The Bridge at Remagen

The Bridge at Remagen. .

"The whole Allied force is delighted to cheer the U.S. First Army whose speed and boldness have won the race to establish our first bridgehead over the Rhine. Please tell all ranks how proud I am." , Eisenhower.

, With the 78th across, the US toehold became a foothold, and what had only been a dream had suddenly become a reality. Eisenhower stood in disbelief that his forces were now pushing forward on the eastern shore of the Rhine, months ahead of when his staff had planned., For nine days the battered Bridge remained standing, allowed US Forces to pour into Germany. The 311th, 78th Division was the first Regiment across, and their bridgehead expanded, US Forces constructed six pontoons bridges adjacent to it, to ensure a steady flow of men and supplies across the Rhine. Continuously rocked by German attacks, the vibrations of US vehicles, and the effects of the initial German attempt at demolition, on March 17th, the Bridge at Remagen finally fell. But she had served her purpose - - American Forces were now spearheading an attack on the "Berlin side of the Rhine," riding the coat tails of the 78th as it blazed the way into the heart of Germany., Ken Heckler took first-hand accounts and conducted extensive interviews with the soldiers who took the Bridge, and wrote the premier account of the event. Again, Hollywood has also provided a visual account of the extraordinary event based on Heckler's book "The Bridge at Remagen." Ken Heckler was Keynote speaker at the annual Ed Kelley memorial on 1991.