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Engineer Combat Battalion

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World War II recruiting poster for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

An Engineer Combat Battalion (ECB) was a designation for a battalion-strength combat engineer unit in the U.S. Army, most prevalent during World War II. They are a component of the United States Army Corps of Engineers.

Also known as “Combat Engineer Battalions”, they were typically divided into four companies: A, B, C, and Headquarters and Service (H&S).[1]: Chapter 5

Best known for pontoon bridge construction and clearing hazards in amphibious landings, their duties also included serving as sappers deploying and deactivating explosive charges and unexploded munitions, mapmaking, camouflage, and a wide variety of construction services supporting frontline troops. With a secondary mission of fighting as infantry when required, they were armed with .30 cal. and .50 cal. machine guns, bazookas and grenade launchers.[1]

Combat engineers played important roles in numerous World War II battles, especially breaching the heavily fortified Siegfried Line protecting the German border and numerous defensive lines established by the Wehrmacht in Italy, including the Gustav Line. Among the most familiar for their heroism and contributions to establishing key bridgeheads in Europe was at the Ludendorff Bridge at the Battle of Remagen.

Combat engineers also played roles in several unconventional operations, including the securing of elements of the German nuclear weapons program in Operation Big[2] and recovery of stolen art and treasure subsequently returned to its original owners by the Monuments Men.[2]

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.[3][4]

Capabilities

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Combat Engineers ferried infantry and special forces troops in craft such as this M2 assault boat at Dornot-Corny, Lorraine in World War II

Infantry support bridge over the Saar River erected by 289th Combat Engineers at Volklingen, Germany

A World War II era combat engineer battalion possessed both combat and combat support capabilities. These included, but were not limited to:[1][5]

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This is a very neat article.

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