TY - BOOK ID - 134541996 TI - Storming Monte la Difensa PY - 2015 SN - 1472807677 1472807685 9781472807687 9781472807663 PB - New York DB - UniCat KW - Monte La Difensa, Battle of, Italy, 1943. KW - World War, 1939-1945 KW - Commando operations KW - Allied Forces. KW - History. UR - https://www.unicat.be/uniCat?func=search&query=sysid:134541996 AB - In December 1943 Monte La Difensa was part of the formidable German defences overlooking the Allies' planned route to Rome via Monte Cassino. In the First Special Service Force's first combat in the Mediterranean theater, the Force would employ its special training in mountain and winter warfare to scale the peak, capture it, and then hold it against the inevitable German counterattacks. Astonishing their superiors, the First Special Service Force succeeded in the face of seemingly impossible odds, but suffered a 77 percent casualty rate. Their victory, founded on their aggressive doctrine an ER -