“A bulldozer may be far more useful than a tank. The Eighth Army’s advance in Sicily would not have been possible without mechanical equipment, as in nearly every river crossing it was used to create diversions across the streams.” ..from Royal Engineers Training Memorandum, No. 9 January 1944.

This book provides an in-depth look at the mechanical equipment used by the Royal Canadian Engineers in the Second World War.

The crawler tractor – which was often mistakenly referred to as a bulldozer – was invaluable to the Royal Canadian Engineers in the Second World War as it performed a wide variety of tasks; from clearing obstacles and filling in craters, that allowed tanks to move forward to support the infantry, to pushing Bailey bridges into position, their tasks were often within the sight of the enemy. As a result, many operators were awarded medals for their bravery and/or were killed. This is the story of the machines that were used by the Royal Canadian Engineers in the Second World War.