When World War II broke out in Europe, the American army had no
specialized division of mountain soldiers. But in the winter of
1939-40, after a tiny band of Finnish mountain troops brought the
invading Soviet army to its knees, an amateur skier named Charles
Minot "Minnie" Dole convinced the United States Army to let him
recruit an extraordinary assortment of European expatriates,
wealthy ski bums, mountaineers, and thrill-seekers and form them
into a unique band of Alpine soldiers. These men endured nearly
three years of grueling training in the Colorado Rockies and in the
process set new standards for both soldiering and mountaineering.
The newly forged 10th Mountain Division finally faced combat in the
winter of 1945, in Italy's Apennine Mountains, against the
seemingly unbreakable German fortifications north of the Gothic
Line. There, they planned and executed what is still regarded as
the most daring series of nighttime mountain attacks in U.S.
military history, taking Mount Belvedere and the sheer, treacherous
face of Riva Ridge to smash the linchpin of the German army's
lines.
Drawing on unique cooperation from veterans of the 10th Mountain
Division and a vast archive of unpublished letters and documents,
The Last Ridge is written with enormous warmth, energy, and
honesty. This is one of the most captivating stories of World War
II, a blend of Band of Brothers and Into Thin Air. It is a story of
young men asked to do the impossible, and succeeding.
"From the Hardcover edition.
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