The White War: Life and Death on the Italian Front, 1915-1919 (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780465020379)

In May 1915, Italy declared war on the Habsburg Empire. Nearly 750,000 Italian troops were killed in savage, hopeless fighting on the stony hills north of Trieste and in the snows of the Dolomites. To maintain discipline, General Luigi Cadorna restored the Roman practice of decimation, executing random members of units that retreated or rebelled.

With elegance and pathos, historian Mark Thompson relates the saga of the Italian front, the nationalist frenzy and political intrigues that preceded the conflict, and the towering personalities of the statesmen, generals, and writers drawn into the heart of the chaos. A work of epic scale, The White War does full justice to the brutal and heart-wrenching war that inspired Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms.

Author: Mark Thompson
ISBN-10: 0465020372
ISBN-13: 9780465020379
Publisher: Basic Books
Language: English
Published: 10/26/2010
Pages: 488
Format: Paperback
Weight: 1.10lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 1.40d

Review Citation(s):
Reference and Research Bk News 02/01/2011 pg. 22