The Bridge at Remagen is a war film released in 1969, directed by John Guillermin and starring George Segal, Ben Gazzara and Robert Vaughn. The film is based on the book by
Ken Hechler which describes the capture of the Ludendorff Bridge at Remagen on March 7, 1945 by the U.S. 9th Armored Division.
Synopsis
In the last months of World War II, elements of the US 1st Army approach the last
standing bridge over the Rhine River. The Rhine is the last natural barrier between Allied forces
on the western front, and Germany's industrial heartland. While the battle weary Americans reluctantly follow orders to capture
the bridge intact, a scratch force of German defenders do their best to defend the bridge without actually destroying it and
cutting off the escape route of 75,000 of their German comrades on the far side of the Rhine.
Plot
The film is a fictionalized version of the real events. The real life officer who led US troops across the bridge, Lieutenant
Karl Timmermann, and the first soldier across the bridge, Sergeant Alex Drabik, bore little resemblance to the fictional
characters in the film.
George Segal plays Lieutenant Hartman, an experienced mechanized infantry platoon commander who is promoted to command a
company ordered to capture the eponymous bridge.
Major Paul Kruger (Robert Vaughn) is a German officer charged with defending the bridge. Official orders have been given to
destroy the span, but a gentleman's agreement with his commander has Kruger pledge to keep the bridge open as long as possible,
facilitating the withdrawal of thousands of men of the 15th Army, who would otherwise be trapped on the far side of the
river.
A company of armored infantry under Hartman capture the town of Stadt Meckenheim against no resistance, and are ordered to
keep going until they make contact with the enemy. Their battalion commander, Major Barnes, is anxious to please his superiors
(Hartman acidly remarks to his friend and company commander, Captain Colt, that "Barnes jumps at orders like a dog at a
bone").
The company makes contact in the town of Remagen, and after clearing the town finds the bridge intact. General Shinner orders
the bridge taken. "It's a crap shoot, Major," he tells Barnes. "We're risking 100 men, but you may save 10,000." He feels the
risk of losing Hartman's company is worth the possible gains - a foothold across the Rhine preventing the need for a costly
assault crossing elsewhere.
One of Hartman's squad leaders, Sergeant Angelo, highlights the mood of the weary men by striking Major Barnes after being
ordered onto the bridge.
Simultaneous to these actions, Major Kruger assumes command at the bridge, assisted by two captains, Hauptmann Baumann, an
engineer ordered to blow up the bridge, and Hauptmann Schmidt of the Remagen Bridge Security Command. Kruger finds that the
thousands of troops belonging to the local garrison have deserted, and the two battalions of tanks he has been promised as
reinforcements have been sent "elsewhere."
Unable to counter-attack, Kruger is forced to blow up the bridge, but the explosives given - "cheap, industrial explosive", as
Baumann complains - are unable to drop the span into the river. As Kruger leaves to get reinforcements, the remnants of the
bridge force surrenders to the remnants of the US company sent across the bridge.
Hartman and Angelo find themselves survivors, and Kruger is executed for desertion and failure to carry out his orders to blow
up the bridge.
Cast
Character analogies to real-life figures
As noted above, the real-life officers and NCOs involved in the battle for the Ludendorff Bridge bear little resemblance to
the characters in the film; however, the duty positions and actions of the characters were clearly analogous to several of the
real-life men.
- Lt Hartman is analogous to Lt Karl H. Timmermann, commander of Company A 27th Armored Infantry Battalion, who was also
promoted to company commander following the wounding of the previous commander the day before the battle for the bridge.
- Sgt Angelo appears to be a composite of Sgt Alex Drabik, the first man across the bridge, and Sgt Joseph DeLisio, a platoon
sergeant whom the troops had good-naturedly kidded about volunteering to lead several attacks just so he could have the first
crack at any loot.
- Major Barnes, the battalion commander, is analogous to Major Murray Deevers, Commander of the 27th Armored Infantry
Battalion.
- Lt Pattison, Hartmann's second-in-command, is analogous to Lt Emmett James Burrows, although Pattison is killed in the movie
while Burrows survived and went on to become a Mechanized Infantry battalion commander in the New Jersey Army National Guard in the 1950s.
- Brig Gen Shinner is analogous to Brig Gen William M. Hoge, commander of Combat
Command A, 9th Armored Division
While Hoge said that film was awful [1]
- Major Kruger is analogous to Major Hans Scheller.
- Hauptmann Schmidt is analogous to Hauptmann Willi Bratge, who commanded of the troops defending Remagen, and
was a schoolteacher in civilian life.
External link
References
- Hyams, Lee. War Movies
- Hechler, Ken. The Bridge at Remagen (Updated version by Pictorial Histories Publishing Company, Missoula, MT,
including chapter on the film.)
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