# WWII German Army/Pioneers Egineers Building A Ponton Bridge

This short silent German educational film shows a unit of German pioneers rapidly constructing a pontoon bridge over a river. A pioneer is a soldier employed to perform engineering and construction tasks. The term is in principle similar to sapper. Pioneers were originally part of the artillery branch of European armies. Subsequently, they formed part of the engineering branch, in the logistic branch, part of the infantry; or comprised a branch in their own right. Historically, the primary role of pioneer units was to assist other arms in tasks such as the construction of field fortifications, military camps, bridges and roads. Prior to and during the First World War, pioneers were often engaged in the construction and repair of military railways. The German Army was the land forces component of the Wehrmacht, the regular German armed forces, from 1935 until it was demobilized and finally dissolved in August 1946. The Wehrmacht also included the Kriegsmarine (Navy) and the Luftwaffe (Air Force). During World War II, a total of about 15 million soldiers served in the German Army, of whom about seven million became casualties. Most army personnel were conscripted. Only 17 months after Hitler announced publicly the rearmament program, the Army reached its projected goal of 36 divisions. During the autumn of 1937, two more corps were formed. In 1938, four additional corps were formed with the inclusion of the five divisions of the Austrian Army after the Anschluss in March.…

- Kind: Film
- Genres: War, Industrial and advertising
- Archive: [Internet Archive](https://archive.org/details/74092GermanFilmPioneersBuildingAFloatingBridge)
- Licence or status: none stated by the archive
- Who can watch: Teens profiles and older (the archive gives no rating; placed by Invisible Network from its collection and subjects)

[Watch now](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/watch/archive/ia/74092GermanFilmPioneersBuildingAFloatingBridge?play=1)