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Military

CHAPTER 6

Engineers in Close Combat

CONCEPT

Combat engineers are at the vanguard, and they are a combat-arms unit. When conducting combat operations in the close battle, they must be prepared to fight and employ their combat skills, using fire and maneuver to accomplish their engineer mission. On today's battlefield, the enemy can detect and engage engineers quickly, regardless of their location. Consequently, all engineers are organized, trained, and equipped to fight and destroy the enemy. Combat engineers' secondary mission is to reorganize into infantry units and fight as infantry. This chapter addresses aspects of engineers in close combat, organized to fight as engineers or as infantry.

FIGHTING AS ENGINEERS

PERSPECTIVE:

The requirements to maintain the mobility of attacking forces have often required engineers to enter the close-combat area. In January 1944, the 235th Engineer Combat Battalion was supporting the attack on Mount Porchio, Italy. In the midst of the battle, engineers moved forward on the right flank of the attacking task force to eliminate two obstacles of blown bridges to enable armor to move forward in support of the infantry. These obstacles were overcome in the face of intense enemy small-arms, machine-gun, mortar, and artillery fire. Twice during the operation, it was necessary for the engineers to attack and drive the enemy from strongly fortified positions to clear routes for the armor. For this effort, the 235th received the Presidential Unit Citation.
 Combat engineers are organized, trained, and equipped to engage in close combat to accomplish their engineer mission, which could be to¯

ENGINEER COMBAT ORGANIZATION

 The 12B combat engineer is trained to accomplish the same basic tasks as the 11B infantryman. The combat engineer specializes in engineer-unique tasks, as the infantryman specializes in infantry-unique tasks. The difference is emphasis. Engineer squads and platoons are trained to move rapidly and fight violently, either by themselves or as a part of a combined-arms formation.

Mechanized

Mechanized combat-engineer squads are organized around the armored personnel carrier (APC) and are armed with an array of rifles, squad automatic rifles, grenade launchers, light and heavy machine guns, and antitank (AT) weapons. The squads carry an array of demolition materials, configured into satchel and combat demolition charges, and are able to attack rapidly and violently with demolitions as well as with fire. In the platoon, they carry a basic load of conventional mines sufficient to emplace a minefield quickly, which they can defend if necessary.

Wheeled

Wheeled combat engineers are organized and equipped much the same as mechanized combat engineers. The major difference is the squad carrier, which is a 5-ton dump truck. On dismounting, the squad and platoon are trained to function much like a dismounted infantry organization in accomplishing their engineer mission.

All engineer squad carriers, mechanized or wheeled, are hindered by trailers except when moving as a part of a combined-arms formation. The squad must drop its trailer before it can effectively maneuver or employ mounted fire and movement. A trailer allows a squad to carry the quantities of demolitions and mines that give it close-combat power.

Light

Light engineers move on foot, carrying critical tools and equipment as well as demolition materials. As squads or platoons, light engineers move as a part of the light-infantry formation. Capable of using fire and movement techniques, they also contribute demolition and fire to the close-combat fight.

Heavy and Topographic

Combat (heavy) and topographic engineer units are armed primarily with rifles, with a limited number of crew-served weapons. They are not organized to move within combined-arms formations or to apply fire and maneuver. They are capable of engaging in close combat with fire and movement.

ENGINEER COMBAT CAPABILITIES

During offensive operations, combat-engineer units are task-organized with maneuver units and are integrated into the combined-arms formation. The engineer unit is designed to provide demolition and breaching capabilities to the combined-arms team. The engineer unit also can employ direct-fire weapons systems to aid in employing demolitions and breaching assets. Regardless of the mission, armored engineer vehicles are combat vehicles and provide a significant contribution to the combat power of the entire formation. To accomplish the mission, engineers will fire and move under the direction of the formation commander, as necessary, using demolition skills where appropriate.

When involved in an assault, engineers will fight dismounted on the objective, but they will be focused on breaching the close-in protective obstacles as well as demolition tasks against positions and dug-in vehicles. Demolition charges produce significant shock-and-concussion effects on defenders, as well as destroying critical positions, munitions, and combat vehicles.

Fire and movement techniques are based on rifle, automatic rifle, and grenadier-covering fire, allowing the placement of demolition charges to within striking range. The combat-engineer vehicle (CEV) in heavy divisions is also used in the assault. With its demolition gun, machine guns, and dozer blade, the CEV is extremely effective in close combat during the final stages of overrunning an objective.

Combat engineers employed on reserve demolition targets in the defense mainly execute the technical procedures necessary to ensure target destruction. However, the engineer demolition party responds to enemy contact. They assist the demolition guard in securing the target by holding it open or gaining time to ensure that it is destroyed. The engineer force may assist in target defense by installing antipersonnel (AP)/AT mines to support the defensive scheme.

Engineer units engaged in emplacing obstacle systems provide their own local security. They will employ close-combat techniques against attackers to the limit of their capability to ensure that the obstacle system is completed. Construction and topographic engineers also provide their own local security. In rear operations, they participate in base-cluster defense. They install local protective obstacles and fight from perimeter defensive positions. They also form reaction forces that can expel or destroy the enemy forces that penetrate a base cluster.

FIGHTING AS INFANTRY

PERSPECTIVE:

The 1111th Engineer Combat Group ordered Company C, 51st Engineer Combat Battalion, to Trois Ponts to defend the town from German attack. Under the leadership of Major "Bull" Yates, the battalion executive officer, it defended against German tanks until relieved by the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment. The airborne troops took up positions across the river, but were surrounded. The engineers had to provide covering fire to extricate them. After holding Trois Ponts for five days, Yates and his men withdrew during the evening of 21 December.
 Historically, engineer units have performed their secondary mission, which still exists for combat-engineer units. While engineers fight continually as engineers, employing them as infantry requires serious considerations.

EMPLOYMENT CONSIDERATIONS

Any commander who owns engineers in a command relationship has the authority to employ them as infantry, unless otherwise prohibited. A commander must carefully weigh the gain in infantry strength against the loss of engineer support. Engineers provide far more combat power in their primary mission than when configured as infantry. Stopping the engineer work may reduce the combat power of a commander's entire force. Because of the long-term impact, a commander must notify the next higher HQ when he employs engineers as infantry. A commander must carefully analyze infantry and engineer demands before deciding to employ an engineer unit as infantry.

An immediate requirement for infantry does not require reorganization; engineers are simply committed to the fight. Reorganization occurs when time allows moving unneeded engineer elements and equipment from the battle area and augmenting the engineer structure with additional capabilities. A commander normally considers reorganizing when he forecasts a shortage of infantry before a future operation or phase of an operation. He makes a decision after weighing METT-T factors and determining an acceptable risk level.

Division Level

Generally, division engineer battalions are task-organized throughout the division's area and are closely integrated with the other maneuver arms. Engineers fight and conduct their operations in this configuration. Engineers in a combat vehicle or dismounted formation (with satchel charges or rifle fire) fight, as required, under the formation commander. Engineers who prepare defenses fight from those positions alongside the defenders, if attacked. Division engineers use their close-combat skills as infantry, in an emergency, while performing their engineer mission.

Corps Level

Corps combat-engineer battalions working in either the division's or the corps's rear may be employed easiest as a separate infantry force. These units frequently work under the control of their battalion HQ and are not dispersed and integrated into other formations. They are also well located to move forward and join the force in contact, form a reserve, or prepare and occupy blocking positions. The commander directing this employment should provide early warning to allow the unit time to assemble, reorganize, and prepare before commitment. Immediate liaison must be provided from the engineer unit to the gaining maneuver command to facilitate planning and integration. This generally requires about 24 hours to accomplish, unless the unit has previously prepared for a similar mission.

When an engineer unit is employed as infantry, one major consideration for the commander is to store engineer equipment, such as bulldozers, bucket loaders, and road graders in tactical assembly areas. Equipment not used in the infantry role may be attached to other units for C2 purposes or to accomplish other engineer tasks. This is METT-T driven and generally based on the overall concept of the operation.

The commander directing the employment should augment the engineer unit with air-defense and fire-support teams. The unit should also be augmented with heavy AT weapons teams, mortar teams, and additional medical personnel, if available.

ORGANIC COMBAT POWER

Commanders with the authority to employ engineers as infantry must be aware of differences in combat power between engineer and infantry units. Combat-engineer units provide the following:

Engineer Platoon (Mechanized)

Organized as mechanized infantry, the platoon consists of four APCs carrying one HQ and three rifle squads. Each squad has a squad leader, carrier team, and dismounted team.

Engineer Company (Mechanized)

The forward elements of a reorganized engineer company consist of the company HQ, two rifle platoons, and an assault-and-obstacle platoon. Engineer equipment not needed for the infantry mission will be further task-organized to support the maneuver mission or temporarily positioned near the brigade support area (BSA).

Engineer Battalion (Mechanized)

The forward elements of the battalion consist of the battalion HQ and three rifle companies. The mechanized battalion can operate a tactical command post (TAC) and a main CP. The battalion commander has his own combat vehicle. The wheeled battalion normally establishes a consolidated HQ. The battalion establishes combat and field trains. It may keep its unique engineer equipment in an equipment park, near its field trains, or further to the rear.

Engineer Platoon (Light)

Organized as infantry, the platoon consists of one HQ and three rifle squads. Each squad has a squad leader and two fire teams.

Engineer Company (Light)

The company consists of one HQ and two infantry platoons. There are no rear elements.

Engineer Battalion (Light)

The battalion contains one small HQ and three rifle companies. The rifle strength of the light engineer battalion is low, as it contains only six rifle platoons.

UNIT CAPABILITIES

Engineer units employed as infantry do not have the same capabilities as conventional infantry units. Squad and platoon levels do not have a problem with this, as they normally operate the same as infantry organizations and have the same basic weapons.

The engineer company can effectively control other arms as a company/team because it normally works closely with them. The company, however, seldom maneuvers alone and is better suited to train for defensive operations.

To be fully effective at the battalion level, engineer units need to be augmented with heavy AT weapons and mortars, as well as the normal CS provided to any infantry unit. Engineer battalions rarely maneuver as battalions, so their training makes them most effective in a defensive role, when employed as infantry.

Employing engineers as infantry will probably occur when the force's reserve has been committed, and it must be reinforced. The engineer reserve force can be used in two ways: as a reinforcing force for units in contact or as a blocking force to block an attack or counterattack. It can accomplish this by building and occupying a strongpoint. Other uses of an engineer reserve force include¯



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