Canadian Rhine bridges in WW2

Try to make a list of Canadian Rhine bridges in WW2:
I'm not sure if some of the bridges were Canadian or British, as the British also built bridges in the Canadian area around Emmerich and Rees.
In my sources it sometimes says Canadian Army and then again Royal Engineers, but I'm thinking of the British. Am I wrong? Please correct me!

Does anyone have more details about the bridges?



List of Canadian Rhine bridges in WW2 (lined up from north to south):
Some bridges have been remodelled or renamed.

Victory Bridge = Griethausen-Bridge = Griethausener Eisenbahnbrücke:
Semi-permanent bridge built by royal engineers on Piles at Spyck
Built by:
5 P. C & R. GROUP R.E
934 P. C & R. COY. R.E
962 P. C & R. COY. R.E
LT. COL. L.S.G. HOMEWOOD
MAJOR J.McP. GORDON
MAJOR L.A. BARKER
MAJOR A. BROWN
Construction: The first pile was driven on the 11th of April. Two Port Construction Coys RE assisted the work using floating pile drivers. 32 spans of UCRB were abuilt on top of trestles. The bridge was completed the 8th of May.
Opened: 8th of May, Victory in Europe Day (why it was called Victory Bridge)
Closed: damaged by ice in the winter of 1945/1946 and then demolished
Length: 2368ft (1900 Feet between water edges) and the overall length: 0.45 miles
Location:
The Griethausen-Bridge over Alter-Rhein southwest of Victory Bridge
The Spyck-Welle trajectory, a railway ferry across the Rhine, was previously located here
Trajekt Spyck–Welle – Wikipedia
GPS:
51°50'22.2"N 6°10'17.3"E



Contractors Bridge (Canadian):
Bailey Pontoon Bridge
Class 15
Built by:
34th Cdn Field Company RCE
96th Pioneer Company, RE
Construction: started at 2nd April 1945 at 0830
Completed: 3rd April 1945 at 1100B
Location:
Emmerich Höhe Martinikirchplatz / at "MR965602"
GPS:
51.829292594341084, 6.235666038199875



Melville Bridge (Canadian):
Bailey Bridge
Class 40
named after the chief engineer of 1st Canadian Army, Brigadier J.L. Melville
Built by:
Canadian Army:
40
96
1742
1743
1744
1745
1746
1319
32th Cdn Field Company RCE
33th Cdn Field Company RCE
34th Cdn Field Company RCE
11 PD PK
Length: 1,373 feet
Construction: At noon on March 31, Canadian engineers began construction of Melville Bridge
opened to traffic the next morning 1st April 1945
Location:
Emmerich at the level of Fährstraße
GPS:
51.82891284482887, 6.237997525731079





MacLean Bridge:
Canadian High-Level Bailey Pontoon Bridge
Class 40
The bridge was ‘officially’ named the MacLean Bridge on the 6th April 1945 in honor of Brigadier A. T. MacLean, former Chief Engineer of 1st Canadian Army Built by: Troops Engineers.
Built by:
1 Canadian Army Troops Engineers
20th Cdn Field Company RCE
23rd Cdn Field Company RCE
10th Cdn Field Park Company RCE
11th Cdn Field Park Company RCE
1st Cdn Mech Equipment Company RCE
190th Pioneer Company, RE
Length: 1656 Feet
Construction:
Opened: 4th April 45 at 16:00 or 21:00
Location:
at Emmerich Wassertor, slightly below "Autosteiger"; at "mr974603" or at "E973601 - 973596"
GPS:
51.82744348543702, 6.246138582460267





Waterloo Bridge = Waterloo Class Folding Bridge:
Canadian or British?
Folding Boat Equipment (FBE) at Rees
Class 9
the first bridge across the Rhine in the 30 Corps sector
Built by:
18 GHQ Troop's Royal Engineers
Construction: started 25 March at 0800, completed 26 March 0200 hrs (hours taken 18)
Opened: 0200 hrs on 26 March.
Location:
between Hönnepel (left banks) and "Hof Mahnenburg" / "Reeser Wardt" (right banks)
(it was originally planned at the level of the town of Rees)
GPS:
51°45'34.0"N 6°20'19.0"E



Blackfriars-Bridge = Uncle Stanley's Bridge:
Canadian Bailey Pontoon Bidge at Rees
Class 40
Built by:
2 Canadian C Tps Engineers
34 Royal Canadian Engineers
35 Royal Canadian Engineers
36 Royal Canadian Engineers
37 Royal Canadian Engineers
started: 26 March at 1000 hrs
completed: 28 March at 1200 hrs (hours taken 50);
Location:
north of Niedermörmter, about 200 metres downstream of Lambeth Bridge
GPS:
circa 51.754277891818134, 6.375469904560889



Lambeth-Bridge:
Canadian or British?
Bailey Pontoon Bridge at Rees
Class 15
Built by:
30 Corps Troops Engineers
Construction: started: 24 March 1945 at 1500; completed: 26 March at 0830 hrs (hours taken 41,5 - of which only 24 were worked)
Location:
North of Niedermörmter, at the level of the later Rhine-Bridge Rees-Kalkar (B67)
GPS:
51.75431605666751, 6.377096847215934



Best regards,



Kai

 

Yo,

Know little concerning Canadian Rhine bridges. This Canadian album has pictures of Blackfriars (pages 35-39) and others.

Vol. 90 - 22.3.45-3.4.45 .pdf - Icedrive

Pages 12,13, 15, 35-39, 65-67 and 72

Regards ...

 

I’ll see what I can find for you. I suspect you want info, and PHOTO’s if I have them?

I have Vol 2, History of the Corps of the Royal Canadian Engineers, but unfortunately it’s at home (in Canada) right now…….so can’t use that resource…..but will look for info now, and then follow up in a month when I return.

Cheers

 

Great that you are helping!

I already have many photos of the bridges, perhaps you have new ones that are important for solving the many puzzles about the bridges.

I've been trying for years to organise my huge collection of bridge photos like a jigsaw puzzle. Many photos on the web, archives, photo albums and in the literature are mislabelled or unnamed. I'm trying to get order and correct categorisation into the mountain of photos.

You have already posted interesting regimental reports here. I've hardly found anything online about Canadian ones.

In the long run, my results should eventually become public research.

Kind regards from Germany,

Kai

 

Thanks, that Album I know and have already sorted the photos from the album into my list.

Before the photos, it would be even more important to find a correct classification of the regiments. Who worked where and which bridge did the British and Canadians build...

 

Melville Bridge

I believe this is the Op Order for the Construction of this bridge. It was built by both Canadian and British troops. This came from the War Diaries of the 34th Cdn Field Company, RCE. The Order shows the “Additional British Troops” attached for this bridge construction. 32nd, 33rd and 34th Cdn Field Companies were responsible for the actually bridge and pontoon building.

All the units in the Order came under the Command of 2 Cdn Army Troops, RCE at that time period.















I will check other Units War Diaries and see if I can confirm this build on their documents

 

Follow up to the above post. This information is from the 33rd Cdn Field Company, RCE war diary, which confirms the build of the Melvin Bridge. Some of the information about the bridge build is clearer in this document

 

Some details of the bridges are mentioned in my '30 Corps Rhine Crossing' thread. But I guess you already have a lot more:

Rees - RHINE CROSSING 1945: The Rees bridgehead (30 Corps in operation 'Turnscrew')

Emmerich - RHINE CROSSING 1945: The Rees bridgehead (30 Corps in operation 'Turnscrew')

 

Blackfriar’s Bridge was built by the 29th, 30th & 31st Canadian Field Companies, RCE….with British Attachments (see Page 3 of Blackfriars PB Construction below)

I looked in the WD of the 30th Field Company RCE and found a complete report on its construction, all units involved are listed, and a map showing it location etc, and finally a plan of the Bridge itself:

War Diary -30th Field Company, RCE



Report of Blackfriars Bailey Pontoon Bridge Construction

 

As far as I’m aware, there was no Canadian involvement in the construction of this bridge. But I will see if I can find anything in Canadian records.

 

I’m not 100% sure on this, but while searching for the information on Blackfriars bridge for you I noted in the 34th Cdn Field Company RCE work on the Melville Bridge……I saw another Pontoon Bridge mentioned in their War Diaries.

Their war diaries indicate it was built “shortly” after the Melville Bridge, and its name was “CONTRACTOR”S BRIDGE”, a Class 15 Bailey Pontoon Bridge at MR965602

I’ve located the Map Reference on a Dec 1944 Defence Overprint map, and could this “possible” be the “unknown” bridge you mentioned above.

Below is the War Diaries, and the map, let me know if you think this is the correct Bailey Pontoon Bridge






NOTE: the direction of the bridge is just my guess. I noted a short road on the opposite bank, and I do know “Engineers” like to use existing roads if possible (cuts down the time to build an access road)……

 

What a complicated tangle...
Thanks to your new, really interesting data, I'm sure I've made some progress.

Wow, the Contractor's Bridge is a new name to me.

My unknown Bridge was located only 100 meters downstream of teh Melville-Bridge and it seems to be that Contractors Bridge. In the foreground is an indistinct sign. With this new knowledge, I now read ‘Contractors Bridge’! Even if your site plan must be a different location.

I'll correct immediately in my original post. Thank you!

Here the photo:

Source: Photo by John B. Huyck, http://www.die-bildersammlung.de/picture.php?/1152/tags/371-emmerich_1945

 

Your Welcome Kia……I’m still working on the MacLean Bridge……I have to get a little more detail on the units that built it. Troop Engineers could be anyone (a British or a Canadian Unit)……so still looking for anything that can give me a hint into what Field Company built it. I’ll find it yet, I hope

 

1 Canadian Army Troops Engineers?
Source: "Bridging Normandy To Berlin ", published By British Army Of The Rhine, page 115

 

That Help Kia…..now I’ll look at 1 Cdn Army Troops and see which Canadian/British units were assigned to this build.

Cheers

 

This bridge was assigned for construction by the 1st Cdn Army Troops Engineers. This organization had 3 Field Companies (5th, 20th, 23rd), 1 Field Park Company (10th) and one British unit, 190th Pnr Coy.

A warning order was given to the 1st Cdn Army Troops on the 30 Mar 1945, and they assigned the 20th Cdn Field Company RCE to be the “lead” unit on this build.

Units that took part on this build were:
20th Cdn Field Company RCE
23rd Cdn Field Company RCE
10th Cdn Field Park Company RCE
11th Cdn Field Park Company RCE
1st Cdn Mech Equipment Company RCE
190 Pioneer Company, RE

The bridge was ‘officially’ named the MacLean Bridge on the 6th April 1945

War Diaries for the 20th Cdn Field Company RCE are below:
















Report on the Bridge Build

 

Well, that took a while ...

You write “the 1st Cdn Army Troops Engineers. This organization had 3 Field Companies (5th, 20th, 23rd), 1 Field Park Company (10th) and one British unit, 190th Pnr Coy”.
Were all these parts automatically involved in bridge building, so that I can include them in the list?

The other texts are very interesting. However, I cannot assign the regiments mentioned therein, as their Class 40 bridges are unfortunately not clearly assignable. However, I gather that the 190th Pnr Coy (British unit) was definitely working on MacLean Bridge and the 20th Cdn Field Company may also have been working on Contractors Bridge. But I'm not quite sure about that.

Best regards,

Kai

 

Your comment “well that took a while”, I’m not sure what you mean? Do you mean that it took me to long to find the information, of it took awhile to confirm the units working on the Bridge?

1st Canadian Army Troops Engineers “controls” all Engineer units that report to them. They are a RCE HQ’s unit who issues the orders for construction within their area of responsibility.. 1st Cdn Army Troops Engineers is NOT a Field Regiment, but a Command HQ’s for Engineers units. They decide with the troops an available to them “who” is going to build a bridge and what each units ‘function’ will be on the build. AS you can see from MacLean Bridge, they can “borrow” other Engineer units to help with a bridge built from Higher RCE HQ’s. All the Units that report to them are NOT Automatically assigned to a bridge build…..it depends how complicated and large a job it will be……also, how FAST it needs to be done. On larger bridges the Field Companies worked in “shifts” over 24 hours a day so they could get them done faster.

I’ve shown you the War Diaries which clearly outline the units involve in the build.

 

I”m not sure what you’re talking about in your first sentence, “Class 40 bridges are not clearly assignable”??? Are you saying that the information I’ve given you from War Diaries is NOT accurate. I’m not sure what your talking about here.

The War Diaries show the following units worked on the MacLean Bridge

20th Cdn Field Company RCE
23rd Cdn Field Company RCE
10th Cdn Field Park Company RCE
11th Cdn Field Park Company RCE
1st Cdn Mech Equipment Company RCE
190 Pioneer Company, RE

It’s all in the WD. the 20th Cdn Field Company was assigned the “lead roll” (the actually construction of the bridge itself) the other units had supporting rolls (bank preparation, road construction etc etc). The 190 Pnr Company was part of the build, in a support roll.

I CAN look up the War Diaries of EACH UNIT to confirm all this, and I looked up the War Diary of the 1st Cdn Army Troops Engineers, which confirmed the information I posted. I just didn’t post those pages as you wanted to know the ACTUAL units that built the bridges.

It was quite normal, for LARGE OR COMPLICATED BRIDGES with many units involved, RCE HQ’s (in this case 1st Cdn Army Troop Engineers IS the RCE HQ’s these units report to) assigned one unit to be the ‘lead unit’….responsible for all decisions on the build and the other units “worked for them”.

 

Oh no ... Don't worry.
I was just noting that it took me a long time to understand the reports.
My English is not the best and the reports are full of military terms and abbreviations that I have to look up again and again.
No stress, it's all voluntary here and I'm very grateful, your data is extremely helpful in bringing clarity to the confusion.

Thank you also for the detailed explanation of how it works / worked with the Canadian troops.
I was not aware of that.

I will now look again to see which units I could not assign.