In one of Paul's books on the fighting at Cassino has a photo of a Valetine Bridgelayer on the Cavendish Road. What units used them? Or more to be more specific, who took them up the Cavendish Road?
Cheers Chad but isn't that an American unit. Mention of Bridgelayers on Cavendish Road here. CHAPTER 18 — Cassino | NZETC The bridgelaying tank with B Squadron was called up, but the craters left by the heavy bombs on the rain-sodden routes were so large that they could not be spanned with this equipment.... Must be from one of the NZ sapper units. Also used in the town. A troop of scissors tanks undercommand for the operation was called by radio and one was ordered forward from where they were waiting, a mile or so from the Rapido bridge. The scissors tank duly arrived and its bridge was put down across the bomb crater, but through some damage to the mechanism the tank was unable to disengage; while it recovered its burden another scissors asked for urgently came up and successfully put down its bridge
Sorry lads I am coming up with nothing on timeframes, I will see if I can find the Jeff Plowman book with it in, over the next couple of days and scan it.
Wot no Chad - San Pietro was and I suppose still is - along way from the Cavendish rd., San Pietro was an American debacle by Gen Mark Clark whose Alma Mater - West Point still refuses to show the film of the almost total destruction of the 36th Texas Divsion as being the worst case of generalship known to man ! San Pietro is South West of Cassino and was fought over in december '43 whereas the Cavendish rd (N.E.) attempt by the Kiwis was not until late February/March '44 Cheers
