Matrix Games Forums

Originally posted by Gallo Rojo:
...So Tanks cross rivers over them...

I just happened to be reading a book about Company K 84th infantry div, and in their river assault the plan was to have a footbridge within 45 min of the boats going across, a bridge for trucks within hours and a tank bridge that night. As it turned out the bridges were all late. It took several hours and several tries to get a footbridge across, the truck bridge went up during the night and the tank bridge didn't get going until the next day. This was dealing with a small lightly defended river, nothing like the standard SPW@W river crossing.
thanks, John.

Originally posted by murx:
The game handles rivers/streams a bit too easy ...

I totally agree with that analysis. Moreover, their were some memorable "tricks" either side played to others! For example, I just read something about the crossing of the Roer, a Meuse tributary river, where the retreating germans destroyed the dam to submerge the valley, covering their retreat and slowing the 9th US army! It's reported that the river went out of its bed about a kilometer on both banks! An arty barrage of more than a thousand guns and a never seen before tactical bombers sorties, covered the engineers building temporary bridges and drying the flooded ground. Unfortunately there's no mention about how long it took precisely to build these bridges to allow the crossing but it's said that the 9th army was only delayed for a few days! This operation was called "Grenade" and began the 23rd of February 45; it began the Rhénanie battle that ended the 11th of March. It is also said that the US forces lost "only" 7 300 men and killed or captured nearly 36 000 german soldiers! That operation permitted to spearhead to the Rhine river... .