ABSTRACT

This book, first published in 1972, examines the tumultuous period between Mussolini’s dismissal and the German occupation of Rome 45 days later. Double-dealing, treachery, vindictiveness, cowardliness, contradictory orders are the hallmarks of this time, and the protagonists include Mussolini, Hitler, Eisenhower, Maxwell Taylor, the Italian King, Churchill and Badoglio. Its was then that Italy arranged a virtually meaningless armistice with the Allies, the terms of which were never clear to anyone. This book reconstructs these days with a clear and thorough analysis, using new evidence not previously available to researchers.

part Book One|146 pages

The Weaving of Webs

chapter |4 pages

Prologue

chapter Chapter 1|18 pages

The Critics

chapter Chapter 2|16 pages

The Antagonists

chapter Chapter 3|19 pages

The Scene-Shifters

chapter Chapter 4|16 pages

The Spectators

chapter Chapter 5|26 pages

In the Wings

chapter Chapter 6|26 pages

The Curtain Rises

chapter Chapter 7|19 pages

The Backstage Maneuvers

part Book Two|208 pages

The Forty-Five Days

chapter Chapter 8|12 pages

The People Exult

chapter Chapter 9|11 pages

The Armies Prepare

chapter Chapter 10|7 pages

The Illusion of Freedom

chapter Chapter 11|5 pages

The Reality of Repression

chapter Chapter 12|10 pages

The Exiles Return

chapter Chapter 13|9 pages

Wolves Become Sheep

chapter Chapter 14|5 pages

The Onset of Apathy

chapter Chapter 15|15 pages

War

chapter Chapter 16|11 pages

... Or Peace?

chapter Chapter 17|6 pages

The Bombings

chapter Chapter 18|6 pages

The Laggard Emissary

chapter Chapter 19|8 pages

The Double-Track

chapter Chapter 20|8 pages

The Allied Dilemma

chapter Chapter 21|9 pages

The Missing General

chapter Chapter 22|10 pages

Reinforcing Power

chapter Chapter 23|6 pages

Hounds and Hares

chapter Chapter 24|8 pages

The New Negotiator

chapter Chapter 25|8 pages

The Return of the Dove

chapter Chapter 26|11 pages

The Bluffing

chapter Chapter 27|11 pages

Surrender...

chapter Chapter 28|11 pages

... But When?

chapter Chapter 29|8 pages

Slow Train to Turin

chapter Chapter 30|11 pages

Clandestine Mission

part Book Three|122 pages

The Battle for Rome

chapter Chapter 31|11 pages

Caught in the Middle

chapter Chapter 32|12 pages

The Council of Fear

chapter Chapter 33|7 pages

The Order of Battle

chapter Chapter 34

The Distant Drums

chapter Chapter 35|8 pages

The Flight

chapter Chapter 36|12 pages

Who Defends Rome?

chapter Chapter 37|14 pages

The Withdrawal

chapter Chapter 38|19 pages

The Battle for Rome

chapter Chapter 39|13 pages

An Army Dissolves

chapter Chapter 40|10 pages

The Submerged City