Italian Odyssey New Zealanders in the Battle for Italy 1943-45 By Matthew Wright

Very good softback

195 pages, illustrated edition. Publisher: Reed, Auckland, 2003 ISBN: 0790008971

Quote: "In September 1943, the Second New Zealand Division landed in Italy, beginning a 20-month campaign that took the New Zealanders from Taranto to Trieste. It was dominated by the two-month siege of Cassino, a bitter struggle in the depths of winter that remains controversial even 60 years on. In this illustrated account of the campaign, historian Matthew Wright argues that adverse weather, the politics of the Anglo-American alliance, and sheer lack of numbers on the ground stacked the odds against 2 NZ Division. Ultimately the question is not whether New Zealand failed -- but how they achieved as much as they did under the circumstances."