Konin Continuity

[Raellus]

There appears to be a continuity error between Escape from Kalisz and Going Home that, AFAIK, isn't accounted for in canon.

Here's how Konin is described in EfK:

Originally Posted by Escape from Kalisz

There was some fighting around Konin and some of the population fled south into the woods, but most are now back and are working at repairing the bridge across the Warta River. There are 120 troopers of the Sov 89th CD (300 men), with one 120mm mortar, camped across the river, and they are helping the townspeople rebuild their bridge. The townspeople are impressed with the conduct of the Soviet troopers and their local commander, Captain L. I. Savchuk, and they are resentful of the Americans who blew up their bridge.

This description makes it sound like Konin has an active civilian population- enough able-bodied people to rebuild a bridge in the days and weeks following the Battle of Kalisz in mid July, 2000. GH is set three-to-four months after EfK, but it strongly implies that the town was abandoned in early 1999, over a year before the events of EfK.

Here's how GH describes Konin:

Originally Posted by Going Home

Konin, the city near the yard was abandoned early in 1999 when a case of bubonic plague was diagnosed there. This was a mistaken diagnosis, but the town's citizenry had left long before anyone could discover the mistake. The city was looted early and often, and the yard was visited a few times by refugees or marauders, but none of them had a way to carry off the tons of railroad rails that languished there, slowly rusting, until they were found by Captain Martens.

This description makes it sound like Konin is a ghost town by the time the Battle of Kalisz is fought in July 2000, and remains so until October-November 2000, when GH begins.

Are there any other references to Konin in canonical materials that could explain this seeming contradiction, or is it up to each Ref to explain the discrepancies? How would you handle it?

-

[bash]

The "townspeople" could be rural locals that soldiers just assume live in the town. Maybe some live in town temporarily to trade, like pop up a stall and squat in an apartment, and then leave when their wares are sold. So the "town" is really just some abandoned infrastructure and a handful of squatters.

The rural locals want the bridge rebuilt and have enough random farm equipment, scavenged construction equipment, and borrowed mechanics tools to do a good enough job to get the bridge back given enough time.

[Raellus]

Thanks for the suggestions, Bash.

Looking at a modern map of Konin, there are two bridges across the Warta at Konin, one for the 25 and the other for the 92, both major roads. I wonder if one of them was built, IRL, after 1983 or whenever EfK was written. That leaves a few possibilities for the T2kU. Either one of the bridges was never built, or both were blown and only one is being repaired, or one was blown (now under repair) and the other remained/remains standing. I think the first two options make more sense than the last.

-

[Desert Mariner]

It appears that the Highway 25 bridge wasn’t constructed until 2006-2007.
Polish Wikipedia (https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Most_U...ewn%C4%99trzne)

Google Translate:
European Union Bridge – a road bridge over the Warta River in Konin in the Wielkopolskie Voivodeship along the national road No. 25. The extradosed bridge is the second crossing of the Warta River in the city.
The bridge with access flyovers over the Warta Valley, 3,400 meters long, was built by the consortium of Hydrobudowa-6, Warszawskie Przedsiębiorstwo Robót Drogowych and Płockie Przedsiębiorstwo Robót Mostowych in 2006-2007.
The cost of building the bridge together with the new section of the national road No. 25 amounted to approx. PLN 200 million and was 75% co-financed from the European Regional Development Fund. The bridge, put into use on December 15, 2007, was given the name of the European Union by a resolution of the Konin City Council.
The nearest crossing of the Warta river upstream is Most im. Marshal Józef Piłsudski in the center of Konin along the national road No. 92, and downstream the bridge along the A2 motorway.

[castlebravo92]

If you want to spring for $50, you can buy the 1987 Soviet map of Konin here:

https://www.evmaplink.com/Konin_Pola...aa-konin-p.htm

[Raellus]

Thanks CB! Even thought the preview is blurred, the map doesn't show the western bridge over the 25. That's good enough for me.

-