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by Norma Tadlock Johnson
by Norma Tadlock Johnson |
February, 1945 Under cover of darkness, the soldiers hiked to the small Italian village and crept inside the old stone houses. The thick walls remained standing, but artillery shells had blasted holes in all the roofs. The men would stay there, not showing a light, not stepping outside, until it was time.COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL-DO NOT REPRODUCE  All the next day they huddled inside, bored and anxious. They should be resting, they knew, but this was to be their first real combat. They were anxious about what tomorrow would bring. From time to time, someone would raise binoculars and scan the view from a broken window. High above, German alpine troops dressed in camouflage whites patrolled along the endge of the mountain ridge. The crest was the key to the military line the German army held across northern Italy. Anyone occupying the prominent ridge was in a poisition to keep an eye on everything for miles. Observers could watch movement of troops below and direct artillery fire at their enemy. A heavily fortified mountain to the north named Belvedere must be taken before other units of the 10th Mountain Division could advance toward the rich Po Valley of northern Italy. With the Germans looking down on the backs of the U.S. forces, the battle for Mt. Belvedere would be difficult, maybe even impossible to win. Already two efforts by the U.S. Fifth Army had been repulsed. COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL-DO NOT REPRODUCE The men talked about what awaited them after darkness dropped to shield them from sight. Stark cliffs guarded the ridge. The Germans would not be expecting an attack up this side. Or at least that's what everyone hoped. The climb itself wasn't supposed to be that difficult. The area haad been a favorite for pre-war Italian mountaineers, who had established routes and trails up to the crest. But the climbers who'd been doing this for fun hadn't made the trek in the dark on a winter night. They also hadn't been carrying rifles and mortars and machine guns, and they had all the ropes and climbing aids they needed. Would it be possible to find the routes now, in the black of night? Though these men hadn't been in combat, there'd been casualties earlier. After landing at Leghorn, a soldier stumbled onto a land mine, and others were killed or wounded trying to come to his rescue. COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL-DO NOT REPRODUCE For a month, they'd been near the front lines, at the base of the mountains where the push by the Fifth Army against the Germans had stalled. Here they'd slept in farmhouses or barns, sometimes snuggling up to cows for warmth. They were kept busy in the snow and cold with night patrols. Small groups harassed the Germans and gathered information, but with a few exception, hadn't been in a firefight. The thirty or so waiting men were one of the groups from the 86th Regiment who had been chosen to make the daring night climb. They were confident they'd succeed. After all, they were skilled mountaineers who had trained for months at Campe Hale in Colorado for the winter warfare that lay ahead. These men had climbed together, and trusted each other. The soldiers had known something special was about to happen. Units from the First and Second Battalions of the 86th had been sent to an area near Lucca, where they'd had intensive practice assulting houses in difficult places. But as is the way in armies, they hadn't been told what their objective would be. Now they knew. Riva Ridge. At night. In the fog. COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL-DO NOT REPRODUCE Available at: Publish America, The New England Ski Museum, Colorado Ski Museum, Amazon, Barnes & Noble |
R E V I E W S  from Dee Molenaar, Burley, WA (book reviewer and mountain climber) “As one who has relished perusing the many books authored by veterans of 'the Old 10th,' this reviewer finds this one to cover much more than single-unit, first-person experiences of the war. As widow of the late Elvin R. (Bob, Swede) Johnson, much-decorated platoon leader in L. Company, 86th Infantry Regiment, Norma Johnson does a masterful job of covering the history and battles of this famed division. And along the way she gets help in the details from interviews and correspondence with many Old 10th vets in the Seattle area and beyond. “Starting with the taking of Riva Ridge in the northern Apennines of Italy, then flashing back to initial recruitment efforts before the war, the chapters describe the first recruits of the 87th Infantry Regiment skiing and climbing on nearby Mount Rainier. From there they're moved to rigid year-round training at 10,000-foot Camp Hale in colorado. Initially formed by volunteers recruited from the ranks of skiers and mountaineers from New England, the Rocky Mountain states and Pacific Northwest, the Army then entices foresters and park rangers and finally resorts to drafting strong lads from the farms of the southern Appalachians and Midwest. “Following the sub-zero mid-winter D-Series maneuvers above Camp Hale the author takes us to Kiska in the Aleutians, where the troops are involved in tragic 'friendly fire' deaths and casualties before discovering that the Japanese had already miraculously departed on troopships, undetected under cover of heavy fog. Then back to the heat and bugs of Camp Swift, Texas, presumably for training to fight on islands of the Western Pacific. They are then suddenly heading for the East Coast where they board a troopship bound across the Atlantic to the Mediterranean and Italy. It is in the northern Apennines that they make military history by driving the Germans north and into the Alps, where in early May 1945 the European conflict comes to and end. “The moving account is laced with anecdotes, both tragic and humorous, which spice this literary gem. An epilogue gives an interesting summary of where many of the vets spent the rest of their lives, many developing ski areas across the country, and serving in the skiing and outdoors-recreation and equipment business. And among today's old 10th vets their battlefield camaraderie has been extended to the present, through the establishment of the National Association of the 10th Mountain Division. Through its many chapters and monthly and national gatherings, the old boys still retain the enjoyment of sharing of their war stories. “From this account of the 'mountain troopers,' it is obvious that Norma Johnson, already an established author, has again done her homework in providing a most enjoyable and educational book on our Mountain Troopers.” from Bob Carlson (86-L), BLIZZARD, Vol 34 No 3 “Authoress Norma Tadlock Johnson, widow of Elvin R. (Bob) Johnson (86-L), has written a book: Soldiers of the Mountain: The Story of the 10th Mountain Division of World War II. The book covers familiar exploits, but includes some new viewpoints from the veterans whom she interviewed. I found the book compelling and read it in one sitting.” as appearing in BLIZZARD, Vol 34 No3. “Norma Tadlock Johnson searched school libraries and found almost no interesting books about WWII written for young people. Her book, intended for young adult readers, is also of interest to a general audience, including those who may know little about the history of skiing and military organization. Dedicated to the memory of her husband, Lt. Elvin R. Johnson (86-L), the book covers the formation of the Division, training, Kiska and Italy, and the role of 10th veterans in the post-war ski industry boom. Norma was assisted and encouraged in this endeaver by Sherman L. Smith (87-G) and Bob Carlson (86-L). The book is available from Publish America LLLP, Baltimore, MD. Phone 301-695-1707.” | |
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