SICILY -- SALERNO -- ANZIO : June 1953-June 1954

Volume IX in the History of U. S. Naval Operations in World War II picks up where Vol. II- Operations in North African Waters left off (published back in 1947) Once again Morison has sustained a high level of meticulous reporting while at the same time he manages to keep a sense of pace and narrative and a lively quality of writing. The balance is kept between conferences at high level, from Casablanca to Cairo, and the step by step military and naval procedure, as Sicily, Salerno and Anzio achieved the goal of providing a springboard for the Italian campaign and diverting German forces from other areas. The heroic tenacity of the army forces engaged is not minimized, but-as would be expected-great credit is given for the superb cooperation of both the American and British navies. Sicily and Salerno proved definitely on the plus side; Anzio was a long drawn out deadlock, and the decision to bomb Monte Cassino a tragic error (it was not being used as an observation post, he claims). But- by and large-the cost was not excessive. The fall of Mussoline and the surrender of Italy was of course the great achievement in the overall picture. A notable series.