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KPCW invites members of the Friends of the Park City and Summit County libraries to review novels and non-fiction every month.

March 2022 Book Review - "The Winter Army"

HarperCollins Publishers

The highway into Park City from Kimball Junction is dedicated to the 10th Mountain Division. There is a plaque in the base area of the Park City Mountain resort dedicated to eight young men from this area who were members of the Division and died fighting the Germans during World War II. Why are these memorials here? This month's book review by Jerry Hubbell of The Winter Army: The World War II Odyssey of the 10th Mountain Division. America's Alpine Warriors will tell you.

Maurice Isserman, a professor of American History at Hamilton College, has written a well-researched and very readable book. He relies heavily on letters, diaries, and war journals of the various members of the 10th Mountain division to tell the story of their origin, training, and fighting in the mountains of northern Italy during World War II.

The origin of their founding started in 1940 when four nationally known skiers, including Charles "Winnie" Dole - the founder of the National Ski Patrol - formulated the idea of mountain troops like the Finns and the Germans, and urged the U.S. Army to create a mountain division and prepare for the coming war.

The Army formed the 87th Infantry Mountain Regiment in November of 1941, which eventually became the 10th Mountain Division. The early recruits were ivy league students who had been members of their college ski team, park rangers, Olympic skiers and ski instructors including one 18-year-old instructor from Alta.

They first trained on Mount Rainier and then moved to the Colorado Rockies where they improved their skills under harsh winter conditions and often at over 14,000 feet before being shipped to Italy in the winter of 1944-45. The letters and journals of the members of the 10th Mountain Division reveal the hardships they endured in the Northern Italian Campaign and the brutality of the battles they faced with the various withdrawing German troops.

During the 114 days of steady combat, the 10th never retreated. They faced and defeated nine different German divisions, including a German Mountain Division. The 10th eventually cut off their retreat and captured thousands of German soldiers and their officers.

Though they suffered a high casualty rate, they constantly showed their valor in battle and the men of the 10th were awarded over 4,000 medals for bravery including one Medal of Honor.

Captured German soldiers and officers stated that they considered the men of the 10th to be their most dangerous opponent during the war.

The Winter Army, by Maurice Isserman, is a well written and informative book that explains why there is a memorial highway and plaque in Park City dedicated to the fallen men of the 10th Mountain Division.

The book can be found in our local libraries.

This is Jerry Hubbell, friend of the Park City Library.