Honoring BG Darby and the 10th Mountain Division: Welcoming the Return to Italy Group in Torbole

associazionebenach
Oct 2
3 min read

Updated: Oct 31

Welcoming the Return to Italy Group in Torbole This September, Association Benàch was honored to welcome the Return to Italy group—descendants of 10th Mountain Division soldiers—back to Torbole. It was a time of remembrance, reconnection, and shared history. Together, we visited meaningful sites, including the plaque marking where Brigadier General William O. Darby and Sergeant Major John “Tim” Evans were killed on April 30, 1945, and the lakeside monuments honoring General Darby and Sergeant Major Evans and the 25 soldiers who died when their DUKW sank in Lake Garda on April 30, 1945. We were honored to have also with us MAJ Jonathan KUHN, Provost, Marshall, and director of emergency services, SSG Raquel BIRK, an NCO with the southern European task force, both veterans who served in combat with the 10th Mountain Division. Their visit was organised by Rick Scavetta, Chief PAO, and Randy Jackson, journalist at the PA office from the Vicenza US base. We shared a screening of our documentary The Lost Mountaineers, and were deeply moved by the group’s heartfelt responses. Our guests then visited the Benàch World War II exhibition and enjoyed delicious refreshments, provided by Claudio Nodari from the Hotel Ristorante Benaco Torbole sul Garda and Association Benàch. Later, under clearing skies, we brought Keli Schmid, Caren Levin and Melissa Levin to the exact spot where Caren’s father, PFC Ralph S. Chertkoff, stood in 1945—a place we had also visited in 2024 with Caren’s sister, Shelley Cooper. Association Benàch was represented by Antonella Previdi, Ben Appleby, Ruggero Bellotti, Fabrizio Tardivo and Mary Generelli. We were grateful for the presence of Nago-Torbole’s Deputy Mayor, Sara Balduzzi, who offered a warm welcome on behalf of the community. On Thursday, a solemn ceremony took place aboard the Speedy boat on Lake Garda, marking the spot where 25 soldiers lost their lives in Lake Garda. A single white rose was laid on the water, followed by “Taps” and a moment of silence. Back on shore, guests toured the WWII-era air-raid shelter in Torbole. The day concluded in Nago, where Jennifer Esler stood in the exact location of a 1945 photo of her father, identified thanks to the help of Benàch members Marco Rosà and Pietro Porretto. They were powerful moments of memory, friendship, and honoring the past. We are proud to help preserve this history on the shores of Lake Garda and grateful to the families who continue to return.

Sara Balduzzi, Deputy Mayor with Rugero Alpini and part of the Benach team with members of the Return to Italy group.

Fabrazio, Ben and Antonella with MAJ Jonathan Kuhn, Provost (Marshall), director of emergency services with SSG Raquel Birk an NCO with the Southern European Task Force.

Delicious refreshments kindly offered by Claudio Nodari, Hotel Benaco, Torbole.

10th Mountain Division flag signed by the Return to Italy participants and our friends from the U.S. Army base in Vicenza. Inspired by the beautiful photograph shared by Andrea Sabbattini from the Museo delle Storie della Linea Gotica.