Bridges and bridges

Turner · 05-06-2009, 06:49 AM,

What is the best way for one bridge engineer unit (with a bridge already constructed) to hand over the bridge to a different engineer unit?

Is the first engineer unit required to disassemble their bridge first so that the second one can assemble theirs, or can it be done in some other way?

Bridge engineers are so unpredictable. Dogs are easier to command than these unruly bastards, it seems they just sit around doing nothing!

:hissy:

**Mr Grumpy** · 05-06-2009, 07:41 AM,

33vortex Wrote:What is the best way for one bridge engineer unit (with a bridge already constructed) to hand over the bridge to a different engineer unit?

Is the first engineer unit required to disassemble their bridge first so that the second one can assemble theirs, or can it be done in some other way?

Bridge engineers are so unpredictable. Dogs are easier to command than these unruly bastards, it seems they just sit around doing nothing!

:hissy:

Well you can't "hand over" an existing bridge to another Eng unit, the new unit would indeed have to build their bridge and the original unit dismantle theirs and as you say unless you wait for the second (new)bridge to be completed you will have no idea how long each action might take and there may be a period with no bridge in place, so be careful! :eek1:

Glenn Saunders · 05-06-2009, 08:42 AM,

Foul. Wrote:
33vortex Wrote:What is the best way for one bridge engineer unit (with a bridge already constructed) to hand over the bridge to a different engineer unit?

Well you can't "hand over" an existing bridge to another Eng unit, the new unit would indeed have to build their bridge and the original unit dismantle theirs ....

Or the first Eng could ABANDON the Bridge ( a new rule added a shile back) and the next engrebuild the bridge. But as you stated, there is no provision to "hand over" the bridge from one Eng to another.

Glenn

Turner · 05-06-2009, 08:45 AM,

Why would I want to abandon the bridge, is it not possible to build two bridges across the same river hex?

Glenn Saunders · 05-06-2009, 09:01 AM,

33vortex Wrote:Why would I want to abandon the bridge, is it not possible to build two bridges across the same river hex?

You can try, but I don't think it will work. The game can only track so much info on a hexside which is why a road and a RR can't pass through the same hexside for instance. So a hexside is deemed briged or not.

Again - I am not 100% on this point, so you would have to try it in a test scn - make something up with a modified PDT using 100% Brdige values. But I suspect once a hexside has a bridge, a second attempt may not be possible.

Glenn

Bidermann · 05-06-2009, 03:17 PM,

Why would you want to hand the bridge to another unit? The orther eng unit could go past and build his own.

Liquid_Sky · 05-06-2009, 03:54 PM,

I find in some scenerios...Budapest for example, the Bridging Engineers are also the Pioneers with excellent Assault values. The crappy construction type bridging engineers at the back would be better to replace the bridge, so that my pioneers can go kick some russian butt.

I have noticed that you can take a combined bridging engineer unit, and break down the companies after you have built the bridge and send them off for other duties..

Dog Soldier · 05-06-2009, 04:24 PM,

Bidermann,
The reason, I think, is in games like the campaign scenarios of F40. The Germans have to cross many rivers and streams where the bridges are destroyed. They have engineers of all morale levels from A down to D. As the army advances deeper into Allied territory, I can see where the Axis player would want to free some higher quality engineers from maintaining bridges in the rear to use them in the forward areas where their higher morale makes a difference.

The rear areas and supply routes can be handled by the lower morale engineers since these areas are fairly safe from attack.

I have tried to get engineers to build a second bridge in the same hex side, but it can not be done. Glenn's reasoning makes sense from a programming angle.

A hand off of the maintenance mechanism sounds reasonable because I would think that the enginners of say a panzer division would be called up to rejoin their parent organization while the rear area army or army group level engineers would take over the rear with the gear.
The question of quality might be suspect at this point. Does the D morale levle engineer have the necessary support in supply and equipment to maintain a bridge built by an A morale engineer unit? Since all engineer bridges are heavy bridges, does the replacement of a bridge mechanism suffice to simulate the change over period where the bridge is not available to traffic due to the lower level engineer unit having to get it's house in order. I have never read about such operations or know anyone with military expertise to comment on if this an issue or not.

Dog Soldier

Steel God · 05-06-2009, 10:53 PM,

There is actually a pretty easy (to say anyway) method of handling this if it could be coded.

Change the code so that when a bridge is abandoned by a unit, it doesn't disappear. It becomes a "counter" with no MPs, that stays in place and "has Bridge" across the same hex side. The Engineer then becomes "no bridge" status and moves off. The "counter" would have to be a neutral variety, like an entrenchment or minefield.

Could that be programmed? No idea, not a programmer.

If it could and you really wanted to get fancy, maybe you could then have a way for 2 engineer units stacked together, to exchange their "no bridge" status. In that way a D quality engineer unit could give it's equipment to an A quality unit, so it can race ahead and build the next bridge on the front lines.

Just thinking out loud. For most scenarios this is a purely unnecessary change, but for CGs I do see where it would have some real value.