Rome Fell Today

New York, N.Y.: Bantam Books, 1970. Presumed first Bantam Edition, first printing. Mass market paperback. Good. [18], 302 pages. Maps, Cover has some wear and soiling. Includes Foreword, Acknowledgments, Chapter Notes, Bibliography, and an Index. Chapter 1 covers May 30-31, 1944; Chapter 2 covers December 1941-July 1943; Chapter 3 covers July 10-August 17, 1943; Chapter 4 covers September 1943; Chapter 5 covers October 1-December 20, 1943; Chapter 6 covers December 25, 1943-January 25, 1944; Chapter 7 covers February - May 1944; Chapter 8 covers May 1944; Chapter 9 covers June 5 and Beyond. Robert H. Adleman (May 7, 1919 - November 16, 1995) was an American novelist and historian. Adleman was a photographer and tail gunner in the Army Air Corps during World War II, he became a businessman and a historian, and began a collaboration with U.S. Army Colonel George Walton to write books about World War II, the most successful of which was 1966's The Devil's Brigade. A story about the 1st Special Service Force nicknamed the "Devil's Brigade". Colonel George Walton was a lawyer and retired from the U.S. Air Force Reserve. He served with the Devil's Brigade in Italy. Derived from a Kirkus review: An energetic, highly readable account of the Allied military campaign in Italy which led to the occupation of Rome in 1944, with controversies revived, personalities rounded out, and great and terrible, frustrating, events reviewed. By the use of interviews, contemporary written material, and the authors' own commonsense perspective, both high level decisions and the situation of the harassed G.I. are investigated. Mark Clark, target of criticism for his "arrogance," his brashness, nonetheless in retrospect, is declared "unsophisticated. . . avid for publicity, (but) a commander who did everything that could have been done under the circumstances." The Goat of Anzio, General Lucas, under heavy attack since for his holding, rather than pursuing, tactic on the beachhead, performed reliably without contradicting directives. Lucas was not a Patton, and should not have been expected to wage that kind of campaign. The authors also soberly assess the rumors concerning Vatican politics, and accept the calmer view of Pope Pius as dedicated to the preservation of the Vatican, hardly favoring the Germans but realistically appraising the limitations of papal influence. A lively account of a remarkable collection of human beings under fire. A first rate reconstruction.