as well as landing their potential starting point guard for next season in Davi Remagen
and 3.0 assists in the NextGen EuroLeague ULM Qualifier
He played so well that he earned all-tourney honors
2007-born đ©đȘ/đ§đ· guard, Davi Remagen, has committed to Georgia Tech, his agents Bennet Ahnfeldt and Elias Sbiet tell me.Avgâd 15.8 PTS, 3.2 REB, 3.0 AST at the NextGen EuroLeague Ulm qualifier, earning all-tourney honors.The RheinStars Köln product and great nephew of soccer⊠pic.twitter.com/H4HbVSaqVn
In the German Pro Basketball League
He shot 49% from the field and 31.3% from three-point range
Remagen has good size at 6â3 and plays with good pace and rhythm
which is advantageous for the Yellow Jackets
He can score on the ball screen and runs the pick-and-roll beautifully
He can also be a spot-up shooter and doesnât hesitate to pull up from long range
He can also put the ball on the floor and create his own offense off the bounce and has a really good mid-range game
Remagen is also good at pushing the ball in transition and finishing around the rim
An area where he is very underrated is on the defensive end
He is a really good perimeter defender who plays the passing lanes well
You see several highlights of him cutting off driving lines and poking the ball free leading to easy opportunities at the rim or dishing it out to others
His defensive ability will be a welcome sight on the perimeter to go along with Jaeden Mustaf who established himself as one of the better defenders on the team last year
With Remagen already playing professional basketball
he is going to already have a good feel for the game and will be a player that coach Stoudamire can trust immediately to lead his offense
Georgia Tech has now added three players in the transfer portal
There was a lot of speculation on whether the Yellow Jackets would add a player iin the portal
but they have continued to fill out their roster for the 2025-2026 season and will have a lot of shooting on this year's upcoming team
Georgia Tech Portal Target Braxton Fely Makes Surprising Transfer Decision
Updated ACC Baseball Standings: Georgia Tech Remains In The Top Four Despite Another Series Loss
10 Georgia Tech Players Who Could Be Selected In The 2026 NFL Draft
Nate Oats and Alabama basketball are pursuing plenty of options to fill out the roster for next season
Things have been quiet on the Transfer Portal front over the last week since the last holdovers from last season's roster made final decisions
But Oats and top assistant Preston Murphy are hard at work and examining the options that are out there
there have been some bigger names come available in the final week of the Transfer Portal being open for basketball
One of the most intriguing options came to light on Saturday when 5-star UConn signee Darius Adams chose to request his release from the Huskies and re-open his recruitment
NEWS: Top-30 senior Darius Adams has decommitted from UConn, sources told ESPN. Was one of three McDonaldâs All-Americans in the Huskiesâ 2025 recruiting class. Committed to them last September over Michigan State and Tennessee, while Alabama also pursued Adams. pic.twitter.com/juxRsNm06w
Adams is a 5-star prospect and the No. 23 overall player in the 247 composite rankings
Adams has good size at a listed 6-foot-5 and is projected as a three-level scorer with a nice shooting touch from long range
Alabama was involved with Adams when he ultimately chose UConn
The Crimson Tide didn't make his final cut list of three teams
but they were high on his list prior to that
Alabama now has something to offer at this stage that not a lot of other teams do: playing time in the backcourt
so this is far from a slam dunk for Alabama
But the Crimson Tide will be involved in this recruitment
Memphis guard PJ Haggerty would be a dream addition in Alabama's backcourt, but with a reported NIL price tag of $4 million, you can count the Tide out of the Haggerty sweepstakes
Alabama is believed to be one of the top two suitors for Washington State transfer guard Cedric Coward
That has reportedly become an Alabama/Duke battle
with both teams also contending with the NBA as Coward goes through the draft process
The Tide still has a big need for a lead guard
following Labaron Philon's NBA Draft decision
Oats and company have taken a look overseas at an intriguing international prospect:
6'3 PG Davi Remagen, one of the BEST international prospects in the C/O 2025, will be taking a visit to Georgia Tech early next week, per source. Remagen is also receiving interest from Alabama, Utah, & Ole Miss.The German/Brazilian native is a strong, athletic, skilled guard⊠pic.twitter.com/qNlE55RCEK
It remains to be seen how interested Alabama is
It's always difficult to tell how overseas players will translate
but he's certainly got the skill to team with good size
He would be an interesting flyer to take for the 12th or 13th roster spot
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Alabama basketball expected to be involved","relatedPosts",[],[],[],4,0,"",{"next":"b9"},["4h"],"semantic",{"articles":"b4","articlesQueryURLs":"b5","bySearchQuery":"49","excludeProperties":"51","excludedIDs":"b6","isFullPost":"ax","limit":"b7","offset":"b8","onlyQueryURLs":"ax","organization":"b9","pagination":"ba","properties":"bb","sourceType":"bc"},{"type":"b3","value":"bd"},{"postsList":"be"},"John is the Site Expert at Bama Hammer and a lifelong fan of the Alabama Crimson Tide
He has written for a variety of online platforms since 2007 with bylines at multiple Fansided sites including Saturday Blitz and Busting Brackets
He has previously covered Alabama high school athletics for East Alabama Sports Today
John is also a cinephile who really ties the room together
NEWS: Top-30 senior Darius Adams has decommitted from UConn, sources told ESPN. Was one of three McDonaldâs All-Americans in the Huskiesâ 2025 recruiting class. Committed to them last September over Michigan State and Tennessee, while Alabama also pursued Adams. pic.twitter.com/juxRsNm06w
Adams is a 5-star prospect and the No. 23 overall player in the 247 composite rankings
Memphis guard PJ Haggerty would be a dream addition in Alabama's backcourt, but with a reported NIL price tag of $4 million, you can count the Tide out of the Haggerty sweepstakes
Alabama is believed to be one of the top two suitors for Washington State transfer guard Cedric Coward
6'3 PG Davi Remagen, one of the BEST international prospects in the C/O 2025, will be taking a visit to Georgia Tech early next week, per source. Remagen is also receiving interest from Alabama, Utah, & Ole Miss.The German/Brazilian native is a strong, athletic, skilled guard⊠pic.twitter.com/qNlE55RCEK
A 5-star guard committed to UConn has requested his release and will be reopening his recruitment
Nate Oats and Alabama basketball are expected to be involved
The war in Europe enters its final stages as the Allies prepare to cross the Rhine
Hitler has ordered the destruction of all bridges across the river
but one small iron structure remains intact - the bridge at Remagen
Exciting stories based on real experiences
a small unit of American soldiers is sent to capture a strategically important bridge over the Rhine - but German forces are determined to prevent the Allied advance
On 7 March 1945 the Ludendorff Bridge over the Rhine at Remagen
Appeal for funds to rebuild bridge at Remagen destroyed after capture by US troops in final days of war
Officials in Germany have announced plans to rebuild a bridge over the Rhine that collapsed days after its capture by US soldiers in the final weeks of the second world war
which featured in a 1969 film of the same name starring George Segal
focusing on the heroism of the alliesâ final advance into Germany
which was 325 metres long and six metres wide
would be reserved solely for pedestrians and cyclists
and stand as a monument to the victims of war
including those who died when it collapsed almost 80 years ago
91% voted in favour of rebuilding the bridge
with many saying that if only from a purely pragmatic point of view they were keen on a crossing over the Rhine
There is no river crossing for about 27 miles (44km) and only a limited number of ferry boats
a trade and industry promoter for the town of Remagen
said an engineer had been commissioned to draw up plans to reconstruct the bridge that were âviable and realisticâ
all that remained of the bridge â which was built during the first world war by Russian prisoners of war to facilitate the delivery of personnel
equipment and supplies to German troops on the western front â were the towers on its western bank in Remagen
and those on the eastern bank in the village of Erpel
Local communities have signalled their readiness to help finance the project
including restoration of the remaining towers
but they have also asked the state of Rheinland-Pfalz and the federal government for funds
citing the symbolic importance of the project âwhich extends far beyond the regionâ
The US army crossed the bridge on 7 March 1945 after the retreat of the Wehrmacht from France
the first opportunity they had to cross the strategically vital Rhine
German forcesâ attempts to blow it up by placing explosives at strategic points along the bridge failed
and allied engineers succeeded in removing the explosives before capturing the bridge
thought to have been swept away in the strong current of the river
along with other hastily constructed pontoon bridges
allowed the US army to transport about 125,000 troops along with tanks
artillery and other vehicles over the river towards the east
Historians agree that its capture helped to shorten the war
The Bridge at Remagen was filmed in the central Bohemian town of Davle
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the industryâs economic impact rose from $90.5 billion in 2023 to $91.7 billion in 2024
Kahr Arms has been most well-known for its single-stack line of concealed-carry pistols
the company is moving into the double-stack market with its new Premium X Series
Henry's Special Products Division has officially released its first line of unique offerings in its HUSH series of suppressor-ready lever-action rifles
Built primarily from thick 6061 aircraft-grade aluminum
is an incredibly robust and stable gun rest designed for use with pistols and long guns alike
Our editors will review what youâve submitted and determine whether to revise the article
The Bridge at Remagen, American war film
that earned acclaim for its gripping battle sequences and fine cast
but the resulting explosion fails to destroy it
He is later arrested by his superiors and shot for disobeying orders
the production was forced to move to Austria and Italy
Pitts American Legion Post GR07 (Wiesbaden
Germany) color guard played an active part in the Battle of Remagenâs 79th anniversary wreath-laying ceremony
held March 7 at the base of the former Ludendorff Railway Bridge in Remagen
when American forces unexpectedly captured the bridge intact.
Post Commander Todd Johnson was one of the participants
but praised fellow members Daniel Lopez-Bonaglia and Post Adjutant Jerry Griffis: âDan and Jerry did a great job ⊠I could not be more proud of them.â
The American Forces Network took video of the ceremony
2025 will mark the 80th anniversary of the battle and capture
The American Legion National Headquarters:
Subscribe to The American Legion's e-newsletters to receive important updates
and special offers tailored for veterans and their families
Remagen didn't really factor into Allied plans as they stormed across France and Belgium in late 1944
The town's narrow roads and imposing cliffs made it unsuitable for a military crossing
But the swift Allied advance toward Germany was blunted in autumn 1944 by supply problems and renewed resistance by German forces
themselves invigorated by the prospect of defending of their homeland
After Allied forces halted and flattened the bulge created by a massive and ferocious German offensive in winter 1944
attention turned to how to cross the Siegfried line at Germany's western border and the Rhine River beyond it
and a few thousand pounds of faulty explosives
soon made the 9th Division the first military force cross the Rhine since Napoleon
Just as Timmermann ordered his men to cross the span
its German defenders set off the explosives
The US troops flung themselves to the ground for cover but soon stood up to see the bridge intact
"They were to be exploded electrically; we activated the detonator; only one charge went off causing a crater in front of the bridge
"The main charge did not go off; a tank round must have hit the pipe carrying the cable to the explosives," he added
Jacob Kleebach, then a sergeant of the bridge security force who became a carpenter in Remagen after the war, differed: "All those stories are not true
She had two sons in the US Army in Germany and brothers fighting on the German side
"This is the Omaha World-Herald calling," the voice boomed, according to Ken Hechler's 1957 book, "The Bridge at Remagen." "Your son Karl has just crossed the Remagen bridge
"I know what it means to me: Is he hurt?" she replied
But listen to this: Karl Timmermann was the first officer of an invading army to cross the Rhine River since Napoleon," the voice told her
The call came into III Corps headquarters less than an hour after US troops had crossed the bridge
"Hot dog, Courtney," Gen. Omar Bradley, commander of the 12th Army Group, remembered telling Gen
who was commander of the First Army at the time.
Shove everything you can across it," Bradley said
Many men were on the bridge when it collapsed
One reason for the collapse was that the eastern end of the bridge had been damaged by German attempts to blow it up before Allied troops captured it
"No German bombs hit the bridge," Willi Bratge, in charge of security at the bridge at the time, told Stars and Stripes
"The nearest German V2 hit 200 yards from it."
then an Army anti-aircraft gunner at the bridge
The engineers put heavy planking over the rails and removed some of the supports."
"It was a case of a rail bridge being converted to a vehicle bridge
and it just couldn't stand the conversion," he said
Source: Deutsche Welle
Read more: What it was like in the room when Nazi Germany finally surrendered to end World War II in Europe
Now Read: How Soviet troops taunted the Nazis during their final drive to Berlin in World War II
Much has been made in the historical record of the capture of the Ludendorff Bridge over the Rhine River at Remagen
fewer accounts exist of Operation Flashpoint
Ninth US Armyâs assault crossing of the Rhine
has received little attention in the historiography of World War II
Top image: 9th Army troops and weapons crossing the Rhine River
https://www.ww2online.org/image/9th-army-tank-debarking-lcvp-rhine-riverbank-germany-1945
Much has been made in the historical record of the capture of the Ludendorff Bridge over the Rhine River at Remagen, Germany
the Ninth US Armyâs assault crossing of the Rhine
and no scholarly operational history yet exists of the Ninth Armyâs operations in northwest Europe in 1944-45
This is surprising given its combat record.
Simpson commanded the Ninth Army throughout its campaign in northwest Europe
when his headquarters disembarked in France over Utah Beach
the Ninth Army captured more than 750,000 German prisoners of war
while liberating nearly 600,000 Allied POWs and 1,250,000 displaced persons.Âč Of Simpson
Eisenhower wrote after the war: âIf Simpson ever made a mistake as an Army Commander
Simpsonâs relative obscurity resulted in part from his service for most of the campaign under British Field Marshal Bernard L
Eisenhower placed the Ninth Army under Montgomeryâs command during the German Ardennes counteroffensive
The German penetration of Allied lines separated Lieutenant General Omar Bradleyâs 12th Army Group headquarters in Luxembourg from his First and Ninth Armies to the north
This forced Eisenhower to transfer both armies to Montgomeryâs 21st Army Group to reinstate effective command and control
When the Allies finally reversed the German gains in January 1945
Eisenhower returned the First Army to Bradleyâs 12th Army Group
but left the Ninth Army under Montgomeryâs command
Eisenhowerâs decision stemmed from a long-standing debate over Allied strategy in northwest Europe
A study completed in May 1944 by the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) staff analyzed potential routes for the final offensive into Germany
the planners believed two had strategic value: a southern route through Frankfurt and the Saar
northern route more strategically advantageous
largely because it led directly to the Ruhr industrial valley
which was the heart of Germanyâs war industry
Liberating the Ruhr Valley would cripple Germanyâs ability to continue the war
SHAEF designated this route the Allied main effort
This created a challenge when the Allies considered future strategy in September 1944
Montgomeryâs 21st Army Group occupied the northern part of the Allied line
but it lacked adequate combat power to execute main effort operations on its own
This required Eisenhower to either assign a US field army to the 21st Army Group
or split command of the main effort between Montgomery and Bradley
Neither choice was attractive to the Supreme Commander
but the first option won out on the basis of sound military principles
when Eisenhower returned the First Army to Bradleyâs command in January 1945
he left Simpson under Montgomery to weight the main effort appropriately
the 21st Army Group crossed the Roer River and advanced to the western bank of the Rhine
Here preparations began for a river crossing operation that rivaled the Normandy invasion in scale
Two field armiesâthe British Second Army in the north and the Ninth US Army in the southâwould cross the Rhine abreast at four crossing sites
A massive artillery barrage would precede the crossing
after which the warâs largest deployment of paratroopers in a single-lift
situated near the center of the Allied bridgehead line
was the most important objective on the Rhineâs eastern bank
given its excellent roads and plentiful potential bridging sites
British commandos would be among the first troops to cross the Rhine
outflanking Weselâs defenders by landing north of the city and then attacking to clear it in support of follow-on troops arriving from the far side of the river
the paratroopers landing northeast of the city would interdict German attempts to reinforce the landing sites and prevent artillery fire from ranging the bridgehead
While planning for Operation Plunder began months earlier
final preparations in March involved a staggering amount of equipment and resources
The only Class 70 route (70-ton load capacity) for dozens of miles north or south ran through Wesel
Just managing the traffic along this route was a major operation
and 32,000 vehicles used this route to approach Wesel
while the same route supported the movement of a quarter-million tons of supplies and ammunition
Road and bridge maintenance alone tied up seven battalions of combat engineers.Âł On March 23
the juggernaut that was the 21st Army Group stood ready to begin the assault into Germany
after a one-hour bombardment of the 25-mile front by 3,500 Allied guns
while two divisions of the Ninth Armyâs XVI Corps
the 3,500 airplanes and gliders of Operation Varsity dropped more than 20,000 paratroopers from the American 17th and British 6th Airborne Divisions
under the command of Major General Matthew Ridgwayâs XVIII Airborne Corps
quickly reached their primary objectives as the assault forces secured their bridgeheads on the Rhineâs eastern bank.âŽ
the Allies had made sufficient progress securing Wesel to allow bridging operations to begin
Stronger German resistance and tougher terrain at the northern crossing sites impeded progress there
complex terrain and lack of roads around the Ninth Armyâs bridgeheads south of the city
Simpson knew he would not be able to get his forces moving until he had access to both the crossing sites at Wesel and the highway heading east from there
they would remain bogged down just west of the Ruhr Valley
but British forces would have exclusive access to the Wesel crossing sites until March 31
Simpson met with Montgomery on the afternoon of March 26 to request early access to the crossing sites and highway
The Field Marshal was sympathetic to Simpsonâs request but refused to give him control of the Wesel crossing sites until the British Second Armyâs combat units completed their crossing
Montgomery did give Simpson control of the highway north of the Lippe River beginning March 30
Risking overcrowding of the already cramped bridgehead
he ordered several units originally slated to cross the river at Wesel to cross at the existing sites south of the city instead
he coordinated with the 17th Airborne Division to seize crossing sites and build bridges over the Lippe River and Lippe Canal near Dorsten
This would allow elements of the 2nd and 8th Armored Divisions to cross to the north of these water obstacles on the March 30
rather than waiting another day or more to cross at Wesel
Simpsonâs armored columns could turn east and press the attack without delay on good terrain
Events on March 28 benefited Simpsonâs plan
as British forces finally broke through enemy lines and began to drive east in earnest
Leading the charge was the British Guards Armored Division
which penetrated 17 miles into enemy territory with paratroopers of the 17th Airborne Division riding on their tanks
XVI Corps armor supported by motorized infantry crossed the Lippe and headed east
with the Wesel crossing sites finally under Simpsonâs control
the XIII Corps crossed the Rhine and advanced 60 miles in less than two days
Allied forces of the Ninth and First Armies encircled the Ruhr Valley from the north and south
Ninth Army forces captured more than 36,000 German troops caught in the encirclement for a loss of 2,400 casualties.â”
Eisenhower decided on April 2 to abandon Berlin as an operational objective
halting the Anglo-American advance at the Elbe River
Simpsonâs Ninth Army returned to the 12th Army Group
While Simpson was pleased to be back under Bradleyâs command
he was sorely disappointed that his field army would not participate in the liberation of Berlin
The fact that he was passed over for promotion to 4-star general on March 28
Simpson had to wait until 1954 for congress to promote him and several other officers who served in the war to 4-star general
Simpson was passed over for promotion in March 1945 for the same reasons that the Ninth Armyâs exploits have garnered relatively little attention in the historiographical record
His association with 21st Army Group at a time of great stress for the Allied coalition marked him as a friend of the Britishâsomething few of his peers would have considered themselves
He did exactly what Eisenhower asked of him
and it is doubtful that any other American field army commander could have served under Montgomery with so little friction
as postwar historians focused on American operations in the European theater of operations
they paid relatively little attention to the operations of the 21st Army Group
Montgomery endured criticism both during and after the war for the scale of Operation Plunder
with some historians arguing that it was unnecessary and slowed the overall Allied advance into Germany
The relatively light resistance that the Allies faced after the crossing fueled this controversy
Allied intelligence forecasted strong German resistance
and none wanted another setback like the failure to anticipate the powerful German counteroffensive in the Ardennes just three months earlier
Montgomery designed the set-piece Operation Plunder with an eye towards his legacy
and he left behind a classic example of a major river-crossing operation
Given that its overwhelming success came at a low cost in Allied casualties compared to other major operations in northwest Europe
âNever send an infantryman in to do a job that an artillery shell can do for him.ââ¶
United States Army in World War II: European Theater of Operations
DC: United States Army Center of Military History
Conquer: The Story of the Ninth Army (Washington
https://archive.org/details/ConquerTheStoryofNinthArmy
Crusade in Europe (New York: Da Capo Press
Sir James Butler (Nashville: Battery Press
Calhoun is a former Senior Historian at the Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy
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the day after V-E Day was officially confirmed
Eleanor Roosevelt reflects on the cautious mood
The concept of genocide has fundamentally altered international law
transforming the way we understand mass violence in the modern world.
Whether it played the role of the âBlack Cat,â âMad Cat,â or âDumbo,â the PBY Catalina proved itself as one of the most instrumental amphibious planes as it struck fear in the Axis and provided hope for the Allies
Regarded as the âmost beautiful woman in the world,â Hedy Lamarr was not only a famous Hollywood actress who sold millions in war bonds during World War II
Her creations included a frequency-hopping radio communications device for Allied torpedoes during the war
including ghettos and other sites of incarceration
from imprisoning "enemies of the state" to serving as way stations in larger deportation schemes to murdering people in gas chambers.
the remains of Private First Class John Henry Newstrom
a US Marine killed during the Battle of Peleliu in 1944
have been identified and will be returned home thanks to a joint recovery effort by the US and Japanese governments
In her first My Day column after Franklin D
Eleanor Roosevelt reflects on the sorrow following his passing
and urges the world to unite in building a lasting
Controlling the Ryukyu Islands would allow the Americans to finally sever Japan from its South Asian empire.
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This work, AE innovation at Remagen during WWII, by Dr. Joseph Frechette, Ph.D., identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright
site of a famous American military exploit in World War II
is taking part in an annual event in which more than 4,000 museums and cultural attractions in the country offer free visits
The Day of the Open Memorial is observed on the second Sunday in September and is dedicated to the protection of monuments and historic places
The event is part of European Heritage Days and is one of the largest cultural events in Germany
it happens to fall on a notable day of remembrance for Americans
Army were surprised to find the Ludendorff railroad bridge spanning the Rhine River still intact
enabled rapid establishment of a bridgehead
allowing more than 50,000 allied troops to make their first crossing to the eastern shore of the Rhine and hastening the Nazisâ defeat
âThe current situation (in Europe) fills us all with great concern,â Steffen Skudelny
a member of the board of the German Foundation for the Protection of Monuments
âCulture is also deliberately destroyed in order to erase history
Cultural assets in particular connect people and peoples across borders and times
(This day) allows people to continue to get to know and appreciate what unites us.â
Other sites that will be open for free include churches
and free tours of historic city districts throughout Germany will be offered as well
Media reports suggest In2Food is seeking buyer to save hundreds of jobs
an Australian fruit and vegetable supplier
has reportedly gone into administration for the second time in less than two years
The Melbourne-based business was bought out of receivership in 2021 by Produce Republic
a company founded in 2019 by Remagen Capital
The investment firm in Sydney is headed up by managing director Simon Raftery
Raftery had not responded to Just Foodâs request for comment at the time of writing to confirm Australian media reports that In2Food had gone into administration with a pile of debt hanging over the business
Those same reports said accountancy firm HLB Mann Judd had been appointed as administrators but requests for comment from Just Food went unanswered
referenced an email sent to In2Foodâs employees from Raftery
HLB Mann Judd was appointed as voluntary administrators of the In2Food group
they have now taken over management of the business and will conduct an urgent sale process for it,” Raftery
the executive director of Produce Republic
Donât let policy changes catch you off guard
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“I’d like to thank everyone for their commitment and efforts over the past year and wish everyone the best for the year ahead.”
Another Australian publication â news.com owned by industry heavyweight News Corp
â quoted HLB Mann Judd partner Todd Gammel as saying In2Foodâs operations in Sydney and Melbourne had already ceased trading before it took over management with 220 jobs impacted at those sites
âThe other businesses around Australia have continued and we are urgently looking at how we can fund those businesses to keep them going or for someone to buy them,â he told the news service
In2Food was set up in 2018 and sources fresh produce from local farmers sold into retail
Gammel suggested more than 1,000 creditors are owed money but told news.com that it was too early to put a figure on In2Foodâs debt
is that the companies were on a growth phase to make them more sustainable and balanced and less reliant on ongoing funding and were actually unable to get that growth
as they missed out on one recently,â Gammel said
âThere was a reassessment of their funding requirement and uncertainly around things and there was no further funding from funding parties forthcoming â that meant the director had to consider options and make the decision to put it into voluntary administration.â
Nominations are now open for the prestigious Just Food Excellence Awards - one of the industry's most recognised programmes celebrating innovation
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the troops needed to find a way to cross the Rhine
As the 9th Armored Division swept through the Eifel Mountains to the Rhine
that the Ludendorff railroad bridge was still standing
Despite the Nazisâ attempts to destroy the bridge as the Americans approached
The Germans continued to try to take the bridge down
together with the burden of carrying soldiers and armor
took their toll and the bridge collapsed on March 17
By then thousands of troops had crossed the river over the bridge that Gen
Eisenhower said âwas worth its weight in gold.â
Today all that remains of the bridge at Remagen are twin castlelike towers on both sides of the river
Inside the surviving structure on the Rhineâs west bank is the Peace Museum
It opened in 1980 and was the brainchild of former Remagen Mayor Peter KĂŒrten
the museum contains an exhibit that traces the history of the bridge
There is also a section dedicated to peace
The bridge was built during World War I to get German troops to the western front faster
It was finished in time for the retreating German army to cross it heading east
A section of the exhibit shows what life was like for German soldiers guarding the bridge during World War II
while another follows first Allied attempts to destroy the bridge â luckily they failed â then the successful capture
Also on exhibit are posters and still images from the 1969 movie âThe Bridge at Remagen.â Production of the film
was interrupted by the Soviet invasion of that country in 1968
The most disturbing part of the exhibit is the section on the huge American prisoner-of-war camp at Remagen
which held as many as 50,000 POWs from April to July 1945
The top two floors of one tower are dedicated to peace
a list of Nobel Peace Prize winners and quotes and thoughts on the subject by well-known personalities
One can find quotes and observations by âordinaryâ people on the lower level
The walls of the upper floor are lined with small plaques
Each one represents a conflict somewhere in the world from the end of World War II to today
Adorning the bridgeâs dark stone wall are plaques dedicated to the U.S
Army soldiers who captured the bridge and crossed it on their way to defeating Nazi Germany
Remagen Germany DIRECTIONS Remagen is on highway B9 on the Rhine River between Koblenz and Bonn
In Remagen there are signs to the Friedensmuseum (Peace Museum)
A family ticket is 7.50 euros; groups of 10 pay 2.50 euros per person
FOOD Cafes and restaurants are a short walk along the river to downtown Remagen
What’s the best true-story WW2 combat film for pure-grit
no-nonsense tanks ‘n’ bombs ‘n’ crazy mayhem action on a giant scale
George Segal and Ben Gazzara’s infantry dogs are suitably tough
especially when they’re repeatedly sent into danger
The history is fairly accurate — there was indeed a race to seize the last bridge across the River Rhine
Who are these filmmakers trying to kid? We know who captured the Remagen Bridge and ‘helped win the war’ — it was Harry Bailey, the brother of the richest guy in town!
1969’s The Bridge at Remagen doesn’t tell the absolute true story of the taking of the Remagen Bridge
which was actually the Ludendorff Bridge at Remagen
But the main facts are correct and the desperate battles are more detailed than any Hollywood combat show made previously
For spectacle Remagen gets an A+ — the producers obtained permission to simply blow up a large part of a Czechoslovakian town scheduled for demolition
giving the show a realism seen nowhere else
Director John Guillermin has some good action movies in his resume (Tarzan’s Greatest Adventure) but surely won this assignment for his excellent work on The Blue Max
In this show he does well enough with the dramatic scenes
and exceptionally well marshaling the huge action set pieces
It’s one of those movies in which one wants to nominate the assistant directors for an Oscar
By 1969 big war movies were more popular than ever, and more expensive than ever. They needed big stars and big concepts, which is what led to wild escapist war fantasies (The Dirty Dozen), James Bond adventures transplanted into the past (Operation Crossbow) and even hipster comedies (Kelly’s Heroes)
giving us portraits of tough infantrymen pushed to the limit
The excellent script captures the essence of professional soldiers that have been fighting steadily for weeks without rest
and are so exhausted that they’re all but ready to turn on their officers
a real infantryman in this theater of combat
had weighed in with an opinion on The Bridge at Remagen
I think that in general he would have approved
Phil Hartman (George Segal) to take command of his tiny ‘spearhead’ advance patrol
which his commanding officer Major Barnes (Bradford Dillman) repeatedly volunteers for the worst assignments
Hartman has issues with his Sergeant ‘Angel’ Angelo (Ben Gazzara)
who has a feral attitude toward combat and is greedy about robbing the dead
In the rush to cross the Rhine and enter Germany
hurling troops on the offensive in a race to capture bridges before the Germans can use them to retreat
the career-minded Barnes repeatedly lies to his men
saying that ‘just one more push’ is all he needs
Hartman’s squad must battle their way to the Rhine
where they find the bridge intact but heavily defended from the far bank
There’s no way to take it without a lot of men getting killed â and when Barnes gives them direct orders to leap into action yet again
the retreating German army on the other side of the river is in a mess
The war is obviously lost but Hitler won’t let his ranking generals even admit that a retreat is happening
They order the frustrated General von Brock (Peter Van Eyck) to blow up the last bridge across the Rhine
to slam the door on the advancing American army
Von Brock conspires to disobey with another proud career officer
They’ll wait until the last moment to blow up the bridge
so that many thousands of retreating German soldiers can first use it to escape back home
But the whole issue may out of their hands
if the needed explosives don’t arrive to do the job
The huge undertaking The Bridge at Remagen was made possible because dealing with an entire government
in this case Czechoslovakia enjoying a brief relaxing of harsh communist rule
Wolper access to entire army units and masses of vintage WW2 materiel
The first scene is as spectacular as any seen in a war film — U.S
tanks race to the river as a retreating German troop train slips across a bridge to safety
the moving tanks engage cannon fire from across the river
It’s like a battle being fought inside a pinball machine
Hartman’s unit is an all-pro group of survivors that haven’t stopped fighting since Normandy
Their forward unit makes use of enemy vehicles to avoid ambushes
take what they find and observe no ‘noble’ military rituals
They hate what they’re doing and hate their commanding officers
The most they can hope for is a chance to stay alive
and their brown-nosing Major Barnes seems intent on taking that away from them too
A woman offers to sleep with Hartman in exchange for some cigarettes
but he’s too exhausted to grab the opportunity
Segal’s Hartman and Gazzara’s Angelo are a winning team of cynical
thrust by fate into one of the most important military actions of the century
and perhaps affects one too many ‘tough guy’ stances here or there
But otherwise Segal is utterly convincing as a guy who has to be a mean SOB to keep his men moving
Hartman seems particularly mad that he has to lead the platoon
He’s now the one Angel and the others complain to
He’s the one who has to deal with the dishonest
Ben Gazzara’s Angelo is a good man transformed by combat practicalities
who survives by pretending it’s all a sick game
Angelo initially comes off as a grinning ghoul
justifying his thievery by claiming that everybody profits from war
But he is momentarily stricken when he discovers he’s shot a 12-year-old kid
a Hitler Youth putting up a stubborn last stand
Angelo makes sense when he advises Hartman not to disturb the men’s well-deserved rest: “If we tell them to move they’ll kill us.”
He’s not kidding — these are tough men pushed to the limit
they had to carry all that heavy weight and still fight
as late as 1969 they’re still making war pictures where all the Germans speak English
and cover a nice range of attitudes to the oncoming defeat and chaos
The weak link for this viewer is the casting of all-American Robert Vaughn as the proud Wehrmacht Major who seizes the bridge defense as his moment of glory
In comparison to the realism around him Vaughn seems fake from the get-go
and in this context his introspective & sensitive acting style is even less convincing
Vaughn doesn’t look like anybody who could scream an order under stress
Is there really such a thing as an anti-war combat film
The awful truth is that a well-depicted large-scale battle is fascinating
The Remagen screenplay spells out a lot of complicated strategies
keeping us informed of what units are where and who has the upper hand
There’s also no cheating on the realism
When the actual battle on the bridge begins
both sides can hurl all kinds of fire down the center
The only way to progress is to dodge up the sides of the bridge between the girders of the superstructure
Vaughn’s Kreuger gets a positive response from his troops because he can tell them that backup is on the way
By the time he knows that no help is coming
Kreuger’s defensive positions have been blown to bits by the scores of tanks firing from across the river
His group of holdouts must hunker down in a tunnel at the East riverbank
But they can still fire directly onto the bridge
They’re the ones who must ‘dance into the fire,’ climb onto the bridge and try to rip out all the explosive charges
Remagen more than delivers the big-scale action goods
Guillermin’s moving camera ties Hartman’s platoon in with shots of tanks smashing through walls and barricades
There’s a blitz attack on an occupied farmhouse
the taking of a town adjacent to the river and the extended battle on the river itself
After seeing the picture two or three times
its superior action montage becomes more apparent
An early scene sees Major Krueger trying to get civilian refugees
Chaotic handheld material alternates with wide master shots showing the entire bridge engulfed in explosions and water spouts
with men and mules tumbling off into the river
Clever cutting multiplies the action without being obvious about the repetitions — those two guys jump off the bridge more than once
Go back and forth a bit and you can play the hubcap game from Bullitt: just how many hubcaps did that one Volkswagen lose in the big chase scene — six
An interesting detail takes Remagen in a more realistic direction than older war pictures â ‘our’ Allied bombers attack the bridge when it’s packed with civilians
only the enemy would be shown doing such a thing
with the inference that a war crime is being committed
Much of the destruction we see is 100% real
and tons of dirt and water are thrown into the air
so it’s obvious that powerful explosives are being used
When an entire building collapses from a blast
Kreuger’s first attempt to blow the bridge fails
but it does blow a large crater at the West end
The action at the platoon level is utterly convincing
We’re often crawling with the men at ground level
Some of the best touches are perceived through the jaundiced eyes of the combatants — both Hartman and Kreuger are not pleased by an innkeeper
who puts up and takes down a portrait of Hitler depending on which side has control of the town
The show is about the reality of warfare on what Major Barnes calls ‘the cutting edge.’ Â For Hartman’s men the action is an unending meat grinder
the real battle for the Ludendorf was more complicated
and the roughest fighting apparently didn’t take place on the bridge itself
In this account only the German side is slightly lacking
as Major Kreuger would have to be awfully naive to believe that his actions won’t get him accused of treason
The tragedy is that officers like General von Brock and Major Kreuger have to place honor ahead of reason
Neither believes in victory and both want to save lives
but neither has the luxury of doing the right thing
The realistic Captain Schmidt (Hans Christian Blech)
would just like to surrender and get back to teaching school
the situation is almost absurd — both sides go back and forth on whether the right thing to do is hold the bridge or blow it up (the Germans) or take the bridge or blow it up (the Americans)
In the end I guess the bridge had the last laugh
In reality it withstood the punishment dished out by both sides and stood firm
Some of it is perfect and at other times it’s either overstated
Perhaps there’s a bit too much of it
A trailer is included but no direct account of the making of the picture
George Segal might not be crazy about hashing this one around
but Bradford Dillman and Bo Hopkins are still with us
The spearhead patrol is an interesting group of actors
none of which behave like the types in old war movies
Julie Kirgo’s liner notes fill in plenty of fascinating information starting with the fact that the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia happened right in the middle of filming
forcing the Bridge company to beat a quick retreat out and finish the filming elsewhere
Some discontinuities might be because of this — a vehicle used in the farmhouse attack changes in mid-scene
But the filmmakers must have already gotten most things in the can
for nowhere does the show seem compromised
If there are missing scenes or battles that weren’t filmed
It provided them and their vehicles a path across the Rhine River
RechBridge over the River RhineSecuring the Ludendorff Bridge
was a crucial strategic victory for the Allies in 1945
It allowed thousands of troops and vehicles to cross the vast River Rhine
Color war movie 'The Bridge at Remagen' (1969) brought the story of the bridge from military lore into the mainstream
The movie's version of events is highly accelerated
putting a far greater emphasis on infantry battles than the weeks of artillery duels that preceded the bridge's capture in real life
Thousands of Allied troops crossed the bridge immediately after its seizure
Allied area bombing had damaged some Rhine crossings to the north
while the German Wehrmacht destroyed others in controlled explosions to slow down its adversaries
The 9th Armored Division of the US First Army became the first Allied troops to cross the Rhine after its capture on March 7
With the Russian Red Army advancing from the east
German forces repeatedly tried to destroy it
But not before some 25,000 troops and vehicles had established themselves on the eastern bank
This photo was taken on the 70th anniversary of the bridge's capture
The ceremony brought together veterans from around the world
initially constructed for logistics purposes in World War I
was never rebuilt after its 1945 destruction
The towers on its western bank at Remagen (pictured here) were converted into a museum
the towers were made into a performing arts space â and they're now up for sale
Plans are under way to build a suspension footbridge at the location of the Ludendorff Bridge in the west of the country
Pedestrians and cyclists could once again cross the Rhine at the site of the destroyed steel arch bridge
according to authors of a feasibility study conducted earlier this month into the construction of a new crossing
Officials from the city of Remagen in west Germany have stated that a 325m-long
6m-wide structure between the historic bridge’s twin masonry towers on both banks of the Rhine is both “feasible and realistic”
Analysis of different typological options favoured the basic solution of a suspension bridge with individual pylons positioned behind the still-standing side span towers
The new structure would lie on the same axis as the old and rest on the original abutments
The engineering office commissioned to conduct the study has estimated net construction costs of US$22 million
taking into account the aforementioned dimensions
as well as the renovation of existing historic structures
The plan has also received significant public backing: an online survey carried out in cooperation with the Koblenz University of Applied Sciences found that over 90% of respondents were in favour of the bridge
expecting it would have a positive effect on the surrounding municipalities
the attractiveness of the area as a place to live
and on the permanent preservation of the historic bridgeheads
was built during the First World War at the insistence of the German generals in order to bring more troops and resources to the Western Front
The railway crossing was designed by the architect Karl Wiener, had a length 325m and a vertical clearance of 14.8m from the water
with the crown of the arch standing at 29.25m
It carried two railway tracks and a footway and was considered one of the most beautiful steel bridges over the Rhine
a small part of the 9th US Armoured Division under Lieutenant Karl H Timmermann
with the event coming to be known as the Miracle of Remagen
German Major Hans Scheller ordered the bridge be blown up
too small a quantity of explosives meant that the resulting blast only momentarily lifted the bridge from its bearings
Video showing the events around the capture and subsequent collapse of the original steel arch bridge
German soldiers attempted to retake the bridge but were unsuccessful
as were further attempts to destroy the bridge with bomb attacks
the damaged and most likely overloaded bridge suddenly collapsed
The events are captured in the Hollywood film
and today there is a peace museum in each of the towers on the western bank of the Rhine
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Thompson â âTommyâ to his friends â was 34
married and well established in a career when the U.S
America needed him for a âspecial service assignmentâ in the war against the Axis Powers
released him in July 1943 so that he could accept the assignment
An expert bridge builder and superintendent of construction for the company
Thompson went on to contribute to the Allied victory in Germany â most significantly at a place on the Rhine River called Remagen
Thompson's daughter Lynn knew little about her fatherâs service during the war
He did tell her he was on a bridge when it collapsed
she discovered among his possessions a box containing photos
documents and memorabilia related to his role in the war
âI was surprised to find the box,â she said
âHe never talked about this stuff â a little bit he talked about it
looking at photographs and a map heâd marked up
âThis has got to be worth something â not monetarily
She put the materials into chronological order to the best of her ability
but in the end she didnât know what to do with it
The answer arrived 22 years later in the form of a customer at her barber shop
She had hung some of her fatherâs photos on the shop walls where U.S
Lynn Thompson related the story of finding her fatherâs materials and how she was thinking about donating them somewhere
he took pictures of the 1,053 items from the box
he began to piece together the story they told
Thompson depicted in the 1969 film âThe Bridge at Remagen,â a fictionalized account of a key battle at the Rhine crossing in Germany
But as structural steel foreman assigned to repair the Ludendorff Bridge â its real name â Thompson played an essential role in the success of the mission with the last standing bridge of 47 that originally crossed the Rhine
When the bridge ultimately collapsed following shelling by both sides at different times
it was Thompson and his unit â the 1058th Engineer Port Construction and Repair Group â that built a series of replacement bridges to get Allied troops
tanks and equipment across the great river
âThat structure going across was what contributed to the Allies winning World War II,â said Parker
pointing to a photo of a bridge built by the 1058th
Thompson had been employed for at least a dozen years as a structural steel worker
where he later became involved in the construction of the VFW post building on Old Kings Road
he helped to build several New York City skyscrapers and was among the crew that installed one of the antennas atop the Empire State Building
But it was his expertise in bridge construction that got the Armyâs attention and led to his induction
he went ashore at Utah Beach after most of the fiercest fighting was over
he acquired a tourist map of Europe and on it marked the route his unit took through France to Remagen and beyond
photos and other memorabilia â all of which ultimately ended up with the map in the box his daughter found nearly half a century later
aircraft between October 1944 and February 1945 heavily damaged it
the railway bridge was covered with planks for use by road vehicles
German troops attempted to destroy the bridge
allowing a thin stream of Allied troops to cross
The 1058th built a pair of pontoon bridges to augment the crossing
fired a 540mm gun at it and even launched 11 V-2 rockets at it
Thompson and his unit continued to strengthen it
Thompson said later he ran to avoid the impending disaster
âI went down under water and when I came up
grabbed hold of some steel,â he said in the interview
Thompson had been a lifeguard and possessed skills that Parker suspects helped him survive
Thompson came through it OK and helped pull a beam off another man
The Allies finished crossing the Rhine on the pontoon bridges and another floating bridge that was quickly assembled
Thompsonâs box yielded some illuminating finds
One photo shows British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and generals on the bank of the Rhine
Another shows Thompson on the original Ludendorff Bridge speaking with another member of his unit
A collection of medals reveals that he also served in the Pacific Theater
But perhaps the âmost critical item,â according to Parker
It contains his plans for the rebuilt bridge
all of the things that he did â the drawings are there
the weights and all the engineering calculations â itâs just phenomenal,â said Parker
âYou donât find stuff like that,â he added
Lynn Thompson attempted to get the materials appraised
Then she planned to donate the materials to the U.S
âThat would have destroyed the story,â she said
Thatâs when she and Parker began to assemble the materials to be submitted to the Library of Congress for its Veterans History Project
Parker said getting the Library of Congress to include Thompsonâs materials was âtricky
and they had to see what it was that Lynn had before theyâd accept it.â
But the extensive documentation by Thompson and the cataloging by his daughter and Parker won the day
Library of Congress visitors will be able to see Thompsonâs collection firsthand, but it will also be available for viewing online at loc.gov/vets
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ONEONTA â A graveside service was planned today for William E
one of Oneonta’s last remaining World War II veterans
William fought in the Battle of the Bulge, which blunted Germany’s last major offensive on the Western Front, and he was wounded during the seizure of the Ludendorff Bridge at Remagen
the last remaining bridge over the Rhine; the unexpected capture expedited the U.S
Among the most famous episodes of World War II
“The Bridge at Remagen,” (1969) with Robert Vaughn and George Segal
He was a member of the Army’s 47th Infantry 9th Division as a M1 rifle marksman
serving in the Central European Campaigns of 1942-45
and a Purple Heart when he was injured at Remagen
He returned home to a hero’s welcome in New York harbor
the son of the William H and Lena (Schuab) Grimes
He was married to Rose Marie Russo on June 19
William worked at various jobs in Oneonta and retired from the SUNY Oneonta maintenance department after 20 years
he worked for Reynolds Greenhouse/Stoeger’s Florist
then at Bookhout Funeral Home from 1997 to 2014
where he enjoyed “telling people where to go.”
Willy was a member of the Sixth Ward Booster Club Playground and the Sixth Ward Athletic Club
He enjoyed golfing with his friends and spending time with family
Michael Grimes of Oneonta and William Grimes Jr (Jenny) of South New Berlin; grandchildren Anthony (Hannah) Grimes of New Berlin
as well as great-grandchildren Nico and Brexli Rose
He also leaves behind special friends Debra Coe
The graveside service was planned at the Oneonta Plains Cemetery
with Bruce Helmstrom of Helios Care officiating
Memorial donations in the name of William Grimes may be made to Helios Care or the charity of one’s choice
be sure thank veterans for their service to our country
and website in this browser for the next time I comment
COLUMN VIEW FROM THE GAME It’s All We Need To Know: Home Plate 17 Inches Wide Editorâs Note:Â Tim Mead
particularly Scolinosâ famous speech â17 Inches.â Chris Sperry
heard Scolinos deliver a version in 1996 at the American Baseball Coaches Association in Nashville
and wrote this reminiscence in 1996 in his âBaseball Thoughtsâ column
By CHRIS SPERRY âą from www.sperrybaseballlife.com In 1996
Coach Scolinos was 78 years old and five years retired from a college coaching…
Killer Knapp Dies In Prison; Guilty In SUNY Coed’s Death ONEONTA â Ricky Knapp
the man convicted of the 1977 death of SUNY Oneonta student
having served 40 years of a 25-to-life sentence for a 1978 manslaughter conviction in the death of 18-year-old Linda Velzy
CLICK HERE FOR MEMO TO SCHOOLS Sports Can Resume
Superintendents Told COOPERSTOWN â In a memo released Friday evening
county Public Health Director Heidi Bond advised local school superintendents that sports can resume as early as Monday
participants in higher-risk sports may participate in individual or distanced group training and organized no/low-contact group training,” Bond wrote
“…including competitions and tournaments
if permitted by local health authorities.”…
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was standing on the strategic Rhine River span when it crumpled into the Rhine in 1945
Recall ever hearing of the Ludendorff Bridge in Germany
71 years after it popped and groaned and twisted and shook amid a lull in a historic and ironic World War II combat bombardment
Santa Rosa native Dan Yolo stood on it just then
Yolo didnât immediately take in the great significance of the moment
which came as Adolf Hitlerâs beleaguered forces resorted to extreme efforts to destroy their own grand bridge in order to deny the Allies the use of it as a gateway to Germanyâs heartland
Former Santa Rosa High School student Yolo did the only reasonable thing to be done
âI put it in high gear and took off,â said the now 91-year-old retired
As Yolo recalls those few seconds on the afternoon of March 17
he ran toward one end of the convulsing bridge
How exactly he got off of it heâs not sure
Yolo was directly responsible for the 14 Army engineers heâd supervised as they did what they could to repair the bridge after the Germans attacked it day after day for 10 days with planted explosives
The effort to destroy the bridge even included the first tactical launching of Hitlerâs menacing if imprecise V-2 ballistic missile
Yolo joined the effort to rescue injured soldiers and recover those bodies that could be found
Historical accounts of the destruction of Ludendorff Bridge say there were about 200 Army engineers on it when it tumbled and of those
Yolo wonders still if heâd suffered a lethal concussion
At some point before moving on to his next assignment
Yolo took a last look at the wreckage of the Ludendorff Bridge
the destruction of which made the front pages of newspapers across America
capture of the span less than two weeks earlier
Reported war correspondent and future â60 Minutesâ commentator Andy Rooney on March 18
âThe Ludendorff Bridge crumpled into the Rhine River yesterday afternoon
10 days to the hour after the Ninth Armored Division captured it and crossed the river.â
A story on Page 1 of The Press Democrat on March 20 noted that Yolo had told a reporter with United Press International that the collapse of the bridge âwas quick
Reflecting on how he felt about the loss of the span
Yolo has avoided talking about his role in World War II in general and about the deadly battle of the bridge at Remagen in particular
a member of the Analy High School class of 1949
coached their three daughters and one son to let the subject lie
But recently some of Yoloâs 16 grandchildren and great-grandchildren expressed interest in what he did in the war
Though he has never involved himself in veterans organizations or activities
Yolo plans to ride in Fridayâs Veterans Day parade in Petaluma
He and history are aware that the sacrifices made at the Ludendorff Bridge may have hastened the end of the war in Europe
Within the first 24 hours of establishing the bridgehead at Remagen
American officers who oversaw the invasion of Europe at Normandy the previous June and at a historic cost overcame a German counteroffensive in the Battle of the Bulge and moved almost 8,000 troops and many armored vehicles and trucks across the great defensive barrier that was the Rhine
The taking of the nearly 1,100-foot bridge and the U.S
incursion deep into Germany buoyed the Allies and demoralized the Nazis
Enraged at his depleted troopsâ failure to defend the bridge and then destroy it ahead of its capture
Hitler ordered the execution of five German officers he blamed for the defeat at Remagen
Though the bombardment-weakened bridge did collapse
the Allied advance across the Rhine continued on pontoon bridges assembled by Army engineers
Forty-four days after the fall of the Ludendorff Bridge
The importance of Americaâs capture and defense of the bridge prompted a lieutenant colonel
to write in his diary that the Rhine River span was âthe most valuable structure ever owned by the U.S
The tale of the battle provided the grist for the 1969
âThe Bridge at Remagen,â starring George Segal
Dan Yolo returned to Santa Rosa and for a time worked on his parentsâ egg farm on Fulton Road
bought a surplus Chevrolet two-axle truck and commenced hauling and selling hay
which the combat veteran worked for decades
Yolo said the country needed soldiers for World War II so he went and he followed orders
including those to do whatever possible to keep the besieged bridge at Remagen upright and capable of handling traffic
He knows he could easily have been among the young Army engineers who were killed when
âBut I lucked out and Iâm still here,â Yolo said
Heâd like to blast the Ludendorff Bridge from his mind
but he suspects that after 71 years itâs likely to remain
Chris Smith is at 707-521-5211 and chris.smith@pressdemocrat.com
By Anne Hyland
once managed money for some of Australia and Asiaâs wealthiest families.Credit: MARIJA ERCEGOVAC
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It was September 2023 and Simon Raftery was desperate for money
Raftery had helped raise almost $200 million from private lenders and investors to re-establish the long-closed Wilkie Creek coal mine in south-west Queensland
less than six months since the mine had restarted
he was on the phone chasing another $1 million
which operated in the booming but opaque private credit industry
It raised money from rich investors and then lent it at eye-watering interest rates to distressed small and medium-sized companies that couldnât get bank loans
managing hundreds of millions in investor funds
Raftery was doing so well he even bought himself a luxury Sydney waterfront home
Remagen had run into trouble after Raftery overextended himself
He had expanded Remagen into bigger and bigger loans and also tricky private equity deals
Two national food companies of which Raftery was a director
which had supplied major supermarkets and cruise ships
Tens of millions of dollars of Remagen investor funds
were torched in those companies and also in other poorly performing deals in the mining industry
Raftery and Remagen had managed money for global institutions and ultra-high-net-worth families from Australia and Asia
Among them were well-known names such as BlackRock
former Macquarie chief executive Tony Berg
who sits on the board of e-commerce giant Alibaba and hails from one of Hong Kongâs wealthiest families
after the failure of those two food companies
a number of Remagenâs wealthy investors cut Raftery off
Rafteryâs work problems had also spilled over into his personal life
A repossession order had been issued on his fancy waterfront home in Sydneyâs south
Heâd only lived there for 16 months with his family
as he struggled to scrape together the $1 million needed for Wilkie Creek
Wilkie Creek was supposed to be Rafteryâs chance to rebuild his and Remagenâs fortunes
The mining group was only three months away from collapsing
It wouldnât be the last mining company failure Raftery would be caught up in
Raftery and Remagen were the subject of multiple complaints and reports to the corporate watchdog
the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC)
He would also become entangled in a handful of court cases that stretched from Perth to Sydney
Simon Rafteryâs home in southern Sydney was sold in May 2024 for a small amount more than the $7.6 million he paid three years earlier
The Wilkie Creek coal mine sits about 250 kilometres north-west of Brisbane
It ceased operating at the end of 2013 after its then owner
failed to find a buyer willing to pay $500 million for it
many years and a heavily discounted price before Peabody finally sold the mine in 2021 to a private consortium
It would take another two years before the mine was brought back to life in April 2023
and only after Raftery and Ben Madsen of Archibald Capital
had spent the past year organising private loans to restart it which would tally around $US125 million ($186 million)
Raftery and Madsenâs partnership wouldnât last
Madsen quit a company where he was a director alongside Raftery
It was around the time that Raftery was on the hunt for that $1 million loan
which was needed for the mining groupâs working capital
Raftery was running out of colleagues and investors willing to help him on that project
he finally had some luck with a trucking group in Western Australia called Truckworld Rental
and told him he needed $1 million âimmediatelyâ
but during that conversation both men discussed whether Raftery could instead borrow the money from his father
according to claims in a case that was later brought before the Western Australia Supreme Court
is a well-known sports physician who has worked for rugby league club St George Illawarra and also for Australian Rugby Union
The senior Raftery had been an investor through a company called Doc and Sons in some of Remagenâs deals
including the failed Aussie Frozen Fruit group
Raftery told Cates he didnât want to ask his father for the money
the men came to an agreement: Raftery would get the $1 million
but the loan was to be repaid within five days
Raftery had personally guaranteed the loan
The money was transferred to a bank account of the mine
Raftery is then said to have sent the following email to Cates confirming the repayment terms
Funds to be returned Tuesday19 SeptemberThanksSimonâ
It was the last time the trucking group saw its $1 million
Truckworld Rental sued Raftery in the WA Supreme Court for âmisleading or deceptive conductâ
alleging Raftery failed to repay the $1 million loan he had guaranteed
Raftery lost that case in early July and was ordered to pay Truckworldâs costs
Damages will be determined at a later hearing
Raftery and Remagen were also caught up in another court case related to the failure of New Wilkie Energy
In March this year â one month before Truckworld Rental launched its case â Raftery
Remagen and companies associated with him were sued in the NSW Federal Court for âmisleading or deceptive conductâ to do with $40 million in loans provided for the mining group
Archibaldâs Ben Madsen and firms associated with him were also sued for âmisleading or deceptive conductâ
Raftery had been an adviser to a wealthy NSW family who had bet big on New Wilkie Energy
an east coast waste management and logistics company
The Hallinans and Hi-Quality had allegedly put $100 million into the mining group
through $40 million in short-term loans and later $60 million in shares
The Hallinans and Hi-Quality had been demanding repayment of some of those short-term loans
and had lost patience with Raftery and Madsen and their companies that had helped organise the loans
the Hallinans and Hi-Quality said they had provided loans to the mining group
using Remagen and other investment vehicles involving Madsen and Raftery
charged an annual interest rate of 24 per cent
it was claimed that those short-term loans were supposed to be repaid within four months
They are suing both men and their associated entities for loss and damages and the repayment of those loans
Hi-Quality and their lawyer didnât respond to requests for comment
Ben Madsen disputes the allegations and did not respond to requests for comments
Both defences are due to be filed at a later date
Raftery made the initial call to discuss putting New Wilkie Energy
Raftery wasnât a director of New Wilkie Energy
But he was a director of New Wilkie Energy Holdings
alongside members of the Hallinan family from December 12
Voluntary administration happens when a company faces insolvency â meaning it canât pay its debts
New Wilkie Energy reported a net loss of $6.55 million
New Wilkie Energy collapsed with debts of $304 million
Raftery resigned as a director of New Wilkie Energy Holdings at the end of February
By the next month he would be embroiled in the court case with the Hallinans and Hi-Quality
Wilkie Creek is not the first troubled mining venture in which Raftery has been involved
Other ventures include Indus Mining Pty Ltd
In April this year, a winding-up action on the grounds of insolvency was brought against Indus Mining Pty Ltd in WAâs Supreme Court
Indus Mining was formed by Rafteryâs firm Remagen between 2018 and 2019
after it raised $55 million from investors
The winding-up of Indus Mining was sought by a small business XPR Haulage
which claimed it was owed $3.2 million for bills that dated to October 2021
Raftery ceased to be a director of Indus Mining Pty Ltd in July 2021
Raftery has claimed that XPR Haulage is not a creditor of Indus
he claimed an entity related to XPR Haulage
provided services to Indus between 2020 and 2021
Raftery disputes a debt with Xpress Haulage
XPR Haulage provided copies of invoices that it issued to the court
At the top of each invoice is the name XPR Haulage
Indus Mining was supposed to file evidence in that case by July 9 but didnât
The winding-up matter is due to be heard again in August
Raftery provided context on the case but said he had nothing to do with these court proceedings
His firm Remagen remains a lender and shareholder in Indus
Two other mining companies of which Raftery was a director are in liquidation
a site manager for gold and iron ore projects
of which Raftery has been a director since May 2020
was appointed to Habrok (Rydges) in February this year
after a winding-up order was made by the WA Supreme Court
According to a report done by FTI Consulting
Habrok (Rydges) ceased trading about February 2023 â one year before its liquidation
FTIâs report said Habrok (Rydges) had potentially traded while insolvent since mid-2021 or earlier
FTIâs report also said Raftery âmay have breached his director dutiesâ and that it had âreceived limited books and records and informationâ from him
FTI has filed its preliminary investigation report with ASIC
Raftery disputes that Habrok (Rydges) ever traded while insolvent or that he breached his director duties
He maintains that FTI was provided with the companyâs books and records
This masthead is not suggesting there has ever been a finding that Raftery breached his director duties
The winding-up order against Habrok (Rydges) was sought by Wayne Pettingill
a small business that said it was owed nearly half a million dollars for work it had done
Australian Surface Drillingâs general manager
spent almost six months chasing Raftery for payment
which was revealed in text messages tendered to the court
Pettingill has complained about Habrok (Rydges) and Raftery to ASIC
and also federal politicians including the office of Labor senator Glenn Sterle and opposition MP Rick Wilson
Sterleâs office contacted ASIC raising Pettingillâs concerns
It received a reply from ASICâs acting senior executive leader of misconduct and breach reporting
âASIC is currently conducting further inquiries to determine whether to take administrative action to ban Mr Raftery and others from managing corporations,â Witham wrote
ASIC has the power to ban a director for between five and 20 years if theyâve been involved with two or more companies that have gone into liquidation in the past seven years
It must prove allegations that the companies were mismanaged; that creditors received less than 50Âą in the dollar; and/or that the federal government paid employee entitlements in the failed companies
Independent federal MP Bob Katter met then-ASIC boss Warren Day and Financial Services Minister Stephen Jones at Parliament House in Canberra
where Raftery and the collapse of Aussie Frozen Fruit was discussed
Independent MP Bob Katter (right) and the office of Labor senator Glenn Sterle (left) have raised concerns with ASIC about Simon Raftery.Credit: Marija Ercegovac
WAâs Supreme Court also appointed a liquidator to Habrok (Battler Pit)
Raftery has been a director of that company since April 2019
Habrok (Battler Pit) was put into liquidation after its winding-up was sought by Barto Gold Mining
Habrok (Battler Pit) owned two mining tenements
RSMâs report said that Raftery had âprovided limited financial books and recordsâ hindering its investigation
and that Habrok (Battler Pit) might not have kept records for a minimum of seven years as required by law
the liquidator said that Raftery advised that Habrok (Battler Pit) no longer owned its two mining tenements
which were instead transferred to another company in an agreement dated November 1
RSM said the relevant forms to transfer those tenements were not submitted to WAâs Department of Energy
until after RSMâs appointment in April this year
RSM said the department had delayed that transfer until the liquidation investigation was complete
Raftery told RSM he disputed Barto Gold Miningâs $3.4 million debt
and said there was a disagreement between the two companies over gold processing charges
Raftery claims that Remagen is also owed $3.5 million by Habrok (Battler Pit)
But RSMâs report said Raftery had not provided proof to support that claim
Raftery told RSM that Habrok (Battler Pit) ceased operating in 2020
âI note that the limited financials provided to me by the director indicate that the company incurred significant mining costs in the financial years ending 30 June 2020 and 30 June 2021,â the report said
It also added: âInitial investigations have identified potential liquidator claims against the director for compensation for insolvent trading and breach of directorâs duties.â
Raftery informed this masthead through a lawyer that he was not aware of any proceedings concerning Habrok (Battler Pit)
The potential insolvent trading claims and breach of director duties emerging from preliminary investigations into Habrok (Rydges) and Habrok (Battler Pit) added to the allegations against Raftery of potential insolvent trading and breach of directorâs duties at Aussie Frozen Fruit and the In2Food group
Raftery maintains that none of those claims are true and none have been substantiated
Raftery had intended to merge Aussie Frozen Fruit and In2Food group
Aussie Frozen Fruit had once supplied frozen fruit
while In2Food prepared produce for catering
The In2Food group went into liquidation in April 2023
and Aussie Frozen Fruit in May of that year
just as Wilkie Creekâs operations were ramping up
that according to its preliminary investigation it was likely Aussie Frozen Fruit had been insolvent since October 2021
KordaMentha is also managing the administration of New Wilkie Energy
and found that according to its preliminary investigations
that collection of companies was potentially insolvent from June 2022
Raftery said that Aussie Frozen Fruit and In2Food had been in liquidation for more than a year without any claims being pursued
Raftery has previously argued through his lawyer that the liquidatorsâ reports for Aussie Frozen Fruit and In2Food contained tentative remarks about possible breaches of directorsâ duties
but that âno breaches have been substantiated and any suggestion they have been or are likely to be substantiated is completely falseâ
HLB Mann Judd secured NSW Federal Court approval to enter into a funding agreement with the federal governmentâs Department of Employment and Workplace Relations
which will allow it to pursue a public examination into In2Food groupâs failure
The government department is a creditor of In2Food group because it operates the Fair Entitlements Guarantee
which is a payment scheme that helps employees who have lost their job when their employing company enters liquidation
Liquidatorsâ investigations into insolvent companies are often limited by a lack of funds
which makes it uncommercial to pursue further inquiries
Rafteryâs house became tied up with In2Food
when he used his luxury home as collateral to help secure a $3.5 million loan for that group
The $3.5 million loan was provided to In2Food by GI 320
who also runs private credit firm Gemi Investments
The loan agreement between GI 320 and In2Food was struck in December 2021
In2Food defaulted on repayments for that $3.5 million loan
GI 320 brought proceedings in the NSW Supreme Court to take possession of Rafteryâs house
An attempt to sell it in March was aborted
It finally sold in May for a fraction over the $7.6 million that Raftery originally paid for it in 2021
Raftery has been spotted out socialising at drinking venues in southern Sydney
and flying business class between Perth and Sydney
which he said was done after an upgrade on points
Those activities have infuriated former investors and many of the hundreds of small businesses owed money from his failed companies
Rafteryâs counter to this is that he and extended family members have also lost substantial sums of money in those business failures
How long before it finds a new owner remains one of many unanswered questions in a messy corporate tale
The Business Briefing newsletter delivers major stories, exclusive coverage and expert opinion. Sign up to get it every weekday morning
It raised money from rich investors and then lent it at eye-watering interest rates to distressed small and medium-sized companies that couldn\\u2019t get bank loans
who sits on the board of e-commerce giant Alibaba and hails from one of Hong Kong\\u2019s wealthiest families
a number of Remagen\\u2019s wealthy investors cut Raftery off
Raftery\\u2019s work problems had also spilled over into his personal life
A repossession order had been issued on his fancy waterfront home in Sydney\\u2019s south
He\\u2019d only lived there for 16 months with his family
his house still hadn\\u2019t been repossessed
Wilkie Creek was supposed to be Raftery\\u2019s chance to rebuild his and Remagen\\u2019s fortunes
It wouldn\\u2019t be the last mining company failure Raftery would be caught up in
Raftery and Madsen\\u2019s partnership wouldn\\u2019t last
which was needed for the mining group\\u2019s working capital
and told him he needed $1 million \\u201Cimmediately\\u201D
It wasn\\u2019t clear how Raftery knew Cates
The senior Raftery had been an investor through a company called Doc and Sons in some of Remagen\\u2019s deals
Raftery told Cates he didn\\u2019t want to ask his father for the money
Funds to be returned Tuesday19 SeptemberThanksSimon\\u201D
Truckworld Rental sued Raftery in the WA Supreme Court for \\u201Cmisleading or deceptive conduct\\u201D
Raftery lost that case in early July and was ordered to pay Truckworld\\u2019s costs
In March this year \\u2013 one month before Truckworld Rental launched its case \\u2013 Raftery
Remagen and companies associated with him were sued in the NSW Federal Court for \\u201Cmisleading or deceptive conduct\\u201D to do with $40 million in loans provided for the mining group
Archibald\\u2019s Ben Madsen and firms associated with him were also sued for \\u201Cmisleading or deceptive conduct\\u201D
Hi-Quality and their lawyer didn\\u2019t respond to requests for comment
Raftery wasn\\u2019t a director of New Wilkie Energy
Voluntary administration happens when a company faces insolvency \\u2013 meaning it can\\u2019t pay its debts
a winding-up action on the grounds of insolvency was brought against in WA\\u2019s Supreme Court
Indus Mining was formed by Raftery\\u2019s firm Remagen between 2018 and 2019
Indus Mining was supposed to file evidence in that case by July 9 but didn\\u2019t
Habrok (Rydges) ceased trading about February 2023 \\u2013 one year before its liquidation
FTI\\u2019s report said Habrok (Rydges) had potentially traded while insolvent since mid-2021 or earlier
FTI\\u2019s report also said Raftery \\u201Cmay have breached his director duties\\u201D and that it had \\u201Creceived limited books and records and information\\u201D from him
He maintains that FTI was provided with the company\\u2019s books and records
Australian Surface Drilling\\u2019s general manager
Sterle\\u2019s office contacted ASIC raising Pettingill\\u2019s concerns
It received a reply from ASIC\\u2019s acting senior executive leader of misconduct and breach reporting
\\u201CASIC is currently conducting further inquiries to determine whether to take administrative action to ban Mr Raftery and others from managing corporations,\\u201D Witham wrote
ASIC has the power to ban a director for between five and 20 years if they\\u2019ve been involved with in the past seven years
It must prove allegations that the companies were mismanaged; that creditors received less than 50\\u00A2 in the dollar; and/or that the federal government paid employee entitlements in the failed companies
WA\\u2019s Supreme Court also appointed a liquidator to Habrok (Battler Pit)
RSM\\u2019s report said that Raftery had \\u201Cprovided limited financial books and records\\u201D hindering its investigation
RSM said the relevant forms to transfer those tenements were not submitted to WA\\u2019s Department of Energy
until after RSM\\u2019s appointment in April this year
Raftery told RSM he disputed Barto Gold Mining\\u2019s $3.4 million debt
But RSM\\u2019s report said Raftery had not provided proof to support that claim
\\u201CI note that the limited financials provided to me by the director indicate that the company incurred significant mining costs in the financial years ending 30 June 2020 and 30 June 2021,\\u201D the report said
It also added: \\u201CInitial investigations have identified potential liquidator claims against the director for compensation for insolvent trading and breach of director\\u2019s duties.\\u201D
The potential insolvent trading claims and breach of director duties emerging from preliminary investigations into Habrok (Rydges) and Habrok (Battler Pit) added to the allegations against Raftery of potential insolvent trading and breach of director\\u2019s duties at Aussie Frozen Fruit and the In2Food group
just as Wilkie Creek\\u2019s operations were ramping up
Raftery has previously argued through his lawyer that the liquidators\\u2019 reports for Aussie Frozen Fruit and In2Food contained tentative remarks about possible breaches of directors\\u2019 duties
but that \\u201Cno breaches have been substantiated and any suggestion they have been or are likely to be substantiated is completely false\\u201D
HLB Mann Judd secured NSW Federal Court approval to enter into a funding agreement with the federal government\\u2019s Department of Employment and Workplace Relations
which will allow it to pursue a public examination into In2Food group\\u2019s failure
Liquidators\\u2019 investigations into insolvent companies are often limited by a lack of funds
Raftery\\u2019s house became tied up with In2Food
GI 320 brought proceedings in the NSW Supreme Court to take possession of Raftery\\u2019s house
Raftery\\u2019s counter to this is that he and extended family members have also lost substantial sums of money in those business failures
The Business Briefing newsletter delivers major stories
Update 12 for Hell Let Loose is called Falling Dark
low-light versions of several existing maps
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shortly after it was captured by 9th Armored Division soldiers under the leadership of 2nd Lt
Dwight Eisenhower estimated their daring act shortened the war in Europe by six months
The bridge collapsed 10 days after Timmermannâs men seized it because of bomb damage and the heavy weight of men and machinery crossing it
five days after it was captured and crossed by U.S
Army soldiers under the leadership of 2nd Lt
Rescuers work on the Ludendorff bridge at Remagen shortly after it collapsed March 17
Karl Timmermann stood on a hill and peered through wet haze at the bomb-battered railroad bridge he and his men had to find a way to cross
alone among the Rhine River bridges in these last days of World War II
somehow had survived strafing by Allied bombers
and hadnât been dynamited by retreating Nazi forces
Timmermann and his soldiers knew the enemy must have wired it for demolition
German batteries had their guns trained on it
a 22-year-old 2nd lieutenant from West Point
was the first American officer to cross the Rhine when he spearheaded the capture of the Ludendorff railroad bridge
Crossing the rickety bridge more than three football fields long
So the men of Company A dashed across the bridge even as it was strafed by gunfire and rocked with explosions
They were the first invading soldiers to cross the Rhine since Napoleon
âGod was surely smiling on Karl Timmermann and his men that day,â wrote Ken Hechler
an Army historian and onetime speechwriter for President Harry Truman who chronicled the battle
He described it as âa brilliant stroke of military daring.â
Dwight Eisenhower said taking the Remagen bridge March 7
The Nazis surrendered just two months later
The Remagen miracle sparked worldwide headlines
He was one of several soldiers in his unit awarded the Distinguished Service Cross
His heroism was later celebrated in Hechlerâs popular 1957 book
âThe Bridge at Remagen,â and a 1969 Hollywood movie of the same name
Timmermannâs wartime achievements didnât carry much weight
His neighbors had a hard time forgetting that he was German-born
part of a poor family from the wrong side of the tracks
Army in Germany after World War I and returned home a few years later with a German bride
âA lot of people in town looked down on him,â said Robert Wostoupal
a Vietnam War veteran from the West Point area who served for years as Cuming Countyâs veteran services officer
âHe was just kind of shunned for what his father did or didnât do.â
Wostoupal worked with Hechler â who took part in the Rhine River campaign and interviewed Timmermann soon after â to bring attention to the soldierâs accomplishments
âHero of the Rhine: The Karl Timmermann Story.â
Hechler told The World-Herald that he was shocked to learn of Timmermannâs ill treatment
âThe whole story of his life is so fascinating to me,â said Hechler
The first invading officer to cross the Rhine had been taunted and called âHitlerâ as a teenager because of his heritage
John Timmermann had worked at his own fatherâs feed store in Snyder
until enlisting in the Army in spring 1919
He was assigned to post-World War I occupation duty in Germany but was one of about 40 members of his unit who went absent without leave once they got there
But the family couldnât make a living in postwar Germany
John Timmermann turned himself in to the Army
He served no jail time but received an other-than-honorable discharge
That solved his legal problems but didnât change his neighborsâ disdain
and Mary was subject to taunts at her job at a local cafe
âWe were looked at as second-class citizens,â Karl Timmermannâs sister
Karl Timmermann joined the Army within a month of graduating from high school in 1940 âto clean up the Timmermann name,â said Ellis
Karl served as an enlisted soldier for three years before being commissioned as an officer in 1943
he met and married La Vera Meyer of West Point that May after a three-month courtship
soldiers cross the Ludendorff bridge at Remagen after its capture by an Army company March 7
the 27th Armored Infantry Battalion of the 9th Armored Division
Timmermann was wounded by shrapnel during the Battle of the Bulge later that year
he was named company commander despite his rank because senior officers had been wounded
Neither Timmermann nor his men were eager heroes
When one of his men asked what they should do if the Germans blew up the bridge while they were on it
Timmermann assembled three platoons to accomplish the task
a massive explosion nearby sent timbers and steel flying through the air
German defenders on the other side had set off a charge in hopes of destroying the bridge
They blew a large hole in the road leading up to it
climbed a three-story tower at one end of the bridge and captured three German gunners who had some of the Americans pinned down
Karl Timmermann held the distinction of being the first officer across
The men of Company A secured the bridge and fought off pockets of German resistance on the other side
weakened by bomb damage and too much heavy traffic
The bridge collapsed from the effects of bomb damage and heavy truck traffic just hours after this photo was taken
The World-Herald described Timmermannâs exploits two days later under a headline that read âNebraskan Heads First Unit Across.â The story also reported that La Vera Timmermann had given birth to the coupleâs first child
Timmermann was discharged in December 1945 and returned to West Point
âa lone figure trudging into town with a barracks bag slung over his shoulder
His reception committee consisted of one little dog who snarled and snapped at his heels.â
He worked for a time as a salesman in Fremont but rejoined the Army in 1947
He saw combat again when war broke out in Korea
taking part in the landing at Inchon in September 1950
Timmermann was sent to a military hospital in Colorado after developing a painful lump in his groin
A few in town argued that West Pointâs hometown hero deserved a memorial
A former mayor told Hechler in the 1950s that âmost people were tired of the war
there were many deserving veterans who came home from World War II.â
a local department store owner and president of the War Dads during World War II
wrote to Hechler that âKarl was a real gentleman and a true-blue soldier
He blamed John Timmermannâs braggadocio and religious prejudice
because Karl Timmermann was Catholic and had married La Vera
Wostoupal organized a celebration in Timmermannâs honor
on the 50th anniversary of the bridge crossing
Karl Timmermann at the park named in his honor in West Point in this 1995 photo
âI just took it upon myself to do it,â he said
Wostoupal said heâs heard no mention of any events to honor Timmermann this year
But Wostoupal still thinks Timmermannâs story deserves to be told
âHe did not get the praise or glory he deserved,â Wostoupal said
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including a look back at sacrifices made by local military heroes
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teaching in higher education since 1997 despite facing physical challenges due to post-polio residual paralysis in my left leg
fostering intercultural understanding and cooperation
Alongside my teaching and research in India
I lead internationalization efforts in my department
with a fruitful partnership with the Koblenz University of Applied Sciences (RheinAhrCampus) resulting in numerous student mobilities
Borgmann for a 52-day teaching mobility was exciting
though I had concerns about my physical ability to cope
thus the prospect of stepping outside mine was daunting
providing additional funds for handicapped persons
The Languages /International Affairs office at RheinAhrCampus was very supportive in putting together an application seeking funds to cover for the real cost
Several documents in the application process were in German but the Languages /International Affairs team painstakingly provided me with English translations of most of those documents to work on
I moved forward in good faith – booked the onward air tickets (for me and my wife who has been my pillar of support)
reserved an apartment in Remagen after considering several options
decided on the courses to teach and shopped for winter clothing
We were getting ready to step into the unknown
Then came the good news that the real cost application was successful and that was a very encouraging green signal for my teaching mobility at RheinAhrCampus
I realized that most of the apartment accommodation in Remagen
Germany is either in the basement or the first/second floor of a building
After careful thought (including counting the steps to climb)
we settled for an apartment on the first floor
It was about 250 meters from the bus stop and train station
and about 1.5 Km to the nearest supermarket
But with incessant rain and near-freezing temperatures
my mobility challenges became more pronounced
I can cycle short distances and therefore it worked perfect for me to move around
That was when someone at the Languages /International Affairs office found out about the “van transport for 60+ from your doorstep” in the mornings on working days
Though it is essentially a facility for senior citizens
it was extended on a nominal payment for a ride to handicapped persons too
Looks like the whole Languages /International Affairs team in RheinAhrCampus was conspiring to help me out and make my mobility easier
Soon I was taking that van transport for work
the first question from the driver was “How old are you?” since I am only 50 and I actually look a little younger ;-)
But he qucikly understood my handicap and was very helpful
My walking with a limp caught the attention of many in RheinAhrCampus
I remember a conversation with a student who asked about my handicap and then I told him that I had polio
His response shocked me – What is polio
– Then I realized that life in a developed country is very different from the developing country that I come from
I found the Germans to be quite sensitive to my requirements and challenges
If there is a handicapped professor or a student considering taking up a mobility in Germany
The Erasmus+ stay with real cost provides for the actual expenses
one need not worry about over-spending on the limited regular scholarship
And it covers the actual additional expenses a handicapped person will incur during the mobility period
Reflection: Returning to India after Erasmus teaching
Gerne können auch Sie Ihre Erfahrungen auf unserer Webseite teilen
Schreiben Sie uns dafĂŒr gerne unter dem Betreff âErasmus+ Erfahrungsberichteâ an:
Man kann die Erlebnisse nicht nur auf Social Media teilen (so wie jetzt) sondern auch in echt ..
Heimfahren lohnt sich đ #studierenweltweit #österreich #wien #MĂŒnchen #Feuerwerk #heimweh
il dolce far niente đ©” Wir sind das erste Mal nach Puglia gefahren und fĂŒhlen uns hier so wohl: alle sind so lieb
Fahrrad fahren in Kopenhagen ist so ein Ding
Leben in Istanbul klingt gĂŒnstig â ist es aber nicht immer
was ich monatlich ausgebe und wo sich sparen lÀsst
Ich studiere aktuell im Rahmen des Erasmusprogramms ..
when the 9th Armored Division surprisingly discovered that the Rhine Bridge in Remagen was still intact
At the end of the war all bridges had been bombed in order to stop the supply for German soldiers
the Ludendorff Bridge had been reported as destroyed
The division under the command of German-born Lieutenant Karl H
Timmermann immediately announced the astonishing discovery to the Allies
They in turn ordered an immediate attack and capture of the bridge
The attempt of the Germans to destroy the bridge failed miserably
While a first blast tore a wide crater into the ramp on the left bank of the Rhine
Within just a few hours thousands of allied soldiers crossed the Bridge at Remagen
the unruly Ludendorff Bridge was at the center of world history
And thanks to Hollywood movies such as âThe Bridge at Remagenâ (1969) or George Clooneyâs âMonument Menâ (2014) the bridge is still well-known across the pond
historians agree that the capture of the bridge shortened the cruel war by weeks
there are speculations that early across the Rhine saved Germany from the drop of an atomic bomb
that remained robust despite several bombardments and attempted explosions
saved Germany from this horrible measurement to end the war
the up-until-now resistant bridge collapsed due to overload and killed 32 Americans despite having been closed-off for military vehicles only a few days after the capture
But the black/grey tower bridges remained on both sides of the river and stick out of the water like fortresses
Today you will find an open-air museum inside the towers that is financed by the selling of bridge pieces
In October 2006 the play âDie BrĂŒckeâ premiered at the original site in the tunnel of Erpel
He touched down on Omaha Beach in France five days after D-Day
the 128th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Gun Battalion
were sent to the Rhine River to secure the Ludendorff Bridge at Remagen
a mission later chronicled in the movie âThe Bridge at Remagen.â While thousands of American soldiers were crossing
they were tasked to shoot down German aircraft that were attempting to destroy the bridge
where they made another crossing in Oppenheim
Chouinard heard an announcement over a loudspeaker about a church service; he was one of a crew of seven that attended the Easter service
As they were walking into the packed church
Chouinard was moved by the realization of them worshiping together while fighting a war
they quietly left and continued their journey
Chouinard and his fellow soldiers were in a field south of Munich
He noticed a farmhouse and decided to ask for some fresh eggs
Meeting an American woman who married a German
he spoke with her and then later left with the eggs
he was met by a German soldier and officer who were waiting for him
He was informed by the German officer that he wished to speak to an American officer
a large mass of soldiers left the woods with their hands up
By not firing when first seeing the German soldier
the lives of over a 100 Germans and Americans were saved
and writes stories for the Newburyport News
He plans to return to Germany to retrace his steps
serves the aerospace and defense industry of Southern California
News and ad copy deadline is noon on the Tuesday prior to publication
The publisher assumes no responsibility for error in ads other than space used
The appearance of advertising in this publication
does not constitute endorsement by the Department of Defense
Cloudy skies early followed by heavy thunderstorms late
A Bradley Fighting Vehicle from 1st Squadron
7th Cavalry Regiment of the 1st Cavalry Division maneuvers onto a floating bridge constructed by the 74th Multi Role Bridge Company of the 36th Engineer Brigade on Friday morning to get across Belton Lake during Remagen Ready 24-1
Soldiers with the 74th Multi Role Bridge Company unload a Bridge-Erecting Boat into Belton Lake on Friday morning during part of the large
Soldiers with the 74th Multi Role Bridge Company use bars to raise the end of the ramp of the floating bridge they constructed after loading prior to moving three Joint Light Tactical Vehicles across Belton Lake on Friday morning
Soldiers with the 74th Multi Role Bridge Company shuttle a Fuel Servicing Truck and a Modular Fuel System across Belton Lake on a floating bridge they constructed Friday morning during part of Remagen Ready 24-1
FORT CAVAZOS â Soldiers of the 74th Multi Role Bridge Company shuttled vehicles from one side of Belton Lake to the other on Friday during a portion of âRemagen Ready 24-1,â the largest joint training operation on post since 2020
âWhat makes it large is the number of units that are consolidated in the exercise,â said Lt
the deputy public affairs officer for III Corps
the main headquarters unit at Fort Cavazos
âThe logistics support units are supporting the exercise
The entire 1st Cavalry Division is really the one that is being validated during this exercise; they are going to move their tanks across this bridge.â
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Times Observer photos by Stacey Gross Each year, during the reenactment of the battle of Remagen, the bridge into Tidioute is âblown upâ just as the actual bridge in Remagen was destroyed during the battle itself.
The battle of Remagen will be reenacted throughout the streets of Tidioute for the 10th strasight year on Saturday, and reenactors from as far afield as Canada, Virginia, Maine, and Minnesota began rolling into town on Wednesday.
According to Pat Tarasovich, of the reenactment group “Battle Babies out of Erie, Pa.,” camps began going up Wednesday in preparation for what is one of the most-anticipated and sought-after reenactments of the year, and the largest public battle in Pennsylvania. The reenactment of the battle of Remagen provides many unique experiences for those who’ve never been to a re-enactment.
I was one of those people, actually, three years ago when I was sent to cover the Remagen event for work. If I’m honest, I’m not a crazy history buff, and while I have no issue with the topic of World War II, I’ve never been interested enough in it to seek out events devoted to it. I’m neutral, at best on history of any genre, and had I not been assigned to cover it I probably would never have gone to see the event.
The camp opens to the public in Tidioute at 11 a.m. on Saturday, said Tarasovich, and reenactors will be staying in authentic digs, and will be in character, giving those coming to visit a taste of what camp life was like during WWII. At 2 p.m. sharp the bridge from Route 62 into Tidioute proper will be closed down to both cars and pedestrians, so event organizers suggest figuring out which side of the river you want to watch from and getting there well before 2 p.m.
Tarasovich invited anyone who does visit Tidioute this weekend to “come visit us at camp, walk around, see what it’s all about, and visit the vendors.” There will be a number of vendors available selling authentic WWII merchandise, among other (more contemporary) wares. The AMVETS kitchen will also be open again this year, and offering a military lunch.
By far, said Tarasovich, the thing that sets Remagen apart for him as a reenactor is that stamp of approval that the event and all of its participants get from the veterans to attend each year. “It really means a lot to know that they endorse us,” said Tarasovich. Honoring veterans, after all, is what it’s all about.
Times Observer photos by Stacey Gross The Remagen reenactment in Tidioute is an entirely immersive experience for spectators.
Camp closes at 5 p.m. on Saturday, so there will be a short opportunity to visit after the battle if attendees wish to do so, said Tarasovich.
Learn more about the event at www.tidioute.org/events/ww-ii-reenactment.
Hospice of Warren County is set to host its inaugural fundraising event, Warren County Wonders, on Saturday, May ...
The League of Women Voters of Warren County has released its updated 2025 Government Directory, a resource designed ...
A county resident has been sentenced to between 21 months and four years in state prison on three separate dockets. ...
Copyright © 2025 Ogden Newspapers of Pennsylvania, LLC | https://www.timesobserver.com | PO Box 188, Warren, PA 16365 | 814-723-8200
Volume 8 - 2020 | https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2020.00276
Western Central European Loess-Palaeosol-Sequences (LPS) provide valuable terrestrial records of palaeoenvironmental conditions
which formed in response to variability in the North Atlantic climate systems
Over the last full glacial cycle (∼130 ka)
climate oscillations within these systems are best documented in deep sea- and ice cores; the responses of terrestrial systems are not yet fully understood
A better understanding of metabolism governing input and output variables of organic- and inorganic C pools is
crucial for investigating landscape-atmospheric feedback processes and in particularly
for understanding the formation of calcareous LPS as environmental archives
Here we quantify the contributions of primary carbonates (PC) and secondary carbonates (SC) to the overall inorganic carbon pool down a LPS at the Schwalbenberg site
based on the natural abundance ratio of stable carbon isotopes (δ13C) and contents of the organic- and inorganic C pools
This facilitates detailed insights into the carbonate metabolism and hence
PC accumulate predominantly in cold phases during periods of reduced biological activity and become leached during wetter and warmer periods contemporary with higher rates of SC re-precipitation and total organic carbon (TOC) increases due to enhanced biomass production
We find that mineral dust input is most significant during stadials
as well as toward the end of warmer interstadials
characterised by gradual cooling back to stadial conditions
Pedogenesis in the Schwalbenberg LPS kept pace with surface accumulation of mineral dust
This indicates that palaeosols are of accretionary nature
which gives raise to the idea of incorporation of former topsoils in preserved subsoil horizons
Our study decodes fundamental aspects of the link between atmospheric dust circulation and terrestrial records in western Central Europe
interdependencies between factors governing the regional moisture budged and LPS can be reconstructed in a more holistic way than before
we combine TIC and TOC isotope geochemistry to produce a detailed reconstruction of past dust dynamics
pedogenic processes and surface water availability of plants in light of palaeoclimate and palaeoenvironmental changes
We compare δ13C(TIC) and δ13C(TOC) to investigate processes possibly affecting both signals for core REM 3A drilled at the Schwalbenberg site
The 26 m long core reflects palaeoenvironmental conditions during the Last Glacial Cycle (LGC) (∼130 ka) in high resolution
We aim to get detailed insights into the carbonate metabolism of the LPS to estimate the degree of loessification and PC input
stable C isotope investigations have not been performed so far
which will shed new light on the formation of the Schwalbenberg LPS
The 26 m thick sediment core under investigation (REM 3A) is located in interfluve position of the Schwalbenberg
Figure 2. Model of stable C isotope fractionation in calcareous terrestrial systems (redrawn from Nordt et al., 1998). Green dots represent measured δ13C(TOC) composition of core REM 3A. Purple dots indicate calculated δ13 of total inorganic C (Total C – TOC). The range of values confirms the presence of primary and secondary carbonates, which can be differentiated and quantified by end-member modelling (Salomons and Mook, 1976)
The δ13C(TOC) in loess therefore predominantly reflects the original isotopic signal of the former vegetation (δ13C of plants (δ13C(PL))
Here we test the TOC/PC ratio as proxy governed by the response of geomorphological and pedogenic processes to climate oscillations
we apply palaeosol classification similar to the WRB classification of modern soils
One half of the core was sampled in 2.5 cm intervals
Every second sample was carefully sieved (≤2 mm)
dried (50°C) and homogenised by ball milling (5 min
the reliability of the TOC content values and the δ13C(TOC) composition
δ13C(TIC) was calculated using a mass balance equation
Relative secondary carbonate (SC) proportion was calculated according to Salomons and Mook (1976):
∗ parent material δ13C(TIC) was assumed to be 0‰ based on observed δ13C(TIC) values in relatively unweathered loess sections and on literature data (West et al., 1988)
∗∗ 14.4‰ coefficient for fractionation due to molecular diffusion and carbonate equilibrium reactions (Nordt et al., 1998)
PC and SC contents were subsequently related to the TIC content of the respective samples to derive the weight % of both carbonate types
In order to validate calculated TIC content and its isotopic composition
we selected and re-measured 30 samples along a prominent soil complex (12–13 m in REM 3A) clearly traceable in Ca values of the downslope section
to ensure that our measure encompasses a wide range between low and high amounts of TIC
400–500 μg of sample material was dissolved (2 h reaction time) with concentrated phosphoric acid in He-flushed borosilicate exetainers at 72°C (Gasbench II device)
Subsequently the resulting CO2 was measured using a continuous-flow IRMS (Thermo Finnigan MAT 253)
Isotope data and concentration of TIC were calibrated against the NSB-19 calibrated IVA Carrara marble
Internal precision was 1σ = 0.02‰
Calculated TIC values are highly correlated with measured TIC (r2 = 0.94
The same is true for its stable C isotopic composition (r2 = 0.92
if calculated TIC contents (see “Calculation of Inorganic C and Its δ13C Based on EA-IRMS Results”) matched directly measured TIC values derived from the same samples (see “EA-IRMS”) after applying the loss-of-ignition method at 550°C for 3.5 h
No relationship between these data can be observed casting doubts on both- TOC and TIC contents derived by the loss-of-ignition method applied to calcareous sediments
A comparison of the geochemical composition of the tephra from Schwalbenberg with tephra layers observed in the Auel and Dehner maar cores assumed to reflect the Eltville tephra indicate the material to be identical (personal communication Frank Sirocko)
A Gelic Gleysol between 2.67 and 3.31 m marks the end of the laminated loess sections and is followed by homogeneous loess and the uppermost Gelic Gleysol
The loess on its top is characterised by numerous carbonate concretions
which is represented by a truncated Luvisol
The decalcification line at 24.32 m marks the transition to the uppermost part of unit B which is characterised by low TIC values (Figure 4). Moreover, δ13C(TIC) curve shows a prominent trend toward more positive values. Unit C is characterised by δ13C(TIC) (Figure 4) being most negative within the lower parts of the Calcaric Cambisol (PM 12) and significantly increasing toward the following Gelic Gleysol
Unit C shows distinct maximum TIC values in the Gelic Gleysols on top of PM 11 and PM 10
High TIC values additionally occur in the reworked loess between 22.7 and 23.00 m b.s.
These maxima are accompanied by high δ13C(TIC) values
Minima are bound to lowest parts of Calcaric Cambisol horizons (PM 11
TIC and δ13C(TIC) curves show decreasing values in the loess layer toward unit D
in unit D all Calcaric Cambisols show lower values at their base and increasing values toward the overlying layers
only in PM 8 and PM 3 distinct minima occur
This pattern is also well reflected by δ13C(TIC)
Reworked loess layers are associated with maximum values of δ13C(TIC)
unit C is characterised by less pronounced shifts in both records
minimum values of TIC occur in reworked loess layers below and above the Eltville-Tephra layer
Especially the thick laminated reworked loess between 7.27 and 5.64 m b.s
in unit E shows most positive values of δ13C(TIC)
A second maximum is observed in a loess layer between 10 and 11 m b.s.
The uppermost part of unit F is characterised by slightly increasing TIC values and more positive δ13C(TIC) values
SC were generally enriched toward the base while PC increased in the opposite direction toward the top of the soil horizons and reached their maxima slightly above
SC showed minimum values at the base and increased values upward
Distinct minima of SC and maxima of PC occurred between individual Calcaric Cambisols
SC are again enriched at the base of Gelic Gleysols and show absolute minima in loess and reworked loess
SC slightly decreased from the reworked loess above the Eltville-Tephra layer toward the following Gelic Gleysol
while no clear trend was visible for the uppermost part of the unit
which increased toward the Gelic Gleysol and remained on comparably high values above
a clear trend toward more positive values was observed from unit B toward the base of unit C and from the base of unit D up to the middle of unit E (7.2 m b.s.) indicating an overall decrease of water availability
unit C and the upper part of units E and F (above 7.2 m b.s.) are characterised by relatively constant values with a slight tendency toward more negative values
PM 6 shows lowest TOC/N(Total) values at its bottom
TOC and TOC/PC values are located at its upper part
the very top is characterised by strongly decreasing TOC and TOC/PC and TOC/N(Total) being on a level as before
PM 5 exhibits most similar curve patterns for all proxies
but PM 4 is characterised by only slightly changing N(Total) values
whereas TOC/N(Total) and TOC curve patterns are similar to those of PM 5 (but the values are lower)
PM 3 exhibits maxima at its base and top and a minimum peak in-between
PM 2 is separated by a loess layer from the underlying PM 3
Strongly decreasing TOC/PC values show that the loess layer as well as PM 2 are characterised by strongly enhanced PC input
almost all Gelic Gleysols above the last Calcaric Cambisol of unit D are characterised by increased TOC values
whereas TOC/PC and N(Total) values remain low
not true for a Gelic Gleysol from 8.50 to 9 m
which is traceable in all presented proxies
we will briefly discuss the proxy data in context to records of global climate and environmental change of the LGC
we focus on the methodological approach yielding new insights into LPS formation
Calcaric Cambisols by light brown bars and soil horizons associated with interglacial and early glacial conditions are represented by dark brown bars
Our results indicate that “loessification” did not necessarily require enhanced quantities of SC at the Schwalbenberg site
curve patterns of both δ13C(TIC) and δ13C(TOC) indicate phases characterised by high accumulation rates under dryer climate conditions
showing that combining the isotope signatures offers considerable potential toward an understanding of past climate conditions
the TOC/PC ratio proofs to be a very sensitive measure for intensity of pedogenesis at Schwalbenberg
Correlation of Calcaric Cambisols across the slope based on PC
and Ca is most promising for the Sinzig soils (S1–S3) and the upper Remagen Soils (R4–R5) (PM equivalents 5-2)
We relate this to differences in secondary carbonate formation and accumulation
palaeosols show distinct differences in trends of TOC/N(Total)
The case that TOC/N(Total) values are lowest at the bottom of a soil
6 reflecting well-developed Calcaric Cambisols most likely associated with long and warm periods of soil formation
reverse conditions indicate erosional- and subsequent accumulation phases
Based on secure correlation of all Sinzig Soils [defined at the down-slope Schwalbenberg II section (Schirmer, 2012)] to PMs occurring at the water divide of the Schwalbenberg, no diminution of the interstadial solcomplex (OIS 3) toward upslope position can be observed, as suggested by Schirmer (2012). This is supported by geochemical investigations of the REM 1A core in mid-slope position (Klasen et al., 2015)
thickness of units reflecting the Interpleniglacial or OIS 3 appears to be consistent across the slope
as well as their stable isotope composition facilitates more detailed insights into reactions of the sedimentary and pedogenic processes to prevailing climate than addressing only one of the C pools
Hydraulic conditions governing water availability for plants can be discussed in terms of precipitation
sediment properties and permafrost dynamics in a more holistic way
we showed that enhanced water availability for plants indicated by δ13C(TOC) is not necessarily a function of increased precipitation but can also be caused by increased sediment moisture due to permafrost dynamics
Direct responses of terrestrial C pools to North Atlantic atmospheric and climate oscillations are likely to be reflected by the TOC/PC ratio
which is shown by a correlation of the new sediment core REM 3A to the Schwalbenberg II section
the TOC/PC proves the accretionary nature of interstadial soils within the Schwalbenberg LPS
we showed that cementation of mineral dust did not require high quantities of SC in the Schwalbenberg LPS
indicating that other cementation agents may play a significant role
reconstructing decomposition environments and water availability for plants during time of soil formations remains difficult to assess
The main reason for this is the fact that the original isotopic signal of plants mark the starting point for further isotope fractionation during decomposition
the resulting isotopic depth profiles can be regarded as a mixed signal including effects of water dynamics during plants lifespan
investigation of compound specific δ13C on recalcitrant substances like lignin is promising for isolating the effects of palaeo-precipitation and decomposition-induced changes of the isotope composition of TOC soils
All datasets presented in this study are included in the article/Supplementary Material
BT and MV performed geochemical measurements and calculations
All authors contributed to discussion and edited the manuscript
This manuscript contributes to the TerraClime Project funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) (VO 938/25-1; FI 1941/5-1; FI 1918/4-1)
BT received funding from the Rural and Environmental Science and Analytical Services Division (RESAS) of the Scottish Government
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest
We would like to thank Frank Sirocko for the information concerning the geochemical analysis of volcanic ash derived from the REM3 core
constructive and valuable comments of two reviewers helped to significantly improve the manuscript
The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2020.00276/full#supplementary-material
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Fiedler S and Vött A (2020) Combining Inorganic and Organic Carbon Stable Isotope Signatures in the Schwalbenberg Loess-Palaeosol-Sequence Near Remagen (Middle Rhine Valley
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*Correspondence: Mathias Vinnepand, bWF2aW5uZXBAdW5pLW1haW56LmRl
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It had been more than 20 years since a C-130 Hercules has landed on Fort Stewartâs Remagen Landing Zone
the dirt strip LZ and drop zone received a lot of air traffic
The dirt runway recently was repaired and upgraded by units with the New Mexico Army and Air National Guard with help from the Georgia Air National Guardâs Combat Readiness Training Center in Savannah.According to Fort Stewart public-affairs spokesman Kevin Larson
the $75,000 cost for the upgrade of Remagen DZ/LZ included design
Although Remagen continued to be used as a drop zone for airborne operations after the early 1990s
a change in the installationâs mission allowed it to fall into disrepair
Larson said refurbishing it required upgrading the runway to the required length and meeting âclear zone/glide slopeâ requirements for training pilots to land a C-130 on a dirt LZ.Larson said additional refurbishing is planned to improve the existing taxiway to accommodate the C-17
Phase III planning includes making the dirt airstrip fully C-17 capable.Larson said the closest existing dirt airstrip capable of supporting joint-training scenarios like air drops and landings and providing logistical support to special operations
armored brigade combat teams and infantry brigade combat teams is at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin
He said the Combat Readiness Centerâs 165th Airlift Wing and 437th Airlift Wing plan to conduct joint logistical support training at Remagen
The initial training exercise got the scrutiny of area media members Wednesday
who observed two passes of paratroopers as well as landings and takeoffs from Remagen.Lt
explained the significance of the training operation before the first paratroop drop
Spisso first responded to a question about why they were conducting the training by noting these were proficiencies they were required to have as part of their mission.âI can tell you that flying is just like football,â Spisso said
âYouâve got to practice to get better at it
weâre able to become more efficient.âBerreckman noted that some of the operations can be done at airstrips at Fort Bragg
which has special operations and infantry brigade combat teams
does not have an armored brigade combat team and no way to conduct joint training operations with an ABCT
He said having an airstrip on Fort Stewart saves the Department of Defense time and money.âItâs a big focus for DoD to have joint-training operations,â Berreckman said
when the services go together on a project like this
it really helps the budgeting process.âShortly after their briefing
the operation began with a C-130 making its approach at a jump altitude of 1,250 feet
As the aircraft passed over a predetermined point on the ground
a green light came on in the aircraft and the jumpmaster gave the command to âGo.âOne by one
jumpers began trailing from a large ramp at the rear of the aircraft until all 20 jumpers were in the air
the jumpers turned into the wind and glided softly to the ground
They then rolled and stuffed their chute in a kit bag and ran or walked quickly off the drop zone.Due to a mechanical problem with the second aircraft
the second stick of jumpers didnât drop until more than an hour later
the aircraft circled the airfield until it was cleared of jumpers
a cloud of Georgia red-clay dust filled the air behind it
the same aircraft kicked up dust again as all four turboprop engines roared to life for a takeoff.According to lockheedmartin.com
there is no other aircraft in history that can match the âflexibility
versatility and relevance of the C-130 Hercules,â which has been used as a troop-transport aircraft since the 1950s.Spisso reiterated that having the capability to take off and land C-130s at Fort Stewartâs Remagen DZ/LZ is a great asset to the joint military community
Allegations of shadow directing have been made in the administratorâs report of the failed group that operated the Wilkie Creek coal mine in south-western Queensland
The report by KordaMentha has raised the possible involvement of shadow directors in the operation of New Wilkie Energy
the group that ran the Wilkie Creek coal mine
New Wilkie Energy ran the Wilkie Creek coal mine in south-west Queensland
Allegations have been made that it was potentially insolvent two months after the mine recommenced operation
The KordaMentha report noted that Andrew Lowry
was made the sole director of all seven of the inter-related New Wilkie companies
one week before the group was placed into voluntary administration last December
âWe note that whilst the director of the group entities upon our appointment was Mr Andrew Lowy
there are multiple directors that resigned shortly before an appointment
and multiple other individuals whose conduct may consider them to be shadow directors,â the report said
Lowy passed a resolution to appoint BRI Ferrier as the administrator
a creditor vote resulted in BRI Ferrier being ousted and replaced by KordaMentha
âDiscussions with Mr Lowy revealed that he agreed to this [director] role in exchange for $60,000 at the request of his nephew
Mr Simon Raftery,â KordaMenthaâs report said
Raftery was not a director of any New Wilkie companies in administration
The report said that Raftery acted as a financial adviser and fund manager for several parties that extended finance to New Wilkie Energy
âMr Simon Raftery had management and operational influence on the group in late 2023
around the same time the group was placed into external administration,â it claimed
KordaMentha asked Lowy what steps he had taken to understand the financial forecasts and viability of New Wilkie Energy before appointing an administrator
âMr Andrew Lowy confirmed he was simply acting under the direction of Mr Simon Raftery.â
âMr Andrew Lowy informed us that he has taken on similar roles at the request of Mr Simon Raftery for several other entities that entered external administration shortly after his appointment
we have reported this information to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission.â
He set up his own private credit and funds management group
which collapsed in the first half of that year
Those food companies collectively owed about $80 million
Raftery stepped down as a director of Aussie Frozen Fruit two days before it went into liquidation; Andrew Lowy was appointed a director the same day Raftery stepped down
Raftery stepped down as a director about six weeks before its liquidation
liquidators have made allegations of potential insolvent trading and potential breaches of directorsâ duties
Raftery has repeatedly denied those allegations to this masthead and stated that âno breaches have been substantiated and any suggestion they have been or are likely to be substantiated is completely falseâ
Lowy was also appointed as a director of Indus Mining in January this year
Indus Mining was wound up in April by a creditor on the grounds of insolvency and a liquidator was appointed in July
Raftery ceased to be a director of Indus Mining in 2021
Lowy was also appointed as a director of Highwall Mining
a company to which Remagen was a secured lender
with it owed about $11.7 million by that company and others within the group
That group went into liquidation in November 2023
Raftery stepped down as a director in June that year
were involved in organising loans for the New Wilkie group of companies from private investors
Administrators have estimated that between $150 million to $200 million was raised
Raftery and Madsen are both involved in disputes in the Federal Court involving one of the private lenders and investors in New Wilkie Energy
The private lender and investor was the Hallinan family
an east-coast waste management and logistics firm
They have accused Raftery and Madsen of âmisleading or deceptive conductâ
KordaMenthaâs report into New Wilkie Energy also exposed boardroom ructions at the group
which resulted in one director being forced out weeks before the groupâs failure
It also claimed âpoor corporate governanceâ was one of the factors contributing to the groupâs demise
This included an alleged failure by New Wilkieâs management and board to keep adequate books and records
and also that the group did not hold regular or documented board meetings until mid-2023
The group also didnât have a âsufficient qualified or experienced chief financial officer until mid-2023â
and personal email addresses instead of work email addresses were used for company matters
KordaMentha has recommended that the New Wilkie Energy group of companies be put into liquidation
Its initial investigations found that New Wilkie Energy was possibly insolvent from June 2023
almost six months before it was placed into voluntary administration
and that the company potentially incurred more debts during that time
âOur preliminary investigations indicate that since the date of insolvency
which we have estimated occurring around June 2023
We are unable to quantify the exact value of those debts due to limited books and records.â
The Wilkie Creek mine only commenced operating in April 2023
which is two months before KordaMenthaâs report claims New Wilkie Energy was potentially insolvent
The Wilkie Creek mine was operated and owned by Peabody Energy from 1994 to 2013
after which it was put into care and maintenance
following multiple failed attempts to sell it
Peabody sold the mine to a private syndicate
which put it back into operation in April 2023
but only after almost $200 million of funding was raised from lenders and investors
which lies about 250 kilometres west of Brisbane
was forecast to produce 2.4 million tonnes of thermal coal annually
While KordaMentha conducted its review into the failed business
FTI Consulting was tasked as receiver to sell the Wilkie Creek coal mine
Binding offers were due in April to buy the mine; four months later
A creditorâs meeting on Thursday was adjourned to allow the receivers more time to complete a possible sale
which will also determine whether a liquidator is appointed
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Allegations of shadow directing have been made in the administrator\\u2019s report of the failed group that operated the Wilkie Creek coal mine in south-western Queensland
\\u201CWe note that whilst the director of the group entities upon our appointment was Mr Andrew Lowy
and multiple other individuals whose conduct may consider them to be shadow directors,\\u201D the report said
\\u201CDiscussions with Mr Lowy revealed that he agreed to this [director] role in exchange for $60,000 at the request of his nephew
Mr Simon Raftery,\\u201D KordaMentha\\u2019s report said
\\u201CMr Simon Raftery had management and operational influence on the group in late 2023
around the same time the group was placed into external administration,\\u201D it claimed
\\u201CMr Andrew Lowy confirmed he was simply acting under the direction of Mr Simon Raftery.\\u201D
\\u201CMr Andrew Lowy informed us that he has taken on similar roles at the request of Mr Simon Raftery for several other entities that entered external administration shortly after his appointment
we have reported this information to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission.\\u201D
liquidators have made allegations of potential insolvent trading and potential breaches of directors\\u2019 duties
Raftery has repeatedly denied those allegations to this masthead and stated that \\u201Cno breaches have been substantiated and any suggestion they have been or are likely to be substantiated is completely false\\u201D
They have accused Raftery and Madsen of \\u201Cmisleading or deceptive conduct\\u201D
KordaMentha\\u2019s report into New Wilkie Energy also exposed boardroom ructions at the group
which resulted in one director being forced out weeks before the group\\u2019s failure
It also claimed \\u201Cpoor corporate governance\\u201D was one of the factors contributing to the group\\u2019s demise
This included an alleged failure by New Wilkie\\u2019s management and board to keep adequate books and records
The group also didn\\u2019t have a \\u201Csufficient qualified or experienced chief financial officer until mid-2023\\u201D
\\u201COur preliminary investigations indicate that since the date of insolvency
We are unable to quantify the exact value of those debts due to limited books and records.\\u201D
which is two months before KordaMentha\\u2019s report claims New Wilkie Energy was potentially insolvent
A creditor\\u2019s meeting on Thursday was adjourned to allow the receivers more time to complete a possible sale
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Actor George Segal has passed away at age 87
Segal became a rising young star in the 1960s and went on to enjoy success in both feature films and television
He made his big screen debut in "The Young Doctors" in 1961 and within a few years had appeared in "Ship of Fools" and his first starring role in "King Rat"
The 1965 adaptation of James Clavell's novel found Segal as an American prisoner in a Japanese P.O.W
He uses his guile and survival skills to not only stay alive but to thrive
much to disgust of British P.O.W.s who think his actions border on collaboration with the enemy
Segal's biggest break came the following year when he was cast in Mike Nichols' screen adaptation of Edward Albee's Broadway smash "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"
The film has only four main characters in it
along with his immature wife (Sandy Dennis)
spend a fateful evening in the company of his colleague George (Richard Burton) and his vulgar wife Martha (Elizabeth Taylor)
In the course of a seemingly endless evening
illicit sex and the revelation of secrets about each person that leaves the two couples emotionally shattered
Taylor won the Best Actress Oscar and Dennis won for Best Supporting Actress
Burton was nominated for Best Actor and Segal was nominated for Best Supporting Actor
Segal went on to star in an eclectic selection of films including the spy thriller "The Quiller Memorandum"
"No Way to Treat a Lady" and the cult comedy "Where's Poppa?"
Segal was filming the WWII movie "The Bridge at Remagen" in Czechoslovakia with Robert Vaughn and Ben Gazzara when the Soviet invasion occurred
leaving the stars and production company to fend for themselves to escape the country
Segal's other prominent films include "The Owl and the Pussycat" (opposite Barbra Streisand)
"Look Who's Talking" and "The Cable Guy"
he was cast in the hit sitcom "Just Shoot Me!"
he he played the role of Albert "Pops" Solomon in the long-running TV series "The Goldbergs"
Segal's final episode of the series is to broadcast in April.
For more about his life and career, click here. For tributes from his colleagues, click here
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