7BRIdGE OF REMAGEN

.
Winding its way from Switzerland to the North Sea, the Rhine River has historically stood as a natural barrier defending the German heartland that lies beyond it. Since the days of the Roman Empire, the river's cold, wide and swift waters have proven to be a formidable obstacle to any aggressor intending to cross it. These facts were well known to the Allied commanders as their forces continued their assault toward the German interior in March 1945. The crossing of the Rhine would be a difficult and costly task

   As the Allied armies approached, Hitler ordered the destruction of all the bridges that spanned the Rhine. By March 7, they all had been, except one - the Ludendorffrailroad bridge at the little resort town of Remagen a few miles to the southeast of Cologne. On that day Lady Luck smiled on the Allies. At about 1 PM an American reconnaissance patrol reached the wooded hills overlooking the river at Remagen, and to their surprise, discovered the bridge still intact. Then the race began. 


    The Americans quickly launched a full-scale assault on the bridge while the defending Germans scrambled to detonate the explosive charges that had been set to destroy it. The fighting was fierce as both sides realized what was at stake. The American soldiers scrambled under withering gun fire from girder to girder returning fire and ripping the explosives from the bridge's super structure. The German's were successful in detonating some explosives - but not enough to destroy the bridge. By 4 PM - approximately four minutes after the assault began - the Americans had reached the other side of the river and secured the bridge. When informed, 1st Army commander Omar Bradley responded: "Hot dog . . .this will bust 'em wide open. Shove everything you can across!    

  "While we were running across the bridge. . . I spotted this lieutenant, standing out there completely exposed to the machine gun fire that was pretty heavy by this time. He was cutting wires and kicking the German demolition charges off the bridge with his feet!"       

                 




               .