An Engineer Combat Battalion (ECB) was a designation for a

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...

-strength combat engineer unit in the U.S. Army, most prevalent during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. They are a component of the

United States Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

. Also known as "Combat Engineer Battalions", they were typically divided into four companies: A, B, C, and Headquarters and Service (H&S). Best known for

pontoon bridge A pontoon bridge (or ponton bridge), also known as a floating bridge, uses float (nautical), floats or shallow-draft (hull), draft boats to support a continuous deck for pedestrian and vehicle travel. The buoyancy of the supports limits the maxi ...

construction and clearing hazards in

amphibious landing Amphibious warfare is a type of offensive military operation that today uses naval ships to project ground and air power onto a hostile or potentially hostile shore at a designated landing beach. Through history the operations were conducted ...

s, their duties also included serving as

sapper A sapper, also called a pioneer (military), pioneer or combat engineer, is a combatant or soldier who performs a variety of military engineering duties, such as breaching fortifications, demolitions, bridge-building, laying or clearing minefie ...

s deploying and deactivating explosive charges and unexploded munitions, mapmaking, camouflage, and a wide variety of construction services supporting frontline troops. They also fielded defensive .30 cal. and .50 cal. machine gun squads,

anti-tank Anti-tank warfare originated from the need to develop technology and tactics to destroy tanks during World War I. Since the Triple Entente deployed the first tanks in 1916, the German Empire developed the first anti-tank weapons. The first deve ...

rocket A rocket (from it, rocchetto, , bobbin/spool) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using the surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entirely fr ...

and

grenade A grenade is an explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A modern hand grenade genera ...

launchers, and were required to fight as

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

as a secondary mission.United States Government War Departmen
''Engineer Field Manual'' FM-5-5, Engineer Troops, 11 October 1943
/ref> Combat engineers played important roles in numerous World War II battles, especially breaching the heavily fortified

Siegfried Line The Siegfried Line, known in German as the ''Westwall'', was a German defensive line built during the 1930s (started 1936) opposite the French Maginot Line. It stretched more than ; from Kleve on the border with the Netherlands, along the west ...

protecting the German border and numerous defensive lines established by the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, including the Gustav Line. Among the most familiar for their heroism and contributions to establishing key bridgeheads in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

was at the Ludendorff Bridge at the

Battle of Remagen The Battle of Remagen was an 18-day battle during the Allied invasion of Germany in World War II from 7 to 25 March 1945 when American forces unexpectedly captured the Ludendorff Bridge over the Rhine intact. They were able to hold it against ...

. Combat engineers also played roles in several unconventional operations, including the securing of elements of the German nuclear weapons program in

Operation Big Operation Big was an operation of the Alsos Mission, the Allied seizure of facilities, materiel, and personnel related to the German nuclear weapon project during World War II. It was tasked with sweeping several targeted towns in the area of sout ...

and recovery of stolen art and treasure subsequently returned to its original owners by the

Monuments Men A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, hist ...

. In the Pacific Theater, the U.S. Army's 42nd Combat Engineers took part in the hard-fought high casualty Battle of Attu Aleutian Islands (1943) and the Battle of Manila, Luzon Philippines (1945), earning 2 Battle Stars. In the early morning of 29 May 1943, the 50th Combat Engineers were the first U S Army unit encountered by the last Japanese troops on the island, making a suicide charge toward artillery atop Engineer Hill. 50th Engineers fought back immediately and kept fighting while nearby combat units arrived.

Capabilities

A World War II era combat engineer battalion possessed both combat and combat support capabilities. These included, but were not limited to: *

Bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

( mobile, floating, fixed), rail, & road construction and maintenance *Conducting river crossings by pontoon/raft, motor-powered assault boats *

Demolition Demolition (also known as razing, cartage, and wrecking) is the science and engineering in safely and efficiently tearing down of buildings and other artificial structures. Demolition contrasts with deconstruction, which involves taking a ...

*Placing/de-arming munitions, including mines *Port & harbor maintenance and rehabilitation, including beachheads: :*Laying roads and unloading/loading supplies, vehicles & personnel from transport and cargo ships *

Camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the ...

Water supply Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavors or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes. Public water supply systems are crucial to properly functioning societies. Thes ...

and

sanitation Sanitation refers to public health conditions related to clean drinking water and treatment and disposal of human excreta and sewage. Preventing human contact with feces is part of sanitation, as is hand washing with soap. Sanitation systems ...

* Map production * Vehicle maintenance *Establishing/maintaining supply and ammunition dumps *Building

barracks Barracks are usually a group of long buildings built to house military personnel or laborers. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word "barraca" ("soldier's tent"), but today barracks are u ...

, depots, and similar structures *Rescue & road patrols, bridge and road

reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...

*Clearing of debris and wreckage *Unit defense and intelligence *Fighting as

when needed

US units

Combat Engineer Battalions in the U.S. military include: * 1st Engineer Combat Battalion * 2nd Engineer Combat Battalion *5th Engineer Battalion * 9th Engineer Combat Battaltion * 14th Engineer Combat Battalion *

15th Engineer Battalion The 15th Engineer Battalion is an Echelon above Brigade (EAB) battalion of the United States Army. It is currently a subordinate unit of 18th Military Police Brigade and is headquartered in Grafenwoehr, Germany. Soldiers of the 15th Engineer Bat ...

* 16th Engineer Battalion * 19th Combat Engineer Battalion *

20th Engineer Battalion ) , colors = The wavy arrow , colors_label = Unit Identification , march = , mascot = , battles = World War IWorld War IIVietnam War ...

* 31st Engineer Combat Battalion * 41st Engineer Battalion *42nd Engineer Combat Battalion * 50th Engineer Combat Battalion *

65th Engineer Battalion The 65th Brigade Engineer Battalion ("Bayonets") is a light maneuver support battalion of the United States Army. Throughout the years, the 65th Brigade Engineer Battalion (65th BEB) has undergone several reorganizations and has participated in W ...

* 82nd Engineer Combat Battalion * 114th Engineer Combat Battalion * 135th Engineer Combat Battalion *206th Engineer Combat Battalion *207th Engineer Combat Battalion * 244th Combat Engineers *246th Engineer Combat Battalion (WW II) * 248th Engineer Combat Battalion * 249th Engineer Combat Battalion *250th Engineer Combat Battalion (WW II) *254th Engineer Combat Battalion *257th Engineer Combat Battalion (WW II) *258th Engineer Combat Battalion *283rd Engineer Combat Battalion *

289th Engineer Combat Battalion The 289th Engineer Combat Battalion was a combat engineer battalion of the United States Army during World War II. It served under XXI Corps of the Seventh Army in action mainly in France and Germany in 1944 and 1945. It received campaign c ...

* 291st Engineer Combat Battalion *296th Engineer Combat Battalion *298th Engineer Combat Battalion *297th Engineer Combat Battalion *299th Engineer Combat Battalion *311th Engineer Combat Battalion, 8th Blackhawk Division, European Theater *402nd Engineer Battalion *554th Engineer Battalion * 864th Engineer Battalion *876th Engineer Battalion * 1263rd Engineer Combat Battalion *

1269th Engineer Combat Battalion The 1269th Engineer Combat Battalion was an engineer combat battalion that served in the United States Army in the European Theater of Operations during World War II. It saw action in France and Germany, serving notably with the Army's T-Force ...

* 1288th Engineer Combat Battalion * 1695th Engineer Combat Battalion

References

{{reflist

External links

U.S. Army Corps of EngineersIV Corps Combat Engineers
Engineer battalions of the United States Army

Capabilities

US units

See also

References

External links