It was a quaint resort town on the Rhine until March 7, 1945, when the 9th Armored Division first laid eyes on the bridge at Remagen. As the Americans rushed the bridge, the German defenders triggered their explosives—but when the smoke cleared, the Americans were met by a miracle: the bridge still stood.
Assaulting under fire, GIs established a toehold on the other side, but they needed armor support—fast. Would the bridge hold the weight of tanks? It fell to Lt. C. Windsor Miller to find out. In darkness he led his platoon of Shermans over the creaking spans. Hold it did, and with Miller’s armor on the other bank, the road across the Rhine was open. Within ten days, five US divisions were across bringing victory in Europe in sight.
Our newest “Sites of Valor” sign pays tribute to these heroes. Featuring hand-embellished weathering, each aluminum sign looks like it was liberated by a souvenir-hungry GI. And notably, each bears the signatures of two soldiers who fought at Remagen: Paul Priest (9th AD) and Bob Chouinard (128th AAA)!
Additionally, we have a small number of limited-edition prints that can be purchased as a package with the sign. Created nearly 25 years ago, the print “Taking the Remagen Bridge” by Larry Selman depicts C. Windsor Miller and bears his original autograph!
This new sign is destined to become the ultimate item in any "Man Cave." With a strictly limited number worldwide, place your order now—before they're history.
Shipping added in checkout // sign size: 19.75" x 7" // print size: 14" x 18" // ships flat
ROBERT "BOOTS" CHOUINARD
Born in Newburyport, MA, Robert “Boots” Chouinard joined the Army after his mother rejected his idea of becoming a Marine. Assigned to the newly formed 128th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion, “Boots” became part of a 90mm gun crew, within B-Battery, that specialized in targeting high altitude enemy aircraft.
Landing on Omaha Beach on D+5, “Boots” and B-Battery would find themselves attached to Patton’s divisions, spanning the 4th AD to the 10th AD and more, as they pushed across France.
After entering Germany, B-Battery was rushed to the Rhine to protect the newly formed Remagen bridgehead. There, "Boots" and his gun crew joined the largest concentration of Allied anti-aircraft artillery ever assembled and battled against some 400 Luftwaffe aircraft attacking the bridge over several days.
Following the fighting at Remagen, “Boots” and B-Battery were brought to Oppenheim where they protected the 5th ID during their surprise night crossing of the Rhine. In the weeks that followed, they continued to drive deeper into the Reich, now attached to the 11th AD, charging through Austria.
By the war’s end, “Boots” and the men of B-Battery had earned five battle stars and General Patton's deepest admiration when he called them: "The best damn 90mm gun battalion in the ETO!"
GABRIEL AUGUSTINE (1924 - 2022)
Born and raised in Repaupo, New Jersey, Gabriel joined the Army and was trained as medic and assigned to the re-constituted 78th Infantry Division, the “Lightning Division,” a unit that had a proud WW1 heritage forged in combat at places like the Meuse-Argonne and Lorrain.
Gabriel and the 78th arrived in the ETO in December 1944 where they were thrown into the fighting at the Hurtgen forest. During the Battle of the Bulge, they held a salient inside Germany in the Monschau sector, where they were surrounded on three sides and launched raids to destroy Siegfried Line fortifications.
In February, the division crossed the Roer and joined the assault to the Rhine. With the 9th Armored Division’s seizure of the Ludendorff bridge at Remagen, Gabriel and the men of the 78th were rushed across the bridge, following the 9th. Within two days, they were all on the east side of the Rhine and fighting to expand the bridgehead, seizing Honnef, and later cutting a vital autobahn.
As April arrived, Gabriel and his fellow soldiers fought to reduce the Ruhr pocket and when VE-Day finally came, after 124 days of combat, Gabriel celebrated near Marburg where the “Lighting Division” soldiers ended the war, 73 miles east of the Rhine.
PAUL PRIEST
Born in Flint, Michigan, Paul was drafted into the Army in June 1944 and by winter, was part of the 9th Armored Division. First put into a Stuart tank as a replacement driver following the Bulge fighting, Paul wanted no part of being in a tank and was moved to the HQ Company of the division’s 52nd Armored Infantry battalion.
There, Paul excelled as a foot soldier, specializing in reconnaissance patrols carrying his favorite weapon - a captured Beretta pistol that he took from a dead German soldier.
Often riding tanks into combat, Paul was with the division when they crossed the Roer in late February 1945, and when they seized the bridge at Remagen in March. He crossed the Ludendorff bridge during the early hours of March 8th and helped hold the northern half of the bridgehead perimeter, with their HQ setup in nearby Erpel.
Expanding the bridgehead later in March, Paul and the 9th AD drove deeper into the Reich, to Frankfurt, and then assisted in closing the Ruhr Pocket in April. By the war’s end, they had fought all the way into western Czechoslovakia.
C.WINDSOR MILLER (1913 – 2007) ART PRINT ONLY
Born and raised in Dayton, Ohio, Charles Windsor Miller attempted to enlist 3 times before he was finally drafted into the Army.
Assigned to the 9th Armored Division’s A-Company, 14th Tank Battalion, he first fought in the Battle of the Bulge. On March 7th, 1945, C. Windsor commanded the first tanks across the bridge at Remagen. After his 5-tank platoon crossed in the middle of the night, they engaged the Germans for more than 5 hours before reinforcements could move in.
Upon asking for reinforcements his battalion commander sent back the message, "hold that position until the last tank is shot out from under you!"
For his heroics at Remagen, C. Windsor was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, second only to the Medal of Honor. He was also awarded the presidential unit citation and 3 campaign stars for his service during World War II.
