Post by Carl W. on Mar 12, 2012 13:38:33 GMT -5
A week ago Sofie and visited Remagen. It was a cloudy day but we still managed to see some interesting WWII relics.
Our first stop was the former bridge location. Here stood the Ludendorff Rail Bridge in 1945. It was captured by the US 9th Armored Division on the 7th of March. Despite the German efforts to destroy the bridge, it remained to span to Rhine river and allowed the American army to put men and materiel across the river to establish a bridgehead.
What remains of the bridge Western bridge towers and he bridge approach.
Then and Now merged into one...
The view from the Erpeler Ley, the large mountain on the East side of the Rhine, through which passed the railway tunnel that was the HQ of the German defenders during the battle for the bridge.
The view from the Erpeler Ley today.
And a then and now merge...
The railway tunnel that ran through the Erpeler Ley.
The view towards Linz and Kripp. The empty fields on the right edge of the photo is the location where the 6951st Provisional Guard Battalion guarded German POW's at PWTE A-2.
The view on Remagen and Erpel.
The bridge or at least where it used to be. It was never rebuilt because the locals claimed it would spoil the view of the river.
The bridge, which collapsed on the 17th of March, 1945. After the initial capture, Hitler ordered attacks to destroy the bridge. Me262 jet planes, heavy bombers, V2 rockets and even frogmen tried to demolish it. But in the end it was the heavily damaged bridge that collapsed under the strain of the military traffic and the machines that the Engineers used to repair the massive structure. 28 GI's were killed when the structure collapsed.
One of the fields between Remagen and Kripp that were filled with hundreds of thousands of German POWs in the summer of 1945. The 6951st guard battalion was a povisional unit attached to the 106th division. The 106th ran dozens of camps like this one along the Rhine.
The same field in 1945.
An aerial view of the fields between Remagen and Kripp. Note the countless German POWs.
The town of Linz, on the East side of the Rhine. Here the men of the 6951st were billeted, first in the schoolhouse and later with German families.
Greetings!
Carl
Our first stop was the former bridge location. Here stood the Ludendorff Rail Bridge in 1945. It was captured by the US 9th Armored Division on the 7th of March. Despite the German efforts to destroy the bridge, it remained to span to Rhine river and allowed the American army to put men and materiel across the river to establish a bridgehead.
What remains of the bridge Western bridge towers and he bridge approach.
Then and Now merged into one...
The view from the Erpeler Ley, the large mountain on the East side of the Rhine, through which passed the railway tunnel that was the HQ of the German defenders during the battle for the bridge.
The view from the Erpeler Ley today.
And a then and now merge...
The railway tunnel that ran through the Erpeler Ley.
The view towards Linz and Kripp. The empty fields on the right edge of the photo is the location where the 6951st Provisional Guard Battalion guarded German POW's at PWTE A-2.
The view on Remagen and Erpel.
The bridge or at least where it used to be. It was never rebuilt because the locals claimed it would spoil the view of the river.
The bridge, which collapsed on the 17th of March, 1945. After the initial capture, Hitler ordered attacks to destroy the bridge. Me262 jet planes, heavy bombers, V2 rockets and even frogmen tried to demolish it. But in the end it was the heavily damaged bridge that collapsed under the strain of the military traffic and the machines that the Engineers used to repair the massive structure. 28 GI's were killed when the structure collapsed.
One of the fields between Remagen and Kripp that were filled with hundreds of thousands of German POWs in the summer of 1945. The 6951st guard battalion was a povisional unit attached to the 106th division. The 106th ran dozens of camps like this one along the Rhine.
The same field in 1945.
An aerial view of the fields between Remagen and Kripp. Note the countless German POWs.
The town of Linz, on the East side of the Rhine. Here the men of the 6951st were billeted, first in the schoolhouse and later with German families.
Greetings!
Carl
