The white war: life and death on the italian front, 1915-1919 (Basic Books)

In May 1915, Italy declared war on the Habsburg Empire. The result was one of the most hopeless and senseless wars of modern times. Nearly 750,000 Italians and half as many Austro-Hungarian troops were killed. To maintain discipline in the face of desperation and low morale, General Luigi Cadorna restored the Roman practice of decimation, executing random members of units that retreated or rebelled.With great skill and pathos, Mark Thompson relates the saga of the Italian front. A work of epic scale, "The White War" does justice to one of the most remarkable untold stories of the First World War.