Feeding the Battlefield: The German Army Supply in Italy, 1943-1945

The forgotten face of battle: supplying the armies on the battlefield. The importance of supply is all too often ignored, in spite of its undoubt importance. This book fills a gap providing a starting point for the study of the German supply system on the field, in this case with an examination of the matter during the campaign fought in Italy in 1943-1945. The book consists of two parts. The first is an essay on The German Army Supply in Italy. A Case Study: Anzio and Cassino, January to May 1944. This analyses the supply situation of both the Armee Oberkommando 10 on the Cassino front and of the Armee Oberkommando 14 at Anzio focusing on the three most essential items of supply: food, ammunition and fuel. Its conclusions are that the German armies were adequately supplied but also overextended due to the Allied air interdiction. The second part consists in documents, the first being a post-war study entitled The German System of Supply in the Field. Italy 1943 - 1945, which examines in detail the organisation of supply procurement and movement, in all fields. The second document, also post-war, is a study entitled: The Campaign in Italy - Special Subjects. The Supply Situation. The Transport Situation. This provides a brief overview of the problems the Germans faced due to the Allied air interdiction campaign. The book is fully illustrated with photos, graphs, charts and maps and provides a unique insight into the German supply system