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Ludendorff bridge captured...
Ludendorff bridge captured...
Item # 573617
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March 09, 1945
THE DETROIT FREE PRESS, Michigan, March 9, 1945
* Ludendorff bridge crossed
* Remagen Germany
* Rhine River
This 24 page newspaper has nice two line banner headline on the front page: "YANKS SURGE ACROSS RHINE TOWARD HEART OF GERMANY"
Other news of the day with much on World War II. Light browning with some margin wear, otherwise in good condition.
wikipedia notes: The Ludendorff Bridge (in World War II, frequently called the Bridge at Remagen) was a railway bridge across the Rhine in Germany, connecting the villages of Remagen and Erpel between two ridge lines of hills flanking the river. Remagen is situated south of Bonn.
The bridge is notable for its capture on March 7—March 8, 1945 by Allied forces in the Second World War as its capture allowed the allies to establish a bridgehead across the Rhine and expand that into a lodgement in a desperate and frantic battle where both sides raced to reinforce changing the entire nature of the conflict on the Western Front. A lodgement across the Rhine anywhere presented the allies with an opportunity to return to a battle of maneuver and conserve men, while the Third Reich had almost succeeded in establishing a stable defensive line along the rough terrain of the Rhine valley buying time to restore strength and prolong the war.
The bridge capture was an important strategic turning point during WWII because it was the only remaining bridge which led over the Rhine River into Germany's heartlands and was also strong enough that the Allies could cross immediately with tanks and trucks full of supplies. Once captured, the German troops began desperate efforts to knock it down, damage it beyond use and slow the Allies' use of it. At the same time, the Allies worked just as hard to defend it, expand their bridgehead into a lodgement sufficiently large that the Germans could no longer attack the bridge with artillery, and keep it in repair despite the ongoing battle damage.
The ensuing engagement went on for more than a week during which it triggered a huge artillery duel, a desperate air battle, and totally scrambled troop dispositions for both sides along the entire defensive front along the Rhine as both sides reacted to the capture. One side effect of those redeployment was that the Allies were able, within a fortnight, to establish other lodgements using pontoon bridges in several other sectors of the Rhenish front, again complicating the defence for the Germans and hastening the collapse of Nazi Germany.
On 23 March the long prepared Operation Plunder under Montgomery crossed the Rhine in force to the north.
Category: The 20th Century
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