Ludendorff-Bridge ... "The Bridge of Remagen"
At the southern village exit directly between the railroad tracks and state road B-42, the bridge towers of this world-famous WW-II bridge still hold strong.
The Bridge of Remagen
was built during WW-I between 1916 and 1918. German generals demanded
the construction in order to be able to move even more troops and war
material to the western front.
Architect Karl Wiener from the city of Mannheim planned it as a railroad
bridge.
The bridge measured 325 m in length, resided 14.80 m above normal water
level of the river Rhine, with its highest point at 29.25 m. The bridge
held two railroad tracks and a pedestrian walkway. It was considered one
of the most beautiful steel bridges over the river Rhine.
The capture of the bridge during WW-II
On March 7th, 1945,
a small advance party of the 9th US Tank Division, under the command of
German-born lieutenant Karl H. Timmermann, successfully captured the bridge
after two unsuccessful demolition attempts by the Germans.
The capture is known in WW-II history as "The wonder of Remagen".
General Eisenhower proclaimed that "the bridge is worth its weight
in gold".
During the following days the German Army Central Command desperately
tried to destroy the bridge with multiple bomb raids and SEAL attacks.
Hitler, blind with rage, ordered a special court-martial, which sentenced
five officers to death. Four of those Hitler had shot in the close-by
"Westerwald". On March 17, 1945, the severely damaged bridge
collapsed and took 28 American soldiers down with it.
Further
information:
The
Bridge of Remagen (external
Link)
Contemporary witnesses remember March 1945