Customer Reviews

The Bridge at Remagen: The Amazing Story of March 7, 1945-The Day the Rhine River was Crossed

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Hopefully this review will provide prospective buyers what they need to know.

As good as the original paperback version of this book was when it was first written, Pictorial Histories have put out an even better version with this large softcover offering, including rare photos of the major participants that the original lacked.

This is an excellent account of the encounter between Company A of the 27th Armored Infantry Regiment and the German defenders of the Ludendorff Bridge in March 1945. The main characters on both sides are brilliantly fleshed out by the author, and the strategies and tactics on both sides give a good look of both the big picture and the actual events of the battle itself.

Very nice additional chapter on the making of the movie is just icing on the cake.

Hechler was actually in the US Army in 1945 and is a solid historian. Only drawback may be lack of footnotes for the scholarly minded, but this book still gets a 5 for its coverage of the battle itself, and the aftermath - including German efforts to destroy the bridge, the postwar careers of some of the main players, the final collapse of the span itself, and the summary trials of the German defenders.

All battles deserve the kind of coverage this little skirmish receives in this well written, suspenseful, and exciting book. So well written you might think it is fiction.

My interest in the Second World War was rekindled by reading the bestseller WWII book, "The Triumph and the Glory", part of which was devoted to the Remagen Bridge capture. "The Bridge at Remagen" filled in all of the details about how the Rhine was breached in fine fashion, the author has done a great job describing the events surrounding one of the great episodes of WWII.

One of my favorite books relating to WWII is "The Bridge at Remagen" and had I the opportunity to witness a portion of the movie set, on location at Remagen on the Rhine River. I was attending Frankfurt American High School 1968 through 1970 and had the fortune of watching the movie set which was used for all the on-site location shoots for the David Wolper Film. I had gone on a Rhine River Cruise in 1968 and stopped to observe the film shooting that took place. The movie was released a year later and became a huge box office hit in 1969. I read the first paperback in 1978 by Ken Hechler and consequently his 1994 book with the same title. I found the book to be historicaly accurate and intensely focused on the human factor of the major caracters in the story. I would recommend that if all possible, any reader should visit the Museum opened in one of the original Towers at the the site of the former bridge that pays homage to the events and lives from March 7th, 1945. Take the Rhine River Cruise that starts in Bingen and goes north to Bonn past Remagen; you will see the most incredible sights of the Castles and the Rhine Valley, sending you back in time to help you experience the book. My wife and I just took the tour in August and I had to read the book again.

I recently met Mr. Hechler and could have listened to him reminisce for hours! What an interesting man. I just had to go out and reread this book and was still enthralled even though this is the 3rd or 4th time I've read it. It is a must read for anyone interested in WWII history. Plus, if you've seen the movie and not read the book you really are missing the whole story.

This is a wonderfully written book which looks at the capturing of the Remagen bridge from both the US and German points of view. Ken Hechler
creates a vivid picture of the brave men that crossed the bridge, knowing full well that it could detonate or collapse at any moment.

Another chapter in the book details the terrible injustice of the witchhunt for scapegoats that was unleashed by Hitler in the wake of the Allies
securing this important bridgehead on the Rhine.

This edition has many crisp photographs which have captured an incredible moment in history.

It is an unforgetable book and i highly recommend it.

I bought the book because my Ballantine paperback copy of "The Bridge at Remagen" (published in 1957 and sold for 50 cents) was falling apart. I was pleasantly surprised to find many additional photographs in the Pictorial Histories version along with an updated biography of Ken Hechler.

The Bridge at Remagen: The Amazing Story of March 7, 1945-The Day the Rhine River was Crossed Thee BEST book on the subject written by a man who was there to record it all. He even interviewed the main participants from both sides. Author Ken Hechler went on to serve under President Truman and to serve as a Congressman from West Virginia. At age 97, he's still alive and willing to answer questions. The film Bridge at Remagen produced in 1969 by David Wolper gives a very accurate telling of the events. Also available on DVD from Amazon.com. Of personal interest to me since my brother-in-law was killed in action that day.

great book it a must have I have the movie and when I read the book it was great.