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Combat engineering is the practice of using the knowledge, tools and techniques of Engineering in Combat . A combat engineer, in many armies also called '''pioneer''' or Sapper , is a military specialist in using the tools and techniques of engineering under combat conditions, who may perform any of a variety of tasks. Such tasks typically include Fortification , Bridge and Road construction or destruction, laying or clearing Landmines , neutralisation of Improvised Explosive Device s (IEDs) and general engineering tasks under fire. More generally speaking, the combat engineer's tasks involve facilitating movement and support of friendly forces while impeding that of the enemy. Usually, a combat engineer is also trained as an infantry Rifleman , and combat engineer elements often have a secondary role fighting as formed infantry. Beyond self-defence, combat engineers, infantry and assault troopers from Armoured Corps units are generally the only troops that engage in the assault whilst dismounted. This role is limited by a lack of organic fire support (such as that obtained by Infantry units from their mortars), however combat engineers typically do have extensive anti-armoured capability in their infantry fighting role. TERMINOLOGY A general combat engineer is often called a ''Pioneer'' or " Sapper " (the word itself is derived from the French and British armies, and refers to the origin of combat engineering). In some armies the term ''Pioneer'' or ''Sapper'' is a professional term and indicates a specific Military Rank and level of training. For example:
Also to note is that the term combat engineer is different from Field Engineer in the United States Army . The latter usually denotes a Mechanic of the Ordnance Corps who is skilled in field maintenance of equipment, weapons and Armored Fighting Vehicle s. In the British Army's Royal Engineers , however, the terms are synonymous, with a Royal Electrical And Mechanical Engineers tradesman being designated a mechanic or technician. The term Military Engineer encompasses both combat engineers and construction engineers. In some armies the two are allocated to different Corps, such as the former Soviet Army. Geomatics, or surveying and cartography is another area that sometimes is integrated into military engineering, and in other cases is a separate responsibility, as was formerly the case in the Australian Army. The design and development of military equipment is generally not the province of the military engineer, although they can be involved in such design engineering when the technology in question has a military engineering application. In the British, Canadian, and Australian armies, an assault pioneer is an infantry soldier with limited combat engineer training. As well as clearing obstacles during the assault and light engineering duties, until recently assault pioneers were responsible for the operation of Flamethrower s. ROLE ]] , used by the engineers of the French Army , may either be used as a Bridge (deployed in a series), or as a Ferry ]]
TOOLS for a variety of missions]]
HISTORY In ancient times, combat engineers were responsible for Siege Warfare and building field Fortifications , temporary camps and roads. The most notable engineers of ancient times were the Romans and Chinese , who constructed huge siege-machines ( Catapult s, Battering Rams and Siege Tower s) and were responsible for constructing fortified wooden camps and paved roads for their Legions . Many of these Roman Road s are still in use two thousand years later. In the Middle Ages combat engineers focused on siege warfare. They planned castles and fortresses. When laying siege, they planned and oversaw efforts to penetrate castle defences. When Castle s served a military purpose, one of the tasks of the sappers was to weaken the bases of walls to enable them to be breached before means of thwarting these activities were devised. Broadly speaking, sappers were experts at demolishing or otherwise overcoming or bypassing fortification systems. When Cannon first appeared, combat engineers were responsible for maintaining them while planning counter- Artillery Fortification s. By the 18th century, regiments of foot (infantry)in the British, French, Prussian and other armies included pioneer detachments. In peacetime these specialists constituted the regimental tradesmen, constructing and repairing buildings, transport wagons etc. On active service they moved at the head of marching columns with axes, shovels and pickaxes clearing obstacles or building bridges to open the way for the bulk of the regiment to move through difficult terrain. The modern Royal Welch Fusiliers and French Foreign Legion still maintain pioneer sections who march at the front of ceremonial parades, carrying chromium plated tools intended for show only. Other historic distinctions include long work aprons and the right to wear beards. ''For more information about combat engineering before the modern era, see: Military Engineer .'' At the end of World War I , the standoff in the Western Front caused the Imperial German Army to gather experienced and particularly skilled soldiers to form "Assault Teams" which would breakthrough the Allied trenches. With enhanced training and special weapons (such as Flamethrowers ), these squads obtained some success, but too late to change the outcome of the war. In early WWII, however, the Wehrmacht "Pioniere" battalions proved their efficiency in both attack and defense, somewhat inspiring other armies to develop their own combat engineers battalions. Notably, the attack on Fort Eben-Emael in Belgium was conducted by Luftwaffe Glider -deployed combat engineers. The need to defeat the German defensive positions of the " Atlantic Wall " as part of the amphibious landings in Normandy in 1944 led to the development of specialist combat engineer vehicles. These, collectively known as Hobart's Funnies , included a specific vehicle to carry combat engineers, the Churchill AVRE . During the 20th Century , combat engineers gained vast knowledge and experience in Explosive s. They are tasked with planting bombs, Landmines and Dynamite . Moreover, they are the only units with the clearance to detonate enemy explosive charges and the handling of unexploded ordnance. They share the role of Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) with the Ordnance Corps, the delineation usually being that engineers perform this role when the task is below ground level (such as an aerially delivered bomb that has penetrated the earth), whilst ordnance personnel perform the same task at ground level. Another distinction may be that engineers perform the EOD role in the battle zone, whilst ordnance handles EOD in rear areas. Modern combat engineering still retains the Roman role of building field Fortification s, road paving and the breaching of terrain obstacles. A notable combat engineer task was, for example, the breaching of the Suez Canal during the Yom Kippur War . SPECIFIC COMBAT ENGINEERING CORPS United States ''Main article: United States Army Corps Of Engineers .'' In the United States Army , the four tasks of combat engineer units are mobility, countermobility, survivability, and general engineering.
Plastic Explosive s are heavily used in combat Engineering . MOTTO: The motto of the Canadian Combat Engineer, UBIQUE means "Everywhere" and the motto of the American Engineers, "ESSAYONS," is French for "Let us try." It is critical to note that the emphasis is on the word "us", not "try" in Let ''us'' try. Explosive Ordnance Disposal EOD units in the Canadian Military are Combat Engineers and in the U.S. Army are manned by ordnance personnel. See also the United States Navy 's Seabee s. Israel . Armoured bulldozers are standard combat engineering tools, as they can perform construction, destruction and EOD missions under heavy fire.]] ''Main article: Israeli Engineering Corps .'' In the Israeli Defence Forces the combat engineers are organized under the Israel Engineering Corps ()In addition to IEC sappers, each infantry brigade has an engineer company trained with basic engineering and EOD skills. IEC sappers are often attached to other units (such as armored divisions or infantry) in order to help them breach obstacles and handle explosive threats. The IEC operates advance engineering tools such as Caterpillar D9 Armoured Bulldozer , IDF Puma armored CEV , EOD robots and Electromagnetic mine-detectors. Their main role is enabling Israeli forces to advance (breach the enemy's obstacles), stop the enemy's movement, handle explosive and perform construction and destruction under fire. The Israeli engineering corps is also responsible for counter- NBC warfare (i.e. defending troops against Unconventional Weapon and clean infected areas). The IEC has a special unit, called Yahalom (in Hebrew it means " Diamond " but also abbreviation of "Engineering Unit for Special Operations") which handles EOD , Commando , engineering recon, advance Robotics , tunnel warfare, maritime breaching, counter-NBC and other classified tasks. MOTTO: "Rishonim Tamid ראשונים תמיד", Hebrew for "Always first", United Kingdom See Also: Royal Engineers SEE ALSO |
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