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  • Published: 15 December 2004
  • ISBN: 9780375759512
  • Imprint: Random House US Group
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 336
  • RRP: $36.99

The Last Ridge

The Epic Story of America's First Mountain Soldiers and the Assault on Hitler's Europe



A perfect blend of BAND OF BROTHERS and INTO THIN AIR -- irresistible for lovers of military history and mountaineering alike

When World War II broke out in Europe, the American army had no specialized division of mountain soldiers. But in the winter of 1939–40, after a tiny band of Finnish mountain troops brought the invading Soviet army to its knees, an amateur skier named Charles Minot “Minnie” Dole convinced the United States Army to let him recruit an extraordinary assortment of European expatriates, wealthy ski bums, mountaineers, and thrill-seekers and form them into a unique band of Alpine soldiers. These men endured nearly three years of grueling training in the Colorado Rockies and in the process set new standards for both soldiering and mountaineering. The newly forged 10th Mountain Division finally faced combat in the winter of 1945, in Italy’s Apennine Mountains, against the seemingly unbreakable German fortifications north of the Gothic Line. There, they planned and executed what is still regarded as the most daring series of nighttime mountain attacks in U.S. military history, taking Mount Belvedere and the sheer, treacherous face of Riva Ridge to smash the linchpin of the German army’s lines.

Drawing on unique cooperation from veterans of the 10th Mountain Division and a vast archive of unpublished letters and documents, The Last Ridge is written with enormous warmth, energy, and honesty. This is one of the most captivating stories of World War II, a blend of Band of Brothers and Into Thin Air. It is a story of young men asked to do the impossible, and succeeding.

  • Published: 15 December 2004
  • ISBN: 9780375759512
  • Imprint: Random House US Group
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 336
  • RRP: $36.99

About the author

Mckay Jenkins

McKay Jenkins holds degrees from Amherst, Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism, and Princeton, where he received a Ph.D. in English. He is also the author of The White Death and the editor of The Peter Matthiessen Reader. An associate professor of English and journalism at the University of Delaware, Jenkins lives with his wife and son in Baltimore.

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Praise for The Last Ridge

PRAISE FOR THE LAST RIDGE:
"Jenkins uses oral histories of combatants to give the reader gripping accounts of the bloody but successful assaults on the heavily fortified Gothic Line in the Apennine Mountains."--Washington Post Book World
"Engaging ... A fine acccount, for WWII and outdoor adventure buffs alike."--Kirkus Reviews
"The Last Ridge is the breathtaking story of how one man's vision, and the sheer courage of the legendary 10th Mountain Division, helped change the course of World War II in Europe. Among the war's countless acts of human bravery and sacrifice, this one stands out, and McKay Jenkins brings it to life in his riveting account."--Senator John McCain