How could a combat-ready "elite" body of troops known as the Alpine Corps (Alpenkorps) evolve from men, who previously had no mountain experience? What role did the mission in South Tyrol play in this development? And how were the German "Alliance Brothers" portrayed in recollections during the world war interim period and the National Socialist (Nazi) era? For the first time, this book brings the perception of the Alpenkorps in literature between 1916 and 1939 into question, and correlates that perception with material available in various archives. The author's investigation produces a realistic assessment of the circumstances, under which the Alpenkorps operated in South Tyrol during 1915, and thereby sets the record straight about the "myth" that to this day still surrounds the first German mountain troop.