LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Beneath a Scarlet Sky, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
War and Morality
Coming of Age
The Power of Music
Love and Death
Summary
Analysis
On the 15th of March, Leyers orders Pino to drive him to Brenner Pass so he can see what progress has been made in clearing the road. The Germans are using their slave army to slowly remove the ice blocking their path, but they don’t seem to be making much progress. Pino seizes the opportunity and gets Baka to send a message to the Allies, encouraging them to bomb nearby so the Germans cannot escape. A few days later, the Allies do exactly that and cause avalanches, which trap the Germans. The day after the avalanche bombings, Pino and Leyers look at Lake Comacchio and see smoke from Allied bombs in the distance. That afternoon, the Allies manage to conquer the nearby German ground forces.
Progressing through Brenner Pass would allow the Germans to escape to Austria, but Pino refuses to let that happen. No matter where Pino and Leyers go, the Germans are losing, while the Allies are triumphant. Finally, it seems that the Italian front of the war is almost over.