Crossing the Rhine In February 1945 the Allies forged eastward toward the Rhine River, and on March 7 made the first crossing via the Ludendorff Bridge at Remagen. To the north, ground troops crossed the Rhine at Wesel on the night of March 23-24, supported the following morning by an aerial invasion of more than 2,800 U.S. and British gliders and paratroop transports. By afternoon, the Allies had a firm bridge-head across the lower Rhine, ready to drive eastward around the Ruhr. Click here to return to the World War II Gallery.