History of the US 10th MTN DIV in Italy


  • I was in the US 10th Mountain Division (10th MTN DIV) when I was in the US Army.  Military History is a big thing in the Army and in the military in general.

    The 10th MTN DIV had a big role in the Italian campaign mostly dealing with the Mount Belvedere, Riva Ridge and Po Valley areas.

    Due to the terrain mountaineering was a mandatory part of gaining real estate on the Italian countryside.  Prior to the Second World War skiing, snow shoeing and cross country skiing were not common practices in the US.  Mountain climbing was used in the US but to a lesser degree then in Europe. Due to this deficiency they enlisted the help of National Norwegian 99th Battalion.

    The 10th MTN DIV then adopted Camp Swift and Camp Hale (both in Colorado) as the official home of the 10th.  There they conducted training as “ski troopers.”

    After getting to Italy in 1945 it was decided that most of the mountaineering maneuvers were to be done at night as not to be so easily seen and targeted when they were in the vulnerable state of ascending mountains.

    After spending the night moving troops and heavy equipment up the mountainside they would prepare to lead the attack at dawn.  This was a common practice before the advent of night vision.

    I was taught that this was because when troops left their sleeping quarters there eyes needed time to adjust to the change of light.  Most skills that depend on the eyes can take 30 seconds – 2 minutes to adjust. However, for “advanced skills” (for the lack of a better phrase) the eyes could take as long as 5-10 minutes to fully adjust to the light well enough to be able to see through a rifle sight effectively.

    The US Army anticipated for this weakness a long time ago.  In fulfillment of “Manifest Destiny” the US Army comprised mostly of the US Cavalry was dispatched westward on several occasions to “tame the West.”  The Native Americans were avid hunters and did their hunting mostly at dawn and dusk.  Deer for example have a difficult time seeing during twilight hours.  During the day and night they see just fine but in those transitioning times they tend to rely mostly on their hearing.

    The Native Americans already in the practice of sending hunting parties at dawn and dusk continued to do so when dispatching them as war parties to contend with unwanted advancing western soldiers.

    The US Army suffered great losses as a result and quickly adopted a “stand-to” policy.  So for 30 minutes prior and an additional 30 minutes after dawn and dusk soldiers are required to “stand-to” at the ready in their fighting positions in anticipation of possible attacks.

    Making a long story short the US reached into the lessons learned bag and capitalized on this know weakness many times during WWII and other wars.

    Unlike most attacks mountain attacks are much more difficult to pull off.  Like amphibious assaults there is nowhere to retreat without taking fire, but unlike amphibious assaults (during that time period) there was no way to send an advanced party to scout out the enemy positions and report back to command in a timely manner as they had to do all the leg work that night.

    After ascending the mountain side and preparing heavy guns just prior to dawn the attack would begin.  The 10th MTN DIV was already exhausted prior to starting the attack due to the obvious climb preceding and the lack of sleep the night before.  In addition to the most of the 10th’s climbing and mountaineering equipment was left stateside (back in the US) due to a logistical mix up.  This forces the Mountaineers to make due.

    Private First Class (PFC) John D. Magrath was just one of these soldiers.  Born on July 4, 1924 in East Norwalk, Connecticut. John volunteered to be a scout.  He was assigned to Company G, 2nd Battalion, 85th Infantry Regiment of the 10th Mountain Division.

    He displayed conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty when his company was pinned down by heavy artillery, mortar, and small arms fire, near Castel d’Aiano, Italy. Volunteering to act as a scout, armed with only a rifle, he charged headlong into withering fire, killing 2 Germans and wounding 3 in order to capture a machinegun. Carrying this enemy weapon across an open field through heavy fire, he neutralized 2 more machinegun nests; he then circled behind 4 other Germans, killing them with a burst as they were firing on his company. Spotting another dangerous enemy position to this right, he knelt with the machinegun in his arms and exchanged fire with the Germans until he had killed 2 and wounded 3. The enemy now poured increased mortar and artillery fire on the company’s newly won position. Pfc. Magrath fearlessly volunteered again to brave the shelling in order to collect a report of casualties. Heroically carrying out this task, he made the supreme sacrifice–a climax to the valor and courage that are in keeping with highest traditions of the military service.

    The above paragraph was taken from his Official Congressional Medal of Honor Citation awarded 17 July 1946.  PFC Magrath was 20 years old when he died and he was also the only Congressional Medal of Honor recipient in the 10th MTN DIV during WWII.

    After the war the 10th MTN DIV was sent back to their home bases in Colorado.  Having no need for so many soldiers many separated and went back to their hometowns.  These soldiers now had a newfound love for winter sports and developed the 10th Mountain Division Association. They established several local chapters a crossed the mountainous terrain of the US.  These veterans are responsible almost single handedly for the early development of winter sport facilities in the Rockies and the Sierra Nevada’s bringing a new revenue of commerce into the US.

    The 10th Mountain Division shoulder patch is easily identifiable.  The main body of the patch is shaped like a powder keg to symbolize the explosive strength they posses. It is blue to signify the loyalty they hold to their country. The two bayonets are crossed as to make the Roman numeral 10.  They are red to show the courageous spirit these soldiers have.  The border of the patch is white to show the purity and the strength needed to be a mountaineer.  Some time later the signature mountain tab was added.  I added a link below where more about the 10th MTN DIV can be found.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/10th_Mountain_Division_(United_States)

    I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.

    LT


  • Thank you for the infomation on the 10th Mountain.


  • You are very welcome.  Since they put the WWII history section on this site I have really enjoyed reading the stories that members of this site have been posting.  I felt it was my turn to make a contribution.

    LT


  • That’s a good read. Very much a worthy first effort.

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