The Day of Battle

The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944

By: Rick Atkinson

Narrated by: Jonathan Davis

The harrowing story of one of history's most compelling military campaigns.

In An Army at Dawn—winner of the Pulitzer Prize—Rick Atkinson provided a dramatic and authoritative history of the Allied triumph in North Africa. Now, in The Day of Battle, he follows the American and British armies as they invade Sicily in July 1943, attack Italy two months later, and then fight their way, mile by bloody mile, north toward Rome.

The Italian campaign's outcome was never certain; in fact, President Roosevelt, Prime Minister Churchill, and their military advisors bitterly debated whether an invasion of the so-called soft underbelly of Europe was even wise. But once underway, the commitment to liberate Italy from the Nazis never wavered, despite the agonizing price. The battles at Salerno, Anzio, the Rapido River, and Cassino were particularly ferocious and lethal, yet as the months passed, the Allied forces continued to drive the Germans up the Italian peninsula. Led by Lieutenant General Mark W. Clark, among the war's most complex and controversial commanders, American troops became increasingly determined and proficient. With the liberation of Rome in June 1944, ultimate victory in Europe at last began to seem inevitable.

Drawing on extensive new material from a wide array of primary sources, and written with great drama and flair, The Day of Battle is narrative history of the first rank.

Puts everything in context

Where does The Day of Battle rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

In the top ten books I have listened to. Usually, military history is tough to listen to. Too many places and names. This was well written, and well read, and because I had a significant background in the topic it was easy to follow.

If you are like me and watched movies like Patton and The Big Red One as a kid, this book and its predecessor puts it all in context. For military enthusiast, this book is a must.

A great learning experience!

Great listen! So much to learn about this front of WW II. Love the way the author brings in stories of all the troops, not just the officers!! Ready for Europe now!

Detailed from military strategy - logistics - emotions

It was a wonderful book from Sicily to Rome to VE Day
Highly recommended better than any book on the Italian campaign I’ve ever heard of.

Great and harrowing story...

Compelling stories and great research by Rick Atkinson. The narration in this book wasn't as good as the others in the Liberation Trilogy.

The Tragic Side show

Much has been said about how Germany would never be defeated by attacking Italy and what a shame that Churchill had such influence on the decisions to go there. What Atkinson shows here is how the Germans were so invested and saving Italy and no one had expected this the savagery is probably more startling than anything else the Winter campaign particularly.