Smithsonian Events - One Time

In March 1945, the Rhine River was the last natural barrier left open to Germany’s heartland. As Allied troops advanced, the only bridge still spanning the river was the Ludendorff railroad bridge at Remagen. Military historian Mitch Yockelson examines how the 9th U.S. Armored Division took control of the strategically vital bridge only minutes before German forces had planned to destroy it and how this pivotal action ultimately shortened the war in Europe.