Forging the 10th Mountain Division ... - Army …

Art of War Papers

Forging the 10th Mountain Division for War, 1940?45

How Innovation Created a Highly Adaptive Formation

Justin J. Chabalko, Major, US Army

US Army Command and General Staff College Press US Army Combined Arms Center Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

Cover image: Ski Troops from the 10th Mountain Infantry Division Drill at Paradise in 1943.

Source: Mount Rainier National Park.

Forging the 10th Mountain Division for War, 1940?45: How Innovation Created a Highly Adaptive Formation

Justin J. Chabalko, Major, US Army Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

The opinions and conclusions expressed herein are those of the student author and do not necessarily represent the views of the US Army Command and General Staff College or any other governmental agency. (References to this study should include the foregoing statement.)

US Army Command and General Staff College Press Fort Leavenworth, Kansas An imprint of The Army University Press

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Chabalko, Justin J., 1983- author. | U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, issuing body. | Army University Press (U.S.), publisher.

Title: Forging the 10th Mountain Division for war, 1940-45 : how innovation created a highly adaptive formation / Justin J. Chabalko.

Other titles: Forging the Tenth Mountain Division for war, 1940-45 | Art of war papers.

Description: Fort Leavenworth, Kansas : Army University Press, 2019. | Series: Art of war papers | "A US Army Command and General Staff College Press Book." | Includes bibliographical references.

Identifiers: LCCN 2019049402 (print) | LCCN 2019049403 (ebook) | ISBN 9781940804552 (paperback) | ISBN 9781940804552 (Adobe PDF)

Subjects: LCSH: United States. Army. Mountain Division, 10th--History. | United States. Army--Ski troops--History--20th century. | World War, 1939-1945--Regimental histories--United States. | World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Italy. | World War, 1939-1945--Mountain warfare. | Mountain warfare--History--20th century. | Winter warfare--History--20th century.

Classification: LCC D769.3 10th .C43 2019 (print) | LCC D769.3 10th (ebook) | DDC 940.541273--dc23 | SUDOC D 110.18:M 86

LC record available at LC ebook record available at

2020

US Army Command and General Staff College Press publications cover a wide variety of military topics. The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the Department of the Army or the Department of Defense.

The seal of the US Army Command and General Staff College authenticates this document as an official publication of the US Army Command and General Staff College Press. It is prohibited to use this official seal on any republication without the express written permission of the US Army Command and General Staff College Press.

Edited by Diane R. Walker ii

Program Description The Command and General Staff College (CGSC) Art of War Scholar's program offers a small number of competitively select officers a chance to participate in intensive, graduate level seminars and in-depth personal research that focuses primarily on understanding strategy and operational art through modern military history. The purpose of the program is to produce officers with critical thinking skills and an advanced understanding of the art of warfighting. These abilities are honed by reading, researching, thinking, debating, and writing about complex issues across the full spectrum of modern warfare, from the lessons of the Russo-Japanese war through continuing operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, while looking ahead to the twenty-first century evolution of the art of war.

iii

Abstract As the US Army faces new and uncertain challenges across the globe, the need to create new capabilities in organizations, doctrine, and equipment is critical. As new threats in the sea, air, land, and cyber domains appear, it is vital for the Army to produce capable and well-equipped formations that are prepared to adapt and meet any challenges. This thesis examines the relationship between how peacetime innovation influences combat adaptation. It uses the history of the 10th Mountain Division as a historical example of how the Army faced threats in multiple areas of the world. In response, the 10th Mountain Division innovated to create a new capability to fight in the mountains. Using new techniques, it recruited highly experienced volunteers then developed new training and equipment to build a new capability for the US Army. As a result of this innovation, the 10th Mountain exemplified a highly adaptive and successful formation in combat. The War Department's ability to leverage innovation to create an adaptive organization is relevant to the contemporary Army and how it looks at the challenges of multi-domain battle and Army warfighting challenges.

iv

Acknowledgments This thesis was the product of a desire to learn more about the history of a unit that I had the honor to serve in combat as a young officer. This thesis was made possible through the support of my thesis committee, Lt. Col. Christopher Johnson and Dr. Gregory Hospodor from the Department of Military History and Lt. Col. (Retired) Jonathan Beasley from the Department of Leadership. Their patience, support, and mentorship throughout this process aided me in writing this study. Additionally, the support and guidance of Dr. Dean Nowowiejski as my advisor for the Art of War Scholars program enabled my in-depth study of primary source material. Without the support that he and the program provided, my ability to conduct scholarly historical research would have been much more limited. I would also like to thank the archivists at the Combined Arms Research Library at Fort Leavenworth and the Denver Public Library in Colorado for their assistance and efforts to help me find me the material used in this study. Finally, I would like to personally thank David Little and the 10th Mountain Division Association for pointing me in the right direction when I first started this endeavor. Climb to Glory!

v

Contents Program Description............................................................................ iii Abstract.................................................................................................iv Acknowledgments..................................................................................v Acronyms........................................................................................... viii Chapter 1 Introduction...........................................................................1 Chapter 2 The National Ski Patrol.......................................................15 Chapter 3 The Training Problem..........................................................35 Chapter 4 The 10th Mountain Division...............................................59 Chapter 5 Conclusions and Recommendations....................................79 Appendix A National Ski Patrol Application Packet...........................87 Appendix B National Ski Patrol Recruiting 1941?45..........................91 Bibliography.........................................................................................93

vi

 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download