European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 23, 1950, Darmstadt, Hesse                                13. The Statt and strips pages by Howard Katzan Dobstaff writer to the army that had crossed the English Channel at its widest Point and stormed across such imposing Rivers As the Seine the Roer looked like a contemptible Little ditch. But insignificant though it was in Width and depth the Roer was the big Fly in the Allied ointment during the Early Days of february 1845, when the ., British an Canadian armies were girding for tie final assault to reach the  one final Conquest of the heavily defended Little Stream the Rushing Waters added their toll to Liat exacted by the enemy s  situation in Europe at the 4rn of the new year had found Tow Allied armies crushing the last ves Ives of enemy resistance in the ardennes where von Rundstedt s big offensive bad failed. By raid january that Battle was Over and he plans were Laid for the Advance to the  weather at thai period was cold and wet. Most of the Snow was gone to be replaced by mud. In the lines the men fought i mud sat in mud ate in mud. Slept in mud along the roads from the tear areas to the front roads were uck with mud. Linesmen struggled with wires coated with mud. Dead tattle and some dead germans Lay in the ditches hardly Retog air Noble under their coating of mud the plans Laid Down by Gen Dwight d. Eisenhower supreme commander of the Allied expeditionary forces depended heavily on hard Frozen ground for a Quick dash by Armor to the Rhine. In Stead he got mud and on the Roer floods. But he got compensation too to  his report to the combined chief of staff Eisenhower outlines Tyve plan of Campaign designed to Leach the Rhine. Two operations were planned Eisenhower lauds Rhine crossing by 1st Gen Dwight d Eisenhower yesterday sen i the following message to it Gen Cour tue. H. Hodges the whole Allied Force is delighted to cheer the 1st  Army whose Speed and boldness have won the race to establish la first Bridgehead Over the Rhine. Please Tel All ranks How proud i am of  signed Eisenhower supreme commander combat engineers signal corps photo above of the 9th army construct a footbridge Over the Boer River at the Start of the great offensive. Called veritable and grenade in which the Canadian army and the 9th  Army attached for the operation to Field Mats Albernard Montgomery s 21st army up were to Advance to the Rhine North of Dusseldorf. The 1st  Army meanwhile was to seize a line West and North West of Cologne along the Eft River. Two corps were to attack no later than feb. 8, the British xxx corps on the right and the Canadian ii corps on the left with British i corps also under command of the Canadian army. In All seven infantry and Foura Mored divisions with four in Fantry and five armoured brigades were to be , As was hoped Eisenhower wrote dry ground conditions prevailed the basis of the operation was to be Speed and violence the armoured columns passing through the enemy lines and disrupting his rear areas. As events turned out the state of the country was the very reverse of what had been desired.". Weather conditions could hardly have been More unfavourable. January had been exceptionally severe with Snow lying on the ground through the month and when the thaw set in at the beginning of february the ground became extremely soft and water logged while floods spread far and wide in the area Over which our Advance had been planned to take  difficulties thus imposed were immense and the men Hac sometimes to fight Waist deep in water. The privations they under went were appalling but their spirit was indomitable and the overcame their personal hardships with great gallantry to inflict Amajor defeat upon the enemy in some of the fiercest fighting of the whole ," the Canadian army s part of the Attadi nonetheless got started on schedule and after bitter fighting on the outskirts of Klev reached the Rhine securing All its objectives before grenade the 9th army s operation could be ," which was to have been launched As soon As Starm captured the dams controlling the flow of water on the Roer was repeatedly postponed because o 1 ground conditions. Apart from the thaw and heavy Rains the enem was in a position so Long As he controlled these dams to. Flood he entire Roer  first of the dams was reached after bitter fighting through difficult country Over broken for ested Hills on feb. 4. The last an most important the Schwammel Navel dam was not taken until feb. 10, and before he surrendered to the enemy opened the sluices. The water poured Down the Val Ley causing the Al Eady swollen Roer to Rise by four feet and it was not until feb. 23 that the level had sub sided sufficiently to permit a  those who took part in it the crossing of the Roer will be remembered As one of the bitterest Battles of the War. Allied artillery and Aerial bombardment had reduced most of the buildings in towns and villages immediately East of the River to ruins but the enemy had had ample time in which to make a Strong Point of every rubble Heap. La order to avoid delaying sub sequent operations the Roer was crossed while current in the River wag still Strong. The Waters were Beavril mined and some assault boats were swept away from their prescribed Landing areas. A 45-minute bombardment by heavy artillery immediately before the assault reduced enemy opposition to the landings but immediately after Bridgehead were gained heavy German artillery opened in considerable volume on Bridge Heads and bridging Sites. Consider Able enemy air bombing and Straf ing attacks were added to the artillery but failed to prevent the construction of Bridges. The assault was led by Vii corps of the 1st army South of Duren at 3 30 am feb. 23. An hour later Xix corps and Xiii corps of 9th army kicked off in the Julich sector. I took three Days to Clear Duren an two Days to take Julich though both were hardly More than big Vil  the offensive gained momentum. North of Linnich the enemy recoiled underhand blows from 9th army Armor. First army pressed toward Cologne while 9th was Clearing Munchen Gladbach. Whole units of the 15th German army surrendered. By March 1, the Center of Munchen Gladbach was reached Greve Broich had fallen Neuss was entered Venlo reached and Roermonde found abandoned by the enemy. Eisenhower after a visit to the front around Munchen Gladbach wrote the troops definitely sensed ultimate Victory and were Irre  the fighting on the Northern end of the line a Milestone in the form of an impressive round num Ber was passed. The 1st German Parachute army struggling bit Terly to hold Ste Bridgehead on the West Bank of the Rhine Between Wesel and Xanten finally collapsed on March 10 and withdrew blow ing its Bridges As it crossed the River. The following play mopping up operations on the West Bank were completed the prisoners taken bringing the grand total captured since a Day to Over 1,000,000, meanwhile. 1st army carrying out a series of operations known under the code name Lumberjack was exploiting its successes on the Roer and pushing toward co Logne after encountering and Over coming heavy resistance along the Eft canal. On March 5 its spearheads entered Cologne and by March 7 the City was entirely in our hands. On the same Day the remaining enemy abandoned the West Bank North to Dusseldorf. At the same time farther to the South Iii corps of 1st army encountered what Eisenhower de scribes As one of those rare and fleeting opportunities which occasionally present themselves in War and which if grasped have incalculable effects in determining future  the Opportunity was the famous Ludendorff rail Road Bridge across the Rhine at Remagen so fleeting Are the great moments of history that there Are some who will read this account who never heard of the Remagen Bridge even though it is Only five years since the news of its capture and the arrival of the first american troops on the East Bank of the Rhine electrified the Allied world. The Iii corps rolling up a Dis organized enemy As it attacked Southeast in accordance with its plan reached the Rhine at re Magen March 7. In the confusion of getting across the River in the face of this rapid thrust the enemy failed to Complete destruction of the Ludendorff Bridge. Before the mistake would be rectified a Small spearhead from the 9th army div seized the Bridge the Only one left intact by the enemy the whole length of the  this important event Eisenhower says the Remagen Bridge was not in a sector from which it had Bee intended to launch a major thrust eastward but i at once determined at the expense of modifying details of the plan of Campaign to seize the Golden Opportunity offered to  was obvious that Possession of a foothold Over the Rhine her would constitute the greatest pos sible threat As a supporting Effort continued on Page 7 watch on the Rhine  i a fir \ -1 -n.-.T. -. A 1st us army observer atop flak Hill keeps a Lookout for enemy planes trying to Knock out the Renu Genii Bridge. Troops of the 1st army crossed the Rhine with 4vy feet altar to Bridge intact on March 1, 1945.turns