Tampa in Hillsborough County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Battle of Remagen Bridge

Hillsborough County Veterans Memorial Park

Photographed By Brandon D Cross, March 7, 2022

1. Battle of Remagen Bridge Marker

Inscription.

Battle of Remagen Bridge. Hillsborough County Veterans Memorial Park. , The Battle of Remagen during the Allied invasion of Germany resulted in the unexpected capture of the Ludendorff Bridge over the Rhine and possibly shortened World War II in Europe. After capturing the Siegfried Line, the 9th Armored Division of the U.S. First Army had advanced unexpectedly quickly towards the Rhine. They were very surprised to see one of the last bridges across the Rhine still standing. The Germans had wired the bridge with about 2,800 kilograms (6,200 lb) (sic) of demolition charges. When they tried to blow it up, only a portion of the explosives detonated. U.S. forces captured the bridge and rapidly expanded their first bridgehead across the Rhine, two weeks before Operation Plunder. The GIs’ actions prevented the Germans from regrouping east of the Rhine and consolidating their positions. , , The battle for control of the bridge caused both the American and German forces to employ new weapons and tactics in combat for the first time. Over the next 10 days, the Germans used virtually every weapon at their disposal to try to destroy the bridge. This included infantry and armor, howitzers, mortars, floating mines, mined boats, a railroad gun, and a giant 540mm super heavy mortar. To protect the bridge against aircraft the Americans positioned the largest concentration of antiaircraft weapons during World War II leading to, "the greatest antiaircraft artillery battles in American history." The Americans counted 367 different German Luftwaffe aircraft attacking the bridge over the next 10 days; The Americans claimed to have shot down nearly 30% of the aircraft dispatched against them. The German air offensive failed. , , On 14 March, German Reich Chancellor Adolf Hitler ordered Schutzstaffel (SS) General Hans Kammier to fire V2 rockets to destroy the bridge. This marked the first time the missiles had been used against a tactical objective and the only time they were fired on a German target. The 11 missiles launched killed six Americans and a number of German citizens in nearby towns, but failed to damage the bridge. When the Germans sent a squad of seven naval demolition swimmers wearing Italian underwater breathing apparatus, the Americans were ready. For the first time in combat, they had deployed the top secret Canal Defence (sic) Lights which successfully detected the frogmen in the dark, and they were all killed or captured. . This historical marker was erected by Hillsborough County. It is in Tampa in Hillsborough County Florida

The Battle of Remagen during the Allied invasion of Germany resulted in the unexpected capture of the Ludendorff Bridge over the Rhine and possibly shortened World War II in Europe. After capturing the Siegfried Line, the 9th Armored Division of the U.S. First Army had advanced unexpectedly quickly towards the Rhine. They were very surprised to see one of the last bridges across the Rhine still standing. The Germans had wired the bridge with about 2,800 kilograms (6,200 lb) (sic) of demolition charges. When they tried to blow it up, only a portion of the explosives detonated. U.S. forces captured the bridge and rapidly expanded their first bridgehead across the Rhine, two weeks before Operation Plunder. The GIs’ actions prevented the Germans from regrouping east of the Rhine and consolidating their positions.

The battle for control of the bridge caused both the American and German forces to employ new weapons and tactics in combat for the first time. Over the next 10 days, the Germans used virtually every weapon at their disposal to try to destroy the bridge. This included infantry and armor, howitzers, mortars, floating mines,

Photographed By Brandon D Cross, March 7, 2022

2. Battle of Remagen Bridge Marker

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mined boats, a railroad gun, and a giant 540mm super heavy mortar. To protect the bridge against aircraft the Americans positioned the largest concentration of antiaircraft weapons during World War II leading to, "the greatest antiaircraft artillery battles in American history." The Americans counted 367 different German Luftwaffe aircraft attacking the bridge over the next 10 days; The Americans claimed to have shot down nearly 30% of the aircraft dispatched against them. The German air offensive failed.

On 14 March, German Reich Chancellor Adolf Hitler ordered Schutzstaffel (SS) General Hans Kammier to fire V2 rockets to destroy the bridge. This marked the first time the missiles had been used against a tactical objective and the only time they were fired on a German target. The 11 missiles launched killed six Americans and a number of German citizens in nearby towns, but failed to damage the bridge. When the Germans sent a squad of seven naval demolition swimmers wearing Italian underwater breathing apparatus, the Americans were ready. For the first time in combat, they had deployed the top secret Canal Defence (sic) Lights which successfully detected the frogmen in the dark, and they were all killed or captured.

Erected by Hillsborough County.

Topics. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: Military

Remagen Bridge 1945 image. Click for more information.

Public Domain, circa 1945

3. Remagen Bridge 1945

Battle of the Remagen Bridgehead
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers website entry
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• War, World II. A significant historical date for this entry is March 7, 1945.

Location. 27° 58.616′ N, 82° 21.789′ W. Marker is in Tampa, Florida, in Hillsborough County. Memorial can be reached from N US Highway 301, 0.2 miles south of E Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Marker located within Hillsborough County Veterans Memorial Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3602 N US Highway 301, Tampa FL 33619, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Cow Cavalry Monument (a few steps from this marker); The Battle of Tampa Monument (a few steps from this marker); Scottish Chief Anchor (a few steps from this marker); The Battle of Fort Brooke (a few steps from this marker); US Army Stuart M3A1 Light Tank (within shouting distance of this marker); Navy Seabees (within shouting distance of this marker); US Army Howitzer 75mm (within shouting distance of this marker); Bataan Death March Bridge (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Tampa.

Also see . . . Ludendorff Bridge. Wikipedia entry (Submitted on May 12, 2022, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)

Credits. This page was last revised on May 12, 2022. It was originally submitted on March 20, 2022, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 241 times since then and 99 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 20, 2022, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.