Skiing, Senator Bob Dole, The Von Trapp Brothers, the 10th Mountain Division... and my Cousin

 Private First Class (PFC) Lyle M. Ozmun (1917-1944) (my 4th cousin, 1x removed) was inducted into the U.S. Army on February 23, 1944.  He received training at Camp Roberts, California and Camp Swift, Texas before going overseas in December 1944.  

Lyle grew up in Winona, Winona County, Minnesota.  Now when I think of Minnesota, I think of cold almost year around with lots and lots of snow.  However, it turns out that Winona is located on the banks of the Mississippi River in what is called the bluff country. Theirs is the warmest climate of any in Minnesota.  Temperatures are generally very mild by Minnesota standards year around; the January average is 17.6 degrees (-8 C) while that of July is 75.8 degrees (24.33 C).  Winona  has a humid continental climate with hot, humid summers and cold, snowy winters.  

Location of Winona County, Minnesota

With an average snowfall of only 37.6 inches, it does not sound like it's the skiing capital of the world.  So I wonder if Lyle knew how to ski before he joined the Army.  I think he may have.  Why is that important, you may be asking.  Hold on and keep reading.

Meanwhile, even before the United States entered the war in Europe, the government created the Mountain Winter Warfare Board to design and test winter equipment and transportation. The National Ski Patrol had a unique relationship with the military by which they recruited experts in skiing and mountaineering for the U.S. Army.  In November 1941, the War Department established the 1st Battalion of 87th Mountain Infantry Regiment as a mountain battalion.  Their first home was Fort Lewis, Washington with training at nearby Mount Rainier.  

The Army then created the Mountain Training Center (MTC) at Camp Carson, Colorado, but a national search for a suitable location for winter/mountain training led to the development of a site in the Colorado Rocky Mountains close to Leadville that became Camp Hale.  This became the home post of the MTC in November 1942.  The 10th Mountain Division became the alpine combat arm of the U.S. military.  Eighteen units comprised the 10th Mountain Division, but this post is going to concentrate on the 85th, 86th, and 87th Mountain Infantry Regiments.  

The 10th Mountain Division trained at Camp Hale, Colorado, where volunteers learned rock climbing, endurance through long distance marches and cross country ski trips, down hill skiing, winter/mountain survival techniques, and combat throughout the winter of 1943-1944. In June 1944, the Division transferred to Camp Swift, Texas, for additional training until the division was deployed to Italy in December 1944 - January 1945.   

Remember that Lyle Ozmun received training at Camp Swift?  Well, this is where the two stories come together.  Somehow Lyle ended up in the 10th Mountain Division while at Camp Swift.  He became an infantry machine gunner with M Company of the 85th Infantry Regiment.  (This is why I believe Lyle knew how to ski, specifically cross-country ski, because he became a part of the 10th Mountain Division without going to Camp Hale and training for winter/mountain combat.)  He shipped out with the 10th, and the Division became active in the mountains of Italy on January 5, 1945.  

The saga of the 10th Mountain Division is unique in the history of the U.S. Army, and its arrival in the Italian Theater was a noteworthy event.  A brand new division of infantry was a rare sight among the battle-weary soldiers already there, and these fresh troops were already considered elite before they fired their first shots.  This was not because they had battlefield exploits under their belts.  The 10th was specifically outfitted and trained for winter warfare.  These were soldiers whose basic equipment included skis, and each man had been required to present written recommendations for inclusion in the unit.  (I wonder who wrote Lyle's recommendation?)  The ranks of the 10th Mountain included many of the finest skiers and winter sports enthusiasts in the U.S.  Ski instructors and competitors from across the country volunteered.  Malcolm Douglass, who had driven a dog team during Admiral Richard Byrd's expedition to the South Pole in 1940, came forward, as did Norwegian-born Torger Tokle, holder of the world ski jumping record.  Werner and Ruppert von Trapp (yes, from the famous family featured in the musical, "The Sound of Music") both served in the 10th Mountain Division after fleeing from Austria and eventually joining the U.S. Army.

Uniform of the 10th Mountain Division
courtesy of the National Association of the 10th Mountain Division

The majority of the 10th personnel were college educated and members of families that were at least affluent, often wealthy, and sometimes politically connected.  So of course, the veterans of other units resented the ski boys.  The 10th had stood on the sidelines of the war for months as other commanders declined to employ them.  In the snow and ice of Northern Italy, however, troops trained in mountain warfare might be used to an advantage.  Still many wondered whether these soldiers could fight.  They did not have to wait long for an answer.  

U.S. and Brazilian soldiers had been unsuccessful in breaking German lines established in the northern Italian Alps.  From Naples, the 10th Mountain set sights on routing the Germans from Mount Belvedere, which provided the key to advancement into the Po Valley.  Securing Mount Belvedere depended on routing German artillery entrenched on Riva Ridge, a three-and-a-half mile ridge connecting a series of mountains.  Warm weather made the specially designed winter camouflage clothing and equipment useless and the planned assault on Riva Ridge required climbing rather than skiing.  On the night of February 18, 1945, companies of the 86th Regiment scaled Riva Ridge surprising the Germans. 

A captured German officer commented, "We didn't realize that you had really big mountains in the United States, and we didn't believe your troops could climb anything that awkward."  

The capture of Riva Ridge enabled the 85th and 87th Regiments to move on to Mount Belvedere and the adjacent peaks Mounts Gorgolesco and della Torraccia.  By April 20th, the 10th Mountain Division entered the Po Valley, and after heavy fighting, the German Army in Italy surrendered on May 2, 1945.  In the campaign in Italy, the 10th took heavy losses with 4,888 casualties including 978 killed in action.  In capturing the peaks alone, the 10th  suffered over 900 casualties.  These included Lyle and... Bob Dole!   

 Bob Dole in his officer's uniform circa 1944.  

It turns out that Lt. Robert "Bob" Dole was a rifle platoon leader in Company I of the 85th Infantry Regiment!  Dole wrote later "I thought it was mighty odd that a kid from Kansas who had seen a mountain up close only once in his life would be assigned to lead a platoon of mountain troops.  We Kansans didn't ski much."

During what was called the Spring Offensive (April 14-16, 1945), the 85th Regiment was selected as one of two regiments to spearhead the attack.  The mission of the 85th was to attack due north and seize Hills 913, 909, and 860 (near the small town of Castel d'Aiano). 

 

On the morning of April 14, the assault began. First, bombers pummeled the German bunkers. Then, Dole and his men were instructed to move across the valley and take control of Hill 913.  

It was slow going. They mostly crawled through the valley, between hedgerows and stone walls, watching for land mines and under heavy machine gun fire. His men were being picked off one by one. By the end of the day, 98 U.S. soldiers would die on Hill 913.  

Dole searched for his radio operator to call for reinforcements. The man was slumped over in his own blood, radio in hand.  Dole crawled over to him to pull him to a shell hole.

And that's when it happened.

Dole said he felt a sting as something hot and powerful crashed into his upper back behind his right shoulder.  It could have been a mortar round, an exploding shell, or machine gun fire.  Whatever it was, it tore through his shoulder and spine instantly paralyzing him from the neck down.  

Due to the heavy fighting, it was more than six hours later before he was evacuated.  Lt. Dole spent 40 months recovering in hospitals.    

On April 15, the battle continued.  Lyle's Company M was using their heavy weapons to support the attack from Hill 913.  Again, progress was slow, as the Germans fought fanatically to hold their ground, but the Allies were ultimately successful.  And even though the capture of Hills 913 and 909 was possible only by a heavy sacrifice of blood and American lives, it was this effort that paved the way for the advance to the Po Valley.  After the 85th had seized the hills, the 86th and 87th were able to push rapidly to the northeast across Mt. Pigna, Rocca di Roffeno and beyond.  

So by the third day, April 16, strategy became the withdrawal to defensive positions.  Because of the 87th Mountain Infantry's rapid advance, it was decided to abandon any further attack through the mountains, and follow the 87th to defend their flank.  When the 85th followed to the northeast, Castel d'Aiano and Hills 913 and 909 would be taken over by the British Expeditionary Forces.  The plan was executed in a series of moves.  However, the troops were heavily shelled by the enemy along the way.  Somewhere and some time in the midst of all the movement on April 16th, Lyle was killed in action on Hill 913.  I am sure his family and his hometown were devastated. He received a Bronze Star and Purple Heart for his sacrifice.  

 Lyle was buried in the Florence American Cemetery and Memorial in Italy.  The cemetery covers 70 acres, set in wooded hills.  There are 4,392 of our military dead laid to rest there.  The headstones are arrayed in symmetrical curved rows upon the hillside.  They represent 39% of the U.S. Fifth Army burials originally made between Rome and the Alps.  Most died in the fighting that occurred after the capture of Rome in June 1944, however, included among them are casualties of the heavy fighting in the Apennines Mountains of northern Italy.  

Final note... The 10th Mountain Division helped popularize skiing in the U.S.  After the war, returning ski soldier veterans from the 10th were largely responsible for introducing skiing as a recreational sport, especially in Colorado.  

Sources:

Brockell, Gillian.  "Bob Dole wanted to be a doctor. One of WWII's last battles changed everything for him." The Washington Post, December 5, 2021, available at https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2021/12/05/bob-dole-world-war-ii-hero/.  Accessed April 12, 2022.

Case, Mike, "Skiing, Sen. Bob Dole and the Von Trapp Brothers:  10 Facts About the 10th Mountain Division," USO website, originally posted in 2019, updated July 9, 2021.  Available at https://www.uso.org/stories/2396-skiing-sen-bob-dole-and-the-von-trapp-brothers-10-facts-about-the-10th-mountain-division#.  Accessed April 12, 2022.

Decedent Search.  Lyle M. Ozmun.  American Battle Monuments Commission. Available at https://www.abmc.gov/decedent-search/ozmun%3Dlyle.  Accessed April 11, 2022.  

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56365831/lyle-m-ozmun : accessed 11 April 2022), memorial page for PFC Lyle M Ozmun (9 Nov 1917–16 Apr 1945), Find a Grave Memorial ID 56365831, citing Florence American Cemetery and Memorial, Florence, Città Metropolitana di Firenze, Toscana, Italy ; Maintained by Coleman ✿ (contributor 47076912).

Florence American Cemetery.  American Battle Monuments Commission. Available at https://www.abmc.gov/Florence.  Accessed April 12, 2022.  

Haskew, Michael E., "Surging toward the Alps: Last Battles of the Italian Campaign," Warfare History Network website.  Available at:  https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/2016/09/12/surging-toward-the-alps-last-battles-of-the-italian-campaign/.  Accessed April 12, 2022.

Metropolitan State University (MSU) of Denver, Denver Colorado, website page "Camp Hale." Available at https://temp.msudenver.edu/camphale/10thmountaindivision/.  Accessed April 11, 2022.

Wikipedia contributors. Winona, Minnesota. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. April 11, 2022, 11:04 UTC. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Winona,_Minnesota&oldid=1082107372. Accessed April 11, 2022.

Woodruff, John B., Captain, 85th Mountain Infantry, Historical Records Officer, 1945, "History of the 85th Mountain Infantry Regiment, 4 January 1945 - 31 May 1945."  Accessed April 11, 2022.