dee@linus.MITRE.ORG (David E. Emery) (04/03/89)
From: dee@linus.MITRE.ORG (David E. Emery) The patch you saw on TV is probably 10 Mountain Division. The patch is a blue 'rounded rectangle', with crossed bayonets in white, and a white on blue tab above it that says "Mountain". The 10th was formed several years ago, and is stationed at Fort Drum, NY. Fort Drum is located almost on the Canadian border, north of Watertown, NY, and across Lake Ontario from Kingston, Ontario. Althougth not a very mountainous region, this area is known for very severe winters, and has been used for Army Cold-Weather training for a long time. (As you know, cold-wet is much harsher than cold-dry, like Alaska...) Unlike the German Gebirgstruppen (and the Italian equivalent, whose name escapes me right now), the 10th Mtn is much more like traditional U.S. Light Infantry. They are training towards a mountain environment, but (in my opinion) aren't at the level of training or tactics as are the German and Italian mountain troops. They do have some specialized mountain equipment (and some mules, I think), but their basic organization is Light Infantry. [mod.note: Are the Italian mountain troops still called Alpinos ? - Bill ] My Army National Guard unit trains at Fort Drum, which is where/why I've learned about them. More interesting to you, maybe, is the National Guard Mountain Battalion formed in Vermont (with a Company in New Hampshire). These troops ARE real mountain troops, and do receive the specialized training, tactics and equipment akin to the Gebirgstruppen. They also run a Mountain Warfare School in Vermont, with two 2-week courses, summer (climbing) and winter (skiing). The U.S. Army also maintains a mountain school at Fort Greely, Alaska, and there is a Light Infantry division there, too. (Personally, I suspect they are better trained as mountain troops than the 10 Mountain). One more thing to node is that the U.S. 10 Mountain Division had a brief but illustrious history during WW II. They trained for several years (as real mountain troops) in Colorado, then were involved in the U.S. Aleutian campaigns, before depolyment to Italy. They were instrumental in several of the later (post-Cassino) campaigns in Italy. The WWII 10 Mountain Division was also a technical innovator, and many of the post-war mountaineering (both rock climbing hardware and clothing) innovations were developed for the 10th. A great number of the U.S. Ski areas, particularly in Colorado, were started by 10 mountain veterans after WWII. Two other famous veterans are Francis Sergeant, former Governor of Mass, and Senator (and VP and Presidental candidate) Robert Dole. Sergeant was one of the U.S. trained cadre, while Dole was a replacement assigned to the Division in Italy. (Personally, I suspect that Dole is part of the reason that the U.S. named one of the new light divisions formed a few years ago "10 Mountain".) I'd be interested in hearing from you about Mountain warfare and your training for it... dave emery (Captain, New Hampshire Army National Guard) emery@mitre.org