Tempests over Remagen: fact or 'alternative fact'?

[MW Giles]

The scouts of the 89th Recon Sqn did not see the bridge until 12:56 on the 7th March and the US forces of A/27/9 AIB did start out to take it until 13:50 hrs, arriving in Remagen 30 minutes later. They did not take the bridge for some time, including the failed attempt to blow it up. News that the bridge had been captured started going up the US chain of command from around 17:00 hrs

Therefore 2TAF would not have known about the bridge until sometime after that. (Neither would the Lw) Therefore why direct Tempests over US lines to counter something they could not know about?

The 274 Sqn sortie 14:35 to 16:00 swept Nienburg-Hannover-Hamm-Wesel and involved the three squadrons of 122 Wing (80/274/486) all doing the same thing. 3 and 56 Squadrons swept Rheine-Bremen-Bielefeld

Closterman strikes again.

Martin