A fascinating look at the US 10th Mountain Division, a frequently overlooked combat unit. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the book, for me, was the detailed description of training exercises and unit formation in Camp Hale, Colorado. It reminded me of the early chapters of Stephen Ambrose's 'Band of Brothers' concerning the development of parachute infantry. The speculative nature of combat planning for alpine combat was quite interesting. I was left wondering what the role of this unit might have been had Nazi Germany continued a guerrilla war in the Alps after Hitler's suicide, as some fanatical members of the Third Reich had suggested. While coverage of the combat in Italy was necessarily brief, the author draws attention to the casualties of the campaign, illustrating that the vicissitude between battlefields in no way lessens the tragedy of combat.

It was also interesting to compare the training of these soldiers with modern cold weather combat exercises, particularly during time of tension between the US and the USSR/Russia. It would be interesting to see a comparative study with similar units from Russia and the Scandinavian nations.

This is a wonderful book about a specific type of combat group first developed in WWII. I had no idea that specialized troops started with WWII, and this account was a great look into a small part of WWII history.

Great background about how the US Army went from a flat earth outfit to having a unit fit for mountain warfare. Well researched and written.

I received an ARC from Net Galley]]

Here is a great historical look at "the boys of the Drum" as In Fort Drum, as in the 10th Mountain

Amazing that before them specialized troops fro specialized environments was almost unheard of.

It is another account of the amazing human conquests in the war to end all wars

Over twenty years ago I met Floyd Erickson, born in the Upper Penninsula Michigan. During WWII Floyd served in the 10th Mountain Division. His life-altering experience under fire on Mt. Belvedere was legendary; everyone knew of his bargain with God which led to his becoming a well-beloved patriarch of the church.

I recall how Floyd, still trim, proudly donned his uniform to join his fellow soldiers at a reunion. And the stories his wife Elizabeth told of how Floyd supported his large U.P. family and the alteration in his character when he returned from war.

Maurice Isserman quotes Floyd in his history of the 10th Mountain Division, The Winter Army, in the chapter concerning the Allied invasion of Kiska. After months of training in extreme conditions, the Army was uncertain of what to do with this 'winter army' of men trained for mountain snow and ice. Their first deployment was to oust the Japanese from Kiska in the Aleutian archipelago.

"It was a terrible night, that first one," Floyd said, recalling the twelve-hour ascent carrying his gear and machine gun ammunition, then digging a foxhole in the pouring rain. The Americans did not know that the Japanese army had already abandoned Kiska. Nineteen mountain troopers died from 'friendly fire'. It was a demoralizing blow.

Isserman narrates the history of this legendary division with details drawn from oral histories that bring the story to life.

Toward the end of the war, the 10th Mountain was sent to the Italian Alps. They were there to keep the German army busy. Climbing the iced mountains, crossing the open Po Valley the Po River, and the final battle was horrific.

Floyd saw his best friend killed in action and suffered permanent hearing loss from a blast.

Isserman's book focuses on the extraordinary men, the "mix of Ivy League students, park rangers, Olympic skiers, and European refugees," who "formed the first specialized alpine fighting force in US history."

After the war, these men impacted the ski industry. One became the first executive director of the Sierra Club; another co-found The Village Voice. One co-founded Nike; another became a renowned historian. And there was Bob Dole, US senator, and presidential candidate.

And there were men like Floyd, an ardent skier from a small town with a large impoverished family, a good man whose life was dedicated to his family and church and community.

I was given access to a free book by the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased.

This is a very detailed account of the US Army's 10th Mountain Division during World War II. It begins with the nugget of an idea that several skiers had when they wondered what would happen to the US if the Germans continued to prevail as they then were in late 1940 and eventually ended up crossing the Atlantic to Canada. Who'd defend the US then? 

The book then describes how the division was begun, recruitment done, and finally training started. There is a lot of information augmented by the inclusion of letters written by the troops as well as a few photos. But it isn't until halfway through the book that they are finally - after almost three years of training - sent into combat. 

I was excited to read the book because I do know a little about the Italian campaigns and have seen documentaries about the 10th. There are some other books out there about them but not many. Unfortunately the interesting start of the book soon slows down to a slog and could have benefited from some pruning. I think the abundance of source material turned into an embarrassment of riches that proved hard to resist. 

The book is competently written, very detailed and perhaps will be of greater interest to academics but for me it proved to be a disappointment that didn't hold my interest. It's a bit too textbook, meandering and dry at times.

This book covers the origins of the 10th Mountain Division and it's role in fighting in Italy in World War II. It was formed based on outsiders convincing the Army that it needed troops trained for warfare in the mountains versus just training in warm weather climates. The first half of the book covers the establishment of the division and the second half covers their role in the battles that took place in Italy. It is well documented and written in a style that is easy to read and follow. Of interest is the incorporation of excerpts of letters from the individuals in the division back to home during their training and the war.

I recommend this book to anyone who is a history or World War II fan and has an interest in reading about a division that has not beed extensively documented in other books on the period.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook  page.