But for the skill and courage of the Royal Engineers, our Churchills would have seen little action!
From his Memoirs, Field-Marshal Alexander's tribute:
"Here would appear to be an opportunity to pay a tribute to a distinguished British invention. Whatever the valour of the righting troops, without the 'Bailey' to bridge the rivers and ravines of Italy, the campaign would have been abortive from the outset."
Royal Engineers of the 577 Field Company assemble a Bailey Bridge over the Arno in Florence. By using the piers of the Santa Trinita bridge, blown up by the retreating Germans, the REs restored the bridge for heavy traffic in a few days.
Photograph courtesy Imperial War Museum.