Italy. December 1943. Allied troops from some twelve nations are amassed at the foot of the Apennine Mountains in a narrow corridor that they would recall as "Death Valley." Soon they would fight a grueling battle named after a small village tucked there, San Pietro Infine.

In his day-to-day account of the often overlooked, yet significant, San Pietro battle, James Carafano paints a vivid picture not only of the hardships and challenges posed by an unforgiving terrain, but also of the complexity of coalition warfare—from language and logistical issues to discipline and morale. Equally important, his narrative reveals the key dynamics that led the Allies to break through to Rome and prevail.

James Jay Carafano is director of the Douglas and Sarah Allison Center for Foreign Policy Studies, Senior Counselor to the President, and E. W. Richardson Fellow at the Heritage Foundation, as well as adjunct professor at the Institute of World Politics.