The Battles For Monte Cassino Then And Now by Jeffrey Plowman
and Perry Rowe After the Battle $155; distributed by the
Military Archive, Royal Oak, Auckland 1345 This substantial book
could be subtitled "War and Peace", with its juxtaposition of
historic black and white war photos and modern-day colour peace
photos taken across the battlefields of what are collectively
known today as "Cassino". The authors crisscrossed the locations
of the Cassino fighting not only to orient themselves for the
then and now images but also to check the veracity of the
wartime unit diaries and other contemporary military records
that published histories have all relied on. The authors'
familiarity with the topography of the battlefield gives the
book a sense of reporting closeup views of the fighting. It
provides an interesting primary area of reference for the
detailed narrative that runs through from front to back. It is
hardly suitable for light reading. There is a strong New Zealand
connection at several levels through the