This Abridged version of Episode 3 explores the 10th Mountain Division’s backstory in the lead-up to America’s entry into World War II.

The episode includes abridged interviews with Chris Juergens, PhD, the Anschutz Curator of Military History at History Colorado, on the history of Germany’s mountain troops, and Sepp Scanlin, the former director of the 10th Mountain Division and Fort Drum Museum, on the resistance the idea of an American mountain division faced from within the War Department.

The episode also includes an overview of Minnie Dole’s Herculean efforts to establish a ski division, as well as the way world events—and America’s climbers—helped persuade military leaders that maybe we really did need a mountain division after all.

See here for an overview of the characters mentioned in this episode.

Available only to patrons, the Unabridged episode of Episode 3 features the complete interviews with Juergens and Scanlin, as well as a complete chronology of events leading up to General George Marshall’s decision to conduct exploratory ski patrols in the winter of 1940-41.

Patrons are the heart of Ninety-Pound Rucksack. Their support allows us to pursue the show’s journalistic and educational objectives as we detail the Division’s living legacy. In return, patrons receive exclusive access to Unabridged content for all episodes.

If you haven’t already, please consider becoming a patron. Our goal with Ninety-Pound Rucksack is to inform and inspire the public about the Division’s living legacy. Patrons make that possible. In return, they receive access to all Unabridged content.

Special thanks our partners, The 10th Mountain Division Descendants, the Denver Public Library, The American Alpine Club and the 10th Mountain Division Foundation, as well to our advisory board members, McKay Jenkins, Chris Juergens, Jeff Leich, David Little, Sepp Scanlin, Keli Schmid and Doug Schmidt, for their help with this episode and to Dr. Blyth for his assistance in putting this episode together.

Thanks, too, to our new patrons, Peter Breu, Peter Metcalf, Bob McLaurin, Carlos El, Peter Zeising, Adam Clark, Jason Keith, Rod Newcomb, Faith Rand, Mark Sullivan, Daniel Rose, Melanie Schwab and Flint Ellsworth, for their support.