There are few more enigmatic personalities in the history of Italy than Luigi Cadorna. This general led the Italian army into the First World War with a reckless energy, showing no consideration for criticism or the enormous loss of life on the part of the soldiers who feared him and whom he despised. Based on previously untapped archival sources, this book is the first to examine the figure of Cadorna in order to understand Italy's war.

Marco Mondini, Fondazione Bruno Kessler - ISIG in Trento and Università degli Studi di Padova, Italy.