Kall Bridge Memorial

In November 1944, units of the 28th US Infantry Division advanced on the strategically important town of Schmidt via the so-called Kall Trail, an unpaved road through dense forest. After eight days of fighting, the Battle of Schmidt, also known as the All Souls' Day Battle, ended with the defeat of the Americans. The exhausted US soldiers were forced to retreat behind the front line in Vossenack. During the retreat from Schmidt, the survivors had to cross the Kall Bridge when parts of the surrounding valley had already been recaptured by the Germans. Between November 7 and 9, the German medical officer Dr. Stüttgen was able to negotiate several ceasefires for the area around the bridge so that wounded soldiers on both sides could be cared for. The effect of these ceasefires was limited due to the confusing terrain. Nevertheless, German doctors and medics saved the lives of many US soldiers. After the war, the governor of the state of Pennsylvania honored Dr. Stüttgen for this act of humanity. The events surrounding the Kall Bridge were immortalized in the painting "A Time for Healing," which can be seen in the United States National Guard Museum. A copy of the painting is in Vossenack's "Hürtgenwald 1944 and in Peace" museum. Today, a sculpture by Michael Pohlmann stands on the bridge, reminding visitors of this moment of humanity in the midst of the horror. "I didn't want to create a hero's monument, no theatrical representation, no pathos, but rather to appear more modest with a simple form carved in stone, to honor the place where the events took place. A place where everything may have started out rationally, but then became more and more irrational and completely out of joint, until reason - or was it emotion? - made an encounter with humanity possible." Source: europeremembers.com/de/destination/kall-brucke

Historical place

Historic place with a deep history