The Lost Mountaineers



The Lost Mountaineers is a historical documentary film directed by Andrea Andreotti and Diego Busacca. The documentary focuses on the death of 25 soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division who drowned at Lake Garda on the night of 30 April 1945 when their amphibious craft (DUKW) sank. It explains who the 10th Mountain Division were and chronicles the last days of actions for the 10th Mountain Division and the build-up to the disaster.

Synopsis


The documentary details the events surrounding the loss of these 25 men whose bodies were never recovered, despite the efforts of the United States Army. Their names were therefore added to the list of World War II Missing in Action (MIA).

It recounts the search for the DUKW and successive missions to survey the area and a mini submarine mission at Lake Garda.

The Fallen



Below are the names of the soldiers this documentary film aims to honor.

B/605th FAB, 10th MD C/605th FAB, 10th MD 52nd QM BN, 10th MD
 * Cpl. William R. Armstrong
 * Pvt. Merle Britton
 * Pfc. Willard E. Chapman
 * Pfc. Jerry T. Dillard
 * Cpl. Emory E. Hamilton
 * Pvt. Howard Harper
 * Cpl. James Harwell
 * Pfc. Edward E. Koskela
 * Pfc. Stanley R. Lade
 * Cpl. William E. Madara
 * Pfc. Frank J. Miller
 * Pvt. William C. Morrison, Jr.
 * Pvt. Roger L. Murray
 * Pfc. Elmer C. Paulson
 * Pfc. Xwell Y. Reynolds
 * Cpl. Gayle W. Russell, Jr.
 * Pvt. Frank Tame
 * Pfc. Charles E. Tannehill
 * Pfc. Walter J. Armstrong
 * Cpl. Max L. Champion
 * 1st Sgt. James S. Hilley
 * Pfc. Leroy A. King
 * Pfc. Norman B. Russel
 * Cpl. Richard Wright
 * Pfc. Nicholas Del Grosso

The Association Benach's website associazionebenach.com will become active on the August 1,2024 and will be adding more information about the men.

Financing
The documentary was made by the Italian nonprofit association Fondazione Museo storico del Trentino (FMST) and the Association Benàch, also a nonprofit WWII history group based in Torbole, Lake Garda who played a fundamental role in the research and search for the DUKW.

The Italian version of The Lost Mountaineers premiered on October 8, 2023, in the Italian language version.

The FMST and the Association Benàch are still raising money to complete the English language version. Val Rios, Former President of the 10th Mountain Division Descendants and Friends, endorsed their campaign in an open letter in the 10th Mountain Division online newspaper Blizzard the film also received a grant from the 10th Mountain Division Association.

A GoFundMe campaign to complete the documentary film raised 7,870€. The names of these donors are in the closing credits.

Supported by
The results seen in the documentary film are the of many fruit of many hours of work by many people from different organizations. - Volontari del Garda “Volga 2026” - Promare - Ictineu Submarines - Denver Library - Stories Behind The Stars “USA World War II Fallen” - Honor for Heroes - Pando Comando

Featuring


MG (U.S. Army RET.) Gordon B.Davis Jr - COL (USAF, RET.) Jeff Patton - Lorenzo Gardumi (Historian) - Giovanni Sulla (10th Mountain Division expert) - Luca Turrini and Mauro Fusato (Gruppo Volontari del Garda ODV - ETS) - Antonella Previdi (Association Benàch)

Narrated by John Q Kubin.

Awards
Critically acclaimed, The Lost Mountaineers received the Special Mention by the Jury and won the People's Choice Award out of the 62 films shown at the RAM Film Festival on October 8, 2023. The Lost Mountaineers won the Best Documentary award in the bimonthly Monza Film Fest for May - June 2024 and are waiting for news to know whether it will be screened at the final event, which will take place at the Cinema Al Capitol Anteo Spazio Cinema in Monza, September 2024.

Tour and Film Festivals
In August 2024, the Association Benàch will be presenting the documentary film in several places in the USA, such;

Wednesday, 14 August, at the Colorado Snowsports Museum and Hall of Fame in Vail. Doors open at 17:15 with the documentary film screening at 18:00, followed by a Q/A session with members of the production team.

Friday 16, August, Leadville, Colorado Lake County Civic Center Center Association. Showing at 16:00 and 18:00. With a Q/A session after each screening with production team members.

Monday 19, August, Denver, thanks to Colorado History: The doors open at 17:00 for attendees to view the History Colorado Centre’s exhibit Winter Warriors: The 10th Mountain Division in World War II. The film will begin at 18:00. The duration of the film is 60 minutes and will be followed by a Q/A session with members of the production team.

Wednesday 21, August, screening hosted by Fort Smith Museum of History (AR) showing at 19:00 followed by a Q/A session with members of the production team. The documentary film will be presented at the Fort Smith International Film Festival Arkansas, 22–24 August 2024.

Monday 26 and Tuesday 27 August potential screening in Chicago. They are still looking for assistance finding a venue to screen. Anyone willing to assist the Association Benach in this is asked to contact them via email: associazionebenanch@gmail.com

Once the film has gone on tour and the film festivals are over, the documentary will be freely available online.

If you would like more information, please get in touch with the Association Benàch at associazionebenach@gmail.com or on their FB page.

Future Projects
The Association Benàch together with the FMST are now working on a documentary film about BG William Orlando Darby.