In December of 1943, soldiers from First Canadian Division fought to take Ortona, Italy from German defenders in a battle that some have labeled "little Stalingrad" because of the destruction and loss of life. Reconstructing events from official histories, military diaries, the accounts of individual soldiers, and other sources, military historian Zuehlke details how the relatively Canadian troops, despite the loss of 2339 soldiers, managed to emerge victorious over elite German paratroopers defending their positions. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)