First Across the Rhine: The 291st Engineer Combat Battalion in France, Belgium, and Germany - Softcover

Pergrin, Colonel David E.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0760324085 ISBN 13: 9780760324080

Publisher: Zenith Press, 2006

Synopsis

In what quickly came to be called the Battle of the Bulge, the 291st Engineer Combat Battalion found itself directly in the path of the German spearhead. With heart-stopping suspense, Colonel David Pergrin describes one of the European theater's critical delaying actions as his unit destroyed bridges, planted mines, and defended roadblocks in the face of oncoming tank columns. Here, in gritty detail, is the story of how those damned Engineers ruined Hitler's winter offensive, and how the 291st, with a reputation almost as big as its accomplishments, went on to build a 1100-foot pontoon bridge across the Rhine at Remagen in 32 hours-in the face of fierce opposition and near-impossible odds. Pergrin follows the battalion from its formation and training through the campaigns in France, Belgium, and Germany, making us witness the genuine heroics, skill, and spirit that lifted the 291st to the realm of legend.

About this title

From the Inside Flap

t, there was no bridge too far. From Normandy to the heart of Germany itself, the 291st Engineer Combat Battalion literally paved the way for the Allies' final march to victory in Europe. Comprised of the best and the toughest among American enlisted men, proving they could take the worst of combat, and more important, give it back, the 291st both built and blew up vital bridges, stood its ground against the crushing Panzer spearhead during the Battle of the Bulge, and provided critical access over the Rhine in the face of enormous resistance.

This is the 291st's story, dramatically told by the man who served as its commander.

Edition details

• Publisher: Zenith Press
• Publication date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0760324085
• ISBN 13: 9780760324080
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 368