The Last Ridge: The Epic Story of America's First Mountain Soldiers and the Assault on Hitler's Europe

by McKay Jenkins

Book Overview

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... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0375759514
• Release Date: November 2004
• Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.0" x 0.7" x 5.2"

Customer Reviews

The Troops Went Over the Mountain

This is a winning piece of WWII history from McKay Jenkins, covering the unique and heroic 10th Mountain Division of the US Army. These guys were media darlings in their day, and the time is right for them to be remembered by history. Some WWII battles were taking place in snowy and mountainous areas in Europe. Allied soldiers, who had little mountain experience and no extreme-environment supplies, were being beaten badly by German soldiers who had centuries-old traditional knowledge of the terrain and conditions. A great network of outdoor sports volunteers and experienced recruits convinced the US Army of the need for a regiment of elite troops that would be victorious in the mountains if they received real skills in mountaineering, rock climbing, skiing, and winter survival. Specialized training and equipment testing took place at a special base in the Colorado Rockies, and the 10th Mountain Division soldiers won decisive victories against Axis positions in the mountains of Italy, and were indispensable in contributing to the overall defeat of the Germans. Jenkins utilizes stirring eyewitness accounts from the soldiers themselves, with plenty of nail-biting battle scenes and insights into the extreme hardships faced by these elite troops in their unique circumstances, as well as all soldiers in general. Great war reporting from Jenkins fleshes out the heroic and historic deeds of the 10th Mountain boys. [~doomsdayer520~]

Very good World II story

Very good story. It seems as soon as one finishes a World War II book there is another great one out there. This is truly one of those. Great story line and a lot of fun to read. The 10th mountain division is one that is not as well known to the general public but should be. Having lived in Europe myself and attended Prep school in the mountains, this story brought back a lot of great memories of the Alps. These guys were truly great, and it is interesting to read about European ski stars, instructors, famous explorers, Prep School boys and IVY Leaguers wanting to join the US mountain division to fight the Nazis. Even though they never really got to use their Skiing and climbing talents to fight the war, as the author states at the end of the book, they were nontheless great warriors. Their entry in the war was a late one, but their service to the cause and their country was a noble one. The Bob Dole segment is also very interesting and the author takes great care to make us understand what war was like during the Second World War. He also takes great care in telling us what warfare does to soldiers under constant bombardement. Good read and a great compliment to other WWII stories. This is a story about heroes. Soldiers never die they just fade away (General McCarthur)

A Learning Experience and An Excellent Read!

Thank you for giving me a book that was so enlightening, educational and still had a wonderful storyline. In reading certain books you can sense when the author's heart and soul have been poured into the words, and this was my first impression of my read of this outstanding work. It is strange that when you think you have heard just about every story told about WWII another seems to erupt, more interesting than the last. For years I listened as my father reenacted account after account of the great war, but I never heard of the "Mountain Soldiers," I stand amazed at men such as these. Through this authors words I tasted their courage, skill and became aware of the impact they had on the outcome of the time, certainly giving them a place in the achieve of our nation's history. The Last Ridge is a true account of these fearless men, their part in the victory over the Nazi's and the challenges and sacrifices it took to achieve that. Well researched this work gives the reader knowledge of a group of fearless men and the vision they had and accomplished. It is a story that deserves a place in our hearts and should be passed on for generations to come. Highly recommended.

The Last Ridge

When I was a child, my family had two friends who served with the 10th mountain division. The great and renound Norwegian Ski jumper and Olympic coach Alf Engen, known as "Mr.Ski" in Utah, and the excellent hollywood ice skater Gary Stephen. As was the nature among the gentlemen of that era, neither said much about their wartime experience. I believe Alf remained in the States as an instructor, perhaps due to his age, and Gary was commissioned and served in Italy. Alf Engen is mentioned in the book Gary Stephen is not but at last I know the history of their contribution. Mr. Jenkins writes a very nicely presented work with the perfect blend of personal encounters and military and political facts. As a military history buff I appreciated his generalized description of the Italian campaign and the politics on which it was based which led to the deployment of the only American trained mountain troops. One minor comlaint is weapons discription. What should be '.30 caliber' is described as 30 milimeter and the German "Schmeiser sub-machine gun is described as a "burp gun" which I believe was the description of a Russian weapon. The de-actived German Schmeiser souvenir Gary Stephen brought back he did not call a "burp gun". Pardon this nit-picking in no way do these minor errors detract from the quality of the book. This is a good read for the Military buff or anyone who enjoys well written non-fiction. I plan to give a copy to my 11 year old grand son.

As told by the soldier in the field

The tale of the 10th Mountain Division is an amazing story and Jenkins does a very good job at telling it to the reader. Churchill called Italy the soft underbelly of Europe, but the reader learns that nothing could be further than the truth. The country is littered with mountain ranges that made for excellent defensive positions for the German soldiers. Attack after attack on the German line was repelled until the soldiers of the Mountain Division were called in and to began the push forward up steep mountains in the cover of darkness.This is not one of those history books where they author tells the story of a division of soldiers in a chronologically accurate, yet dry manner. Jenkins spent a lot of time researching for this book by going through personal journals of both US and German soldiers who were involved in the battles as well as other sources. The research allowed Jenkins to tell the story of the 10th Mountain Division through the writing of the soldiers themselves. The reader knows the names and learns the thoughts of the soldiers the story follows through the training and combat that the division faced in the pacific and in Italy. Jenkins has tied the journal excerpts together with narrative and information from other sources.Hearing the story first hand brings the reality of the horror of war home to the reader. We follow soldier after soldier who Jenkins later tells the reader was killed in battle. The losses that the division suffered were staggering, but not nearly as many as were expected by their command due to the difficultly of the terrain and the assignments which the soldiers took on. One of the wounded soldiers whose name is well known was Bob Dole. Jenkins tells the story of how Dole lost the use of his right hand and how Dole suffered and persevered though struggle after struggle, as he willed himself to live through paralysis, kidney failure, high fever and surgeries.Not that the book is only about the horror. There stories of comrade, bravery, honor and humanity. And there are humorous moments as the soldiers did the best they could with what was around them. I highly recommend this book.