The day after the Hindenburg disaster in Lakehurst, New Jersey.
In preparation for the Rhine crossing, a treadway bridge was built by the 17th Armored Engineer Battalion, detached from the 2nd Armored Division. On the night of 23 March, 1945 Company E and C constructed two preliminary treadway rafts over the Rhine, south of Wesel and opposite Spellen (now part of the town of Voerde). In the morning, a bridge that could bear mechanized transport started at 9:45 am, and by 4:00 pm the first truck crossed the floating bridge. Over 1152 feet of M2 treadway and 93 pneumatic floats were used in the project, which required just six hours and fifteen minutes to complete, setting a record for the size of the bridge. After the Rhine had been bridged, the 75th Infantry Division crossed on 24 March and the 35th Infantry Division crossed 25–26 March 1945.
Source: Bridging the Rhine, 17th Armored Engineer Battalion in World War 2.
More about the 17th Armored Engineer Battalion
https://bit.ly/3rbTdns
Picture: Treadway bridge crossing the Rhine river on end of March, 1945 at Wesel, Germany constructed by the 17th Armored Engineer Battalion.
