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PONTON BRIDGE INSTALLATION. On the 



beach at Bikini Island, Army Ground Group en- 

 gineers assemble ponton bridges, temporarily 

 anchored off Enyu and later included in the target 

 vessel array. Types M-4 and M-4-A2 are shown 

 here, the M-4 utilizing the sausage-shaped pneu- 

 matic rubber floats, the M-4-A2 using a newly de- 

 veloped type of all-metal float (seen in shallow 

 water just off shore). M-4 pontons played impor- 

 tant parts in river crossings during the advances 

 across France and Germany in 1944 and 1945. 

 The pneumatic floats of these bridges are inflated 

 by means of small gasoline-powered air pumps. 

 The standardized roadway "planks," consisting of 

 hollow aluminum beams each weighing only 175 

 pounds, are guickly lifted into place. Metal floats 

 used by Navy Construction Battalions were called 

 (and spelled) "pontoons;" they were used at Amen 

 and Bikini as buoyancy members of portable 

 docks. 



