"The 45th was one of the great divisions of the U.S. Army in World War II and deserves to have its story told. The Rock of Anzio is extremely well written, original, and well documented. Whitlock does full justice to the remarkable bravery and sacrifice of the men of the 45th". Carlo D'Este Author of Patton
Anzio was one of the greatest battles of World War II -- a desperate gamble to land a large amphibious force behind German lines in Italy in the hope that the war could be shortened by capturing Rome. It also turned out to be one of the bloodiest battles in U.S. military history.
While the Germans decimated most of the Allied units at Anzio, they threw their strongest attempts to split the beachhead against one American division -- the 45th Infantry Division. The 45th was a National Guard unit made up of "citizen soldiers" from the Southwest, including thousands of Native Americans.
Based on extensive research into archives, photos, letters, diaries, previously classified official records, and scores of personal interviews with surviving veterans of the 45th, The Rock of Anzio is written with an immediacy that puts the reader right onto the battlefield and shows us war through the eyes of ordinary men called upon to perform extraordinary deeds.
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