Battles In The Alps

[paul guthrie]

This is a new paperback, sells for $26.95. It has its faults, lousy maps something it shares wih so many WW1 books and little footnoting, no index. That's all I have bad to say though, it's good. Unlike John Shcindler's very good and TERRIBLY mapped Isonzo it also covers the rest of the front, Asiago, Dolomites, area near lake Garda etc. so there is a lot new for the English only reader. A great explanation of Conrad's brilliant concept of sweeping out of the mountains, across Asiago Plateau and across the Venetain plain - if he had had German help or if he was not fighting on 3 fronts it could have worked and how combined 1917 offensive that did involve 6 German Divisions in fact cut off so many Italians, at least 300000 prisoners.

I think you will like it and by today's standards a good buy, for instance Isonzo is over $50.

I have visited Italian front twice, one including part in Slovenia, and it's some of the prettiest country anywhere, there are lots of forts, 2 open & restored near Asiago and by now it's probably 3.