Plowman, Jeffrey Images of War. Monte Cassino. Armoured Forces in the Battle for the Gustav Line. Rare Photographs from Wartime Archive

The battles fought between the Allied armies and the German Wehrmacht at Monte Cassino in 1944 were key episodes in the protracted Italian campaign, and the eventual Allied victory was a decisive step in the wider war to liberate Europe from German occupation. Much has been written about Cassino, but few books have chosen to tell the story through photographs - to give a visual insight into the fighting and the forces involved, the conditions in which they fought, and the landscape around the Monte Cassino abbey which became a battlefield. That is why Jeffrey Plowman's photographic history is of such value. Using almost 200 wartime images, many of which have not been published before, he gives a graphic impression of the realities of the fighting as it was experienced by the troops on the ground. He focuses on the tanks - the array of armoured vehicles deployed by both sides which played a critical role. This aspect of Cassino has rarely been covered in such detail and in such a vivid way. The book will be of special interest to modellers and historians of armoured warfare, but it will also appeal to readers who have a more general interest in the Italian campaign.

That is why Jeffrey Plowman's photographic history has such value. The book is illustrated with almost 200 contemporary photographs that give an impression of the realities of the battle as experienced by the troops on the ground. It focuses on the armoured troops that were sent into battle from both sides. This aspect of the fighting at Monte Cassino has rarely been covered in such detail. The book will be of interest to modellers and those interested in military history alike.