Rommel and Caporetto

The Austro-German attack at Caporetto in 1917 produced a full scale breakthrough which forced the Italian armies to retreat from near the Austrian frontier to within twenty miles of Venice. Young Lieutenant Rommel had the good fortune to be part of one of the German units which led the attack on the Italian positions. The masterly German plan carried out by some of the best German and Austrian troops immediately established a war of movement which offered fine opportunities to ambitious young officers. No one made greater use of these opportunities than Erwin Rommel. Rommel’s own account of the action has been translated into English but, until now, there has been no satisfactory work in English covering the wider aspects of the Battle of Caporetto which are an essential background for an understanding of his dramatic exploits. This book, by the authors of the acclaimed The British Army in Italy 1917-1918, is based largely on official histories and documents, and the records of Rommel and his commanding officer in Italy. In addition to being a thorough and authoritative description of the overall battle, Rommel and Caporetto gives a fascinating insight into the qualities that this superb soldier was to display to such devastating effect against the Allies during the Second World War.