Building Bridges - Eindhoven: Para Rescue

[The Hapless General]

Hi,

I've played the Eindhoven: Para Rescue scenario quite a few times and every time, moved all my forces (as they arrived) up the main road. However, there are three engineering units in this scenario, one of them a bridge building platoon. I tried a few times to use the bridging unit on a construct bridge task to the west of Son bridge, even sending the other two engineering units to help. However, I have never completed the bridge before the scenario ended, let alone in time to be relevant for taking Son bridge from the west (after crossing the canal).

My question is, is there any use for this unit, other than teasing me into imagining a grand flanking attack on Son bridge which always fails to come into being?

THG

[Kevinugly]

ORIGINAL: The Hapless General

Hi,

I've played the Eindhoven: Para Rescue scenario quite a few times and every time, moved all my forces (as they arrived) up the main road. However, there are three engineering units in this scenario, one of them a bridge building platoon. I tried a few times to use the bridging unit on a construct bridge task to the west of Son bridge, even sending the other two engineering units to help. However, I have never completed the bridge before the scenario ended, let alone in time to be relevant for taking Son bridge from the west (after crossing the canal).

My question is, is there any use for this unit, other than teasing me into imagining a grand flanking attack on Son bridge which always fails to come into being?

THG

May sound like a silly question, but you are constructing a bridge at a designated crossing point aren't you?

[MarkShot]

I think that's the one I did my AAR/tutorial on. No, I don't think you are going have time to build bridges. In bridge situations (attacking), secure the bridge as quickly as possible while minimizing the chance of it getting blown. Generally, getting across spells defeat for the defenders. Of course, as I had outlined somewhere a reasonable strategy as the defender might be to yield the crossing (use the bridge to guide and channel the enemy), but turn the near bank into a kill sac by concentrating arty and heavy weapons on the bridge head.

The presence of something does not necessarily imply the need for it. It may just simply fall into the TOE and it may, in fact, be of no use of all.

[TheVen]

I can't say which scenarios, but I have constructed bridges before. So it is possible in the longer scenarios to construct them, but I think your other point about it even being useful is what matters. By the time the bridge was constructed there was no time to take advantage. All the relevant units made much better time taking the long way. Now I just use bridging units as detachments for guarding objectives. Or to pull security for my artillery firebase.

[Kevinugly]

If you're playing one of the big Eindhoven campaigns you'll find you need the bridging units to repair the bridges blown by the Germans (they will almost certainly blow 2 or 3) and whilst you can find other routes to bypass the them if you don't rebuild them the Germans will take the VPs for denying the crossings and you definitely won't do better than a 'marginal'.

[Grognard]

In the Nijmegen Historical Scenario, you HAVE to build a bridge at Weurt to get VP's for it.
Check it out: tm.asp?m=638169

[Arjuna]

You can speed up bridge building by assigning field engineer units to the bridging unit during construction see page 74 of the Manual.