And other 10th Mountain Division Memorials

The first major military operation of the 10th Mountain Division began on February 18, 1945, 81 years ago. Their overall mission was to break the Nazi’s Gothic Line, Hitler’s last stronghold in Italy. On the night of February 18, their specific task was to climb Riva Ridge and Mt. Belvedere. The men of the 10th were to scale 1,700 to 2,200 feet of vertical cliff in darkness, carrying no guns or packs. This effort reflected the rigorous training skiers and alpinists underwent at Camp Hale in Colorado. Previous attempts by others to climb this ridge had failed, but the 10th succeeded, surprising the Nazi defenders so thoroughly that the 40-50 soldiers stationed atop the ridge had already retired for the night. This climb is now referred to as the “Climb to Glory” and the “Climb to Conquer.”

On February 19, after the climb, guns and packs were delivered to the 700-1,000 men who had scaled Riva Ridge, among them Art Delaney and my uncle, Don Macdonald, from Melrose. Building on that momentum, the 10th advanced to take Mt. Della Torracia and Mt. Gorgolesco. Many, including Art Delaney, lost their lives in that battle, while others, like my uncle, fought through to the campaign’s end in the Po River Valley. The Gothic Line was ultimately broken there, and the Nazis holding the Apennines surrendered to the commanding general of the 10th Mountain Division on May 2, 1945—five days before Germany surrendered on May 7, 1945.

To commemorate the climb of Riva Ridge, the NPR (Ninety-Pound Rucksack) Challenge will take place at ski areas across the country, including five in New England. These will be at Otis Ridge in Otis, Massachusetts; at Sugarbush, Killington, and Bromley Mountain in Vermont; and at the Dartmouth Skiway in New Hampshire. To learn more about the NPR Challenge and how to participate, visit https://christianbeckwith.com/npr-challenge/. Ski Cooper, in Colorado, is also participating. This was the ski training area of the 10th Mountain Division during their training in Colorado. It is now a public ski area that my uncle, Don Macdonald, managed for a time.

In addition to these events, museums with permanent exhibits about the 10th Mountain Division include the New England Ski Museum in North Conway and Franconia, NH, the Colorado Snowsports Museum in Vail, CO, and the 10th Mountain Division & Ft. Drum Museum at Ft. Drum, NY.

View Resources about the 10th and Memorials related to the 10th Mountain Division – https://aemacdonald.com/memorials

A Look at Memorials, Resources, and Books

Memorials:

NPR (Ninety-Pound Rucksack) Challenge – https://christianbeckwith.com/npr-challenge/.

10th Mountain Division Ski-In – https://10thmtndivskiindaze.wordpress.com/

American War Memorials, Overseas: https://www.uswarmemorials.org/ to search for 10^th Mountain Division Memorials in Italy and Norway

Linea Gotica website: https://www.lineagoticamontese.eu/en/

The Lieutenant William F. Callahan Jr. Tunnel – the Callahan Tunnel

Kasabuski Brothers Memorial at Kasabuski Rink, Saugus, MA

Florence American Cemetery – https://www.army.mil/article/290320/10th_mountain_division_soldiers_honored_at_florence_american_cemetery

Memorial to Charles Minot “Minnie” Dole at 10^th Mountain Division & Ft. Drum Museum – https://home.army.mil/drum/about/10th-mountain-division-fort-drum-museum

10th Mountain Division Memorial to Arthur L. Delaney – https://aemacdonald.com/2025/12/08/the-story-of-arthur-l-delaney-a-10th-mountain-tribute/

10^th Mountain exhibits at both the North Conway and Franconia, NH, locations of the New England Ski Museum – https://skimuseum.org/10th-mountain-division/

Mt. Wachusett, Massachusetts, plaque – 10th Mountain Division Monument right at the top of the summit ski lift

Annual summer-time ceremony at the Bartlett-Crist 10th Mountain Memorial Garden in Landaff, NH – dedicated to the 132 men from New England who served in the 10^th.

Resources:

Denver Public Library, 10th Mountain Division Resource Center – https://history.denverlibrary.org/research/western-history/10th-mountain-division-resource-center

New England Ski Museum – https://skimuseum.org/

Colorado Snowsports Museum – https://snowsportsmuseum.org/

New England Lost Ski Areas Project – https://www.nelsap.org/

10^th Mountain Division & Ft. Drum Museum – https://home.army.mil/drum/about/10th-mountain-division-fort-drum-museum

10th Mountain Division Foundation – https://10thmountainfoundation.org/

10th Mountain Division Descendents, Inc. – https://10thmtndivdesc.org/

Books:

The Last Ridge: The Epic Story of the U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain Division and the Assault and the Assault on Hilter’s Europe, by McKay Jenkins

Tales of the 10th: The Mountain Troops and American Skiing, by Jeffrey R. Leich

Green Cognac: The Education of a Mountain Fighter, by William Lowell Putnam

Climb to Conquer: The Untold Story of World War II’s 10th Mountain Division Ski Troops, by Peter Shelton

Dear Mary: Letters Home from the 10th Mountain Division-1944-1945, by Sydney M. Williams

After WWII, the surviving soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division came home, went to college, started families, worked, and even founded ski areas like Vail and Waterville Valley. Later, they created the 10th Mountain Division Association to honor their service and remember those who did not return.

Art Delaney, my uncle Donald L. Macdonald, and others reported to Melrose City Hall to be inducted into the armed services on March 18, 1943, at 6:40 am. They then traveled to Fort Devens in Ayer, Massachusetts. After passing their physicals, each man requested a branch of service to join. Those interested in the mountaineering and ski troops had to submit three recommendations, including one from a member of the National Ski Patrol.

From Fort Devens, 13 men took a train to Pando, Colorado, where Camp Hale was located. When they arrived, the camp was still being built, and some training equipment was missing. Still, they completed basic training at over 9,000 feet. After that, they began skiing and mountaineering training, taught by well-known skiers like Toni Matt, Walter Prager, and Melrose’s own Gordon “Tiny” McWade. As more men joined, showing credentials to get into the 10th was no longer required. They trained at Camp Hale for 15 months before moving to Camp Swift in Texas in July 1944 for mule and river-crossing exercises. At the time, there was debate about whether the Army really needed mountaineering troops like those in Finland and Germany.

In his letters home, my uncle wrote that he did not know Art Delaney. Art was an 18-year-old senior at Melrose High School when he joined, while my uncle was a 19-year-old sophomore at Tufts. They got to know each other during basic training, and my uncle sometimes mentioned Art in his letters. He noted that Art Delaney became a sergeant in early 1944.

The 85th Mountain Regiment of the 10th Mountain Division, with Art Delaney in Company D and my uncle in Company E, deployed for Italy in January 1945. Their mission was to push the Germans out of the mountains and into the Po River Valley. Their first big attack was on Riva Ridge, a ridge thought to be impossible to climb, which the 10th managed to scale at night on February 18, 1945. Art survived that operation but was killed during the assault on Mt. Gorgolesco on February 20, 1945. News of his death appeared on the front page of the Melrose Free Press on March 8, 1945.

Art Delaney was first buried in the Florence American Cemetery near Florence, Italy, along with many other American soldiers. In November 1948, his remains were brought home for burial. Two Melrose soldiers, Staff Sergeant Arthur L. Delaney and Pvt. Arthur Brophy, Jr., were escorted by Melrose veterans and lay in state at Memorial Hall on Sunday, November 14, 1948, from 5 to 10 pm. A solemn High Mass was held at St. Mary’s on Monday, November 15, at 9 am for both men, followed by burial in the veterans section of Wyoming Cemetery.

The ceremony was featured on the front pages of both the Melrose Free Press and the Melrose Evening News. Several former members of the 10th from Massachusetts attended, along with representatives from the 10th Mountain Division Association, Inc. Mayor James Milano spoke about Art’s love for sports, especially winter sports. A citation from Governor Francis Sargent, who also served in the 10th, was read. Art’s younger brother, George, who owned the Melrose Ski & Sport Shop on Main Street, appears in the photo, his hand resting on top of the plaque.

A. E. Macdonald is the author of The Macdonalds of Cedar Park, about her Melrose-based family during WWII.