#alpine troops

French postcard from the First World War.

A Soviet alpine soldier in Afghanistan.

Alpine troops of the Polish 3rd Carpathian Rifles, armed for fighting in the mountains of Italy.

A pair of Polish soldiers, dressed in French provided uniforms. They are from the elite Highland Brigade, one of the French raised units in the wake of the fall of Poland. These two are deployed to Norway, where the Brigade was sent in late April, 1940. Their time there would be short lived, since with the invasion of the low countries on May 10th, they were withdrawn soon after and returned to France, where, after fighting in Brittany, they disbanded and mostly fled to Great Britain.

Italian Alpini, the elite mountain troops of the Italian Army, and easily reconizable by the black feather decorating their caps. They carry the 7.62 NATO Beretta BM59, a modification of the American M1 Garand, capable of select fire, and utilizing a 20 round, removable magazine.

Canadian soldiers of the Special Service Force. The SSF was disbanded in 1995.

Finnish ski-troopers glide over the snow, using reindeer to tow their gear. The superior winter-fighting of the Finns was an integral part in their ability to hold off the Soviet forces, and a popular Finnish joke at the time was that a Soviet ski-trooper could quickly be identified by the skis being carried on his back.

Brazilian Expeditionary Force, Winter Operations, Italy 1944-1945

11th INFANTRY REGIMENT; BOMBIANA

About to leave for a night recon patrol, this soldier from I/11th Infantry wears a loose, non-reversible snow-camouflage suit made by the Brazilian QM depot in Livorno. (The Brazilians also used US M42 snow parkas.) Under it he wears a US “tanker jacket” (properly, “winter combat jacket”), and note the four-buckle overshoes. His weapon is an M1 Thompson .45 cal submachine gun.

PRIVATE, 1st INFANTRY REGIMENT; MONTE CASTELLO

As from December 1944, much-needed US winter gear arrived in quantity in the regimental depots of the Brazilian division. This soldier belonging to III/1st Infantry is seen after the consolidation of positions taken from the enemy on Monte Castello in late February 1945. He wears an M43 pile cap, M43 field-jacket liner worn inside out to expose the pile lining, bib-front winter combat trousers, and four-buckle overshoes.

RIFLE PLATOON LEADER

This platoon leader on patrol can hardly be distinguished from the enlisted men he commands. He wears a US-made “jeep cap,” and his shortened Brazilian officer’s coat is covered by a US field jacket displaying the “BRASIL” sleeve shield. The magazines of his M3 “grease gun” are taped together, and extra magazines are carried in his front trouser pockets. (The M3 was not standard issue to rifle platoons, but small numbers were available in the HQ sections of rifle companies, and were issued for duties such as patrols.) This segundo-tenente is one of many Brazilian officers who opted for US-made double-buckle boots.