Few Returned : Twenty-Eight Days on the Russian Front, Winter 1942-1943

Corti, Eugenio

ISBN 10: 0826211151 / ISBN 13: 9780826211156

Editore: University of Missouri Press, 1997

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This book tells the story of the harrowing experiences of soldiers on the Russian front during the winter of 1942-1943. The author, Eugenio Corti, provides a detailed account of the events that took place during those twenty-eight days. The book is written in English and has 272 pages. It is a trade paperback and measures 9 inches in length, 6 inches in width, and 1 inch in height. The book is intended for adults and is categorized under Military & War, History, and Nonfiction. The publisher is University of Missouri Press and it was published in 1997. The book is vintage and weighs 16 ounces. The book includes topics such as Military / World War II and Military / General. It is a great read for anyone interested in history and war. The book does not have an Ex Libris but is in great condition. It is perfect for anyone looking to learn about the experiences of soldiers on the front lines during World War II.; 10.00 x 8.00 x 4.00.

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Dati bibliografici

• Titolo: Few Returned : Twenty-Eight Days on the Russian Front, Winter 1942-1943
• Editore: University of Missouri Press
• Data di pubblicazione: 1997
• Lingua: Inglese
• ISBN 10: 0826211151
• ISBN 13: 9780826211156
• Rilegatura: Trade Paperback

Descrizione articolo

Riassunto

After World War II more than one hundred books appeared that dealt with the experience of the Italian army in Russia, and particularly the terrible winter retreat of 1942-1943. Few Returned (I piu' non ritornano) is the only one of these that is still regularly reissued in Italy.

Eugenio Corti, who was a twenty-one-year-old second lieutenant at the time, found himself, together with 30,000 Italians and a smaller contingent of Germans, encircled on the banks of the River Don by enemy forces who far outnumbered them. To break out of this encirclement, these men undertook a desperate march across the snow, with constant engagements and in temperatures ranging from -20 to -30 degrees Fahrenheit. Whereas supplies were air-dropped to the Germans, the predicament of the Italians was far more difficult: lacking gasoline, they were compelled to abandon their vehicles and to proceed without heavy arms, equipment, ammunition, or provisions. Even the wounded had to be abandoned, though it was well known that the soldiers of the Red Army"enraged by the brutality of the German invasion"killed all the enemy wounded who fell into their hands. After twenty-eight days of encirclement, only 4,000 of the 30,000 Italians made it out of the pocket.

Why is it that Corti's book, which was first published in 1947, continues after fifty years to be reprinted in Italy? Because, as Mario Apollonio of the University of Milan said, when the book first appeared: "It is a chronicle . . . but it is much more than that: behind the physical reality, there is the truth" about man at his most tragic hour. Apollonio adds: "The power of the writing immediately transforms the document into drama"; the result is a "novel-poem-drama-history." The philosopher Benedetto Croce found in Corti's book "the not infrequent gleam of human goodness and nobility." Few Returned is a classic of war literature that succeeds in bringing home the full hatefulness of war.

Eugenio Corti began writing his diary at a military hospital immediately after being repatriated from the Russian front. When in September 1943 Italy found itself cut in two by the Armistice, Corti, loyal to his officer's oath, joined up with what remained of the Italian army in the south and with those few troops participated in driving the Germans off Italian soil, fighting at the side of the British Eighth and the American Fifth Armies.

Informazioni sull'autore

Born in Besana Brianza, Italy, in 1921, Eugenio Corti marked his debut as a writer with Few Returned. He went on to write many works of historical fiction, including The Red Horse and The Last Soldiers of the King: Wartime Italy, 1943-1945 (University of Missouri Press).

Peter Edward Levy teaches English at the University of Siena in Italy. He has published translations of contemporary Italian poetry and critical essays on British poets.