Hero of the Rhine

By Jessie Asay

Karl Henry Timmermann

June 19, 1922 - October 21, 1951

---

Karl H. Timmermann, 1st Lt., US Army, Captured the Ludendorff Bridge in Remagen, Germany, March 7, 1945. [24]

Many people believe that they will change the course of history, but few have the means and opportunity to do so. Karl Henry Timmermann, the product of German immigration, was instrumental in securing victory over forces holding the Rhine Bridge in World War II, which broke open Germany’s defenses in the west.[1] In doing so, Karl honorably served his country and created a legacy dictated by his actions and not those of his father.

Karl’s paternal grandfather emigrated from Hamburg, Germany, to Cuming County, Nebraska, in 1869.[2] Immigration to Nebraska was common during this time, as people went in search of ample land and economic opportunity. Nebraska even created an Immigration Bureau to "sell the state" to people living in foreign nations.[3] John, Karl’s father, was born on July 28, 1884, and worked primarily as a farmer and laborer before serving in the Company M of the Eighth Infantry, part of the American Army of Occupation.[4] John enlisted on April 9, 1919, at Fort Logan, Colorado, and arrived at Brest, France, on May 22, his ultimate destination being Koblenz, Ger­many. While in Germany, however, John deserted his post and was considered absent without leave. It was at this time that Karl’s parents met at a local German dance hall and were later married in Germany on April 15, 1922.[5] Karl was born in Niederrad, Frankfurt Am Main, Hesse, Germany on June 19, 1922.

Karl was one of six children, four of whom survived past infancy. On January 9, 1924, Karl arrived in New York as a small child and was naturalized as a US citizen by his parents.[6] According to the 1930 US census, the family relocated to Nebraska in 1924, when Karl was seven years old.[7] In 1928, John turned himself over to the army, was “other than honorably” discharged, and was briefly incarcerated.[8] He attended Guardian Angels High School in Cumings, Nebraska, where he graduated in 1940.[9] After high school, he sought out higher education at West Point, where he experienced resentment and discrimination from some people on account of his father’s desertion. His sister recalled that Karl's desire to serve his country came from a feeling that "my dad disgraced the Timmermann name, but I'm going to make it right again.”[10] Following high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Army in the Infantry branch on July 6, 1940.[11] He was a mere 18 years old, but the great service that would come to mark his life and legacy had begun.

Karl Timmermann at basic training, 1940. Courtesy of Karleen Estey.

Karl 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, was then part of IX Corps. This army division spent most of World War II in charge of defenses on the West Coast of the United States, before moving to Hawaii and Leyte to plan and organize operations for US forces advancing across the Pacific.[12] In October 1942, Timmermann was selected for Officer Candidate School and was promoted to the rank of 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.[13]

Karl was given a furlough home in 1943. At this point, he became romantically involved with a woman named LaVera Meyer. Timmermann proposed to her by letter with an enclosed ring, and she accepted by mail. On May 25, 1943, the couple was married in Omaha, Nebraska.[14] Karl later returned abroad to continue his service. On December 16, 1944, the Germans began the Battle of the Bulge. Karl was a junior officer involved in the fighting near St. Vith with his platoon. His company’s entire kitchen staff and supply sergeant were captured and later executed by the German SS troops in what became known as the Malmedy Massacre.[15] Timmermann was wounded in the arm by shell fragments during the fighting, but stayed with his unit until relieved, thus earning him a Purple Heart. The Germans announced that the 9th Armored Division had been destroyed during the battle, but it fought on, earning the nickname "Phantom Division."[16]

In late February 1945, Timmermann and the 9th Armored Division were supporting the right flank (or southern portion) of British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery's forces. On February 28, Karl's daughter Gay Diane was born, but he did not learn of her birth for almost two weeks, due to him being on the front lines. On March 6, he took over Company A and acted as an advance guard for a combined armor and infantry drive to penetrate to the town of Remagen.[17] Karl’s commander issued orders to seize Ludendorff Bridge before the retreating Germans could blow it up. Karl was the first American officer across the bridge that spanned the Rhine, ultimately shortening the war and cutting the Germans off from critical support.[18]

Karl was discharged from the army on December 12, 1945, as a first lieutenant, but reenlisted as a technical sergeant in the Regular Army on October 28, 1947, and was assigned to recruiting duty before becoming an instructor with the officers' reserve corps.[19] He was commissioned an officer on December 26, 1948, sent to Fort Omaha in January 1949, and attached to the Seventh Mechanized Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop of the Seventh Infantry Division. During the Korean War, he participated with his division in the Inchon Landing in September 1950 and the subsequent fighting for the Suwon Airfield. Eventually, pain led him to seek medical attention from 8054th Evacuation Hospital, where he was diagnosed with a tumor.[20] His wife recalled that:          

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, 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.[21]

After his diagnosis, Karl was transferred to Fitzsimmons Hospital in Denver for an operation and treatment. When treatment failed, Karl Timmermann died on October 21, 1951, at age twenty-nine, and was given a full military burial at Fort Logan National Cemetery.[22] His life ended where his father’s unfortunate military career began, bringing the family name full circle, with restored honor.

 Timmermann Park, named for Karl in Nebraska. [24]

Karl Timmermann was a man driven by honor, sacrifice, and duty. His expertise in military exploits and service to his country reflected an incredible amount of bravery and dedication in all aspects of life. Given strong immigrant roots, he likely faced internal strife about serving the U.S. while in Germany, but his dedication to his country’s goals and appreciation of democracy overrode any turmoil.[23] His memory is honored by the Karl Timmermann Memorial Bridge over the Elkhorn River in West Point, Nebraska, the post-theater in Fort Dix, New Jersey, named "Timmermann Theater,” the post-theater in Ferris Kasserne (Barracks), Erlangen, West Germany, and more. Such honors were uncommon, but well-deserved in this case, as they honored a man who made it his mission to serve his country with dignity.

---

Footnotes ↓

[1] Ed Lengel, “Crossing the Rhine at Remagen,” The National WWII Museum | New Orleans (The National World War II Museum, March 5, 2020), accessed August 17, 2020, https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/crossing-rhine-remagen.

[2] Ancestry.com. New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.

[3] “The Immigrant Experience,” Nebraska Studies (NET), accessed August 17, 2020, http://nebraskastudies.org/en/1850-1874/who-were-the-settlers-who-was-daniel-freeman/the-immigrant-experience/.

[4] Alex Meyer, “Karl Timmermann: From Pebble Creek to the Rhine,” Nebraska History 76 (1995): 122-127, https://www.nebraskahistory.org/publish/publicat/history/full-text/1995_War_08_Timmermann.pdf.

[5] Ancestry.com, “Hesse, Germany, Marriages, 1849-1930” (Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016), https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/family-tree/person/tree/44544769/person/6220187095/facts.

[6] Ancestry.com, "New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957," Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010, https://search.ancestrylibrary.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=7488&h=4029132041&tid=&pid=&queryId=d61ad667aa36faab39ffbeeec607c67e&usePUB=true&_phsrc=MGA156&_phstart=successSource.

[7] Ancestry.com, “1930 United States Federal Census” (National Archives and Records Administration, 1930., 2002), http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=1930usfedcen&h=106740640&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt.

[8] Meyer, From Pebble Creek to the Rhine, 123.

[9] Alex Meyer, Interview of Mary Timmermann Roberts Ellis, Omaha, Nebraska, February 5, 1995, From Pebble Creek to the Rhine.

[10] Alex Meyer, Interview of Mary Timmermann Roberts Ellis, Omaha, Nebraska, February 5, 1995, From Pebble Creek to the Rhine.

[11] Ken Hechler, The Bridge at Remagen (Novato, CA: Presidio Press, 2005), 31.

[12] “IX Corps,” U.S. Militaria Forum, November 22, 2006, https://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?%2Ftopic%2F513-ix-corps%2F.

[13] Meyer, From Pebble Creek to the Rhine, 123.

[14] Alex Meyer, Telephone interview of LaVera Meyer Timmermann Hansen, Mesa, Arizona, Feburary 11, 18, 1995.

[15] Hechler, The Bridge, 11.

[16] Meyer, From Pebble Creek to the Rhine, 123.

[17] Ken Hechler, The Bridge at Remagen (Novato, CA: Presidio Press, 2005), 29.

[18] Meyer, From Pebble Creek to the Rhine, 126.

[19] “'Hero of Rhine,” West Point Man, Dies in Hospital,” Fremont Tribune, October 23, 1951, 1.

[20] Meyer, From Pebble Creek to the Rhine, 124.

[21] Ibid.

[22] Ibid., 127.

[23] Ibid.

[24] Ancestry.com

More Stories