Panzer Corps 2 – Rivers and Bridging Units

Rivers are a common terrain obstacle that pose significant challenges for a player on the offensive. There are two types of rivers in the game: minor and major rivers.

Minor rivers can be crossed by units, but the process takes several turns and can seriously hamper an offensive. To cross a minor river, a unit must begin its turn on a hex directly adjacent to the river, and entering the river hex will use up the unit’s entire move. The next turn, the unit will be able to move freely onto either bank of the river.

Major rivers, represented by much wider rivers on the map, are completely impassable to most ground units unless they have frozen over. There are two exceptions to these rules: bridges and bridging units. Road bridges exist wherever a road or railroad crosses over a river tile. Units can travel across the bridges just like any other road (or in the case of a railroad, as if the river were merely not there), making them the easiest way to cross a river. Beware however that the other bank of a river will often be most heavily defended near bridges.

Bridge engineers and vehicles are special units that allow other units to cross the river as if a bridge existed over it. To use them, a bridging unit, such as the German Brückenpioniere, must occupy a river hex. Other units then move “through” that unit to access the other bank of the river. When the bridge unit is moved off the river, the hex it once occupied will no longer count as a bridge. If you have a spare core slot, it may be a good idea to split your bridge units to form two units, and thus two bridges.

Note: It may be a good idea to keep a bridging unit or two in your reserves, to be activated if a scenario with large rivers is encountered. Although they will be provided as auxiliaries if required to win a scenario, many maps can be more easily completed by using bridge engineers.

Units that occupy river hexes, except for bridging units, suffer major combat penalties, especially against units on either bank. It is often wise to find another direction from which to launch an attack rather than charging straight across the river.

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