Can Engineers Blow Up Bridges?

[FASTBOAT TOUGH]

Alright requesting a some help as I'm feeling a little right now. I can't seem to find in the game manual under "Mines and Field Engineering" (And other sections.) or in a forum search whether or not Engineers can blow up bridges. I thought this was added about two years ago. Situation as follows: Russia advancing on a road, have two French Engineer units next to each of two sections of a wooded bridge supported (So far.) with covering fire. Russians about 400 meters from the bridge. Game on hold in my turn until I can resolve this. Any help in pointing me in the right direction or other would be deeply appreciated.

Regards,
Pat

Tried to the title but, it seems I'll be blowing up "brides" as well!?!

[Steves308]

While I've never tried to blow up a bridge with engineers, I thought I remembered a conversation on this site that you used the Z key, and then selected the bridge hex you want blown up. It may take a couple of attempts to actually drop the bridge.

Like I said, I never tried it, but that's what I remember.

Steves308

[Imp]

It is possible but improbable Pat you may get lucky but I would allow for using 3 or 4 demo charges before it drops. As said use the Z key but you need a good die roll to pull it off.

This is actually pretty realistic bridges are hard to drop, the charge needs to be placed so it effects the supporting structure to have any real effect.
"Wooden" bridges in this game are sturdy affairs they can support a tank after all.

[Mobhack]

In the original SP games, it was simply a hit with the right warhead size that removed bridges. There was no chance element about it.

So a 122mm HE hit always removed a wood bridge section, and an 8 inch a stone one.

Now there is a random chance whether a hex is damaged by a hit, so it is much less often that just the one hit will crater a hex, or drop the bridge section. You will usually have to pound on a wood bridge for a few turns with a 122mm battery - though you may be lucky and smash it in the first turn of course.

And in any case an engineer throwing a satchel charge of what - 10 lbs of HE? - onto the top of a bridge being able to blow it, was always a bit too "gamey". Bridge demolitions took hours to prepare properly, not a case of some Hollywood actor lighting a stick of dynamite with his cigar and casually chucking it over his shoulder!

So - line up a train of engineers and keep banging away in Z-fire, and you may get your "Hollywood moment", in time - especially if you have an ammo truck nearby to refuel from. But don't get that ammo truck too close to the bangs or it may go boom.

Hmm - Kamikaze mode ! - just park the ammo truck on the bridge and bombard it with HE if you want to try that route - it goes off with the effect of a 1000Lb aircraft bomb (sometimes 2)! Also - in a scenario - use the demolition class with a big HE content, or buy a suicide truck instead of (or as the starter for) the ammo truck as a mobile banger.

You could also move the ammo truck onto the bridge hex - and let the enemy fire it up for you, the AI will likely oblige, though a human opponent might not. But the opfire routines are AI so a moving ammo truck may get set off by that.

Bridge hexes are also something that pilots are reasonably good at hitting, so plot a strike plane with a decent bomb load (1000 pounders) on it - target spot is the bridge hex - and there is a fair chance he will hit it, including with stand off LGB or guided missiles. (Not the level bomber class - they are only there to spread bombs in a random circle around the target)

cheers
Andy

Re thread's title - yes they can, just use a civilian counter from the UN OOB as the wedding party...

[FASTBOAT TOUGH]

First I must say hello to my old friend John always a pleasure! Yes the Z key worked sort of more on that below. After about four attempts from each engineer squad I gave up. Normally I would use artillery but I had little and it was needed elsewhere. The timing was impeccable in that I had enough time to resupply my two engineer squads when a handful of turns later two (And there is a lesson here.) T-72B3 tanks got within 150m of the bridges when ran into my engineer squads one was destroyed and the other was very surpassed to the point that my LECLERC that was covering the road went unnoticed and took it out. When I realized that satchel charges weren't doing the trick made me wish I had flamethrowers, has that ever been tested using the Z key against wooded bridges? They certainly would burn hot enough. And yes of course they would have to fit the time period they would be available in an OOB. Just a thought.
Now to what happened when I used the Z key... I'm still using Win XP SP3 my current graphics card is a HIS ICE Radeon 4600 DDR3 updated. What happened was the map size would zoom out sometimes all the way out/or zoom in again sometimes all the way (With the last I could see the positions where my engineer squads should be seen but aren't.) I see the attack sequence machine guns>satchel charge as normal. I would have to reset the map myself and no other game issues occurred. Also I strongly agree artillery is the best way to take down bridges of any kind as I've taken all types down with "The King of the Battlefield". Again thank you all for your help! But again either defend them in force or drop by arty with both HE/AP capabilities.

Regards,
Pat

[Imp]

Did test this ages back not flamethrower though.
The best ground weapon is probably an IED, think the other one in that class is better.
Still no guarantee but use it to represent a placed charge & hit the F key if needed to make it go bang.
IED is not really correct for this due to its big blast area, the bridge should have absorbed most of it.
Be very careful of it if you have not used one they are pretty devastating.

[Suhiir]

Yeah, currently IEDs are basically BIG truck bombs rather then your typical roadside stuff. I've had tanks 2 hexes away destroyed by them.