The Gothic Line

[patrick666]

I recently purchased, The Gothic Line, an account of Canadian soldiers fighting the retreating Germans through Italy. I have yet to read it as I am currently reading Interview with the Vampire and Army at Dawn (An americanized, but still a well-written, version of the invasion of North Africa) but was wondering if anyone else has read it and what they thought about it? It looks very interesting.

Cheers,

Patrick.

 

[Cloud Cover]

I read the book,and liked it as a good bathroom reader. Most of the history purists here will tell you that it needs more research and that the author needs to cite more authoritative sources. Rather than a historical account, I view it as more of a "story" of the various battles, most of which are predictable in one way: more slaughter of Canadian boys, stunning tales of courage and bravery, and a mix of seemingly squandered opportunities with occasional brilliant moves by a few of the commanders. 

 

[Hunter]

I'm curious - in The Gothic line, does the author make reference to the Germnans' .88 mm AA and .25 mm AT guns? 

I read the first two books in Zuehlke's trilogy, 'Ortona' and 'The Liri Valley', and the author refers to the Germans' .88 mm anti-aircraft guns, .25 mm anti-tank guns and so on.  The first time I read a reference to the .88 mm gun I thought it was a typo, but this is how the 88 and 25 mm guns are described throught the two books.

I don't know whether this is because of the author or his editor, but one or both of them need to do a bit more research when it comes to German weapons during WW2.