When the U.S. Army began training soldiers on skis for fighting in Europe during WWII.

 When the U.S. Army began training soldiers on skis for fighting in Europe during WWII, it’s no surprise that they turned to Vermonters like Wendell Robert Cram.

Known as Wendy to his friends, Cram qualified for the 1940 Olympics in ski racing, only to have the games cancelled.

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, he enlisted and was sent to Camp Hale where he helped to train fellow soldiers in what was later named the 10th Mountain Division to ski. “Feet were a big problem,” Wendell said. “The ski shoes were terrible.”

Everyone had 7-foot skis. Wendell described them as “Stiff. There was no give to them.”

He was also part of a group sent to test Weasels on a Canadian glacier. Weasels were comparable to Sno-Cats now, vehicles on treads. “We had an awful time learning to keep the treads on the things,” Wendell said.

When the troops arrived Italy, “our training paid off,” he said.

They kept inside during the day and climbed at night, leaving pitons in place. Once everything was set, they scaled the mountain and attacked the Germans. The battle lasted days, Wendell said.

Overall, he spent two years in Italy’s Po Valley. “Flatlanders could not get through the Po Valley,” he said, but the 10th Mountain Division, of which Cram was part, could.

Taking German positions on the mountains in the Po Valley in 1945 was crucial to the Allies plans to take northern Italy. Two previous attempts had failed, but the 10th succeeded.