On the way to Amsterdam

This evening was lovely, no rain any way and sunshine as we headed nearer to the Netherlands. All evening we saw more and more livestock and flatter land. About 9 or 9:30 we passed the boundary but were not able to see the Waal river.  Our son-in-law, who was born in Holland, had asked us to watch for this area but alas, it was dark.

Near Holland we pass the remnants of the The Bridge at Remagen, which was never rebuilt after the war. 

This is one of the last bridges the Nazis tried to destroy.  

Dubbed the "Miracle of Remagen," the capture of the Ludendorff Bridge opened the way for Allied troops to drive into the heart of Germany. Over 8,000 men crossed the bridge in the first twenty-four hours after its capture as engineers frantically worked to repair the span. Infuriated by its capture, Hitler swiftly ordered the trial and execution of the five officers assigned to its defense and destruction. Only Bratge survived as he had been captured by American forces before he could be arrested. Desperate to destroy the bridge, the Germans conducted air raids, V-2 rocket attacks, and frogman assaults against it.

In addition, German forces launched a massive counterattack against the bridgehead with no success. As the Germans were attempting to strike the bridge, the 51st and 291st Engineer Battalions built pontoon and treadway bridges adjacent to the span. On March 17th, the bridge suddenly collapsed killing 28 and wounding 93 American engineers. Though it was lost, a substantial bridgehead had been built up which was supported by the pontoon bridges. The capture of the Ludendorff Bridge, along with Operation Varsity later that month, removed the Rhine as an obstacle to the Allied advance.