[B.F.M. Droog]

'Shortly after three o'clock of the afternoon of March 17, with a sickening roar of torn steel, the Bridge at Remagen collapsed and fell into the Rhine.' [...] Though unexpected, the fall of the bridge should not have been surprising. The miracle was, that battered and maimed, it stood so long.'

from: Ken Hechler, The Bridge at Remagen, Ballantine Books, 1957 (fifth printing 1969 - from which the above comes).

The author tells that a combination of factors caused the collapse:
- the emergency demolition of March 7
- the repairs, which did not strengthen the bridge, but weakened it further
- the constant heavy traffic after its capture
- explosions of more than 600 German artillery shells
- the bombings by the Luftwaffe
- American anti aircraft guns firing at the Luftwaffe, causing more ground vibrations
- the firing of 1087 heavy artillery shells by American howitzers, within 2000 yards of the bridge.

Even so, Hermann Göring related in July 1945, in his cell, how his powerful Luftwaffe had destroyed the bridge. He could not be convinced that this wasn't the case.

Regards,

Bart