The 10th Mountain Division is the only large military unit in the U.S. Army to receive intensive specialized training to fight in mountain and arctic conditions.

The 10th Light Division (Alpine) was established on July 10, 1943, and activated five days later at Camp Hale, Colorado. This unit, specialized in mountain warfare, recruited experienced skiers. Initial training was led by Olympic skier Rolf Monsen. The division was renamed the "10th Mountain Division" in 1944 and fought in the mountains of Italy, some of the most rugged terrains of World War II.

The division was highly specialized, with 75mm cannons instead of 105mm and 155mm, light M29 tracked vehicles instead of trucks, and 5,000 mules and horses, at a time when the army had nearly phased out pack animals. Under the command of Major General George Price Hays, it sailed for Italy and arrived in Naples between December 1944 and January 1945. On January 6, its units were sent to the front lines. The division was deployed in the Apennines during the Po River offensive in April 1945 and participated in one of the last battles of World War II on the Italian front: the Battle of Torbole (April 28 - May 2, 1945). Its military operations ended on May 5, 1945, when the Division reached Nauders, Austria, beyond the Resia Pass.