Route of Commemoration No.30: Bridge demolition and destructions around Richters Eck

Auf den Planken, 52156 Monschau

Germany Nordrhein-Westfalen Monschau

Route of Commemoration No.30: Bridge demolition and destructions around Richters Eck #1

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German soldiers demolished the Rur bridge on September 15th,1944 and thereby heavily damaged a part of the neighbouring house "Richter".
Already one day later American pioneers built an emergency bridge. On September 29th the city of Monschau started the building of a wooden beam bridge that was finished within 3 weeks. Thereby creating a connecting for vehicles between the two parts of the historic town and Höfen. But there was still no peace. On November 18th after German shelling, the roof structure of the Red House caught on fire. Luckily it was possible to stop the fire from spreading. A German bombing destroyed an apartment house on Stadtstraße in close proximity to the bridge on February 2nd, 1945. 21 people were killed. Only one child had been saved. On the same day American soldiers took down the house "Richter" that had been heavily damaged by the bombing of the bridge in order to buil dan iron bridge and to make the street wider for fresh supply.

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