Officers..The Bridge at Remagen

Subject: Officers..The Bridge at Remagen
From: (Drazen Kramaric)
Date: 3/31/04 11:12 AM Pacific Standard Time
Message-id:

On 26 Feb 2004 19:26:25 GMT, (ArtKramr) wrote:

When the troops of the 9th armored division reached the bridge at Remaagen
on
March 7th they stopped undecided what to do. General William Hoge saw the
bridge standing aand ordered it to be taken with the East end of the bridge
secured. Lt. Karl Timmermann led the charge takig the bridge and setting up
a
perimeter line of skernishers on the Eastern side.

When ordered to take the bridge troops obeyed the commands of their officers
instantly and obediently. No debates. No second opinions. Just immediate
action. It is how wars are won.

Actually, according to William Breuer's "Storming Hitler's Rhine",
Timmerman's men hesitated, when Major Deveers tried to cheer them up,
he was cursed back about what he could have done with his damned
bridge. It took some prodding until men finally rose and followed
their lieutnant over the bridge.


Drax


I know men who were there and they tell the story as I have told it. Also there
were cameramen there who recorded the assault as I have told it. Brauer wasn't
there and knows nothing about it.



Arthur Kramer
344th BG 494th BS
England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany
Visit my WW II B-26 website at:
http://www.coastcomp.com/artkramer

"ArtKramr" wrote in message
...
Subject: Officers..The Bridge at Remagen
From: (Drazen Kramaric)
Date: 3/31/04 11:12 AM Pacific Standard Time
Message-id:

On 26 Feb 2004 19:26:25 GMT, (ArtKramr) wrote:

When the troops of the 9th armored division reached the bridge at
Remaagen
on
March 7th they stopped undecided what to do. General William Hoge saw
the
bridge standing aand ordered it to be taken with the East end of the
bridge
secured. Lt. Karl Timmermann led the charge takig the bridge and setting
up
a
perimeter line of skernishers on the Eastern side.

When ordered to take the bridge troops obeyed the commands of their
officers
instantly and obediently. No debates. No second opinions. Just immediate
action. It is how wars are won.

Actually, according to William Breuer's "Storming Hitler's Rhine",
Timmerman's men hesitated, when Major Deveers tried to cheer them up,
he was cursed back about what he could have done with his damned
bridge. It took some prodding until men finally rose and followed
their lieutnant over the bridge.


Drax


I know men who were there and they tell the story as I have told it. Also
there
were cameramen there who recorded the assault as I have told it. Brauer
wasn't
there and knows nothing about it.

Once again Art comes up short when his story is examined against available
hisorical accounts:

"Timmermann saw that the bridge was damaged (see the picture at right) but
passable. He called the platoon leaders together and gave the plan for
crossing the bridge. The men hesitated - they were tired and it looked like
certain death." www2.gasou.edu/facstaff/etmcmull/REMAGEN.htm (Account from
a US Army officer who participated in the Remagen operation, with the first
AAA battalion to arive to defend the bridghead)

Sounds like the account Breuer related is a lot closer to the truth than the
one Art recalss--but heck, given that Art can't even remember the fact that
National Guard units were in the thick of the combat throughout the ETO,
this comes as little surprise.

Brooks







Arthur Kramer

"Keith Willshaw" writes:

Throughout
Pacific war, Japanese managed to fight far more stubbornly without air
cover.


Stubbornly yes, intelligently no. By 1944 the weaknesses of the
Japanese fighting methods was well understood and they took
horrible casualties to little effect.

It does boggle the mind rather, doesn't it. I believe it was only in
late 1944, at Palau (do I have that right? The unnecessary invasion?)
that the Japanese commander managed to persuade GHQ to allow him to
fight a guerilla battle rather than suicide charges - in order to
prolong resistance for as long as possible. This became the accepted
way to fight after that, despite suicide charges carried out at times
after that. All in all though, a great waste of life on mostly the
Japanese side.

--
G Hassenpflug * IJN & JMSDF equipment/history fan