A military engineer is primarily responsible for the design and construction of offensive, defensive and logistical structures for warfare. War is an international relations Dispute, characterized by organized Violence between National Military units Other duties include the layout, placement, maintenance and dismantling of defensive minefields and the clearing of enemy minefields and the construction and destruction of bridges. A land mine is an Explosive device designed to be placed on or in the ground to explode when triggered by an operator or the Proximity of a vehicle person A bridge is a Structure built to span a Gorge, Valley, Road, railroad track, River, Body of water In some cases an engineer may be required to destroy something that that same engineer designed and constructed. Engineering is the Discipline and Profession of applying technical and scientific Knowledge and In many armies the military engineers are also called pioneers or sappers. Combat engineering is a Combat service support role of using the knowledge tools and techniques of Engineering by troops in peace and war but specifically in A sapper is an individual engineer soldier usually in British or Commonwealth military service
In some countries, the modern military may comprise engineering units in say, weapon design or procurement, or of non-military civil engineering (e. A civil engineer is a person who practices Civil engineering, one of the many engineering professions g. flood control and river navigation works) which are not covered by this article. Flood control is a feature of many communication protocols designed to prevent overwhelming of a destination receiver "Riverine" redirects here For the use of that term in Maritime geography, see there
In modern times a military engineer that usually operates during battle and under fire is called a combat engineer. Combat engineering is a Combat service support role of using the knowledge tools and techniques of Engineering by troops in peace and war but specifically in For more modern aspects of military engineering and tools of the combat engineering corps, see combat engineering. Combat engineering is a Combat service support role of using the knowledge tools and techniques of Engineering by troops in peace and war but specifically in
Contents |
Origins of military engineering
Perhaps the first civilization to have a dedicated force of military engineering specialists were the Romans, whose army contained a dedicated corps of military engineers known as architecti. An architect is a licensed individual who leads a design team in the Planning and Design of buildings and participates in oversight of Building Construction Roman military engineering was pre-eminent amongst its contemporaries, and the scale of certain military engineering feats, such as the construction of a double-wall of fortifications 30 miles long in total (both walls combined total) in just six weeks to completely encircle the besieged city. The military engineering of Ancient Rome 's armed forces was of a scale and frequency far beyond that of any of its contemporaries Such military engineering feats would have been completely new, and probably bewildering and demoralizing, to the Gallic defenders. The best known of these Roman army engineers due to his writtings surviving is Vitruvius. Marcus Vitruvius Pollio (born c 80–70 BC died after c 15 BC was a Roman Writer, Architect and Engineer (possibly praefectus fabrum
Defensive
Defensive fortifications are designed to prevent intrusion into the inner works by siege infantry. Fortifications are Military Constructions and Buildings designed for defense in Warfare Humans have constructed defensive works for The Infantry is the oldest and most numerous of the Combat Arms in the Armed forces, and consists For minor defensive locations these may only consist of simple walls and ditches. The design principle is to slow down the advance of attackers to where they can be destroyed by defenders from sheltered positions. Most large fortifications are not a single structure but rather a concentric series of fortifications of increasing strength. Fortified cities would typically include an inner "old town"' within walls. See also List of cities with defensive walls A defensive wall is a Fortification used to defend a city or settlement from potential aggressors Should the city be attacked, those residing outside the walls would enter the inner city. Within this would be a redoubt, or citadel, to which defenders could retreat should the walls or gates be breached. A citadel is a fortress for protecting a Town, sometimes incorporating a Castle.
The placement of mines to create minefields and their maintenance and disassembly is another defensive task. A land mine is an Explosive device designed to be placed on or in the ground to explode when triggered by an operator or the Proximity of a vehicle person A land mine is an Explosive device designed to be placed on or in the ground to explode when triggered by an operator or the Proximity of a vehicle person Defence
When the defender must retreat it is often desirable to destroy anything that may be of use to the enemy, but particularly bridges, as their destruction can slow the advance of the attackers. The retreating forces may also leave booby traps for enemy soldiers, even though these often wreak their havoc upon non-combatant civilians. A booby trap is a device set up to be triggered by an unsuspecting victim Non-combatant is a military and legal term describing Civilians not engaged in combat
Offensive
In ancient times, fortifications were assaulted by siege engines. A siege engine is a device that is designed to Break or circumvent City walls and other Fortifications in Siege warfare. These could be projectile throwing devices or simple moving towers that could allow attackers protection while positioning them above the top of the fortification's walls.
The undermining of the defender's walls by tunneling is called mining. Mining, undermining, or sapping was a Siege method used since antiquity against a Walled city, Fortress or Castle With the military use of gunpowder this explosive could be placed in tunnels to explode directly under the walls. Gunpowder is a an explosive mixture of Sulfur, Charcoal and Potassium nitrate (also known as saltpetre/saltpeter that burns rapidly producing volumes An explosive material is a material that either is chemically or otherwise Energetically unstable or produces a sudden expansion of the material usually accompanied The most spectacular use of this technique in the 19th century was during the United States' Civil War.
The clearing of enemy minefields is another offensive task.
Often the defender in retreat will destroy bridges to impede the attacker. These must be quickly replaced by the attacker in order to retain offensive mobility. In World War II a short portable bridge called the Bailey bridge could be quickly placed by a specialized transporter vehicle. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The Bailey bridge is a portable pre-fabricated Truss Bridge, designed for use by Military engineering units to bridge up to 60 m (200 ft gaps Pontoon bridges have long been used as temporary replacements for destroyed river crossings. A pontoon bridge or floating bridge is a Bridge that floats on water supported by barge-or-boat-like pontoons to support the bridge deck and its dynamic
Image gallery
The design, construction, and demolition of the works and devices shown would be the task of a military engineer in the appropriate era.
 Great Wall of China and watchtower (Ming Dynasty) |
 Replica Catapult siege engine |
 Replica Trebuchet siege engine |
|
 Plans for part of a penonal fortress |
.jpg/90px-Tarascon_Castle_(bridge).jpg) Tarascon Castle moat |
 World War I trench works and shrapnel shelter |
|
 Drawbridge crossing fortification ditches at Fort Ticonderoga |
 Installing a Medium Girder Bridge (modern) |
 Landmines (modern) |
Famous Military engineers
- Mozi
- Menno van Coehoorn
- Leslie Groves
- John Rosworm
- Pierre Charles L'Enfant
- Vauban
- Charles Gordon
- Paul R. Smith
- Vitruvius
See also
- Some military engineering projects of World War II
- Military engineers
- Society of American Military Engineers
- Canadian Military Engineers
- Royal Engineers
- Royal Australian Engineers
- Sapper
External links
The Great Wall of China ( or ( is a series of stone and earthen Fortifications in China, built rebuilt and maintained between the 6th century BC and the 16th The Ming Dynasty ( or Empire of the Great Ming ( was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol -led Tarascon, sometimes referred to as Tarascon-sur-Rhône, is a town and commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. A catapult is any one of a number of non-handheld mechanical devices used to throw a Projectile a great distance without the aid of an explosive substance—particularly various A siege engine is a device that is designed to Break or circumvent City walls and other Fortifications in Siege warfare. A trebuchet or trebucket is a Siege engine that was employed in the Middle Ages either to smash Masonry Walls or to throw Bourtange ( is a Star fort and village in the Westerwolde region of the Dutch province of Groningen. A moat is deep broad Trench, usually filled with Water, that surrounds a structure installation or town normally to provide it with a preliminary line of World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Shrapnel is the term originally applied to an anti-personnel artillery shell which carried a large number of individual bullets to the target and then ejected them forwards relying A drawbridge is a type of Movable bridge typically associated with the entrance of a Castle. Fort Ticonderoga is a large Eighteenth-century Fort built at a strategically important narrows in Lake Champlain where a short traverse gives access The Medium Girder Bridge (MGB is a lightweight man portable Bridge and can be assembled without help from heavy equipment A land mine is an Explosive device designed to be placed on or in the ground to explode when triggered by an operator or the Proximity of a vehicle person Mozi ( Lat as Micius, ca 470 BCE&ndashca 391 BCE was a Philosopher who lived in China during the Hundred Schools of Thought Menno baron van Coehoorn (1641 &ndash March 17, 1704) was a Dutch soldier and Military engineer of Swedish extraction Lieutenant General Leslie Richard Groves ( August 17, 1896 &ndash July 13, 1970) was a United States Army Engineer John Rosworm or Rosworme ( fl 1630 - 1660) was a Dutch or German Soldier and military Engineer who Sébastien Le Prestre Seigneur de Vauban and later Marquis de Vauban ( May 15, 1633 – March 30, 1707) commonly referred to Charles Gordon may refer to People Charles Gordon (American football, American professional cornerback Charles George Gordon (1833-1885 Paul Ray Smith ( September 24, 1969 &ndash April 4, 2003) was a United States Army Sergeant First Class who was posthumously Marcus Vitruvius Pollio (born c 80–70 BC died after c 15 BC was a Roman Writer, Architect and Engineer (possibly praefectus fabrum The Bailey bridge is a portable pre-fabricated Truss Bridge, designed for use by Military engineering units to bridge up to 60 m (200 ft gaps A civil engineer is a person who practices Civil engineering, one of the many engineering professions Fortifications are Military Constructions and Buildings designed for defense in Warfare Humans have constructed defensive works for This article lists military technology items devices and methods A siege engine is a device that is designed to Break or circumvent City walls and other Fortifications in Siege warfare. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including A Mulberry harbour was a type of temporary Harbour developed in World War II to offload cargo on the beaches during the Allied invasion of Normandy. The Society of American Military Engineers (SAME is an organization for Military engineering professionals The Canadian Military Engineers (CME is the military engineer branch of the Canadian Forces. The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers ( RE) and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps The Royal Australian Engineers (RAE is a Corps of the Australian Army (although the word corps does not appear in their name or on their badge A sapper is an individual engineer soldier usually in British or Commonwealth military serviceDapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic