Books: Alpine Fighters

SARDINIAN BRIGADE—Emillo Lussu—Knopf ($2.50).

Unfortunately for the Italians, their best-known World War novel is Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell To Arms. These studiously underwritten reminiscences of an Italian ex-army officer (now in exile) show that not every Italian campaign had its Caporetto. Sardinian Brigade does not discredit the bravery of Italian fighters; it only shows that Italian fighting and opera bouffe were often closely related.

Emilio Lussu (Road to Exile) describes a year's Alpine campaign (1916-17). He describes two mutinies, devotes little space to actual fighting, writes mainly of personalities, is most effective on the...