The Battle of Caporetto
Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott, 1966. 1st Edition. Hardcover. 12mo. Fine / Very Good. Item #007340
Great Battles of History Series. First edition stated. Orig. mustard yellow cloth, silver lettering. xxii, 202 pp. B&W maps in text. Slight fading to cloth to spine and edges, a few spots of rubbing to extremities. Dust jacket is price clipped, chipped to spine ends, several short tears to edges, some soiling. In the autumn of 1917, Italy, which had chosen to fight alongside Britain and France in World War I, was faced with a strong Austro-German offensive in the mountains of northeast Italy. Then, in a crucial encounter at the village of Caporetto, the Italians were routed and made a disorganized and demoralized retreat - familiar to everyone who has read Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms. The eminent British historian Cyril Falls recounts the story of Caporetto and the men who fought there, including a previously unknown German captain whose bold and brilliant tactics launched him on a spectacular career: Erwin Rommel. The Battle of Caporetto became necessary, in the words of the German general Ludendorff, "in order to prevent the collapse of Austro-Hungary." In defeat, the inevitable happened. The Habsburg monarchy moved rapidly into disintegration; and it might be said that, in some sense, the Western world is still feeling the effects of the battle today.
Price: $30.00