This dramatic first-hand account, told from a marine's point of view, of the part played by 41 Royal Marines Commando in the Sicily and Salerno landings of the invasion of Italy, is now in paperback for the first time. The author charts the period between June 1943, when 41 Commando sailed for the Mediterranean, and January 1944 when it returned to the UK. Raymond Mitchell's brigade was the one chosen to initiate the return to Europe of the Allied Armies after the debacle of the fall of France in 1940 and, although their attack on Sicily was lightly opposed, it is likely that it would have succeeded whatever the opposition. At Salerno, the landing was completely unopposed - the enemy reaction came later on. However, his efforts, together with those of all the other thousands of men involved, ensured that in the end the enemy pulled back. Between the two actions was a period of resting and training, less important but still essential parts of the overall picture of the war in the Mediterranean Theatre. Here, the author gives valuable insight into the life of the Commando forces at that time from rations and messdecks to the care of casualties and the discomforts endured by those at the bottom of the military pyramid.