Bloody River: The Real Tragedy of the Rapido (Williams-Ford Texas A&M University Military History Series)
Blumenson here recounts one of the U.S. Army's darkest hours during World War II: the 36th Division was essentially slaughtered by the Germans while trying to cross Italy's Rapido River. An investigation into the battle cast a dark shadow on commanding generals, who were accused of wasting the soldier's lives. LJ's reviewer was somewhat frustrated with this volume, asserting that Blumenson tells the story only from the commanders' point of view and neglects the soldiers' perspective (LJ 8/70). Nonetheless, this is a sobering departure from many of the standard gung-ho texts on the subject.Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.