if you needed to cross the many deep and narrow waterways of Europe, under fire, you wouldn't feel that way. When these were made, the M60 was still in service. I was part of research and production team at Rock Island arsenal where the bridge launcher attachment mechanism was made and welded to the tank. An interesting process. If you needed it in Europe, there was just no way you could cross all these streams with tracks, or wheels, without a solid bridge of some sort. This was the way it was done. And a great idea for the time. You could proceed to the front, deploy the bridge, cross it and wait for all other vehicles came across, then pick it up and go on to the next stream. Believe you me, the other mobile units were sure glad to see you coming. You were their life saver. Don't know why you call it a waste. What other solution do you have to cross a stream, under armor protection, during combat???