I am asked to write a preface for this little book, but I think that it
needs no preface at all. The account of a most extraordinary war
adventure condensed in a few pages, the fact that the exceptional will,
determination and nerve of the man who accomplished it have been
rewarded by the most coveted Italian military decoration, the rarest
among all the military decorations in the world, the gold medal for
bravery, are good reasons for raising the interest of the reader. But
the author adds a new flavor to the thing, seizing often the
opportunity to show the ferocity of soldiers who have been to the last
the faithful and worthy servants of the House of the Hapsburg; the
sufferings of the Italian populations temporarily under the hated
Austrian oppression; the passionate love and devotion of those
populations to their great mother country, Italy, arguments too often
unknown, overlooked and unappreciated. For these reasons this book is
not only an interesting historical document, but also, and especially,
a good and patriotic performance.
MAJOR-GENERAL EMILIO GUGLIELMOTTI,
_Hon. Aide-de-Camp to H. M. the King of Italy,_
_Military Attaché, Royal Italian Embassy,_
_U. S. A._
------------------------------------------------------------------------