On July 6, 1940, Timmermann enlisted in the U.S. Army. He was stationed at
Fort Lewis, Washington, and assigned to the
15th Infantry Regiment of the
3rd Infantry Division. After the Japanese military
attacked Pearl Harbor, his unit began training for war. The 3rd Infantry Division, with the
41st Infantry Division, were then part of
IX Corps. In May 1941, the two divisions moved to the
Hunter Liggett Military Reservation where June war games pitted them against Major General
Joseph Stilwell's
7th Division and the
40th Division. Large-scale maneuvers continued in August on the
Olympic Peninsula, with IX Corps defending
Tacoma, Washington, until the two divisions from California could arrive to assist. In October 1942, the 3rd Infantry Division headed for
Norfolk, Virginia, then sailed for
Morocco and
Operation Torch, the invasion of
French North Africa. Timmermann did not go with them, as he had been noted for his leadership ability and was selected for
Officer Candidate School. He became a second lieutenant on February 16, 1943 at Fort Benning, Georgia. He was sent to
Fort Riley, Kansas for
armored infantry training, and was assigned as a
platoon leader in
Company A ("Able") of the 27th Armored Infantry Battalion,
9th Armored Division. Due to his length of service, he was given a furlough home. During this leave, he became "acquainted" with LaVera Meyer. Timmermann proposed to her by letter with an enclosed ring, and she accepted by mail. On May 25, 1944, the couple were married in
Omaha, Nebraska. He was also told that Able company was going to be the advance guard for a push to the Rhine River. At about 1530 hours, Timmermann was ordered to assault the bridge with his company in an effort to seize and hold it intact. Within five minutes, Timmermann was leading his under-strength company onto the bridge. Timmermann had designated half of his men to rush directly to the other side of the bridge to secure the east side and provide covering fire to the rest of the men. The other half swarmed the bridge, dodging machine gun fire, moving from girder to girder, and cutting wires and removing as many of the explosive charges as possible. At about 1545 hours, one of Timmermann's squad leaders, Sergeant
Alexander A. Drabik of
Holland, Ohio, was the first American soldier to cross the bridge. Drabik ran the entire bridge with his squad through the settling dust and smoke from the explosion at the eastern end, without having a single soldier wounded or killed. Drabik later said: By about 1600 hours, Timmermann was isolated on the eastern side of the bridge. Friendly forces were trying to fill in the crater on the western side, while engineers were removing the last of the explosives. Other infantry units were moving up, but were being harassed by anti-aircraft weapons covering the western side of the bridge. Timmermann ordered some of his men up around the Erpeler Ley, a large hill just beyond the eastern end of the bridge, to destroy the weapons. The Germans abandoned their weapons and retreated. Timmermann's other men raced over the hill to cover the end of the railroad tunnel under the Erpeler Ley to prevent any enemy from reinforcing the Germans there. Within thirty minutes, these tasks were accomplished. Timmermann had 15 men with him in two shell craters and was waiting for reinforcements. Unknown to Timmermann, about 300 German soldiers and civilians were hiding within the 325-meter long tunnel. In addition, they had four freight train cars loaded with ammunition and aircraft fuel. After a few attempts to escape, the Germans realized they were trapped. The German officers had orders to resist to the last man, but the soldiers became resigned to their fate, as did the civilians. Two German youths who had been enlisted as
helpers for the anti-aircraft cannons, came forward out of the tunnel. The first, named Willi Felten, yelled that they were surrendering and moved to the tunnel entrance; he was killed by a shot to the stomach. Another youth, named Karl Busch, stepped forward when a woman asked him to try to talk to the Americans. Busch knew some English from school and remembered a war film where the actor
René Deltgen yelled "Stop firing" over and over to end the fighting. Young Busch cautiously went outside yelling "Stop firing!" in English over and over. The American shooting stopped and Lieutenant Timmermann asked him why. Busch said they wanted to surrender but were afraid of being shot. and "one of those bright opportunities of war which, when quickly and firmly grasped, produce incalculable effects on future operations". It remained functional, but weakened, despite the German detonation of a small charge and a stronger charge a few minutes later. The Allies used the bridge for truck and tank traffic, and eight thousand soldiers crossed it during the first 24 hours after capture. A large sign was placed on one of the stone towers marked "Cross the Rhine with dry feet courtesy of 9th Armd Division". The sign is now displayed at the
Patton Museum of Cavalry and Armor at
Fort Knox,
Kentucky, above an
M26 Pershing tank, a type used in the battle. During the days after the bridge capture, the U.S.
9th,
78th and
99th Infantry Divisions crossed the bridge. On March 17, 1945, despite
furious German efforts to destroy it and Americans efforts to maintain it, the bridge collapsed. By then, Timmermann was on leave.
Gallery File:Bundesarchiv Bild 173-0422, Remagen, beschädigte Brücke.jpg|Ludendorff Bridge between 8 and 11 March 1945 File:Remagen Bridge after capture.jpg|Ludendorff Bridge on 11 March 1945 File:WWII, Europe, Germany, "U.S. First Army at Remagen Bridge before four hours before it collapsed into the Rhine" - NARA - 195341.jpg|Ludendorff Bridge on 17 March 1945 four hours before the collapse File:Bruecke von Remagen 1945 3.jpg|Ludendorff Bridge on 17 March 1945 after the collapse
Furlough and honor Timmermann received a furlough to Paris, France. There, he read a
Stars and Stripes article about the attack on the Remagen Bridge and learned he was the father of a baby girl. He also found out he was considered a hero. As news of "one of the war's most electrifying feats" filled Allied newspapers, Timmermann became a celebrity. He met
Ernie Pyle and other reporters who listened to Timmermann describe how his men were the real heroes. The
Omaha World-Herald reflected what other media reported. "[T]he young lieutenant from West Point, Nebraska, pulled off a bridge finesse that will go down in history. Lt. Timmermann led with the only card he had, raw courage." Timmermann had restored his family name and honor. Sergeant
Alexander A. Drabik and Timmermann were awarded the
Distinguished Service Cross for their actions. Timmermann's Distinguished Service Cross citation reads: Combat Command B of the 9th Armored was awarded the
Presidential Unit Citation for capturing the bridge.
Discharge and reenlistment Timmermann was discharged from the Army on December 12, 1945. He became a salesman in Nebraska, raising his family. Timmermann missed Army life and tried to rejoin as an officer. However, all officer billets were full, so he enlisted as a technical sergeant in the Regular Army on October 28, 1947. He became a recruiter, and later an instructor with the
Officers' Reserve Corps in Omaha, Nebraska. With the start of the '
Cold War,' Timmermann was commissioned as a first lieutenant on December 26, 1948. He was assigned to Fort Omaha and the Seventh Mechanized Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop of the
Seventh Infantry Division. Korea and death Timmermann landed with the 7th Infantry Division at
Inchon, South Korea, in September 1950. He fought with his unit for several months before seeking medical treatment for ongoing abdominal pain. He was diagnosed with
testicular cancer and sent back to the U.S. to
Fitzsimons Hospital near
Denver, Colorado, for treatment. Timmermann underwent surgery to remove the tumor, but treatment was unsuccessful. He died on October 21, 1951, at age 29. He was given a full military burial at
Fort Logan National Cemetery in Colorado. A Denver reporter wrote that "the cancer called war had failed to take his life in two tries". His wife LaVera recalled, "He detested cancer because of the fact that it was killing him and depriving him of a soldierly duty ... He made me promise to polish up his silver stripe (bar), his buttons and his medals for the burial. He wanted every battle ribbon in proper place on his chest. He wanted to be as soldierly as possible." == Memorials==