The Day of Battle
The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944
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The Day of Battle
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Narrated by:
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Jonathan Davis
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Written by:
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Rick Atkinson
About this listen
In An Army at Dawn - winner of the Pulitzer Prize - Rick Atkinson provided a dramatic and authoritative history of the Allied triumph in North Africa. Now, in The Day of Battle, he follows the American and British armies as they invade Sicily in July 1943, attack Italy two months later, and then fight their way, mile by bloody mile, north toward Rome.
The Italian campaign's outcome was never certain; in fact, President Roosevelt, Prime Minister Churchill, and their military advisors bitterly debated whether an invasion of the so-called soft underbelly of Europe was even wise. But once underway, the commitment to liberate Italy from the Nazis never wavered, despite the agonizing price. The battles at Salerno, Anzio, the Rapido River, and Cassino were particularly ferocious and lethal, yet as the months passed, the Allied forces continued to drive the Germans up the Italian peninsula. Led by Lieutenant General Mark W. Clark, among the war's most complex and controversial commanders, American troops became increasingly determined and proficient. With the liberation of Rome in June 1944, ultimate victory in Europe at last began to seem inevitable.
Drawing on extensive new material from a wide array of primary sources, and written with great drama and flair, The Day of Battle is narrative history of the first rank.
©2007 Rick Atkinson (P)2013 Simon & SchusterYou may also enjoy...
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An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa (1942-1943)
- The Liberation Trilogy, Volume 1
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- Length: 26 hrs and 5 mins
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 21
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 16
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 15
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Extreme detail about an obscure battle
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Pacific Crucible: War at Sea in the Pacific, 1941-1942
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 46
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 40
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Story5 out of 5 stars 40
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- By Lee G on 2020-08-01
Written by: Ian W. Toll
-
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- D-Day and the Epic 77-Day Battle for France
- Written by: James Holland
- Narrated by: John Sackville
- Length: 24 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 31
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 29
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Story5 out of 5 stars 29
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5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent
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Written by: James Holland
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The British Are Coming
- The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777 (The Revolution Trilogy, Book 1)
- Written by: Rick Atkinson
- Narrated by: George Newbern, Rick Atkinson - introduction
- Length: 26 hrs and 8 mins
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 6
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 6
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Story5 out of 5 stars 5
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With the Old Breed
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- Written by: E. B. Sledge
- Narrated by: Marc Vietor, Joe Mazzello, Tom Hanks (introduction)
- Length: 13 hrs and 58 mins
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 298
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 260
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Story5 out of 5 stars 260
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5 out of 5 stars
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a must read/listen for ALL civilians
- By David Unger on 2019-03-24
Written by: E. B. Sledge
-
The Savage Storm
- The Battle for Italy 1943
- Written by: James Holland
- Narrated by: Al Murray
- Length: 18 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Performance0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Story0 out of 5 stars 0
Following victory in Sicily, while the central command planned the spring 1944 invasion of France, Allied troops crossed into Southern Italy in September 1943, expecting to drive Axis forces north and liberate Rome by Christmas. Italy quickly surrendered but German divisions fiercely resisted, and the hoped-for quick victory descended into one of the most challenging and protracted battles of the entire war. James Holland’s The Savage Storm chronicles the dramatic opening months of the Italian Campaign in unflinching and insightful detail.
Written by: James Holland
What listeners say about The Day of Battle
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Stuart Old
- 2024-04-03
The Good, the Bad, and the Okay
Short Review: This audiobook is a solid popular history of the Italian campaign. Detailed history told via audiobook is not for everyone, but this does the job.
STORY: Atkinson has a huge task with this campaign, and he generally manages it well. Atkinson's descriptions of Gela, or the Rapido, or Anzio, are competent and often grim. The novel is similar to Antony Beevor's style: a narrative with eyewitness testimony for flavour. I'm nearly finished the audiobook, and so far I do not detect any strong thesis or "fresh take" underlying the story. I have not read Moorehead or D'Este's works on the Mediterranean theatre, so I do not have much for comparison. This book focuses on the US perspective. The descriptions of the other Allied forces (and there were many) feel cursory at times. For example, the Canadian experiences in the Liri Valley and Ortona felt almost as if they were lifted right out of Reader's Digest's "The Canadians at War 1939-1945" series, rather than original research from the archives in Ottawa. I have little sense that Atkinson was trying to say anything new with this book. Again, that doesn't mean this is a bad audiobook, but it comes across as very conventional at times. For contrast, see Patrick Caddick-Adams' work on Cassino or the Battle of the Bulge: you'd think there would be nothing new to say about those campaigns, but certain writers can bring amazing "freshness" to history. I feel this audiobook lacks that spark, which is a shame.
GOOD: Some strong descriptions of particular events or personalities
BAD: No original interpretation of the Italian campaign; does not explore the Allied armies (or Germans) in depth
PERFORMANCE: Jonathan Davis' narration is competent. As far as American narrators go, he's in the middle of the pack, in my opinion. I would say that his Italian pronunciation is good, but I don't speak Italian. He does seem to be trying. His German pronunciation seems decent. However, this audiobook contains some of the most shocking attempts at French I have ever heard. Describing Canada's past military campaigns, he mentions a battle at "Pasken-Dally". It took me a moment to realize "Pasken-Dally" was his attempt at "Passchendaele." I am not making this up. In the same section, he mangles "Dieppe" so badly it made me laugh out loud. I have no idea how he and the quality control department missed these errors. Do they ruin the audiobook? No. But from a professional audiobook production, they're ridiculous.
GOOD: Lively enough to hold my interest; genuine attempts to respect the Italian language
BAD: Some distracting mistakes; delivery can feel flat at times
OVERALL:
The biggest drawback with a major campaign audiobook like this is that the listener has to keep so many individuals, places, storylines and events straight in one's memory, especially if you take time away between listening sessions. There's no flipping back to a map or a different chapter to refresh your memory. Having said that, fans of military history will probably enjoy Atkinson and Davis' work here. I'm picky when it comes to history; I wanted to give this 4 stars, but the truth is, it's not really my style. Still, if you want to explore the Italian campaign for the first time, and especially if you want to understand the US role in the campaign, this is a good choice.
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