In May 1915, Italy declared war on the Habsburg Empire. Historian Mark Thompson's "The White War" relates the saga of the Italian front, the nationalist frenzy and political intrigues that preceded the conflict, and the towering personalities of the statesmen, generals, and writers drawn into the heart of the chaos. Nearly 750,000 Italian troops were killed in savage, hopeless fighting on the stony hills north of Trieste and in the snows of the Dolomites. To maintain discipline, General Luigi Cadorna restored the Roman practice of decimation, executing random members of units that retreated or rebelled. With elegance and pathos, Thompson's work of epic scale does full justice to the brutal and heart-wrenching war that inspired Hemingway's "A Farewell to Arms".

The conflict on the Italian front was marked by a nationalist frenzy and political intrigues that preceded the war. Historian Mark Thompson's "The White War" delves into the towering personalities of the statesmen, generals, and writers who were drawn into the heart of the chaos. Nearly 750,000 Italian troops perished in the savage and hopeless battles on the stony hills north of Trieste and in the snows of the Dolomites. To maintain discipline, General Luigi Cadorna resorted to the Roman practice of decimation, executing random members of units that retreated or rebelled. Thompson's work of epic scale, written with elegance and pathos, does full justice to the brutal and heart-wrenching war that inspired Hemingway's masterpiece, "A Farewell to Arms".

product information: