Tor to the Rhine

Posted on by Thor

In Orsoy Germany just south of Rhineberg Germany, I was walking back from sketching the ferry across the Rhine  River and decided to sketch the city gate. Orsoy used to be a walled in medieval fortress town. This gate or Tor in German faces west towards the Rhine. Steel doors have been added which can be shut if the river floods and gets to the city gate, or Tor in German.

My Air B&B host told me that the other gates to the city had to be demolished by the American troops because the American Sherman tanks could not fit through them.  This gate is larger than the rest and therefore survived the war. By March 31, 1945 there were 3 Treadway Bridges, 2 Bailey Bridges and a Heavy Pontoon Bridge built across the Rhine. No bridge was build at Orsoy, so I don’t think the 75th Infantry would have crossed there. I also know that the 75th crossed before the first of the bridges was built, they went across with landing craft.

The 79th Infantry Division likely did cross the Rhine on a treadway bridge north or Orsoy Germany  as they invaded Dinslaken Germany. A  Treadway Bridge was built by the 17th Armored Engineer Battalion, The M2 Steel Treadway Bridge, is a modular floating bridge system used by the U.S. Army to cross rivers with heavy vehicles, . had over 1152 feet of  steel runway treads and 93 pneumatic floats. The project required just six hours and fifteen minutes to complete, setting a record for the size of the bridge. The Treadway Bridge was the fasted to build. The Bailey Bridges built were much sturdier.

Regardless of the bridge crossing sites, I believe the 75th Infantry Division, C-Company, lead by my father 1st Lieutenant Arthur Thorspecken  would have crossed much further to the north. They would have crossed just south of Wesel Germany and then crossed the Lippe Canal to clear the area between the Canal and the Lippe River. I thought the canal locks likely were used to make their way north across the canal, but the German military destroyed bridges over the Lippe Canal near places like Hunxe as Allied forces pushed into Germany in 1944 and 1945. It only makes sense for the 75th Infantry to cross the Rhine right where the Lippe Canal and the Lippe River empty onto the Rhine. That small strip of land they would mean they crossed at or just south of Buderich Germany. So you can see that knowing exact;y where the troops were is a bit of a guessing game, but new facts help to zone in on the truth.

 

The Rhine Crossing near Rhineberg Germany

Posted on by Thor

After visiting my distant cousins Nini Thorspecken in Koblenz Germany, I drove back up to the Rhineberg Germany area to get a sketch of the Rhine River where my father 1st Lieutenant Arthur Thorspecken might have crossed the river in March of 1945. I found a parking spot at the trailhead of a long hiking trail that followed the river northwards. The first mile of so of the trail the river wasn’t visible but then the trail went up a steep hill which might be man made to keep the floodwaters from getting to the fields and the town.

I was dreading the crossing. I imagined the industrial Ruhr area to be a wasteland of endless factories. When I stopped to  sketch that dread was reinforced. The nuclear facility I had sketched down river was still visible and surrounding it were a vast cluster of smoke stacks and cranes. There were train tracks right near the river’s edge and the cars were covered in graffiti. I noticed on the drive down to Koblenz Germany that graffiti is predominant along the autobahn. Rather than accepting the graffiti as a sign of artistic expression, I saw it as a song of cultural decay.

I am satisfied that this sketch site is straight west of Rheinberg Germany. I could have done another sketch further north along this trail, but there was a huge heard of sheep grazing and I decided I would not scatter the herd so I turned around. This sketch represents what might be the southern most of the three sites that the 75th Infantry Division might have crossed the river at. The middle site would have looked quite similar to this, so I was fine with focusing my attention on reaching the northern most site which was Buderich Germany.

As part of OPERATION PLUNDER, the 75th Infantry crossed the Rhine river between March 26th and March 31, 1945 under the cover of engineering smoke. The 75th was assigned to work along side the 8th Armored Division which was the first armored unit over the Rhine in the 9th Army sector. The crossings were proceeded with a huge artillery bombardment. 1st Lieutenant Dick Sassin said this of the crossing of the Rhine, “We were involved in a major attack across the Rhine, but the bridge at Remagen had been found intact, so troops could move across. It must have been hell to be on the receiving end as the concussion on our side was so great that it would lift the roof tiles  and they would fall back with a clatter of tiles that did not reconnect.”

Rhineberg Germany: The Gate of the Dead

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The Gate of the Dead was inaugurated on June 17, 1964 and it commemorates all the victims of the wars of 1866, 1870-1871, World War I 1914-1918, and World War II 1939-1945, from Rhineberg–Mitte Germany. It is a symbolic Gate opening to the east made of meter high shells of Rhine gravel cement. Some surfaces of the vertical shells are smooth while others are rough as if exposed due to bomb blasts. The two shells enclose a large bronze plate which had three bronze crosses on the front and a large inscription on the back which says, “We have gone before you in dark times. Remember us and see the will of him who gives and takes away.” The names of  650 war victims are imbedded in the ground in the inner area.

For the Second World War there are 300 fallen soldiers, 95 missing, 60 civilian victims of bombings,  20 victims of flight and 10 deaths from concentration camps listed. All the victims were men woman and children from Rhineberg. They were Christians, Jews and people of no faith.

The Gate of the Dead is not a war memorial, it is instead a beacon of hope that people might someday abandon war and tyranny.

The Gate of the Dead is right behind a day care.   I could hear the screams of children at play the whole time I sketched. Townspeople walk their dogs around the paths that run past the edifice. The Gates remind me of the entrance to Jurassic Park. I liked that a distant barren tree lined up right in the middle of the sliver of the entrance.

This edifice was not here in 1945 as the 75th Infantry Division stood at the western side of the Rhine River about to cross the largest water barrier between them and Berlin Germany. The 75th Infantry Division would ultimately not advance as far as Berlin. General Eisenhower decided that he would let the Soviets advance to Berlin from the East, and the goal of the American troops would be to cripple the German war effort by destroying the Industrial Ruhr area which was the backbone of  the German war machine.

The 75th Infantry Division was going to cross the Rhine just south of the Lippe River. Their objective would be to clear the area between the Lippe River and the Lippe Canal. This is a very narrow strip of land which eventually would lead to Dorsten Germany. The troops had to wait at the Rhine river’s edge for the start of what would be known as OPERATION PLUNDER.

 

Rheinberg Germany: Suicide Corner

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Before walking to the Rhine River, I had to stop and sketch the downtown architecture of Rhineberg Germany. These buildings likely stood here 80 years ago if they were not destroyed by allied bombings. I was seated in front of a Pizza-Donner shop that was just opening. The proprietor was getting the oven fired up and he came out on occasion to check and see my progress.

On March 5, 1945, just before the 75th Infantry Division arrived, the 36 Tank Battalion, Company D rolled in to capture the town, which was an escape route for the Germans to get across the Rhine River to Wesel Germany.

Every American officer of Company D, was killed or severely wounded in the action at Rheinberg. The company lost one soldier to sniper fire as they moved north of Kamp-Lintford Germany towards Rheinberg. The Germans were well dug in in the woods outside of the town with anti tank guns. They defended the town fiercely. In an open field to the east, there were two German 88’s entirely un camouflaged, and one very well camouflaged began firing. The American tanks backing away while firing desperately at very few visible targets. Besides the 88s there was heavy small arms fire coming from many directions. The American tank Battalion rallied at a factory which offered cover before once again advancing toward Rheinberg.

B Company knocked out four 88s and six 20mm guns protecting the larger weapons. These guns were in addition to a half -track, a tank and a truck also knocked out by the company.

The capture of Rhineberg came at a heavy cost. The 36th Tank Battalion, Company D, which had been ordered to attack from the southwest, left 17 of its 18 tanks in flames along the road and the remaining tank had to be withdrawn. The 49th Armored Infantry Battalion suffered 68 casualties, while the 36th had 131 either wounded or killed in action. From the German ranks, 512 prisoners were taken and 350 killed. The 36th Tank Battalion lost a total of 41 tanks. Company B had lost all but six tanks. Company A fared somewhat better, but a final count showed 11 of its tanks knocked out.

The next day, Rheinberg, though cleared of the enemy, also remained under heavy mortar, tank and artillery fire with the Germans concentrating their fire on the area near the town’s church. This area was soon dubbed “Suicide Corner” and those who were wise, went through it on the double, ready to hit the dirt as soon as they heard the ominous whistle of an inbound shell.

Deins! Rhineberg Germany

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I took a second day in Rhineberg Germany to try and figure out exactly where the 75th Infantry Division would have crossed the Rhine River. I treated myself to a nice traditional German breakfast (fruhstuck). I was proud of myself for ordering breakfast in German, although I am sure the waitress knew I was English. I am glad I went here to sketch the dark wood beams and quaint interior. Who doesn’t love a gnome behind the bar?

The owner’s dog sat nervously by the bar waiting for her morning walk. There were mini bread rolls and cheese with ham, tomatoes, lettuce, jams Nutella and here boiled eggs that are served in an upright cup. You cut the top off of the egg shell and then scoop out the egg inside. I have come to like eggs served this traditional German way.

The waitress stopped by a few times to look over my shoulder and when I was done she asked to take a photo for the restaurant Facebook page and I let her. I knew I would be hiking a lot to find a route to the Rhine River from the town, I knew that many routes would be blocked by private farms and businesses. Back in 1945, the troops would have marched right through such obstacles and the civilians population would have evacuated.

The owner of the Air B&B I was staying in knew quite a bit about the World War 2 history of the area. He felt that the troops would have crossed at a spot just south of the town where there is a ferry crossing today. I listened intently, but didn’t quite agree since I saw a war map of the area and it showed 3 distinct crossing sites north and west of Rheinberg. I wanted to hike to each of those sites if it was possible. The 79th Infantry might have taken the southern route my Air B&B host was suggesting.

The rental car was often a problem since there was no parking available on those small country roads. I would leave the car in a town and then hike through the farm country towards the river. There were biking and walking trails along the river so once I got to those I should be golden. I knew the three crossing sites encircled a large curve in the river. With a full belly from a big breakfast, I set off to hike my way to the Rhine crossing sites.

American intelligence had identified the remnants of 21 German divisions lined up across the Rhine, but all were believed to be exhausted, seriously understrength, and incapable of putting up a sustained fight. Hitler’s hope of drawing a firm line at the Rhine was dashed on March 7, 1945 when elements of the 9th U.S. Armored Division captured the still-standing Ludendorff railroad bridge over the 980-foot-wide Rhine at the town of Remagen, between Cologne and Koblenz Germany. The allies had a clear path into Germany8 from that one crossing site. Every other span across the river had been destroyed. A massive mobilization began with engineers, soldiers, equipment and supplies being prepared for one of the most important river crossings of WWII.