Bailey Bridge across the Chehalis River

[sapper740]

Originally Posted by Jon Skagfeld

7 days to throw a Bailey across a river???

RCE Sappers must be spinning in their graves!!!!

As a Union Electrician I'm somewhat loathe to make the following pun:

They must have been Union workers!

All kidding aside, the speed at which a well trained company could throw a bridge over a river was a constant source of amazement to non-Engineer officers. There is a not-too-well known story from WWII, outside of Engineers that is, of an ass-chewing that a Lieutenant was about to receive from an Armoured Corps Major. The Major had driven to a forward area in the late afternoon to check on the progress of two bridges that were to be built so his tanks could press forward. The construction was to begin mid-morning. The Major was angered to see the Engineers sitting down to chow at about 1700hrs.
The conversation went something like this:

Major: "The Armour is ready to move up this road and I find you resting and setting up for chow. I suggest you move out and get to it!"

Eng.: "Major, Sir, simmer down and have some chow. We have some fine liberated wine and some good de-boned pork today."

Major: "What is your plan!"

Eng.: "Well, the bridges are very simple. Short span. Steep banks. Class 40 loading."

Major: "How long will it take!?"

Eng.: "Less than 4 hours with two company's building simultaneously and a third moving supplies up."

Major: "Anything you need from Battalion?!?"

Eng.: "No, not presently anyway."

Major: "Well, when can you begin?!?

Eng.: "They're all done."

Major: "All done! How can that be! With you sitting here!?!"

Eng.: "Well Major, the only way you got this far forward was over those two bridges. They're about three kilometers back from where you came from. We built them hours ago."


The speed of the Engineers also impressed others. There is a famous Willy and Joe cartoon showing two dog-faced Engineers hunkering under a wooden trestle bridge, one on a walkie-talkie, while German trucks drive across overhead. The caption reads:

Yessir! Ol' B Comp'ny set another bridging buildin' record. There's a Kraut regiment retreating over it!

[Rob Beale]

The engineers in the latter part of WW2 were like a well oiled machine, and were renowned for their speed of construction as in Sapper's anecdote.

The film of "Bridge Too Far" shows what happens when the logistics train fails to place the bridging assets where they are needed: right behind the forward troops.

With the equipment in place on site, and reconnaissance and site preparation complete, bridge construction is then very rapid.

In the case of the 2 NZ Division, the engineer regiments were often recruited from the staff of the Public Works Department which had undertaken massive civil projects around New Zealand during the depression years. They built Dams, Power Stations, railway lines, extended the state highway network etc. This was part of a Government initiative to provide relief work for the thousands of unemployed. (Doesn't this sound like what's on the news today?)

After the war the CRE (Commander Royal Engineers) Bull Hanson became the PWD Commissioner of Works, and many sappers returned to the PWD and County Councils putting their skills to use on civil tasks.

The modern civil construction times allow for site selection, survey and preparation, transport of the bridge from a central depot probably hundreds of kilometres away, assembly of a construction team with experienced supervisors from where-ever, building the bridge, then constructing sealed approaches to withstand the size and volume of the modern vehicle fleet.

A week is an incredibly short time for this today!

Rob

[Barry Churcher]

I am sure when the bullets were flying the planning stages of the bridge erection took minutes. " We want to get from here to there, now"!
Today the Ministry of the Envoronment, the Conservation Authority, the local and State ot Provincial authorities and the local Indian band would all have to give approval. That could take years. Dirk keeps telling Janet about the Bailey Bridges for sale in Europe. She wants me to put one across our pond. Do any of you guys have a month off work to help me?
Cheers,
Barry