• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

BooknSpire

A Book Inspiration

Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmail

Tags

2012 Afghanistan Africa Ash Levine Author Biography book Books British Christina Columbia Cooking Debt Detective Dr Orly C Meron Everyday Food From Goggles Great Guide Handbook Heather Flood Ireland Keith Hern Kids Lamb’s LAPD Law Lebanese Life Story Math memoir Midnight Alley Miles Corwin Mousey Mousey Novel Permaculture Review Sasquatch South South Africa Teaching Travel UK
  • Home
  • Biography
  • Cookbook
  • Education
  • Events
  • Genre
    • Art
    • Classics
    • Criticism
    • Detective
    • Fantasy
    • Law
    • Music
  • News
    • Featured
    • NewsFeed
    • Videos
  • Reviews
  • Africa
    • South Africa
  • UK
  • USA
You are here: Home / Featured / Come back to Portofino

Come back to Portofino

April 19, 2011 by bookadmin Leave a Comment

Come back to Portofino

World War II combat-the South African ‘Red Tabs’ in Italy

Come back to PortofinoCome back to Portofino – Through Italy with the 6th South African Armoured Division by James Bourhill

Using archival sources and private documents recently unearthed, Come Back to Portofino chronicles the journey taken by volunteers in the 6th South African Armoured Division.

From training camps in Egypt through to the idyllic summer of 1945 the ‘Div’ left its mark on towns and villages across Italy. From Monte Cassino to the outskirts of Venice and Milan, the campaign lasted exactly twelve months. During the advance through Rome up to Florence, it was a case of constant movement and violent contact with the enemy.

Experiences which left an enduring impression on returned soldiers included the periods of rest at Siena and Lucca as well as the four miserable winter months in the northern Apennines. Overall, the casualty rate was surprisingly low considering the ideal ambush country and mountain defences which had to be overcome. In the rifle companies however, the rate of attrition was high and replacements were few. Among the South Africans who are buried in Italy, there are those who died in vehicle accidents, from drowning and falling out of windows or from suicide.

For the ordinary soldier the most important part of everyday life was contact with home or foraging for food and wine, and even enjoying the company of signorine when operations permitted. Nevertheless, it was not one long happy camping trip as was often portrayed in the press. The cast is made up of the famous regiments and ordinary South Africans who participated in these epic events.

APPIP ERROR: amazonproducts[
AccessDeniedAwsUsers|The Access Key Id AKIAJUPZHZD6EBKUP6QA is not enabled for accessing this version of Product Advertising API. Please migrate your credentials as referred here https://webservices.amazon.co.uk/paapi5/documentation/migrating-your-product-advertising-api-account-from-your-aws-account.html.
]

You may also like -

  • How to invest for deflation, then inflationHow to invest for deflation, then inflation
  • Catch Up With DickensCatch Up With Dickens
  • Platform ShoesPlatform Shoes
  • Philosophy and life—an inescapable connectionPhilosophy and life—an inescapable connection

Filed Under: Featured, News, Reviews Tagged With: Armoured Division, Italy, James Bourhil, Portofino, South African

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmail

Recent Posts

  • Webnovel Spirity Awards Spring 2020 Winners Unveiled
  • Scott Straus wins Grawemeyer Award
  • Scarlets – The Official History by Alun Gibbard
  • Why Kafka is not Kafkaesque
  • Peter Usborne To Receive Lifetime Award
  • The Playboy Princes
  • Cat Walk for Cat Lovers
  • Mandela Day inspires reading culture
March 2023
M T W T F S S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031  
« Dec    

Copyright © 2023 · a Book Inspiration · Privacy Policy · Powered by DMG-projects · DMG-network partner · Log in