As my father served in the Army in WW II, I grew up learning a great deal about the war, especially about the technological advances that won the war for the Allies like long range bombers, radar, decoding machines, and a host of other things. Until he was injured, my father served with General Patton, so the evolution of tanks during the war was always an important topic, especially the replacement of the Sherman tank with the Patton tank.
Knowing my interest in bridges, a colleague sent me a link to a fascinating video about a British engineer, Sir Donald Bailey, who developed a unique bridge that could support the British equivalent of the Patton tank, the Churchill tank. Surprisingly, I had never heard of the Churchill tank, nor of the “Bailey” bridge he designed. I could try to explain how the Bailey bridge was assembled and moved into place, however the video does a much better job. The video runs about 6 minutes, but I can guarantee that you will be captivated by this incredible story of a bridge and the engineer who was clearly one of the heroes of the war. – Dr. Tom
