The 9th Armored Division fought fiercely making its way to the bridgehead over Rhine towards village Erpel on the east bank, for the final push into Germany. Rhine, a formidable natural obstacle to cross it, the Army prepared for another ... ' Bridge, too Far' ...
I have met two veterans who had some connection with the Ludendorf Bridge. One was Col. Peregrin, commander of the 291 Engineers (Combat) BN. This troops threw the first pontoon bridge across the Rhine for the Allies, adjacent to the Ludendorf Bridge, since the LB was damaged when captured. The other one, whose name escapes me at the moment, was actually on the LB when it blew in place. You may recall a squad of 12 infantry were sent onto the bridge to try to "de-mine" it, remove the planted explosives. What may have escape your notice is that for some reason their daring was captured on film by a combat photographer, a thirteenth man. I met this fellow. He survived the detonation of the German's explosives. Curiously enough this fellow landed with the first wave of D-day (Utah?) and was the photographer who documented the bodies in the snow of the "Massacre at Malmedy".
It is good like anything to read that you know People, once who were there. Thanks man for the sharing. Anyway, I personaly respect three people, in this struggle for the bridge, Lt Col Engemann, Sgt Drabik and Everett Halls. Engemann of Minneapolis, in command of a reconnaissance party, was detemined to get the bridge intact and by aft'noon Lieut Burrows dare to proceed first to confront. We must remember that under Hitler's order to explode all the bridges spanned the rhine, the German demolition groups were trying their best to protect their Fatherland. I must recall Sgt Drabik, being the first American to reach east bank ~ Rhine, as an invader only after Napoleon. This brave soldier, however passed all honors to Lieut Mitchel. Another man, Everett Hall, a NBC Radio war correspondent present there, provided the first hand account of the fierce fighting over the bridge .. column to column .. girder to girder .. All the mighty effort once made the railroad only .... ONE WAY ~ All East Bound ..
