| Original caption: “Lieutenant Colonel Woran [sic], Chaplain of the Tenth Mountain Division, leads a group of men in prayer at Torboli [sic] the day following the unconditional surrender of all German troops in Italy.” 10th Mountain Division Chaplain William J. Moran (January 15, 1906 – August 23, 1996) 10th Mountain Division Headquarters Company, leads a group of soldiers in prayer. A large group of soldiers surrounds a DUKW “Duck” amphibious vehicle, a 6-wheel-drive amphibious modification of the General Motors Corporation CCKW “deuce-and-a-half” 2-and-a-half-ton truck on which Moran stands while leading the men in prayer. Using the DUKW as a stage in the city of Torbole, Italy, General George P. Hays (September 27, 1892 – August 7, 1978), Commanding Officer of the 10th Mountain Division, informed a large group of soldiers of the final victory over all German armies in Italy and southern Austria and the Axis surrender in the theater the previous day. Standing in Torbole plaza, 10th Mountain Division troops prayed with Father Moran for thanks for the final victory. As they prayed, an Italian man crossed behind them with a wheel barrow and a goat. The prayer from the DUKW deck was symbolic; 4 days earlier, on April 28, 1945, The 10th Mountain Division’s mission was to head from Torbole to Riva del Garda across Lake Garda using amphibious DUKWs. To avoid Nazi German fire, the DUKWs sailed out into the Lake, rather than hugging the shore. Each DUKW was to carry a M1 75 millimeter (3 inch) pack howitzer, equipment, ammunition, and members of the 605th Field Artillery Battalion. The pack howitzers were disassembled into pieces that 6 mules ashore could carry. All were way over their rated cargo capacity of 5,000 pounds (2,200 kilograms). 1 of the 3 DUKWs stalled when rough water entered its engine. The soldiers and crew threw everything overboard; it sank anyway. 24 10th Division soldiers, unable to swim, drowned in the frigid water. The only survivor, Corporal Thomas Hough (June 3, 1924 – December 12, 2005), was a swimming instructor and made it to shore. It’s virtually certain that Father Moran led the men in praying for the 24 dead soldiers from the DUKW 4 days earlier, who died just days before the end of the war in Europe. Father Moran also probably included Colonel William O. Darby (February 8, 1911 – April 30, 1945) in his prayers. Darby was Acting Assistant Division Commander of the 10th Mountain Division when a Nazi German 88 millimeter (3.46 inch) shell struck his command post, killing him and Regimental Sergeant Major John “Tim” Evans (1923 – April 30, 1945), and wounding many others. Photographer Corporal Marshall H. Bull (March 13, 1920 – March 13, 2006), 196th Signal Photo Company, took part in battles and campaigns in the Northern Appenines, Rome, Sicily, Naples, Foggia, Po Valley and Arno. He was awarded the American Defense Service, Bronze Star, and Good Conduct Medals and the European African Middle Eastern Service Award. After the war, he settled in Brookhaven, New York, where he and his wife raised their family. He worked in the photography department at Brookhaven National Laboratory. | |
| Image Filename | wwii0636.jpg |
| Image Size | 1.14 MB |
| Image Dimensions | 2896 x 2416 |
| Photographer | Marshall H. Bull |
| Photographer Title | United States Army Signal Corps |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | May 3, 1945 |
| Location | |
| City | Torbole |
| State or Province | South Tyrol |
| Country | Italy |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | NWDNS-111-SC-205602 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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