In this first of two conversations, Pulitzer Prize winner Rick Atkinson dives into the first two volumes of his monumental Liberation Trilogy, looking at North Africa during WWII and the harrowing campaigns that took place in Sicily and Italy. A pivotal point in history, this period of the war saw American and British armies clash with Vichy France forces in Morocco and Algeria, and then take on the Axis powers in Tunisia. Meanwhile, the fight to drive the German army up the Italian peninsula led to lethal battles at Salerno, Anzio, and Monte Cassino. Recorded on August 21, 2023