The 10th was the only American mountain division to be raised in World War II, and still has a high profile, being involved in operations from Iraq to Somalia and from Haiti to Afghanistan. It did not arrive in Europe until winter 1944/45, but then fought hard in the harsh mountainous terrain of Northern Italy until VE-Day five months later, losing c. 1,000 men killed and c. 3,000 wounded. Fighting in a series of battles in the Po Valley that included an amphibious assault across Lake Garda, the division made a key contribution to Allied victory in Europe.

The division was special in...