The Battle of Anzio

A major turning point of WWII: The incredible true story of Allied forces who held a strip of Italian beach against Nazi bombardment.

The Battle of Anzio was among the most bloody of the World War II conflicts. T. R. Fehrenbach’s accurate account stunningly depicts the reality of the Allied forces’ fight for survival on an Italian beach as they stormed what Winston Churchill called the soft underbelly of the Axis powers. In one of the turning points of the war, the allies clung to a narrow strip of sand while German planes swooped in from above and artillery shells and mortar fire pounded them on the ground.

This is a true and dramatic account of the battle from the perspective of a soldier and military historian, told with pride, compassion, and spirit. T. R. Fehrenbach’s account of war needs no embellishing and brings you into the thick of the action.

During World War II, the late Fehrenbach served with the US Infantry and Engineers as platoon sergeant with an engineer battalion. He continued his military career in the Korean War, rising from platoon leader to company commander and then to battalion staff officer of the 72nd Tank battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. Prior to his military involvement, a young T. R. Fehrenbach, born in San Benito, Texas, worked as a farmer and the owner of an insurance company. His most enduring work is Lone Star, a one-volume history of Texas. In retirement, he wrote a political column for a San Antonio newspaper. He sold numerous pieces to publications such as the Saturday Evening Post and Argosy. He is author of several books, including U.S. Marines in Action, The Battle of Anzio, and This Kind of War.