General Mark Clark remains one of the more debated American commanders of World War II. As commander of the U.S. Fifth Army during the Italian Campaign, he led Allied forces through some of the hardest fighting in Europe, from the landings at Salerno through the long advance toward Rome.
Join the Veterans Breakfast Club for a conversation with military historian Roger Cirillo, who will look at Clark’s leadership during the campaign and the difficult circumstances in which he operated. Clark was ambitious, highly aware of the press, and often controversial, but he was also commanding in a theater defined by rough terrain, heavy casualties, an inexperienced American army, and broader Allied strategy that was frequently flawed or overly ambitious.
Cirillo will discuss the Salerno landings, the challenges of the Italian Campaign, the failures and frustrations surrounding Anzio, and the larger strategic questions that shaped Fifth Army operations from 1943 into 1944. Rather than treating Clark simply as either a great commander or a poor one, the program will place his decisions in the context of the campaign as a whole and the limitations facing Allied forces in Italy.
Roger Cirillo is a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel and military historian who has written and lectured extensively on war and military history. He has taught military history to junior officers and served as the research author for American Armies and Battlefields in Europe: World War II.
We hope you’ll join us for a closer look at General Mark Clark, the Fifth Army, and the difficult road from Salerno to Rome.
