World War II River Assault Tactics

Osprey Elite #195

by Gordon L. Rottman

On the major European and Russian fronts throughout World War II, the challenge of crossing rivers and other water obstacles under fire was absolutely central to any advance. The Panzers that crossed the Meuse at Sedan in May 1940 cut the French Army in two; the Wehrmacht's ability to cross the great rivers of the western USSR was vital to the lightning advances of Operation Barbarossa in 1941, and in 1943-45 the Red Army had to drive the Germans back from a succession of river lines during their advance to the Reich, culminating in the Vistula and Oder lines; in Italy the Rapido formed a bloody moat for the Cassino defences; and after D-Day the milestones on the Western Allies' advances were the Seine, the Somme, the Moselle, and finally the Rhine.

The initial (hopefully surprise) assault could be made by infantry in light assault boats, and over rudimentary improvised bridges. But World War II armies depended on heavy mechanized equipment, and even if a bridgehead was seized, it then had to be held for long enough for engineers to bring up and erect prefabricated bridges strong enough to carry the tanks and artillery without which the bridgehead was doomed. Some of the most savage fighting of the war took place around bridgeheads, and the Allies invested considerable resources in the development of equipment and tactics for contested river crossings.

This book explains the methods and the means, and analyzes specific successes and failures. It features a wealth of wartime photos, particularly from German sources, and full-color plates illustrate tactical scenarios that bring the subject alive.

Genres: World War II, Nonfiction, Military History, Military Fiction, History

64 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Gordon L. Rottman served for 26 years in the US Army in Special Forces, airborne infantry, long-range reconnaissance patrol, and military intelligence assignments in the Regular Army, Army National Guard, and Army Reserve. He has worked as a Special Operations Forces scenario writer for 14 years at the Army's Joint Readiness Training Center, Fort Polk, Louisiana where he developed training exercises for Special Forces.
Gordon began writing military history books in 1984 and is currently a full-time author. He has written 50 books for Osprey. He is married with four children and lives in Cypress, Texas.

Reviews

[Shrike58 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another in the mass of booklets that Rottman generated for Osprey Publishing from the late 1980s up to 2020. The title is a little misleading. This is seeing as the emphasis really isn't on tactics in combat, though Rottman offers the U.S. Army's failed effort to force the Rapido River in Italy as an example of what can go wrong. What the reader is mostly getting is an overview of the divisional-level engineer units of the American, British, German, and Soviet armies, and their equipment; particularly watercraft and bridging hardware. I found it quite worthwhile.

[Jur · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent Osprey in the tactics series. First part handles the equipment and procedures for bridge building, from rope bridges and rafts to Baileys. Second part handles contested river crossings, both defensive and offensive.

The drawings and pictures are very useful as engineering equipment does not often get so much pictorial attention: it really helped me to see the Bedford folding boat lorry to understand what a bridging column must have looked like.

[Christopher · Rating 1 out of 5]

Simple review of the factors to consider when conducting a river crossing. Basic look, food for the novice but lacks the detail necessary for the professional.