The 2nd Regiment of Engineers - The March to the Rhine

The March to The Rhine

Mersch Le pont sur l'Alzette - On our march to the Rhine we crossed over this bridge in Luxemburg [sic Luxembourg].

The 2nd Engineers spent the night of November 22, 1918 at Reckange, Luxemburg. The following day they marched through Mersch crossing this bridge. They were warmly welcomed by the people of Mersch who built and decorated an 'arch of welcome' across a main street for them to pass through. Many thousands of American soldiers would cross here on their way to the Rhine River in Germany. A fine rest of one week, from November 23rd to 30th was had at Rollingen, about fifteen kilometers north of the city of Luxembourg, during which time the Regiment spent Thanksgiving. It was also at this place that the Regiment received its highest compliment. The Regimental Colors were decorated with their first Croix-de-Guerre by General John A. Lejeune, the Division Commander, for the Regiment's participation in the Aisne-Marne offensive of July 18th-19th, 1918. Colonel William A. Mitchell, who commanded the Regiment during this campaign was also awarded the same medal. [Rollingen is much closer to Mersch than Luxembourg.]

	THE AMERICANS ON THE MARCH TO THE RHINE Before the ladders could be taken down from the arch of welcome erected in Mersch, Luxembourg, to greet the American army on the march to the Rhine, troops of the 2nd Division were pouring through the city in motor trucks, and the work of building and decorating the arch had to be completed while the Americans were actually marching beneath it.
View Wallendorf to Oberweiler, Germany in a larger map	"The large bridge, which replaced the one that your ancestor crossed back in 1918 was constructed and inaugurated in 1957, as comes forth from an information brochure from the City of Mersch published in 1989. At the same time the old stone bridge was destroyed."
	This image might be the 1st Division. I have no reason to believe that any element of the 2nd Division passed through the city of Luxembourg. Comments are welcome.
	Larochette, Luxemburg [sic Luxembourg] December 1, 1918 Photo by 2nd Engineers •See source information below.
	Part of the Armistice terms was that troops would not cross the German frontier until Dec. 1, 1918. The 2nd Engineers were at Larochette, Luxembourg on Dec. 1. They crossed the Sauer River into Germany at Wallendorf. This photograph was taken between Geichlingen and Oberweiler, Germany. Google Map
	At Pelm, Germany December 7, 1918

• Photograph Scan, John Hayes White World War I Collection, Special Collections and University Archives, Oklahoma State University Libraries.
• Gift of Barbara Tessmann, John Hayes White's great-great-niece.
• Processed by Kelsey Sievers, December 2011, and Sarah Coates, January 2012.