Original Items. Only One Pair Available. This is an excellent matching pair of U.S. WWII military snowshoes manufactured by C.A. Lund of Hastings, Minnesota, and dated 1945. Both snowshoes bear matching serial number 02311 and retain their leather foot bindings, tie cords, straps, and U.S.-marked hardware. Snowshoes of this general type formed part of the specialized winter and mountain equipment associated with U.S. Army troops during WWII, including the famed 10th Mountain Division.

Each snowshoe measures approximately 12 3/4" x 28 1/2". The wooden frames remain in excellent overall condition, with their woven centers and leather binding components well retained. Both examples retain the leather foot covers or bindings and their tie strings, along with both leather straps. The matching condition and identical serial numbers strongly indicate that these have remained together as a pair.

The leather foot covers and tie string are intact on both snowshoes with both leather straps retained as well. The wood bars are marked:

U.S.
C.A. LUND
HASTINGS, MINN.

Both snowshoes are additionally numbered 02311 and dated 1945. The foot trap plates are marked:

U.S.
DOVER

C.A. Lund was a well-established American manufacturer of skis, snowshoes, and other winter sporting equipment based in Hastings, Minnesota. The company was producing snowshoes during the WWII period, and surviving examples are known with U.S. military markings. The National Park Service also preserves C.A. Lund snowshoes manufactured at Hastings during the wartime period, confirming the firm’s active production of this type of equipment.

Snowshoes were part of the broader family of specialized cold-weather equipment used by U.S. Army mountain and winter troops during WWII. This equipment is particularly associated with the 10th Mountain Division, whose personnel trained extensively in skiing, mountaineering, snow travel, and cold-weather operations at Camp Hale, Colorado. Camp Hale was established at more than 9,000 feet above sea level, with surrounding training areas reaching considerably higher elevations, providing the division with an environment specifically suited to mountain warfare preparation.

The formation that became the 10th Mountain Division developed from the Army’s early experiments with specialized mountain troops. In March 1942, the decision was made to organize a full division trained for mountain warfare, and on July 15, 1943, the 10th Light Division (Alpine) was activated at Camp Hale. It was redesignated the 10th Mountain Division in November 1944 before deploying to Italy.

The division entered combat in the northern Apennines during the winter of 1945. Among its best-known actions was the February 1945 assault on Riva Ridge, where specially trained mountain troops climbed difficult terrain to seize commanding German positions. The division subsequently fought through the Apennines, entered the Po Valley, and advanced toward Lake Garda during the final months of the European war.

These snowshoes are especially appealing as a matching, 1945-dated U.S. military pair retaining their original leather binding components and matching 02311 serial numbers. The clear U.S. / C.A. LUND / HASTINGS, MINN. markings and U.S. / DOVER foot hardware give them particularly strong identification, while their compact military configuration places them within the specialized winter equipment used by American troops during WWII.