Evening star., 1945-03-09
Group Of Armored |nfantrymen
Heroes Of Remagen Bridge Coup
Thousands Cross
River Against
Light Opposition
BULLETIN.

BEFORE COBLENZ, Ger
many tP.-The United States
Sd Army late today won dom
ination of the Rhine north of
Coblenz by capturing the
ferry terminal of Andernach
and the town of Brohl, s miles
south of Remagen.
By the Associated Press
PARIS, Mar. 9-Lt. Gen. Court
ney Hodges American 1st Army
today steadily enlarged it's Rema-
gen bridgehead in inner Ger
many to an eaSt-bank wedge al
least 5 miles deep and 10 miles
wide.
Daring armored infantrymen OF
the 9th Armored Division captured
the doubie-tracked Ludendorf Rail-
ROAD Bridge at Remagen and swiftly
raced along its 1,200-foot length into
the steep cliffs of Erpel, 276 miles
southwest of Berlin and 80 miles
southeast of Cologne.
Tanks quickly followed the foot
troops, aware of the danger that the
Germans at any second might blow
up the structure. The Shermans
reached the span at $50 pm. We'd
neSday, it is possible to disclose for
the first time.
Nazi Resistance COllapses.
Between the Remagen bridgehead
and shell-rocked Coblenz, German
resistance collapsed suddenly in the
Eifel Mountain trap and the lost
Nazi divisions raced toward the
Rhine. British to the north cap
tured Xanten and steadily reduced
the Wesel pocket
In matter of seconds after the
capture of the Ludendorf Bridge,
the 9th Armored Division-under
command OF Maj. Gen. John w.
Leonard-WaS racing across and
tanning out in all directions.
The great Ruhr Basin was in i'm
minent peril of being outhanked; :;
the very heart of Germany was
menaced.
Erpel population, 1,00O at the
east end of the bridge, was swiftly
overrun and the tanks and foot
troops sWarmed into the Balsatic
cliffs and rolling green Rhineland
hills beyond. A German medic sur
rendered the town and 600 wounded
Germans and a few American pris-
oners in it.
BY German account. the 1St Army
had been halted before the castled
east bank town of Linz, miles east
of Remagen and 276 miles southeast
of Berlin.
Swift BuiIdup.
The buildup across the Rhine was
swift and under protective cover
of fighter bombers against resistance
which the surprised enemy still had
been unable to stiffen.
1t. Gen. George S. Pattons Sd
Army was shelling Coblenz aud was
last reported 4 miles away. Reports
many hours late placed probing tank
columns of the 1st and Sd Armies
only Is miles apart south of Rema-
gen.
Bonn, between Cologne and
CoblenZ, was in its last hours OF
Nazl rule as the 1st Division crashed
through its ancient streets to the
Rhine, where the enemy blew the
Rhine Bridge.
A Berlin military spokesman said
the 1St Army troops found that the
Ludendorff Bridge at Remagen "by
chance was not destroyed.
Remagen, which has a population
of 1884, is about midway between
invested Bonn and threatened Co.
blenz. Of the crossing, the Berlin
radio said:
AT Remagen, the Americans sue
ceeded in crossing to the eastern
bank of the Rhine. These rela-
lively weak U. S. A. forces could
penetrate on the eastern bank of
the Rhine Their advance guards
here, however, halted by German
bolt position before the town of
Linz
Reports at Allied headquarters
covering action well into Thursday