Summer in the Mountains

In summer, the Army's mountain trooper sheds his skis and white suit--and his glamor. Then he looks like any other soldier except for a cocky ski cap, sole reminder of the days when he whooshed down slopes and tramped the peaks on snowshoes. Last week, somewhere in the West, he plodded up a narrow mountain path, holding the bridle of an opinionated mule. The view he saw was mostly the rump of the mule ahead; the sounds he heard were the clip-clip-clop of mule hoofs, labored breathing, an occasional heavy stumble over stone. And the sun was hot.

Boy Meets Mule. To many a mountain soldier, spring with its mules was a comedown. When trooper met mule, man & beast were mutually suspicious. The Army began a glamorizing campaign, argued that mules were smarter, surer-footed and more playful than horses, hung a sign: "Through These Portals Pass the Most Beautiful Mules in the World" (see cut, p. 62). Result: many a ski trooper volunteered to work with the animals, now thinks that mules as well as skis have their points.

For a summer march, a mountain unit like the 87th Infantry Mountain Regiment (first in the U.S. Army) has four components: 1) hand-led mules with equipment (weapons of various calibers, tents, stoves, etc.); 2) mules with supplies (food and extra ammunition), traveling 52 in a herd with 16 soldiers mounted; 3) trucks, which leave the troops to bypass rough terrain; 4) men on foot.

In a real campaign, mountain troopers travel with elaborate equipment for their double duties. They take along winter's skis and snowshoes, boots and parkas, ski wax and sleeping bags, summer's saddles and harness, light uniforms and raincoats. Out-of-season equipment is stored at a main base, the rest taken into the field. No other troops tote so much.

Thick Going in Thin Air. Strategy and tactics are not very different in mountain fighting, but carrying them out is more difficult. Traveling uphill is slower than walking on the level, coming down is faster for men (especially on skis) but maddeningly slow for mules. The rare mountain air forces frequent rests, even after man & beast are accustomed to it.

The U.S. has picked its mountain troops from among skiers, horsemen, mule-skinners, mountain climbers, trappers, prospectors, guides. Short to medium-sized men, the Army has found, tire less quickly at high altitudes. Fear of high places (acrophobia) is not always a disqualification: many a man who has felt nervous on a stepladder quickly learns a mule's aplomb on precipice edges.

Lesson from Greece. World War II has proved that only specialist troops can fight skillfully in the mountains. In Norway, British mechanized outfits were no match for Germany's mountain men. Greek mountain troops made life miserable for the Italian invaders until German experts arrived. Today Germany has some 15 mountain divisions; probably a tenth of all Axis soldiers have been trained to fight in the hills.

The U.S., which had no ski-and-mule troops until 1941, is far behind the Axis. A new camp abuilding in Colorado (elevation 9,500 ft.) will train a whole division. This is only a small start. Of possible U.S. theaters of war, nearly a fifth are mountainous: e.g., Alaska, the Canal Zone, Iceland, Malaya, Norway, Yugoslavia, Greece. In such terrain, where mechanized divisions stall, the U.S. may some day have to depend on its mountain troopers and slogging, sure-footed mules.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.