Sicily '43: The First Assault on Fortress Europe

You can't go wrong with this author! Never been disappointed in his books each gets better and better!!

The Sicily campaign is often treated as a blip, a footnote to the Second World War in Europe. But this book makes a convincing case for its significance. What is more, the Allies often get a bad rep for how this series of battles was carried out. Holland does a great job of providing the proper context to examine this campaign so that one can make a better judgment of how well it was run.

Very detailed story of how Sicily was invaded during WWII. The descriptions are so detailed that you can get an every clear picture of what the soldiers faced and how different battles transpired.

I bought the Kindle edition but put it aside because I was not prepared for the format and was expecting an updated, British version of Carlo D'Este's Bitter Victory. Then I listened to Holland's Battle of Britain on Audible and thoroughly enjoyed it. I cannot recall a better listening experience. So, it was on to James Holland's treatment of the Sicily campaign on Audible. The use of various participants to flesh out the campaign history works very well and is faintly evocative of Homer albeit not as poetic. It all works very well and the tale is perfect for me to listen to while walking the dog. The narration is pleasing and the story unfolds in a mesmerizing way at a brisk clip. Immensely satisfying and highly recommended for all WW2 history freaks.

The author gives readers a start to finish narrative of the Battle for Sicily, an important turning point in the Allies' war against Germany. Although this battle has been somewhat neglected by historians, Holland shows that the Allie's victory was a remarkable achievement. Despite strong resistance and mountainous terrain, the British and American forces won in only 38 days. The invasion of Sicily gave the Allies vital lessons which were applied to the later Normandy invasion. The author shows how the British and Americans learned how to work together on what was a very complex operation. The book balances strategic perspectives with the struggles of some individual soldiers. I especially found the discussion of the US airborne troops interesting. Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in WW2 history.

I enjoy James Holland, however this book was not as engrossing as his other title, Brothers in Arms, for example. It’s arguably the best resource for understanding the Sicily campaign, it’s just not as engaging as some of his other work. This may be due to the lack of source material regarding the campaign.

This is a well researched , factual , historical account of the invasion of Sicily in 1943. It puts the reader in planning stages , the author gives us the perspective from the Italian , German , side of the battle . He covers the American ,British and Canadian armies and battles in detail . It’s a story that needed to be told and only by the Mr Holland’s meticulous detail and description, Well Done !

A very well researched and written book. The battle for Sicily is often overlooked as a footnote to the invasion of Italy and then Normandy, but it was highly critical to get it done right.The way that the author presents is a bit odd at first, seemingly jumping from person or area to another, however as you go along, it starts to make sense, and almost lays things out as if it is real time.

Excellent narrative writing and well researched. It brings the operation to life with all its complexities and challenges. He doesn't let leaders off the hook for mistakes but still presents them as human beings under immense pressure. Highly reccomend

My one grandfather fought in Sicily in WW2 (Allied side), so I'm gathering information about the campaign to eventually write an essay about his involvement.

Causa desgosto vem uma população pobre e atrasada submetida à guerra moderna, mecanizada e impiedosa. Fica patente que os Aliados e os "aliados" alemães não nutriam nenhum sentimento humanitário pelos italianos, iludidos por promessas de grandeza antiga.

Detaljerad beskrivning av de allierades invasion av Sicilien. Inte alls så lättsnutet som man kan tro av den gängse historiebeskrivningen.

Libro interessante, mancava da un po’ una pubblicazione del genere sullo sbarco in Sicilia.Il libro scorre veloce e in maniera interessante, grazie ad una sapiente alternanza tra racconti in prima persona dei testimoni/protagonisti e analisi più generali e tecniche sulle operazioni.4 stelle perché avrei letto anche il doppio delle pagine, dettagliando ulteriormente l’operazione.