It's clear why Sven Hassell's books have sold millions. From a no-holds barred description of frontline combat to accounts of partisan attacks and adventures in Rome on leave, his World War II story is a classic. Here, Sven and his comrades who have survived the deadly fighting on the Russian front are posted to Italy, where the armies are locked in battle around the ancient hilltop of Monte Cassino. In the face of overwhelming Allied firepower, Sven and his fellow soldiers cling to the mountainside, knowing they cannot defy the odds forever.