The war fought in Catalonia by the Franco-Italian troops was one of the most dramatic periods of the Peninsular campaign. It was a war where acts of heroism were mixed with the shame of looting. A campaign where fighting for one's survival became more important than the final victory. Among the campaigns fought by the Italians for Napoleon, that of Spain was undoubtedly the most arduous. In 1808, the Corps d'Armée des Pyrénées-Orientales crossed the border to invade Catalonia. Among its ranks was a division composed entirely of regiments from the Kingdoms of Italy and Naples. The sudden occupation of Barcelona aroused the anger of the Catalans, who, just outside the city walls, organised a merciless resistance against the invaders. In a short time, the popular discontent turned into a war without quarter. General Giuseppe Lechi's Italian soldiers were soon encircled and forced to engage in an unconventional war, in which the Catalan paramilitary troops always had a clear advantage. The Italian division remained isolated, cut off from all communication with France and deprived of supplies, which forced the soldiers to use every means to survive. Dust, Blood and Bravery recounts the dramatic experiences of those soldiers, forced to fight a war for survival, filled with exhausting marches, sudden ambushes, shameful looting, but also long and painful sieges such as that of Girona. Thanks to memoirs published by Italian officials and some unpublished documents, Dust, Blood and Bravery reveals the brutality of a conflict between two peoples ? Italian and Spanish ? of quite similar character. AUTHOR: Paolo Palumbo studied modern history at the University of Genoa and holds a PhD from the University of Turin. A military historian, passionate about the Napoleonic era, he has published Al fianco della Francia (Imperia, 2002), dedicated to Ligurian troops in the French era and Un confine difficile (Torino, 2009). One of his most important works was Il Reparto (Solarussa, 2016), dedicated to the history of the 9th Italian Special Forces Regiment 'Col Moschin'. His other works include Fermi nel pericolo (Solarussa, 2022) and Da Venaria a Saumur (Solarussa, 2024), which chronicles the history of the 26° Chasseur à Cheval. A member of the Società Italiana di Storia Militare and the Associazione Napoleonica d'Italia, he works at the Centro Studi delle Residenze Reali Sabaude in the Venaria Royal Palace. 15 b/w illustrations, 40 colour illustrations, 3 colour figures, 6 colour maps
