“...a meticulous and exacting survey and analysis of the campaign waged by Allied forces in Sicily and Italy. Combining extensive detail and military theory, Hoyt forcefully contends that the Normandy campaign was both unduly costly and ultimately unnecessary, and that in the final analysis it lengthened an already devastating war. An intriguing analysis, Backwater War is an impressive and welcome contribution to personal reading lists and Military History collections.”–The Midwest Book Review

“An intriguing analysis,Backwater War is an impressive and welcome contribution to personal reading lists and Military History collections.”–Reviewer's Bookwatch

“This sharp-edged, operationally focused narrative, aimed at a general audience, demonstrates the difficulties the Allies faced during the World War II Italian campaign while arguing strongly that the campaign itself was unnecessary, the result of confused strategic planning.”–Dennis Showalter United States Military Academy

Book Description

Details the planning, execution, and implications of the Allied landings on the Italian peninsula.