The Snapshots in Time Collection

U.S. Army Vehicle Convoy Crossing a Repaired Canal Bridge, European Theater, 1944

U.S. Army Vehicle Convoy Crossing a Repaired Canal Bridge, European Theater, 1944

American military vehicles cross a hastily rebuilt bridge over a European canal, 1944. Combat engineers frequently repaired or reconstructed river and canal crossings destroyed by retreating German forces, allowing airborne and armored columns to maintain their advance. The lock house visible at right is typical of the canal infrastructure found throughout the Netherlands and Belgium, a region crossed extensively by the 101st Airborne Division during the autumn 1944 campaign. Project: 218672