The Germans Tried To Blow This Bridge 3 Times, It Refused To Come Down

Описание: In March 1945, American soldiers from the 9th Armored Division stumbled upon an incredible sight during the final months of World War 2. The Ludendorff Bridge at Remagen was still standing, the last intact crossing over the Rhine River. What followed was one of the most dramatic moments of the entire war. German engineers attempted three separate demolitions to destroy the bridge before it could be captured. The first blast created a massive crater but failed to stop the advancing troops. The second attempt, using an electrical detonation system, produced nothing but silence when the handle was turned. The third and final effort sent a thunderous explosion rippling across the river, yet when the smoke cleared, the massive steel structure remained standing. Within minutes, young American soldiers sprinted across the damaged and swaying span, becoming the first invading army to cross the Rhine since Napoleon. Second Lieutenant Karl Timmermann, a German-born American leading his first day in command, became the first officer across. Sergeant Alexander Drabik, a former butcher from Ohio, was the first soldier to reach the eastern bank. Their courage under fire changed the course of history. The capture of this bridge shortened World War 2 by weeks, possibly months, allowing over one hundred twenty five thousand American troops to pour into the heart of Germany. This is the true story of the bridge that refused to fall, the soldiers who risked everything to cross it, and the ten days that cracked open the final defense of the Third Reich.