Tribute to the 10th Mountain Division - Little Whiteface Mountain, NY
N 44° 21.357 W 073° 53.515
18T E 588306 N 4912005
The 10th Mountain Division, which currently trains on Whiteface Mountain, is honored in a monument atop Little Whiteface Mountain.
Waymark Code: WM9MP5
Location: New York, United States
Date Posted: 09/05/2010
Views: 19
This monument is rather unique in that it contains a small piece of Italy within it. It is made up of a plaque mounted on a rock from Mt. Belvedere in Italy where the 10th Mountain Division heroically fought in 1945.
The 10th. Mtn. Division entered combat on January 28, 1945 in the North Apennine Mountains of Italy, where they faced many fortified German positions. Other infantry units attempted to overtake the German strongholds but failed three times.
The battles here included three peaks as follows: Mt. Belvedere; Mt. Gorgolesco; and Mt. Della Torraccia. The 10th. Mtn. Division was able to lead a successful assault up a 1500 foot vertical ascent to take control of German positions. The efforts of the US Army Mountain Divisions were a success.
553 US Mountain Infantrymen lost their lives during this conflict of WWII between the dates of February 19th and March 2nd. of 1945.
The Government of Italy presented a plaque affixed to a rock taken from Mt. Belvedere in honor of these brave men.
The 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) is a light infantry division of the United States Army based at Fort Drum, New York (near Whiteface Mountain). It is a subordinate unit of the XVIII Airborne Corps and the only division-sized element of the US Army to specialize in fighting under harsh terrain and weather conditions. The division retains the "mountain" designation for historical purposes but is actually organized as a light infantry division.
The plaque is mounted within a granite boulder that is the summit of Little Whiteface Mountain, a shoulder peak of Whiteface Mountain. It reads:
"In Tribute to the Men of the 10th Mt. Division. This Rock was brought by the Government of Italy from Mt. Belvedere, scene of the Division's greatest battle during World War II
Presented to the Whiteface Mountain Authority by the 10th Mt. Div. Association
March 1980"
In order to access it, you can either hike up from the base, or hike (or ski down) from the summit, or do what we did - take the Gondola Ride.
Date of Dedication: 03/01/1980
Property Permission: Public
Access instructions: Easy: Gondola Ride Hard: Hike up Mountain
Access times: From: 9:00 AM To: 5:00 AM
Location of waymark:
Little Whiteface Mountain Summit
Commemoration: 10th Mtn Division by the Italian Government
Website for Waymark: Not listed
|
Visit Instructions:
Include a photo containing, at minimum, the monument and your GPSr. We'd prefer a photo containing YOU at the monument, but we understand that some people are camera-shy.
Also include a bit about your visit here.