German Defences in Italy in World War II

by Neil Short

In 1943, Hitler ordered his forces to occupy the Italian mainland to protect the Third Reich's 'soft underbelly'. After the successfulthe Allied landings in Salerno, the Germans fought a series of hard, rearguard actions as the Allies slowly pushed north up the Apennines towards the Alps. These actions were based around the construction of a series of defensive lines: the Winter Line, the Gustav Line, the Hitler Line, the Caesar Line, the Gothic Line...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 184176938X
• ISBN13: 9781841769387
• Release Date: June 2006
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (UK)
• Length: 64 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 7.3" x 9.8"

Customer Reviews

very good

Very good portrait and explanation of german fortifications used in the rugged italian terrain. A good reference for the hystorian of fortifications or the problems encountered by the 5th US Army in Italy. Based on this german experience the hystorian can also understand the standards used to build the post WW2 fortifications along the cold war borders.