Crossing at the Speed of Change
Abstract
Rivers have always posed a significant obstacle to attacking armies, with engineer elements proving vital to crossing them. As armies grew in size, both numerically and in terms of weight, multiple adaptations occurred, not least of which was the development of doctrine in support of combined arms breaching. Tracing the development of engineer methods and materiel from Caesar to World War II, this paper looks at the doctrinal support for hasty river crossings at the end of 1944. Based on analysis of the contemporary doctrine, the US Army had solid, suitable river crossing doctrine, which when applied properly led to successful hasty river crossings. Using a case study of the crossings of the Moselle River at Metz, Germany, both positive and negative effects of following, or failing to follow, doctrine are shown to support this finding. As the Army continues to refine doctrine it is important to remember the utility and applicability of doctrine, and the risks incurred when it is ignored.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 10, 2016
- Accession Number
- AD1020061
Entities
People
- David R. Kelso
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College