A few questions about bridges in the campaign series

[John Given]

Hello everyone. I want to know about a few CS rules regarding bridges in the game, as my last game with Abatis made me scratch my head a few times;

1) Do units take extra casualties if they are on a bridge over water (a bridge that is over a hex wide)? The way I understand it, this kind of bridge is in reality, a paved road that simply runs through a water hex, and the program creates a graphic (the bridge) to show the road as being above water...and units in shallow water often take an extra casualty instead of a retreat when the computer "dice roll" calls for it. Is that what is happening? I noted a few times, Abatis took an extra casualty while in a bridge hex. ("reduced by 2 reduced by 1").

2) Pontoon bridges: are these just bridges with hit points? I'm assuming you can destroy them with artillery - I noticed they have strength points "pontoon bridge - 10" when you hold down the Shift key. Somebody fill me in on this one!

3) Can engineers damage pontoon bridges and/or the one hex-long (or more!) bridges that travel over wide water hexes?

4) If there is a unit on the pontoon (or multi-hex long) bridge when it is destroyed - what happens to the unit(s)? Is it/they also eliminated?

5) I don't remember ever reading what the engineers chances were of damaging a bridge. Is it lessened if the engineer has reduced strength points? Is fatigued/low on supply?

6) Does the engineer have a greater chance of blowing a medium or light bridge - or are chances all the same, no matter how "heavy" the bridge is?

7) Will stacking an officer with the engineers increase their chances or bridge destruction?

8) Oh, almost forgot - is blowing up bridges with engineers considered unsportsmanlike behavior? What about killing pontoons with artillery? (if you can that is)


Sound off, my fellow warriors! :)

[Jason Petho]

1) Do units take extra casualties if they are on a bridge over water (a bridge that is over a hex wide)? The way I understand it, this kind of bridge is in reality, a paved road that simply runs through a water hex, and the program creates a graphic (the bridge) to show the road as being above water...and units in shallow water often take an extra casualty instead of a retreat when the computer "dice roll" calls for it. Is that what is happening? I noted a few times, Abatis took an extra casualty while in a bridge hex. ("reduced by 2 reduced by 1").

I believe what is happening is that the retreat path that the unit wishes to take is unavailable, thereby taking extra casualties. The same thing happens when a unit is boxed in, or up against a river, cliff, etc.


2) Pontoon bridges: are these just bridges with hit points? I'm assuming you can destroy them with artillery - I noticed they have strength points "pontoon bridge - 10" when you hold down the Shift key. Somebody fill me in on this one!

The strength of the pontoon bridge is relevent to only how much it can carry. For example, a light pontoon bridge (3) can only allow infantry type units to pass.


3) Can engineers damage pontoon bridges and/or the one hex-long (or more!) bridges that travel over wide water hexes?

No.

4) If there is a unit on the pontoon (or multi-hex long) bridge when it is destroyed - what happens to the unit(s)? Is it/they also eliminated?

Since the bridges cannot be destroyed, this is not an issue.


5) I don't remember ever reading what the engineers chances were of damaging a bridge. Is it lessened if the engineer has reduced strength points? Is fatigued/low on supply?

Engineers can only damage HEXSIDE bridges. An attack is performed using the engineers attack factor and its SP strength vs the inherent strength of the feature. A heavy HEXSIDE bridge is harder to destroy than the light bridge.


6) Does the engineer have a greater chance of blowing a medium or light bridge - or are chances all the same, no matter how "heavy" the bridge is?

Yes, the chances of destroying a light bridge on the first try are significantly greater than against a heavy bridge. I'm unsure of the figures, but basing this on my experience.


7) Will stacking an officer with the engineers increase their chances or bridge destruction?

Good question, I'm going to say no though as I can't find any mention of a bonus within the manual.

8) Oh, almost forgot - is blowing up bridges with engineers considered unsportsmanlike behavior? What about killing pontoons with artillery? (if you can that is)

In my opinion, no, it is not unsportsmanlike behavior. Some scenarios call for it!

[Scorched Earth]

Hi both, good questions and answers, especially as some of them i never even thought to ask. :)

Re the engineers blowing up heavy bridges, in all the games i have played i have never achieved this. Light and medium no problem, heavy i put down to the poor quality of demo explosives available. :-)

[John Given]

Thank you for the reply guys.

And I remembered where I got the notion of artillery killing bridges; from the old Avalon Hill game - Panzer Leader. Artillery was used to kill bridges placed by bridgelaying vehicles. Engineers could kill permanent bridges, including those traversing wide river hexes. Those were the days.

[SoccerDJ]

I've tried several times to blow bridges in PBEM scenarios with mixed success.

The times I failed just meant I had to defened that bridge which wasnt to big of a deal and usually there would be other places to cross besides that bridge and there would have been no way to blow them all.
However I do have a few good storys about blowing bridges.
In one scenario I had brought all my units down to the south to engage the enemy and on my flank was a river with only two bridges in my rear and a couple in the enemies starting point. So stupidly I committed all my troops south but luckly decide on an engineering platoon, AT gun and machine gun platoon to hold the bridges. As my troops pushed south I was easily moping up the enemy and I knew somthing was wrong I realized that my enemy had taken his main tank force up the other side of the river and I was to far south to get my units back in time. So all my hopes lay with the engineer. He blew the light bridge easily and was working on the heavy bridge when the enemy tanks showed up. They got to the bridge and must of run out of gas and the next turn I blew the bridge and was saved. My enemy was so made cause he had 3 groups of brand new tanks that had jus be come useless to him. Major Victory for me :)
My next story is not such a good one. I was tasked with holding a city with a river running through and only one bridge to cross(however I thought there were two bridge) with the victory hexes split evenly on both sides of the river. So I decided to blow the bridge so I could save my rear as I thought they enemy would punch righ through my forces and I defend the other with units on the back side ofthe river... to bad there wasnt a bridge I realized there wasnt a bridge soon after I blew the only good one. Well the enemy nearly destroyed my forces but took such heavy losses that had I not blown the bridge I could have had a amazing counterattack but only came out with a draw.
SO the moral is be carefull when you blow a bridge as that means you can use it either:cheeky:

[Abatis]

Bridges have been of the utmost importance in 2 games I'm playing right now....Trigger Happy has secured himself a draw or win by blowing bridges against my SS armor forces in "Playing with The Death's Head", and my German Engineers have managed- I'm pretty sure, to delay much needed American re enforcments vs Spartan in Strike of the Lehr by blowing bridges...I might have even managed to channel much of his advance...there was one bridge I couldn't get, far to the south, and a ford, far to the north that of course I could do nothing about...we'll see how it goes! I definitely don't think its unsportsmanlike...its pleasantly underhanded :devil: