Storming Monte La Difensa

The First Special Service Force at the Winter Line, Italy 1943

Storming Monte La Difensa cover

Description

In December 1943 Monte La Difensa was part of the formidable German defences overlooking the Allies' planned route to Rome via Monte Cassino. In the First Special Service Force's first combat in the Mediterranean theater, the Force would employ its special training in mountain and winter warfare to scale the peak, capture it, and then hold it against the inevitable German counterattacks. Astonishing their superiors, the First Special Service Force succeeded in the face of seemingly impossible odds, but suffered a 77 percent casualty rate. Their victory, founded on their aggressive doctrine and extensive training in a variety of combat techniques, would prove instrumental in the postwar development of special forces. Employing full-colour artwork, archive photographs, and first-hand accounts from participants, the author examines the origins, execution, and aftermath of the FSSF's spectacular success at Monte La Difensa amid the savage winter conditions of December 1943.

Product details

Published Feb 20 2015
Format Ebook (Epub & Mobi)
Edition 1st
Extent 80
ISBN 9781472807687
Imprint Osprey Publishing
Illustrations 56 b/w; 18 col
Series Raid
Short code RAID 48
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Illustrator

Peter Dennis

Peter Dennis was inspired by contemporary magazine…

Illustrator

Johnny Shumate

Johnny Shumate works as a freelance illustrator li…

Illustrator

Alan Gilliland

Alan Gilliland, a contributor to more than 70 Ospr…

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