Since the time of Alexander the Great and Hannibal, many armies have had to fight their way through mountain passes, but it was not until the advent of World War I that mountain fastnesses became actual battlefields. Arctic regions figured even less in 20th century military thinking, yet warfare in these frozen wastes can be traced back to the Stone Age. In this major survey, the author examines the history of warfare in these inhospitable climates and the fighting techniques necessary for snow and ice. He then considers the mountain and Arctic regions flanked by today"s NATO and Warsaw Pact forces.