THE DAY OF BATTLE The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944

This book is the second in the author's trilogy on the war in Europe. It is authoritative and highly detailed. And that's its weakness in audio. Even this abridged version is too full of minutiae, which slows down the pace of the reading. After all, does the listener really need to hear that an Allied invasion involved dozens of this, hundreds of that, and thousands of a third thing? As narrator, the author is capable enough. The slight gravel in his voice evokes the weariness of the battlefront troops. But his unrelenting dour tone grows tiring at this length. Listeners keenly interested in the war in Europe will enjoy this work, but those with only a casual interest might do well to look elsewhere. R.C.G. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/ MAY 08]