| Original caption: “First United States Army men and equipment pour across the Remagen Bridge, two knocked out jeeps in foreground.” View from the Erpeler Ley Tunnel to the Ludendorff Bridge. United States Army soldiers would use this tunnel for shelter during Nazi German artillery, Luftwaffe, and V-2 rocket attacks on the bridge during the 10 days the bridge remained standing. The defensive towers of the bridge can be seen in the background. The Ludendorff Railroad Bridge was built by Russian Prisoners of World War I from 1916 – 1919. The 1,200 foot (365 meter) bridge was accessed from a tunnel through the Erpeler Ley, a 600 foot (180 meter) basalt cliff that the Nazi Germans were fortifying with artillery and anti-aircraft guns in 1945. The 4 stone towers had fighting loopholes and could accommodate a battalion. The bridge had cavities for demolition charges, but the French occupied the Rhineland until 1936, and filled the cavities with concrete. After capturing the right bank of Cologne on March 7, 1945, The 9th Armored Division detailed Lieutenant Colonel Leonard Earl Engeman (October 6, 1906 – July 11, 2002) to capture Remagen. Lieutenant Karl H. Timmermann (June 19, 1922 – October 21, 1951) led A Company, 27th Armored Infantry Battalion discovered the intact bridge and was ordered to assault it. He and his men ran across, cutting demolition wires. Major Hans Scheller (September 7, 1913 – March 14, 1945) attempted to blow the bridge, but only damaged it. Timmermann and his men, after they took cover, continued across. Sergeant Alexander Albert Drabik (December 28, 1910 – September 28, 1993) was the 1st American soldier to make it all the way in 15 minutes. None of Timmermann’s men were hit. This was the 1st time since the Napoleonic Wars that foreign soldiers had crossed the Rhine. American engineers fixed the damage as best they could. Führer und Reichskanzler (“Leader and Reichchancellor”) Adolf Hitler (April 20, 1889 – April 30, 1945) was furious that the bridge stood, and ordered the execution of Scheller and 3 others for dereliction of duty. The bridge was attacked by the Heer, Luftwaffe, and V-2 rockets, but withstood all attempts to bring it down by fire. On March 17, 1945, about 200 men, mostly engineers of the 276th Engineer Combat Battalion and the 1058th Port Construction and Repair Group, were attempting to stabilize the Ludendorff Bridge. Scheller’s order for demolition had resulted in damage to 1 span but not the other – that forced the undamaged span to carry the weight of 25,000 American soldiers and thousands of vehicles in the 10 days the bridge was operated in American hands before collapsing. | |
| Image Filename | wwii0847.jpg |
| Image Size | 757.50 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2912 x 2297 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | United States Army Signal Corps |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | March 11, 1945 |
| Location | |
| City | Remagen |
| State or Province | Rhineland-Palatinate |
| Country | Germany |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | NWDNS-111-SC-201973 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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