About the Author

Rick Atkinson is the bestselling author of AN ARMY AT DAWN, THE LONG GRAY LINE, IN THE COMPANY OF SOLDIERS and CRUSADE. His many awards include Pulitzer Prizes for journalism and history. He lives in Washington, D.C.Author Location: Washington, D.C.AN ARMY AT DAWN (978 0 349 11636 5), IN THE COMPANY OF SOLDIERS (9780316727334)

Reviews

The Long Gray Line: * " Enormously rich in detail and written with a novelist's brilliance, the pages literally hurry before one" - Washington Post Book World * "Stark, shocking, jolting" - Chicago Tribune

Atkinson surpasses his Pulitzer-winning An Army at Dawn in this empathetic, perceptive analysis of the second stage in the U.S. Army's grassroots development from well-intentioned amateurs to the most formidable fighting force of World War II. The battles in Sicily and Italy developed the combat effectiveness and the emotional hardness of a U.S. Army increasingly constrained to bear the brunt of the Western allies' war effort, he argues. Demanding terrain, harsh climate and a formidable opponent confirmed the lesson of North Africa: the only way home was through the Germans: kill or be killed. Atkinson is pitilessly accurate demonstrating the errors and misjudgments of senior officers, Field Marshal Sir Harold Alexander, Gen. Mark Clark and their subordinates commanding corps and divisions. The price was paid in blood by the men at the sharp end: British and French, Indians and North Africans-above all, Americans. All that remained of the crew of one burned-out tank were the fillings of their teeth, for one example. The Mediterranean campaign is frequently dismissed by soldiers and scholars as a distraction from the essential objective of invading northern Europe. Atkinson makes a convincing case that it played a decisive role in breaking German power, forcing the Wehrmacht onto a defensive it could never abandon. (Oct. 2) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.