Heroic Allied soldiers seen fighting their way across Europe during World War II in stunning new book of rare pics – The US Sun
Samuel Coleman
Published Oct 02, 2026
RARE photographs of Allied soldiers fighting their way across the River Rhine to bring an end to the Second World War have been released.
The powerful images tell the story of Operation Plunder that involved 200,000 men crossing the Rhine to invade northern Germany in March 1945.
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The retreating Nazis blew up bridges along the Rhine to prevent Allied forces from advancing on Berlin, creating a new challenge for Allied troops.
In response, temporary floating bridges were quickly built to allow tanks and trucks to cross as 16,000 paratroopers fought on the German side of the river.
Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery's 21st Army Group launched the massive artillery, amphibious and airborne assault as the Allies met determined resistance from machinegun nests as they made the crossing.
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Fierce fighting ensued, with much bloodshed on both sides as Canadian troops fanned out towards Holland, the British towards the German ports in the north and the Americans to the Ruhr Valley.
It was the first time the Rhine had been crossed by a foreign army since Napoleon.
The photos are from the wartime archives of the United States Army Military History Institute (USAHMI) and the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in Maryland.
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The devastation of the war is apparent in photos of the rubble of German towns, and captured German POWs despairingly sit down with their hands on their heads.
One photo is of US First Army Lieutenant Karl Timmermann, the first American soldier to cross the important Ludendorff Railway Bridge.
He was actually born in Germany before moving to Nebraska, and his German uncles reportedly fought against him in the Wehrmacht.
Images of War, Montgomery's Rhine Crossing, Operation Plunder, by Jon Diamond, is published by Pen & Sword and costs £15.99.
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