I live in Remagen and actually work in the brigde museum . Its called "Friedensmuseum Remagen" or "Peace Museum Remagen" and it is located in the 2 towers you can see at the end. It is open from march till october. It is a very good documentary and well put together. Thank you. If you wanna come and see it in person you are welcome.
My Dad was a gunner on a tank and got blown up twice, he and the driver survived the first hit and on a second tank lost a couple more. He was then assigned to a mobile howitzer , the priest, and was in the battle of the Buldge. We have a picture of him wiping his but with a Nazie flag at the Rhine . He never spoke much about his combat but he had to use his 45 and machine gun. in close order fighting. He was our hero. ❤
Incredible men. Uncle was in a half track 60mm mortar Infantry guy. 280 days in combat. On way into Bastonge with Creighton Abrams column he said 2 tanks shoved them off road. Next curve German 88 destroyed the tank. That would have been him. He also threw potatoes into a basement. Germans wouldn't come out. They ran out surrendered 18 to 21. Roscoe Mulvey. RIP.
Timmermann was from West Point, Nebraska. He was born in Frankfurt, Germany but was raised by his mother in Nebraska. Timmermann himself was raising his family in Nebraska. He died in Aurora, Colorado because that's where he was hospitalized for the cancer that ended his life.
You out together the most impressive, thoughtful and respectful videos of these European wars. All sides and all soldier’s stories respectfully told. Tremendous stuff.
As a member of the 78th 'Lightning' Division, my father was also one of the US soldiers to cross the Bridge at Remagen. He now rests at the National Golden Gate Ceremony. He left me a ring that he always wore that bears the Lightning Division and the Bridge crossing. May he rest in peace.
As a former Sapper this bridge was still being used to teach the management of bridge demolitions in the 1980’s. I was lucky to visit the site on a battlefield tour whilst at RMAS in 1982. Indeed the entire NATO protocol for demolitions had been developed to ensure that, in any future conflict, such command and control failures would be avoided.
@@fazole I honestly don’t know if that was planned, as it was far behind our area of responsibility. That being said, no bridge had explosive charges on them in peacetime.
My grandfather Richard Tuggle was the commander of the first tank destroyer battalion over the bridge (one of them got stuck). He renamed our family farm Remagen, which it is still called to this day.
This was a fantastic video and really helped me to see what my father helped accomplish. My father Richard (Dick) Klein was a tank commander on a Sherman 105 (named Lucille) with the 9th Armored at Remagen. He earned a Bronze Star in that battle. He went on to serve 26 years and was in the Korean War and Vietnam. Unfortunately he died of cancer the month of his 60th birthday. I served with the 2nd Armored and today I am a Patriot Guard Escort Rider and pined to the 2nd AD unit patch on my vest is a 9th Armored Remagen pin in honor of my dad. He and the others who served with him were all hero’s to us. May God bless them all.
The team did a fantastic job producing this documentary. General Hoge's decision to take the Ludendorff Bridge and form a bridgehead on the east bank of the Rhine instead of advancing south as ordered permanently changed the course of World War II. When the bridge was taken, the Rhine defenses collapsed and the war was shortened by several weeks. Hoges decision led to the fighting for the Remagen bridgehead and enabled the 1st and 9th US armies to encircle the entire Army Group B with around 325,000 men in the Ruhr pocket.
@@larryzigler6812 If the western Allies hadn't crossed the Rhine, the Germans who surrendered to them would have been sent to defend Berlin. How many MORE Soviet soldiers would have been killed or wounded then?
Great video of an important chapter of WW II. My dad was in Big Red One, 639th AAA battalion. He was on 40mm anti aircraft gun battling Luftwaffe planes desperately trying to destroy the bridge. He was very proud of how his unit helped protect that bridge and shorten the war.
My father crossed the Rhine with the Big Red One, 26th Regiment, 2nd Battalion at Remagen. He said he they crossed in boats under fire. He said he pitied the men who manned the boats because, while he only crossed once, those men crossed over and over again shuttling the troops across the river. He mention the spectacular show when the AAA put a massive cone of fire over the bridge and how it was almost impossible for aircraft to penetrate it. Dad also said that once they got across, it was rough. The Germans had the high ground and the US forces were stalled. It was difficult to get supplies to the troops who had crossed and dad said that they were down to eating the one C ration that nobody liked. It was when the paratroopers landed behind the Germans, that the pressure was taken off them and then they could move forward. Dad said it was no walk in the park.
My mother lived in Ariendorf just south of Remagen at that time. She told me that there had been a group of german engineers stationed there to repair the bridge. As the Americans approached they got marching order to the eastfront and was replaced with the aengineer with the task to blow the bridge. The reparing engineers then sabotaged the explosivs so they would be captured by the americans, a fate preferable to the east front.
@@yamatokurusaki5790Why not? The explosives were of bad quality and there was not enough of it. This could be the making of the first engineering group. By the way, their plan did not work out. They ended up at the eastern front. 20 years later the officer wrote to my mother under her maiden name and by an incomplete address. By then she had married and moved to Sweden. The letter reached her anyway.
You've done a fantastic job, the attention to detail is incredible! The perspectives from both sides, the strategic context vs on the ground action, overlays of historic photographs and contemporary footage make this a masterclass in storytelling!
Great episode! Personally, this was a very meaningful watch as my dad crossed the Ludendorff Bridge with the 99th Infantry Division. If I’m not mistaken, the 99th Division was the first full US division over the Rhine. The 99th continued attacking east into Germany and participating in the closing of the Ruhr Pocket. While Karl Timmermann was born in Colorado, he grew up in West Point, located in Cuming County, Nebraska. There is a memorial in Timmerman Park located in West Point in honor of Lieutenant Timmerman. There is also a bridge over the Elkhorn River just west of West Point named after Lieutenant Timmerman. Thank you for reminding Americans that WWII didn’t end in Normandy.
Similar comment made by myself about my second cousin twice removed as he crossed just north of the bridge with the 104th ID, he was KIA on 24 March 1945, unfortunately.
Here's a sort of sidebar about Remagen. My dad was in the 5th Infantry Division of Gen Patton's 3rd Army. Ten days after Remagen, they were on the west bank of the Rhine maybe 100 miles south of the bridge. They had planned an assault crossing in two days, but when Gen Patton heard where they were, he ordered them to go that day. Wouldn't hear of a 2-day wait; go now! So at 11:00 pm, Dad got in a pontoon boat and paddled across in the 2nd boat to reach the east side. What men they were! 800 foot wide river in full flood from melting snow, completely dark, big trees smashing down the river, no artillery preparation, and no scouting, and all in a flimsy rubber boat. They made it, though some later boats came under fire that night. Dad's company advanced eastward until they were attacked. He led the successful counterattack and was awarded the Silver Star. Like so many of his Greatest Generation, he never said a word ever. I got all this from the citation and the Division history.
Great story. My father was in the 127th AAA gun battalion, one of the antiaircraft units rushed to the area to defend the bridge. My father said that he was watching as the bridge collapsed. He said that the sound of the metal bridge girders giving way was terrifying, as well as seeing those on the bridge running for their lives before it collapsed.
Thanks for this very detailed and interesting documentary! My father (82nd Airborne) crossed the Rhine n that bridge and now I live in Germany, near Cologne, not far from Remagen. I've visited the town many times and biked past the bridge regularly in summer.
I was on the way to Hürtgenwald with two american friends, we stoped by the Bridge last Friday. Thank you for the film and I am so happy to call amercans as friend and we don't have to shoot at each other like our grandfathers had to.
How did you do that, the bridge is long gone., cannibalized to make all those chains and dog collars the perverted Germans need to wear when they have relations with each other.
I've watched the movie at least a dozen times, and it seems that it was only half the story. All they say after the capture, was that it fell into the Rhine ten days later. Holding and repairing the bridge was just as important as crossing it. Thanks for the video.
I was fortunate enough to visit Remagen in the 80's. I was able to see the remains. When I visited, the footings in the river were still there. They had not been demolished yet. It was awe-inspiring. Knowing that that 1 bridge, was a turning point in the war against Nazi Germany. Great documentary. Thanks for those memories!
For me its still unbelievable, what was happing there in ww2. I am a German living in a peaceful europe and I am deepest thankful, that those brave people fought against nazi germany and makes our current world possible. I also talk to my children about this and I hope it will never been forgotten.
Wow, thanks very much. We are still quite new here one YT, so hopefully one day if we keep doing what we enjoy, but very glad you found it interesting!
A very good video. Sadly the remain s of the bridge after it collapsed look chillingly similar to the sad remnants of the Key bridge in Baltimore. RIP those killed in both collapses. Our family stopped at Remagen on holiday in the 1990's.
your presentation of the different conflicts is very commendable,very thought out,the videos and graphics are amazing,keep up the great work you are doing
Informative and superb video! Great narration, Dan. I also like the shots of today compared to footage taken in 1945. The maps were helpful as usual and it was great getting to see the footage. Kudos! Keep up the great work.
Nice concise video. I especially like the old /new map overlays. Given the rubbish often found on utube, this made exceptional viewing.... Nice to see no dumbing down use of childlike graphics either. Well done.
thanks for this excellent video. As a German I'm very happy of the efforts of the allies liberating us from a dictatorship. Went first time to the bridge in my youth time, in the mid seventies, when living in Bonn. Impressive, what was achieved in 45.
Yet part of your country was taken over by that other dictator: Stalin. Has Germany recovered from that? I hear the east is still poorer than the west.
Thank you Wolf, my dad was there on top of that hill ,with his anti-aircraft (4x.50 cal.) halftrack . I appreciate your anti-dictator sentiment here in 2024 . There's no kidding around about it at the level of national politics.
@@brianmcsorley3229 some time ago I walked with a British friend across the battlefields at Verdun. His grandfather and mine were fighting against each another. We can be so happy that nowadays we have had so long period of piece in Europe, and that we can be friends .
my uncle was one of the men who tried get off the bridge when the bridge collapsed and he spent the night in the river hanging onto one of the barges . sadly he passed in 69 .
My Uncle, Kenneth Whitcher was there as a tank driver. I've heard of this all my life and have seen the movie several times. This documentary is great. Thank you.
I was in 9th Engr USAER during the 70s. We had a stone from the Remagen Bridge on our Parrade grounds next to the Flag pole. We were all well versed in the story of the Remagen Bridge head!
I was under the impression Ceasar never gave an accurate description of where he crossed the Rhine, since he destroyed the bridge after he was done with it, it's location has been lost to history, according to Adrian Goldsworthy in his book 'Ceasar'.
I first learned of this bridge 20 yrs ago playing a video game. Ive scoured the internet since. Looking for anything about this. From that p O.S movie in the 70s, to small clips. This mini doc of your is hands down the BEST!! The aerial maps are the most helpful. Thank you❤
I’ve been to Remagen and the sight of the structures at the former ends of the Ludendorff Bridge is heart-stopping for a person who knows the history. You’ve told the story very well indeed.
My grandfather was a Marine in WW1 and crossed the Remagen Bridge when his outfit entered Germany. Fast forward to WW2 and my father was in the US Army and witnessed the Remagen Bridge when it collapsed. Can't make this stuff up...
I've been to the bridge site at Remagen. It is definitely worth the effort if you are interested in WWII. On the eastern side is a large hill that almost blocks entrance into Germany from the end of the bridge. What surprised me was that it was all volcanic stone. One does not think of volcanoes in Germany but obviously there were.
Karl Timmerman was from West Point, NE. He died in aurora, CO. There are memorials all over West Point and there are still a lot of Timmermans in the area and multiple memorials to him. Get it right because the town of West Point is really proud of him (rightfully so)!
Lieutenant Karl Heinrich Timmermann was originally born in Frankfurt am Main in 1922, about 160 kilometers from Remagen. The family moved back to the USA two years later but Timmermann remembered from his father that Remagen, while isolated, was only a few kilometers away from the Autobahn (highway) to Frankfurt. With that knowledge, Timmermann was able to convince his superiors of the importance of the Remagen crossing. Imagine his superior, asking Timmermann, 'are you sure?' And him replying 'Yes sir, I was born in Frankfurt, my father told me the Autobahn is close to Remagen.'
Absolutely completely amazing! Why on earth can't big budget documentaries hold a candle to this!? You guys should really think about submitting this stuff for archival or TV or something! ❤
No. They would be held to DEI standards, the dialogue inspected for hurtful comments or content, then they would have to hire about 200 union members. By the time this crew would have been remade, the quality and unique perspectives would be lost.
Famous Major League baseball player, Warren Spahn Milwaukee Braves, was stationed there as a combat engineer. Was almost killed when the bridge collapsed. Would have lost the winningest left handed in baseball history.
My favorite ww2 movie is called the Bridge at Remagen. Idk how accurate the film is and all but to me it really shows how important the bridge was and how crazy the last few months of the war were.
My father, Bill Gifford of Atlantic City NJ was a part of this battle and crossed the bridge. He saw two P 38s collide with each other trying to dive on a Messerschmidt jet. God bless all those men for giving us the freedom we enjoy!
The best way we can thank them is to protect our freedom today The freedom to speak out and state our opinions without fear of the law Sadly here in the UK we now have a new govt doing its best to prevent free speech that it doesn't agree with encouraged by types not fit to Lick the boots of those that fought for it
A family friend of ours, Paul Robinson, was the commander of one of those half tracks that shot down planes attacking the bridge. He was an amazing man with a hundred stories about his generation. The Greatest Generation.
They were. My uncle was on second wave on Omaha. My Dad was with 101 gliders. Made two jumps behind nazi lines. But those who serve are the greatest of EVERY generation. Vietnam vet.
The information embedded in this video is absolutely wild. You’ve got yourself a new subscriber!…can’t wait to binge the rest of your videos. Great work!
As ex Royal Engineer sapper I really enjoyed the story of the Remagen bridge. There was a movie made in the 1969 about the capture of the bridge. Might be a film worth watching again. However you brought the story of the capture of the bridge to life. Well done! 😊
@@givenfirstnamefamilyfirstn3935 The historical events don't make for a traditional warmovie. The initial capture of the bridge was almost by accident. Although those few US infantry running across the bridge must have felt every gun in Germany was firing at them, there were very few German defenders at the time. Apart from the platoon that ran across the bridge, there were two small teams of about four men each that stormed the two towers defending the bridge. However, the machinegunners in the towers weren't expecting any problems so were taken by surprise. As one assault team broke into a tower, the team leader, Sgt. DeLisio, immediately kicked the German machinegun out of the window, the German gun crew surrendered, and that was it. Only in the following days and weeks did the actual battle break out, as the Germans tried to recapture/destroy the bridge with the Americans defending it and sending more and more men across the river every day.
I remember thinking when I watched Mark Felton’s video on the subject how remarkably historically accurate the film adaptation The Bridge At Remagen was, and this video just exemplifies that thought even further
The crossing at Remagen was likely the nail in Montgomery’s coffin as regards a major role in the conquest of the German homeland. For much of the thrust across France the plan was for Montgomery to cross the Rhine in the North and utilize the relatively open countryside to drive towards Berlin. Monty had sequentially lost Eisenhower’s favour with the failure in the Netherlands, his resistance to Eisenhower’s superior rank and finally a seriously self aggrandizing news conference after the Bulge. By crossing the Rhine 3 weeks before Operation Plunder/Varsity the calculation favouring 21st Army Group as the main offensive element had changed. The British and Canadians were diverted northward toward Denmark as the Americans headed into central Germany and the Elbe.
@@bencasey5567 and the British. Churchill wanted to put a British navel fleet into the Pacific. US didn't want that, so although a british fleet did partake in actions in the Pacific, it was not a major fleet.
I don't know if the owner of this channel reads comments on 'old' videos ? But I just wanted to say what a fantastic channel you have. The quality of your documentaries is outstanding. You are the new Richard Holmes.
In 2011, I was working in Cologne and took the opportunity to visit Remagen. It’s a beautiful, peaceful Rhein valley town surrounded with vineyards. The twin towers on the Remagen side of the river are a museum today and we’ll worth visiting. Great pizza at the Cafe Venezia on Marktplatz.
My late father was there. He was RNZAF attached to a specialised RAF unit AMES 9432. This unit was traversing across France Belgium and into Germany from September 1944 until May 1945. I have in photo to verify. He told us five kids he was the first NZer there but never any details at all.
Sgt. Alex Drabik lived only a few miles from me , as I lived just across the road from Holland Township in the 1960s and 1970s. I know two of his cousins. Had I known it back in the late '70s and into the '80s when I had taken great interest in WW2, I'd have looked him up. Some of the fellows I knew in the area used to go to his house with beer in hand, where he would then talk about his wartime experiences.
*Re: Lieutenant Karl Heinrich Timmermann* His father was a German immigrant who joined the US Army and was stationed in Frankfurt, Germany in 1919. He went AWOL and met his future wife, they got a son, Karl. The family returned to the USA in 1922. Because of his father's desertion, Karl and his brothers decided to join the US Army when it joined WW1 to redeem their family name. By extraordinary coincidence, Lieutenant Timmermann ended up at Remagen, a place he knew from his father's stories when he was AWOL in Germany. Timmermann informed his superiors that although Remagen was rather isolated, a few miles from the river was the Autobahn (German highways) that led to Frankfurt. In 1969, the warmovie 'The Bridge at Remagen' was released. Although dramatized, it does have great visuals of the landscape and the bridge itself. Or rather, a similar bridge built by the same company in what was Czechoslovakia at the time. The Czech bridge and town in the movie bore a great resemblance to the WW2 town of Remagen (a bit like the movie 'A Bridge Too Far' was shot in the Dutch town of Deventer because they had a similar bridge like at Arnhem). The movie's production was cut short in August 1968, when the Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact forces invaded to repress the Prague Spring with force. Film crew and actors were hastily evacuated including the WW2 vintage vehicles. The final scenes were finished in Hollywood but when you watch the movie, it's hard to tell the difference.
I live in Remagen and actually work in the brigde museum . Its called "Friedensmuseum Remagen" or "Peace Museum Remagen" and it is located in the 2 towers you can see at the end. It is open from march till october. It is a very good documentary and well put together. Thank you. If you wanna come and see it in person you are welcome.
I just went on a trip up the Rhine and didn't realize we passed this at night. Would have liked to visit.
If i ever get to travel to Germany, I'll have to add that to my list of museums to stop at. Thank you for the information, I didn't know that existed!
I live in Bonn and run down to the bridge quite often. I know a bit about the history but next time I will come in to the museum to look
My Dad was a gunner on a tank and got blown up twice, he and the driver survived the first hit and on a second tank lost a couple more. He was then assigned to a mobile howitzer , the priest, and was in the battle of the Buldge. We have a picture of him wiping his but with a Nazie flag at the Rhine . He never spoke much about his combat but he had to use his 45 and machine gun. in close order fighting. He was our hero. ❤
Incredible men. Uncle was in a half track 60mm mortar Infantry guy. 280 days in combat. On way into Bastonge with Creighton Abrams column he said 2 tanks shoved them off road. Next curve German 88 destroyed the tank.
That would have been him. He also threw potatoes into a basement. Germans wouldn't come out. They ran out surrendered 18 to 21. Roscoe Mulvey. RIP.
This is by far the best documentary I have ever seen about the bridge at Remagen.
I completely agree. It's not even close.
Thanks so much!
@@rodsdmba1571 Thank you!
They really go into detail, much more than other, even longer videos.
Yes, very good! Thank you!
Timmermann was from West Point, Nebraska. He was born in Frankfurt, Germany but was raised by his mother in Nebraska. Timmermann himself was raising his family in Nebraska. He died in Aurora, Colorado because that's where he was hospitalized for the cancer that ended his life.
A friend of my dad Tony Romeo was one of the guys that helped captured the bridge. Tony was a very nice and kind man. Someone who I will never forget.
You out together the most impressive, thoughtful and respectful videos of these European wars. All sides and all soldier’s stories respectfully told. Tremendous stuff.
Thanks very much, glad you found it interesting!
😮.@@BattleGuideVT
999999999999999999999999999999999999999 4:05 @@BattleGuideVT
@BattleGuideVT War has only winners and benefactors whom risk little.
My Dad Jack Sheppard was at the Bridge during the Battle and collapse. He passed away last Jan 2 nd. US Army.
It's the English language. The Americans and Canadians pronounce them wrong. :)
Be very proud of your Dad. I thank him for what he did for us.
As a member of the 78th 'Lightning' Division, my father was also one of the US soldiers to cross the Bridge at Remagen. He now rests at the National Golden Gate Ceremony. He left me a ring that he always wore that bears the Lightning Division and the Bridge crossing. May he rest in peace.
So was my father; he died in 2000.
We have so much to thank them for,God bless em all
As a former Sapper this bridge was still being used to teach the management of bridge demolitions in the 1980’s. I was lucky to visit the site on a battlefield tour whilst at RMAS in 1982.
Indeed the entire NATO protocol for demolitions had been developed to ensure that, in any future conflict, such command and control failures would be avoided.
We're the Rhine bridges mined during the Cold War?
@@fazole I honestly don’t know if that was planned, as it was far behind our area of responsibility. That being said, no bridge had explosive charges on them in peacetime.
@@bob_the_bomb4508 i am not sure about swiss bridges
@@M-I-K-E the Swiss are a law unto themselves. Literally… :(
My grandfather Richard Tuggle was the commander of the first tank destroyer battalion over the bridge (one of them got stuck). He renamed our family farm Remagen, which it is still called to this day.
This was a fantastic video and really helped me to see what my father helped accomplish. My father Richard (Dick) Klein was a tank commander on a Sherman 105 (named Lucille) with the 9th Armored at Remagen. He earned a Bronze Star in that battle. He went on to serve 26 years and was in the Korean War and Vietnam. Unfortunately he died of cancer the month of his 60th birthday. I served with the 2nd Armored and today I am a Patriot Guard Escort Rider and pined to the 2nd AD unit patch on my vest is a 9th Armored Remagen pin in honor of my dad.
He and the others who served with him were all hero’s to us.
May God bless them all.
Please accept my sincere appreciation for the service you and your father rendered.
@@Paladin1873thank you sir.
The team did a fantastic job producing this documentary.
General Hoge's decision to take the Ludendorff Bridge and form a bridgehead on the east bank of the Rhine instead of advancing south as ordered permanently changed the course of World War II. When the bridge was taken, the Rhine defenses collapsed and the war was shortened by several weeks. Hoges decision led to the fighting for the Remagen bridgehead and enabled the 1st and 9th US armies to encircle the entire Army Group B with around 325,000 men in the Ruhr pocket.
Thanks for the comment Ralf, some really interesting thoughts.
And the earlier decision to attack through the Hurtgen Forest etc swallowed up vast amounts of men and material and lengthened the war.
The capture of Berlin ended the War. The Bridge was a rather minor incident
@@larryzigler6812
If the western Allies hadn't crossed the Rhine, the Germans who surrendered to them would have been sent to defend Berlin. How many MORE Soviet soldiers would have been killed or wounded then?
@@larryzigler6812 go back to trolling kiddie videos and let the adults have meaningful discourse. You have zero clue what you're talking about.
Great video of an important chapter of WW II. My dad was in Big Red One, 639th AAA battalion. He was on 40mm anti aircraft gun battling Luftwaffe planes desperately trying to destroy the bridge. He was very proud of how his unit helped protect that bridge and shorten the war.
Glad you enjoyed it.
My father crossed the Rhine with the Big Red One, 26th Regiment, 2nd Battalion at Remagen. He said he they crossed in boats under fire. He said he pitied the men who manned the boats because, while he only crossed once, those men crossed over and over again shuttling the troops across the river. He mention the spectacular show when the AAA put a massive cone of fire over the bridge and how it was almost impossible for aircraft to penetrate it. Dad also said that once they got across, it was rough. The Germans had the high ground and the US forces were stalled. It was difficult to get supplies to the troops who had crossed and dad said that they were down to eating the one C ration that nobody liked.
It was when the paratroopers landed behind the Germans, that the pressure was taken off them and then they could move forward. Dad said it was no walk in the park.
My father was with the 462 aaa. It was the the California reserve unit based in no cal. He was very proud of his service. The greatest generation
My mother lived in Ariendorf just south of Remagen at that time. She told me that there had been a group of german engineers stationed there to repair the bridge. As the Americans approached they got marching order to the eastfront and was replaced with the aengineer with the task to blow the bridge. The reparing engineers then sabotaged the explosivs so they would be captured by the americans, a fate preferable to the east front.
How interesting... and sneaky!
Wow, that is a story!
Sadly this couldn't be true
@@yamatokurusaki5790Why not? The explosives were of bad quality and there was not enough of it. This could be the making of the first engineering group.
By the way, their plan did not work out. They ended up at the eastern front.
20 years later the officer wrote to my mother under her maiden name and by an incomplete address. By then she had married and moved to Sweden. The letter reached her anyway.
@@yamatokurusaki5790you have proof it didn’t happen? A lack of evidence does not mean it didn’t/ couldn’t happen.
You've done a fantastic job, the attention to detail is incredible! The perspectives from both sides, the strategic context vs on the ground action, overlays of historic photographs and contemporary footage make this a masterclass in storytelling!
Great episode! Personally, this was a very meaningful watch as my dad crossed the Ludendorff Bridge with the 99th Infantry Division. If I’m not mistaken, the 99th Division was the first full US division over the Rhine. The 99th continued attacking east into Germany and participating in the closing of the Ruhr Pocket.
While Karl Timmermann was born in Colorado, he grew up in West Point, located in Cuming County, Nebraska. There is a memorial in Timmerman Park located in West Point in honor of Lieutenant Timmerman. There is also a bridge over the Elkhorn River just west of West Point named after Lieutenant Timmerman.
Thank you for reminding Americans that WWII didn’t end in Normandy.
Similar comment made by myself about my second cousin twice removed as he crossed just north of the bridge with the 104th ID, he was KIA on 24 March 1945, unfortunately.
My grandfather was at the Battle of the Bulge and Remagen Bridge. He was lucky to have survived.
Very lucky greatest generation. My dad said he could hear bullets hitting bridge railing when he ran across
VERY well done! No phony sound effects or background noise. Perfect!
Damn, that was brillant! Well done all involved.
Thanks General!
Incredible video! The footage and details of the Rhine crossing bring this historic moment to life. Truly engaging and well-presented. Great work!
Here's a sort of sidebar about Remagen. My dad was in the 5th Infantry Division of Gen Patton's 3rd Army. Ten days after Remagen, they were on the west bank of the Rhine maybe 100 miles south of the bridge. They had planned an assault crossing in two days, but when Gen Patton heard where they were, he ordered them to go that day. Wouldn't hear of a 2-day wait; go now! So at 11:00 pm, Dad got in a pontoon boat and paddled across in the 2nd boat to reach the east side. What men they were! 800 foot wide river in full flood from melting snow, completely dark, big trees smashing down the river, no artillery preparation, and no scouting, and all in a flimsy rubber boat. They made it, though some later boats came under fire that night. Dad's company advanced eastward until they were attacked. He led the successful counterattack and was awarded the Silver Star. Like so many of his Greatest Generation, he never said a word ever. I got all this from the citation and the Division history.
Great story. My father was in the 127th AAA gun battalion, one of the antiaircraft units rushed to the area to defend the bridge. My father said that he was watching as the bridge collapsed. He said that the sound of the metal bridge girders giving way was terrifying, as well as seeing those on the bridge running for their lives before it collapsed.
My father was there with the 376th AAA battalion.
My grandfather served in the 124th aaa battalion and was in action there
Hi Dan & Team, thanks for another top notch presentation
Our pleasure!
You guys are making some of the best docs out there!
Thanks for that Scott
Thanks for this very detailed and interesting documentary! My father (82nd Airborne) crossed the Rhine n that bridge and now I live in Germany, near Cologne, not far from Remagen. I've visited the town many times and biked past the bridge regularly in summer.
I was on the way to Hürtgenwald with two american friends, we stoped by the Bridge last Friday.
Thank you for the film and I am so happy to call amercans as friend and we don't have to shoot at each other like our grandfathers had to.
How did you do that, the bridge is long gone., cannibalized to make all those chains and dog collars the perverted Germans need to wear when they have relations with each other.
I've watched the movie at least a dozen times, and it seems that it was only half the story. All they say after the capture, was that it fell into the Rhine ten days later. Holding and repairing the bridge was just as important as crossing it. Thanks for the video.
Damn good movie!!!
I was fortunate enough to visit Remagen in the 80's. I was able to see the remains. When I visited, the footings in the river were still there. They had not been demolished yet. It was awe-inspiring. Knowing that that 1 bridge, was a turning point in the war against Nazi Germany. Great documentary. Thanks for those memories!
For me its still unbelievable, what was happing there in ww2. I am a German living in a peaceful europe and I am deepest thankful, that those brave people fought against nazi germany and makes our current world possible.
I also talk to my children about this and I hope it will never been forgotten.
So Ukraine ?
@@bencasey5567 thats exactly why its so important to remember.... i donated a few hundred euros for Ukraine via united24 to support them.
This has always been one of my favorite stories from WW2. Your presentation was excellent!!! Job well done!
Very good video!!! Capturing the Ludendorff Bridge was unexpected and the Allies exploited it immediately. It shortened the war and saved lives.
These uploads bring it all to life. Names, antics, details of opposing armies.
So good...thank you.
Thanks for watching.
Incredible video! I've never seen most of the footage shown, I'm not sure how you don't have millions of subs!
Wow, thanks very much. We are still quite new here one YT, so hopefully one day if we keep doing what we enjoy, but very glad you found it interesting!
A very good video. Sadly the remain s of the bridge after it collapsed look chillingly similar to the sad remnants of the Key bridge in Baltimore. RIP those killed in both collapses. Our family stopped at Remagen on holiday in the 1990's.
your presentation of the different conflicts is very commendable,very thought out,the videos and graphics are amazing,keep up the great work you are doing
Very well done. Thank you. 🇨🇦
Informative and superb video! Great narration, Dan. I also like the shots of today compared to footage taken in 1945. The maps were helpful as usual and it was great getting to see the footage.
Kudos!
Keep up the great work.
Many thanks Alex, really appreciate that
@@BattleGuideVT You're very welcome. I learn a lot from each video. Kudos.
Nice concise video. I especially like the old /new map overlays. Given the rubbish often found on utube, this made exceptional viewing.... Nice to see no dumbing down use of childlike graphics either. Well done.
Great story, well told. Enjoyed that!
Much appreciated!
thanks for this excellent video.
As a German I'm very happy of the efforts of the allies liberating us from a dictatorship. Went first time to the bridge in my youth time, in the mid seventies, when living in Bonn. Impressive, what was achieved in 45.
Yet part of your country was taken over by that other dictator: Stalin. Has Germany recovered from that? I hear the east is still poorer than the west.
Thank you Wolf, my dad was there on top of that hill ,with his anti-aircraft (4x.50 cal.) halftrack .
I appreciate your anti-dictator sentiment here in 2024 .
There's no kidding around about it at the level of national politics.
@@brianmcsorley3229 some time ago I walked with a British friend across the battlefields at Verdun. His grandfather and mine were fighting against each another. We can be so happy that nowadays we have had so long period of piece in Europe, and that we can be friends .
" liberating us from a dictatorship" nothing like a new mythology. the allies were fighting with german state which then was nazi
Crap yt app cuts in a sudden ad and the comment I was reading is gone! That's what I get for using their shit app! No more!
I’m just so impressed by the quality and detail you put into these little docs. You really do your homework on this channel.
Thanks very much Joey!
@@BattleGuideVT you’re welcome. It’s very deserved. You’re gonna be at a million subscribers in no time
my uncle was one of the men who tried get off the bridge when the bridge collapsed and he spent the night in the river hanging onto one of the barges . sadly he passed in 69 .
My Uncle, Kenneth Whitcher was there as a tank driver. I've heard of this all my life and have seen the movie several times. This documentary is great.
Thank you.
Excellent production and images...
My grandfather helped build one of the pontoon bridges under heavy fire, there were 3 bridges able to be out of 33 that were able to be constructed.
Can't get enough of these. Thanks for doing them, and keep them coming!
I was in 9th Engr USAER during the 70s. We had a stone from the Remagen Bridge on our Parrade grounds next to the Flag pole. We were all well versed in the story of the Remagen Bridge head!
Remagen is also where Julius Caesar bridged the Rhine.
I was under the impression Ceasar never gave an accurate description of where he crossed the Rhine, since he destroyed the bridge after he was done with it, it's location has been lost to history, according to Adrian Goldsworthy in his book 'Ceasar'.
I first learned of this bridge 20 yrs ago playing a video game. Ive scoured the internet since. Looking for anything about this. From that p O.S movie in the 70s, to small clips. This mini doc of your is hands down the BEST!! The aerial maps are the most helpful. Thank you❤
I’ve been to Remagen and the sight of the structures at the former ends of the Ludendorff Bridge is heart-stopping for a person who knows the history. You’ve told the story very well indeed.
This is the story I needed. My grandfather was an engineer who participated in building the pontoon Bridge, but I never knew the full story..
Oh yay! New battle guide vid, this is a treat
Hope you enjoy it!
My grandfather was a Marine in WW1 and crossed the Remagen Bridge when his outfit entered Germany. Fast forward to WW2 and my father was in the US Army and witnessed the Remagen Bridge when it collapsed. Can't make this stuff up...
Very well documented and presented, thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Ive done this mission on call of duty. Its crazy how good the details are.
A very well done Documentary no loud noise you guys should have gotten an Emmy Award for this.
Genuine and authentic content makes these videos so relatable.
I've been to the bridge site at Remagen. It is definitely worth the effort if you are interested in WWII. On the eastern side is a large hill that almost blocks entrance into Germany from the end of the bridge. What surprised me was that it was all volcanic stone. One does not think of volcanoes in Germany but obviously there were.
Wonderfully told story! Salute to you from a retired U.S. Navy chief petty officer in the Pacific Northwest of the USA!
Yet another superb chapter on your
unparalleled channel. Many Thanks
My father was there with the 51st Engineer Combat Batallion, who built the heavy pontoon bridge downstream. Saw jet aircraft for the first time.
God bless him. 🙏
Karl Timmerman was from West Point, NE. He died in aurora, CO. There are memorials all over West Point and there are still a lot of Timmermans in the area and multiple memorials to him. Get it right because the town of West Point is really proud of him (rightfully so)!
Lieutenant Karl Heinrich Timmermann was originally born in Frankfurt am Main in 1922, about 160 kilometers from Remagen.
The family moved back to the USA two years later but Timmermann remembered from his father that Remagen, while isolated, was only a few kilometers away from the Autobahn (highway) to Frankfurt.
With that knowledge, Timmermann was able to convince his superiors of the importance of the Remagen crossing.
Imagine his superior, asking Timmermann, 'are you sure?'
And him replying 'Yes sir, I was born in Frankfurt, my father told me the Autobahn is close to Remagen.'
Thanks!
Thank you!! 🙏
Thank you. Excellent historical account. Succinct, engaging, and moving.
This channel really does deserve many more subscribers.
Absolutely completely amazing! Why on earth can't big budget documentaries hold a candle to this!? You guys should really think about submitting this stuff for archival or TV or something! ❤
Wow, high praise indeed, thanks for the kind words!
No. They would be held to DEI standards, the dialogue inspected for hurtful comments or content, then they would have to hire about 200 union members. By the time this crew would have been remade, the quality and unique perspectives would be lost.
Keep up the wonderful work. You guys are craftsmen of the highest order.
Superb documentary 👏
Very well done narration. Your storytelling is spot on.
Thank you kindly!
Famous Major League baseball player, Warren Spahn Milwaukee Braves, was stationed there as a combat engineer. Was almost killed when the bridge collapsed. Would have lost the winningest left handed in baseball history.
oh no, what a tratedy that would have been for the worlds gayest sport
@@dave8323...is that the sport identified by the gayest YT commenter?
😅@@dave8323
@@dave8323😅
My favorite ww2 movie is called the Bridge at Remagen. Idk how accurate the film is and all but to me it really shows how important the bridge was and how crazy the last few months of the war were.
As a Hell Let Loose player, I'm impressed by the historical fidelity of the Remagen map.
My father, Bill Gifford of Atlantic City NJ was a part of this battle and crossed the bridge. He saw two P 38s collide with each other trying to dive on a Messerschmidt jet. God bless all those men for giving us the freedom we enjoy!
The best way we can thank them is to protect our freedom today
The freedom to speak out and state our opinions without fear of the law
Sadly here in the UK we now have a new govt doing its best to prevent free speech that it doesn't agree with encouraged by types not fit to Lick the boots of those that fought for it
The movie "Bridge at Remagen" is a very good telling of the bridges capture.
A family friend of ours, Paul Robinson, was the commander of one of those half tracks that shot down planes attacking the bridge. He was an amazing man with a hundred stories about his generation. The Greatest Generation.
They were. My uncle was on second wave on Omaha. My Dad was with 101 gliders. Made two jumps behind nazi lines. But those who serve are the greatest of EVERY generation.
Vietnam vet.
Your editing and story like narration is truly impressive
The information embedded in this video is absolutely wild. You’ve got yourself a new subscriber!…can’t wait to binge the rest of your videos. Great work!
Awesome! Thank you!
Well done. Love Hell Let Loose. Loved the history behind the Remagen map.
As ex Royal Engineer sapper I really enjoyed the story of the Remagen bridge. There was a movie made in the 1969 about the capture of the bridge. Might be a film worth watching again. However you brought the story of the capture of the bridge to life. Well done! 😊
Thanks Paul, glad you enjoyed it!
It was on British tv only the other week. I watched the first half hour before I had to go out. Seen it before a few times though.
The movie infantry events were largely fiction.
@@givenfirstnamefamilyfirstn3935 The historical events don't make for a traditional warmovie. The initial capture of the bridge was almost by accident. Although those few US infantry running across the bridge must have felt every gun in Germany was firing at them, there were very few German defenders at the time.
Apart from the platoon that ran across the bridge, there were two small teams of about four men each that stormed the two towers defending the bridge. However, the machinegunners in the towers weren't expecting any problems so were taken by surprise. As one assault team broke into a tower, the team leader, Sgt. DeLisio, immediately kicked the German machinegun out of the window, the German gun crew surrendered, and that was it.
Only in the following days and weeks did the actual battle break out, as the Germans tried to recapture/destroy the bridge with the Americans defending it and sending more and more men across the river every day.
As the Norm, Outstanding Presentation !
Thanks John!
Excellent details. Not hurried over like many other documentaries,
Much appreciated!
I remember thinking when I watched Mark Felton’s video on the subject how remarkably historically accurate the film adaptation The Bridge At Remagen was, and this video just exemplifies that thought even further
Love Mark's work!
The crossing at Remagen was likely the nail in Montgomery’s coffin as regards a major role in the conquest of the German homeland. For much of the thrust across France the plan was for Montgomery to cross the Rhine in the North and utilize the relatively open countryside to drive towards Berlin. Monty had sequentially lost Eisenhower’s favour with the failure in the Netherlands, his resistance to Eisenhower’s superior rank and finally a seriously self aggrandizing news conference after the Bulge. By crossing the Rhine 3 weeks before Operation Plunder/Varsity the calculation favouring 21st Army Group as the main offensive element had changed. The British and Canadians were diverted northward toward Denmark as the Americans headed into central Germany and the Elbe.
just like the Yanks did to the Aussies in the Pacific war
@@bencasey5567 and the British. Churchill wanted to put a British navel fleet into the Pacific. US didn't want that, so although a british fleet did partake in actions in the Pacific, it was not a major fleet.
@Chiller11 Yet it was Montgomery who ultimately took the surrender of the German Army in the West at Luneberg Heath.
I don't know if the owner of this channel reads comments on 'old' videos ? But I just wanted to say what a fantastic channel you have. The quality of your documentaries is outstanding. You are the new Richard Holmes.
Superb essay, really well edited and narrated, thank you.
Thoroughly enjoyed this excellent documentary. Well done! 👍
Splendid video ! Kudos 👏👏👏
Glad you liked it!
In 2011, I was working in Cologne and took the opportunity to visit Remagen. It’s a beautiful, peaceful Rhein valley town surrounded with vineyards. The twin towers on the Remagen side of the river are a museum today and we’ll worth visiting. Great pizza at the Cafe Venezia on Marktplatz.
unbelievable Video 📹...
actual footage ... 👍
Amazing story, brilliantly made
My dad's former boss wrote the book and was at Remagen bridge. Ken Hechler.
I've never read or heard about this event.
Thank you for the enlightenment!
You have earned yourself a new subscriber.
I really enjoyed your documentary. It was impressive and succinct.
This was a fabulous tube. That you for your research and effort!
Fantastic video, thank you!!
My late father was there. He was RNZAF attached to a specialised RAF unit AMES 9432. This unit was traversing across France Belgium and into Germany from September 1944 until May 1945. I have in photo to verify. He told us five kids he was the first NZer there but never any details at all.
God bless his soul 🙏 God bless all of your family 🙏
Many thanks Brilliant film and commentary. 👍
Thank you for a great story really appreciate how well you did it
What a great video, I just couldn't stop watching, thank you.
Great video-Bought tears to my eyes as I watched the bravery of those soldiers who perished whilst attempting to save the bridge
Sgt. Alex Drabik lived only a few miles from me , as I lived just across the road from Holland Township in the 1960s and 1970s. I know two of his cousins. Had I known it back in the late '70s and into the '80s when I had taken great interest in WW2, I'd have looked him up. Some of the fellows I knew in the area used to go to his house with beer in hand, where he would then talk about his wartime experiences.
*Re: Lieutenant Karl Heinrich Timmermann*
His father was a German immigrant who joined the US Army and was stationed in Frankfurt, Germany in 1919.
He went AWOL and met his future wife, they got a son, Karl.
The family returned to the USA in 1922. Because of his father's desertion, Karl and his brothers decided to join the US Army when it joined WW1 to redeem their family name.
By extraordinary coincidence, Lieutenant Timmermann ended up at Remagen, a place he knew from his father's stories when he was AWOL in Germany.
Timmermann informed his superiors that although Remagen was rather isolated, a few miles from the river was the Autobahn (German highways) that led to Frankfurt.
In 1969, the warmovie 'The Bridge at Remagen' was released. Although dramatized, it does have great visuals of the landscape and the bridge itself. Or rather, a similar bridge built by the same company in what was Czechoslovakia at the time. The Czech bridge and town in the movie bore a great resemblance to the WW2 town of Remagen (a bit like the movie 'A Bridge Too Far' was shot in the Dutch town of Deventer because they had a similar bridge like at Arnhem).
The movie's production was cut short in August 1968, when the Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact forces invaded to repress the Prague Spring with force.
Film crew and actors were hastily evacuated including the WW2 vintage vehicles. The final scenes were finished in Hollywood but when you watch the movie, it's hard to tell the difference.
Thank you 🙏 for the historical facts