10th Mountain division

Shoulder insignia of the 10th Mountain Division, of Second World War origin.

The 10th Mountain Division was first activated on 15 July 1943 at Camp Hale, Colorado1. It was then named the 10th Light Division (Alpine). On 6 November 1944, it was renamed the 10th Mountain Division.

A section of the 10th Mountain Division securing a road (Italy, 1945)

The 10th Mountain Division was engaged for the first time on 28 January 1945 during the Italian campaign, in the Apennines2. It was the first unit to permanently conquer Mount Belvedere held by the Wehrmacht3, and then served as an advance unit for the US 5th Army during its advance into the Po Valley4.

In 114 days of fighting, the 10th Mountain Division is credited with destroying five elite Wehrmacht divisions. It lost 992 men and had 4,154 wounded. The division's soldiers received a total of one Medal of Honor, three Distinguished Service Crosses, one Distinguished Service Medal, 449 Silver Stars, seven Legion of Merit, 15 Soldier's Medals, and 7,729 Bronze Star Medals.

As one of the last units to see action, it was listed as part of the invasion of Japan. The Japanese surrender changed the plans of the General Staff, who assigned it the role of occupation force in Italy. It did not stay there long, being sent back to Camp Carson, Colorado in August 1945, where it was disbanded on November 30, 1945.