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Cold Weather Warfare
Wed Apr 09, 2003
Listen in RealAudio 
During World War II, when the U. S. Government was concerned about a possible
invasion through Alaska, the Army decided to form a new division dedicated to cold weather
warfare. Hi, I'm Bryan Yeaton and you're listening to The Weather Notebook. This new
division, known as the 10th Mountain Division, became celebrated for their effectiveness in
extreme cold weather and mountainous terrain.
Assistant Producer Doug Sanborn reports from Reading, Pennsylvania.
Alan "Breezy" Brintzenhoff has been collecting items relating to the 10th
Mountain Division for the past 15 years. He routinely displays his
collection at public events like the World War II Weekend in Reading,
Pennsylvania. Brintzenhoff told me why the Army felt they
needed a cold weather, mountain division.
AB: Initially, the United States had no mountain troops at all and it was
only after the Germans invaded Norway and the Americans saw how effectively
a few Norwegians well trained in the cold weather techniques could hold off
the Germans.
In order to stem a possible Alaskan invasion, a three regiment division was
formed entirely from volunteers and was based at Camp Hale in Colorado, 9000
feet above sea level. These volunteers were self-described outdoorsy types
who loved cold weather sports and activities such as skiing and snowshoeing.
AB: The Army's philosophy, which was actually right in this case, was that
it was easier to make a soldier out of a skier, than to make a skier out of
a soldier.
That philosophy propelled the 10th Mountain Division to victory in such
places as the North Appenine Mountains of Italy where they helped ensure the
capture of heavily protected Mount Belvedere on February 18th, 1945. For
The Weather Notebook, I'm Doug Sanborn.
The Weather Notebook is produced through the support of Subaru of America and the National
Science Foundation.
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