THE Allied landings at Anzio on the west coast of Italy in January 1944 were a bold attempt to outflank the German Gustav Line, shorten the length of the war and give a seal of approval to what the Americans regarded as the Mediterranean side.
Churchill's pet project turned into a monster that devoured men, machines and munitions, destroyed reputations and made a small seaport into one of the most dangerous places on earth.
Military historian Clark examines in detail a campaign that came within an inch of failure. He spares no-one when he thinks they deserve berating, from Churchill to Allied Commander Alexander to American glory hunter Mark Clark, but generally has nothing but praise for the front-liners of both sides who went through some of the most ferocious fighting of the war.
Denis Healey played a critical part at Anzio and was disgusted when Lady Astor labelled the troops as "D-Day dodgers". Now we can see why.
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