Clarksburg Ohio World War II history: Now and Then. The Capture of the Remagen Bridge and the U.S. Army Crossing of the Rhine River

CLARKSBURG OHIO WORLD WAR II HISTORY: NOW AND THEN - The Battle for the Remagen Bridge!

A number of Clarksburg men from various U.S. Army units converged on the Rhine River Valley in late March of 1945 in preparation for crossing the last standing bridge spanning the Rhine River. Constant German aerial attacks and artillery barrages slowed the American advance, but eventually, the 9th Armored Division was successful at taking the bridge. As more and more troops bottlenecked in the area and commandeered German houses in the picturesque villages near Remagen that make up one the finest white wine regions in the world, a number of Clarksburg Ohio men waited to cross the river.

Lt. Robert Hamman was among this group, part of the 9th Armored Division's 73rd Armored Field Artillery - commanding a battery of 105MM M4 Priests. Willis Cleary, part of the 2nd Infantry Division's 23rd Infantry Regiment, K Company, was also waiting out his chance to cross the river in the resort town of Ahrweiler, 2 miles from the banks of the Rhine. Fred Rittenhouse, aboard a Sherman Tank attached to the 777th Tank Battalion was also waiting his turn. All three of these Ross County men, including others crossed the Rhine at Sinzig, Germany between March 23, 1945 and March 27, 1945.

Pictured are Nick and Vic Cleary, the son and grandson of Sgt. Willis Cleary, standing on the western bank of the Rhine next to the remaining structure of the Remagen Bridge, which today houses a nice museum memoralizing the battle for the bridge, as well as the men (from both sides of the battle) who fought and died in Remagen.