The Rapido River was the last natural barrier between General Mark W. Clark's Fifth U.S. Army and Rome. Always aware of publicity, Clark wanted desperately to liberate the Eternal City from the Germans before anyone else did--British or American. Ignoring intelligence reports that the Germans had significant forces protecting the opposite side of the river, Clark ordered the 36th Texas National Guard Division to make a nighttime crossing on January 20, 1944.The crossing of the Rapido, in the shadow of the monastery atop ...
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The Rapido River was the last natural barrier between General Mark W. Clark's Fifth U.S. Army and Rome. Always aware of publicity, Clark wanted desperately to liberate the Eternal City from the Germans before anyone else did--British or American. Ignoring intelligence reports that the Germans had significant forces protecting the opposite side of the river, Clark ordered the 36th Texas National Guard Division to make a nighttime crossing on January 20, 1944.The crossing of the Rapido, in the shadow of the monastery atop Monte Cassino, was one of the colossal mistakes of World War II. The 36th Division, which had been decimated by constant combat from the beaches of Salerno tothe ice-bound mountains of central Italy, was sent on a mission they knew could not succeed: to beat the fast-flowing river current at night in bitter cold and face one of the strongest, most forbidding German defensive lines inEurope. Just to reach the riverbank they had to haul their boats and mobile bridges through German minefields and withering artillery and mortar fire. Once in the water, boats sank, bridges blew up, and men in full field gear wereborne away or vanished in massive explosions. The few who managed to cross found themselves pinned down on a muddy bank raked by gunfire. Soldiers died by the hundreds, yet the stunned survivors who fell back to the launchsite were ordered to attack again, this time in daylight. Of the 4,000 men who attempted the crossing, more than half did not return. And to this day the survivors have not forgotten the Rapido or the general who sent them there.Clark's forces did eventually capture Rome on June 4, 1944--but the ghosts of Rapido haunted Clark. He had insisted on blaming subordinates for the disaster, including the 36th Division's commanding officer, rather than admitting his plan was flawed. Congress would ultimately investigate Clark's decisions, and his quest for a fifth general's star remained unfulfilled. In Crossing the Rapido: A Tragedy of World War II, the first book-length historyof this important battle and based on survivors' interviews and army documents, Duane Schultz demonstrates that the American soldier will face the greatest odds without protest, but expects those in command to share any failureor success.
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Add this copy of Crossing the Rapido: A Tragedy of World War II to cart. $6.42, fair condition, Sold by Devils In The Detail Ltd rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Oxford, OXFORDSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2011 by Westholme Publishing.
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Fair. Picture Shown is For Illustration Purposes Only, Please See Below For Further DetailsCONDITION-VERY GOOD-PAPERBACKlight wear and scuff marks to cover, pages in nice condition, shipped from the UK. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 320 p. Contains: Maps, Frontispiece.
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Good-Bumped and creased book with tears to the extremities, but not affecting the text block, may have remainder mark or previous owner's name-GOOD Standard-sized.
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New. 6 x 0.9 x 9.2 inches. pp. 320. Brand new. Pristine. No markings. // Shipped carefully packed in a sturdy box. About the Author: Duane Schultz is author of many books of history, including Into The Fire: Ploesti, The Most Fateful Mission of World War II.
