONE: Prelude to Operation Diadem 28
- 1 Military Sins 30
- 2 The Unwanted Canadians 50
- 3 Baptism of Fire 68
- 4 Frustrated Ambitions 84
- 5 Deceptions 96
- TWO: The Gustav Line 124
- 6 A Just and Righteous Cause 126
- 7 An Unholy Balls-Up 140
- 8 A Most Satisfactory Day 163
- 9 One Could Not Afford to Grieve 179
- 10 It Is Stiff Fighting 197
- 11 The Fog of War 210
- THREE: The Hitler Line 226
- 12 Don't Let It Get You Down, Chum 228
- 13 Where Are You Going Like That, Little Pot? 244
- 14 Operation Chesterfield 260
- 15 It's Sheer Murder 273
- 16 The Hardest Thing to Watch 291
- 17 Those Were Fine Boys 302
- 18 An Honour to Die 324
- 19 A Gruesome Task 342
- FOUR: The Pursuit 354
- 20 Punch 356
- 21 Our Somewhat Weary Shoulders 370
- 22 Be Very, Very Careful 387
- 23 A Bit of a Black Eye 414
- 24 Push On 431
- 25 Viva il Canadese 448
- Epilogue: Valley of Loss 460
- Appendix A: Eighth Army Order of Battle 470
- Appendix B: Canadians at the Liri Valley 471
- Appendix C: Canadian Infantry Battalion (Typical Organization) 472
- Appendix D: Canadian Military Order of Rank 473
- Appendix E: German Military Order of Rank 474
- Appendix F: The Decorations 475
- Glossary of Common Canadian Military Terms and Weaponry 476
- A 476
- B 476
- C 477
- F 477
- G 477
- H 477
- J 477
- L 478
- M 478
- N 478
- O 479
- P 479
- R 479
- S 479
- T 480
- V 481
- Notes 482
- Bibliography 508
- General Index 518
- A 518
- B 518
- C 519
- D 519
- E 520
- F 520
- G 520
- H 520
- I 521
- J 521
- K 521
- L 521
- M 522
- N 522
- O 523
- P 523
- Q 523
- R 523
- S 523
- T 524
- U 524
- V 524
- W 525
- Y 525
- Z 525
- Index of Formations, Units, and Corps 526
