| Original caption: “The German advance continues unabated. Neither blown-up bridges, torn-up roads, destroyed railways, barricades, obstacles, bunkers, nor fortifications can slow the momentum of the German armies’ triumphant advance.” A Nazi German horse-drawn carriage crosses the Lubrzanka River over the Stefan Żeromski Bridge near Cedzyna early in the Polish Campaign. Motorized vehicles that were able to ford the river drove across the shallow water, while horse-drawn elements and Polish Prisoners of War went over the temporary span constructed by the Nazi German pioneers (combat engineers). The documentary Feldzug in Polen (“The Campaign in Poland”) a 1940 documentary directed by SS-Hauptsturmführer Fritz Hippler (August 17, 1909 – May 22, 2002) showed film of this bridge and recounted how it was bypassed: “The Poles attempted to hamper the advance of German troops by blowing up bridges. The large bridge over the Vistula near Dirschau [Tczew today] was also completely destroyed. Pioneers were immediately deployed everywhere. The men of the Reichsarbeitsdienst (RAD – ‘Reich Labor Service’) also proved particularly valuable in repairing the destroyed roads and bridges. After a short time, our soldiers were able to cross the newly built bridges. The rapid advance required the acceleration of all movements. If the bridges were insufficient, our heavy motorized units crossed the rivers.” This photo appeared in Mit dem XIII.Armeekorps in Polen (With the VIII Army Corps in Poland”) printed by Bayerland Berlag, München, in 1940. Photo by Heinrich Hoffmann (September 12, 1885 – December 16, 1957), Führer und Reichskanzler (“Leader and Reichchancellor”) Adolf Hitler’s (April 20, 1889 – April 30, 1945) official photographer. | |
| Image Filename | wwii0762.jpg |
| Image Size | 492.48 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2009 x 1848 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | Kriegsberichter |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | September 5, 1939 |
| Location | |
| City | Cedzyna |
| State or Province | Kielce |
| Country | Poland |
| Archive | Archiwa Państwowe |
| Record Number | 2-11222 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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