European rivers and canals carry goods deep into the continent, making barge traffic a target for economic warfare. Mercogliano argues that Allied planners were slow to appreciate this network because American transport assumptions emphasized roads and railways. The route from Rotterdam through the Rhine, Main, and Danube toward the Black Sea illustrates the reach of European inland navigation. Clarke adds that the RAF's wartime canal-mining attempts became more effective when low-flying Mosquitoes replaced less accurate high-level drops by Wellingtons. Accurate placement mattered because a mine that missed the canal could not obstruct its traffic.
Notable Point · 1:17:26-1:19:33
Canals and river traffic are strategic infrastructure
Allied planners were slow to appreciate European barge traffic, even though canal locks and river routes could become decisive bottlenecks.