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Ok - another teaser....


Jack

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  • 2 weeks later...

Ghasp! has it.

 

It was The Bridge at Remagen, just after the Major (forgotten his name) first arrives at the bridge. He says it to the Engineer Officer. :-D

 

 

Was the Major Robert Vaughn (The Man From UNCLE)? Salutory message in that film. Robert Vaugh was demolition commander, a terrible job. Blow a reserve demolition too soon and you strand friendly forces on the wrong side of the obstacle: a court martial offence. Blow it too late and you let the enemy get it: a court martial offence. Blow it at the right time and watch in horror as it doesn't demolish: you've guessed it, a court martial offence. The last is what happened to Robert Vaughn. Field Court Martial and summary justice: firing squad IIRC.

 

TBF to the demolition commander, it did fall into the river. Sadly it was about a month after the US had cleared the east bank and disappeared in the general direction of Berlin.

 

Being not far from the Vogelsang training area beloved of NATO forces during the Cold War (it's now apparently been returned to nature reserve, but if you Google you'll find pictures of the woodland on the far side of the lake where the replanted trees still clearly show the Swastika carved into the hillside), our RSM organised a trip from Vogelsang where we were exercising to Remagen as a salutory lesson in good recce, how a troop of US recce (sorry recon) vehicles stopped on a bluff, looked out of the trees and found themselves overlooking the still-intact bridge at Remagen, ordered a quick attack and were able to jump the Rhine.

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