131-429: A sapper , also called a 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 minefields , preparing field defenses, and road and airfield construction and repair. Sappers are also trained and equipped to serve secondarily as provisional infantry. Sappers facilitate and support
262-523: A 45-mile (72 km) front parallel to the canal. By the middle of May the railway had been completed to Romani, making it possible to bring up enough stores and equipment to deploy the 52nd (Lowland) Division there. As soon as they arrived they began to dig trenches in the sand, creating a defensive line with redoubts from Mahemdia near the Mediterranean coast, south to Katib Gannit a high point in front of Romani. Ottoman Army units retaliated to
393-568: A 50,000-strong garrison in the Katia area and obtained authority to build a pipeline to pump fresh Nile water and a railway to transport the infantry divisions and their supplies. He also decided to empty the water cisterns at Moya Harab so the central Sinai route could not again be used by Ottoman columns advancing from Palestine and to maintain some troops at Suez to defend the town. These operations began in February 1916 when construction started on
524-696: A base in the oases a large number of Ottoman troops could threaten the Suez Canal, and control the Sinai Peninsula with the threat of a flank attack . The Australian 2nd Light Horse Brigade and New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigades of Major General Harry Chauvel 's Australian and New Zealand Mounted Division (Anzac Mounted Division) were ordered to occupy the Romani area the day after the fighting at Katia and Oghratina. Here, 23 miles (37 km) from Kantara, they aggressively patrolled and reconnoitred
655-462: A combat engineer who has graduated from various levels of combat engineering training. Sapper 05 is the basic level, Sapper 06 is the general level, Sapper 08 is the combat engineer commander's level, and Sapper 11 is the combat engineer officer level. All IDF sappers are also trained as Rifleman 07, matching infantry . In the Canadian Army , it is a term for soldiers that have completed
786-526: A creditable hunt with Saluki hounds after jackals. During May 1916 Ottoman aircraft flew over the Suez Canal dropping bombs on Port Said which caused 23 casualties. On 18 May, the Ottoman occupied town and aerodrome at El Arish was bombed by order of Colonel W.G.H. Salmond, commander of the 5th Wing, in reprisal for the first Ottoman raids, and on 22 May the Royal Flying Corps bombed all camps on
917-745: A de facto independent state under the Muhammad Ali Dynasty , though it remained de jure part of the Ottoman Empire . The United Kingdom's occupation of Egypt from 1882 severely curtailed Egypt's de facto independence, but did not alter its legal status, with the Egyptian Khedive technically remaining a vassal of the Ottoman Sultan . Seeking to end the British occupation of the country, Khedive Abbas II sided with
1048-471: A key role in all armed forces of the world. They are invariably found closely integrated into the force structure of divisions, combat brigades, and smaller fighting units. In many countries, combat engineers provide combat support members of a broader military engineering corps or branch. Other nations have distinct combat engineering corps or branches; they are separate from other types of military engineers. The Danish military engineers' corps, for example,
1179-540: A passive defence of the Suez Canal. Murray had estimated a force of 250,000 could cross the Sinai and that 80,000 troops could be maintained in the Katia area. If such a large Ottoman force were to reach Katia then the British would need a very large force to defend the Suez Canal. British occupation of the oasis area which stretched eastwards from Romani and Katia to Bir el Abd along the ancient silk road would deny drinking water to any Ottoman invasion force. Murray planned
1310-485: A period of rest for the Anzac Mounted Division as there were no major battles. However, the mounted troops were busy providing screens for the construction, patrolling newly occupied areas and carrying out reconnaissances to augment aerial photographs to improve maps of the newly occupied areas. During one of the patrols, on 19 August, a group of 68 Ottoman soldiers was found half dead from thirst by
1441-560: A pioneer unit, mainly for representation duty. The current pioneer unit of the Legion reintroduced the symbols of the Napoleonic pioneers: the beard, the axe, the leather apron, the crossed-axes insignia, and the leather gloves. If the parades of the Legion are opened by this unit, it is to commemorate the traditional role of the pioneers "opening the way" for the troops. The pioneer unit is made up for parades of selected men taken in both
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#17327727191291572-556: A reliable source of water for an advance to El Arish. To provide this, the British Royal Engineers built a railway and pipeline across the Sinai Peninsula to El Arish under the leadership of Brigadier-General Everard Blair . From the middle of August to the Battle for Magdhaba on 23 December 1916, British forces waited for this necessary infrastructure to be put in place. These four months have often been described as
1703-487: A sapper is a soldier who has specialized combat engineer training. The term "sapper" in the U.S. Army refers to a person who either possesses the combat engineer military occupational specialty or who has graduated from the Sapper Leader Course, more commonly called "Sapper School." In Sapper School, volunteers from the ranks of combat engineers and other military occupational specialties (most of whom serve in
1834-535: A sledge–hammer; and additional lengths of pipe were added if necessary. The ordinary General Service "Lift and Force Pump" was then attached. This arrangement proved so efficient that "Spear Points" were issued to every Squadron in the Division, and the RE Troops carried a number of them. Our men were thus enabled to get water at any of the hods in the desert in a very short space of time. [ sic ] Once
1965-505: A superior US force. The battle was described as a "rampage of VC who threw satchels at the command bunker, knifed Americans in their sleep and destroyed all communications equipment. The Ottoman Empire had an infantry corp named Lağımcılar Ocağı (literally: Sapper Corps ). These infantries were used in most of the Empire's sieges, demolishing enemy fortifications and defences. Sapper Island, St. Joseph Channel, Algoma District, Ontario
2096-488: A tunnel from the forward-most sap up to and under the fort wall, then place a charge of gunpowder and ignite it, causing an explosion that would destroy the wall and permit attacking infantry to close with the enemy. This was dangerous work, often lethal to the sappers, and was fiercely resisted by the besieged enemy. Since the two tasks went hand in hand and were done by the same troops, native Indian engineer corps came to be called "sappers and miners". Sapper (abbreviated Spr)
2227-838: A war correspondent in the area until Captain Frank Hurley , the first Australian Official Photographer, arrived in August 1917 after visiting the Western Front. Henry Gullett , the first Official War Correspondent, arrived in November 1917. The long-lasting effect of this campaign was the Partitioning of the Ottoman Empire , when France won the mandate for Syria and Lebanon , while the British Empire won
2358-688: A well-boring plant, gyns erected on the wells, the water wells and pumping equipment at Jifjafa. They captured an Austrian engineer officer and 33 men, four of whom were wounded, and killed six Ottoman soldiers. On 9 June 1916 units from No. 2 Section of the Canal Defences formed the Mukhsheib column, consisting of part of the 3rd Light Horse Brigade, 900 camels, non-fighting units and camel transport escorted by one squadron of 9th Light Horse Regiment and 10 Bikaner Camel Corps. The engineers drained pools and cisterns of five million gallons of water in
2489-495: Is a term used (or formerly used) in many Commonwealth armies. In modern usage, it is often synonymous with combat engineer. However, the term originally identified those military engineers who supported an army operating in the field instead of garrison engineers who built and supported permanent fixed bases. In its original usage, "field engineering" would have been inclusive of but broader than "combat engineering." Sappers specialising in tunnel warfare may be known as miners. In
2620-541: Is almost entirely organized into one regiment of combat engineers, simply named Ingeniørregimentet ("The Engineering Regiment"). Combat engineer battalions are usually a part of a brigade combat team . During the War in Afghanistan and the 2003–2011 Iraq War , the U.S. Army tasked its combat engineers with route clearance missions designed to counter rising threats of improvised explosive devices (IEDs). To increase
2751-734: Is an average of eighteen planes in the air all day long, just over our heads. The din is indescribable, but the horses never look up, or otherwise take the slightest notice of the planes. The life of a pilot, computed in flying hours, is pitifully short; many of them are killed while learning. My wife is working as voluntary aid at a hospital in Ismailia, and she and her associates are constantly making shrouds for these boys that have perhaps made one little mistake in their first solo flight, and have paid for it with their lives. The army will do anything in reason for these youngsters. We are ordered to let them have riding–horses and we occasionally turn out quite
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#17327727191292882-543: Is an engineer branch soldier specialized in nuclear, biological and chemical warfare . The bombeiros-sapadores ("sapper-firefighters") are the civil municipal professional firefighters that exist in the main cities of the country. The largest unit of this type is the Regimento de Bombeiros Sapadores ("sapper-firefighters regiment") maintained by the Lisbon municipal council. The sapadores florestais (forest sappers) are
3013-494: Is another area of military engineering but is often performed by the combat engineers of some nations and in other cases is a separate responsibility, as was formerly the case in the Australian Army. While the officers of a combat engineer unit may be professionally certified civil or mechanical engineers, the non-commissioned members are generally not. In the British, Indian, Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand armies,
3144-598: Is known as the "father of Japanese Kōhei " ("日本工兵の父"). Engineer Branch officers were considered technology specialists along with Artillery Branch (砲兵科) officers in IJA, except Technical Branch (技術科) officers who have an academic degree in science or engineering and developed military technology. Selected Engineer and Artillery officers were educated at the Army Artillery and Engineering School ( 陸軍砲工学校 ). Artillery and Engineering School's Kōtō-ka (高等科, "Higher Course")
3275-469: Is often called a pioneer or sapper , terms derived respectively from the French and British armies. In some armies, pioneer and sapper indicate specific military ranks and levels of combat engineers, who work under fire in all seasons and may be allocated to different corps, as they were in the former Soviet Army, or they may be organized in the same corps. Geomatics (surveying and cartography)
3406-473: Is shown in the diagram. The raiding force was usually grouped into assault teams, each broken down into several 3–5-man assault cells. Overall, there were generally four operational echelons . An instance of a successful sapper attack conducted by the Viet Cong was the during the Battle of Fire Base Mary Ann . A small number of sappers, through surprise and deft coordination, conducted a successful attack on
3537-598: Is the Royal Engineers ' equivalent of private . This is also the case within the Indian Army Corps of Engineers , Pakistan Army Corps of Engineers , Royal Canadian Engineers , Royal Australian Engineers , South African Army Engineer Formation , Jamaica Defence Force Engineer Regiment, and Royal New Zealand Engineers . The term "sapper" was introduced in 1856, when the Corps of Royal Sappers and Miners
3668-503: 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. Combat engineers employ a wide range of transportation vehicles and equipment and use weapons unique to the engineers, including those used in land mine warfare. Basic combat engineering tools include safe use of: For obstacle breaching, including minefields,
3799-511: Is under the defenders' musket or artillery fire. It comes from the French word sapeur , itself being derived from the verb saper (to undermine, to dig under a wall or building to cause its collapse). This digging was referred to as sapping the enemy fortifications. Saps were excavated by brigades of trained sappers or instructed troops. When an army was defending a fortress with cannons, they had an obvious height and therefore range advantage over
3930-633: The 19th SFG and 20th SFG of the US Army National Guard , employ combat engineer sergeants designated by MOS 18C. A Green Berets Operational Detachment Alpha , more commonly known as an "A-Team", typically consists of 12 men, two of whom are combat engineer sergeants. Another example is the Israeli Yahalom unit, which is a special operations engineering unit, that possess the abilities of sabotage, demolition of explosives and tunnel warfare . A general combat engineer
4061-563: The 5th Light Horse Regiment (2nd Light Horse Brigade) who, rather than attacking them, gave them water and their rides. The commanding officer and his men led the Ottoman Army soldiers on their horses for 5 miles (8.0 km) through deep sand until met by transport. "This was a very queer sight and worthy of a moving picture [of these] poor sacrifices of the Huns." British infantry was brought forward to fortify and provide garrisons along
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4192-749: The Armistice of Mudros in 1918, leading to the cession of Ottoman Syria . Fighting began in January 1915, when a German-led Ottoman force invaded the Sinai Peninsula , then occupied by the British as part of a "Protectorate" Protectorate of Egypt , to unsuccessfully raid the Suez Canal . After the Gallipoli campaign , British Empire veterans formed the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) and Ottoman Empire veterans formed
4323-803: The British Indian Army of the British Raj . In the Israel Defense Forces a sapper (in Hebrew : פלס, palas ) is the military profession of a combat soldier who went through basic combat engineering training. Most of the sappers are soldiers of the Combat Engineering Corps , but there are also infantry sappers, who are part of the infantry brigades and are organized in engineering companies called פלחה"ן ( palchan ). These companies are integral part of
4454-610: The Engineer Corps as a whole and also forms part of the informal names of the three combat engineer groups, viz. Madras Sappers , Bengal Sappers and the Bombay Sappers . Each of these groups consist of about twenty battalion-sized engineer regiments and additional company-sized minor engineer units. The three sapper groups are descended from the sapper and miner groups of the East India Company and later
4585-556: The Foreign Legion . The French Corps of Engineers was created under the command of Marshal Vauban during the late 17th century. Its members were called sappers if their function was to destroy enemy fortifications by using trenches or sape and miners if they engaged in tunnel warfare or mine . The Corps of the Engineers was suppressed during two short periods (1720-1729 and 1769-1793) and sappers and miners were part of
4716-778: The Fourth Army , to fight for the Sinai Peninsula in 1916. In January 1917 the newly formed Desert Column completed the recapture of the Sinai at the Battle of Rafa . This recapture of substantial Egyptian territory was followed in March and April by two EEF defeats on Ottoman territory, at the First and Second Battles of Gaza in southern Palestine . After a period of stalemate in Southern Palestine from April to October 1917, General Edmund Allenby captured Beersheba from
4847-581: The French Army , combat engineers specialising in bridge-building are called pontoniers , while in the Italian Army , combat engineers specialising in bridge-building are called pontieri . Combat engineers are force multipliers and enhance the survival of other troops through the use and practice of camouflage, reconnaissance, communications and other services. These include the construction of roads, bridges, field fortifications , obstacles and
4978-811: The French Imperial Guard , created in 1810. This company was tasked with the protection of the Imperial palaces after the tragic fire of the Austrian embassy in Paris on 1 July 1810. The Paris Fire Service ( gardes-pompes ), a civilian institution, was re-organized as a military unit in September 1811, becoming the Paris Sappers-Firefighters Battalion. Other cities kept or created civilian firefighters services but used
5109-467: The IDF Puma combat engineering vehicle . Combat engineering commanders are qualified as "sapper 08" while combat engineering officers are qualified as "sapper 11". Both go through additional advance training to gain the skills needed for high level sapper profession. The Israel Police also maintains a bomb disposal specialist unit. All police sappers must graduate from a 10-month training program at
5240-673: The Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade , the Bikaner Camel Corps , three batteries of Indian mountain artillery and one Egyptian artillery battery. These were supported by the guns of Allied ships in the canal. Opposing them were around 25,000 men, including the 25th Division . The Ottoman Empire demonstrated its interest in being reinstated in Egypt in 1915 when Ottoman forces attacked British forces in Egypt. The Germans also helped to foment unrest among
5371-644: The Jordan River at Jisr Benat Yakub (also known as Jacob's Ford ). Here the retreating Ottoman and German rearguard had blown up the bridge's central arch, which was repaired in five hours by sappers attached to the Australian Mounted Division . While the light horse brigades forded the river, continuing the Desert Mounted Corps ' advance to Damascus , the sappers worked through the night of 27/28 September 1918, to repair
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5502-587: The Korean War , and the War in Afghanistan . The roles of a sapper entail: Bridging with the ACROW or Medium Girder Bridge as well as non-standard bridge construction; obstacle and defensive construction; enemy obstacle reduction and clearance, mine warfare; explosive ordnance disposal; water supply using the reverse-osmosis water purification unit; building and maintaining roadways and airfields; combat diving; tactical breaching; and camp construction. Ultimately,
5633-610: The Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon were created to administer the captured territories. The campaign was generally not well known or understood during the war. In Britain, the public thought of it as a minor operation, a waste of precious resources which would be better spent on the Western Front, while the peoples of India were more interested in the Mesopotamian campaign and the occupation of Baghdad . Australia did not have
5764-533: The Nile via the Sweet Water Canal to the main gates and sluices near there. At the beginning of hostilities between Britain and the Ottoman Empire in November 1914, the 30,000-strong British defence force evacuated the part of the Sinai Peninsula that was east of the canal, concentrating their defences on the western side of the canal. The British force comprised the 10th , and 11th Indian Divisions ,
5895-622: The Sapper Leader Course , which is operated by the U.S. Army Engineer School at Fort Leonard Wood , Missouri . The Sapper Leader Course is a demanding 28-day leadership development course for combat engineers that reinforces critical skills and teaches advanced techniques needed across the army. It is also designed to build esprit de corps by training soldiers in troop-leading procedures, demolitions (conventional and expedient), and mountaineering operations. The course culminates in an intense field-training exercise that reinforces
6026-513: The Senussi in what is now Libya , when they attacked western Egypt and threatened the Sudan during the Senussi campaign . Egypt was neither an independent ally nor a member of the British Empire and as such held a unique position amongst the belligerents. The recently appointed High Commissioner Sir Reginald Wingate and Murray agreed that Egypt's contributions would be restricted to the use of
6157-712: The Survey of Pakistan is part of the corps. Initially part of the Indian Corps of Engineers , it dates back to 1780 but came to its modern form in 1947 following the Independence of Pakistan . Since then it has taken part in all wars including 1965 War , 1971 War and Kargil War . It has completed the Pakistan portion of Karakoram Highway . The corps is taking part in Operation Zarb-e-Azb In
6288-473: The United States Army , sappers are combat engineers who support the front-line infantry , and they have fought in every war in U.S. history. For example, after the Battle of Yorktown , General Washington cited Louis Lebègue Duportail , the chief of engineers, for conduct that afforded "brilliant proofs of his military genius." Designation as a "sapper" is also earned as an additional proficiency. The U.S. Army authorizes four skill tabs for permanent wear above
6419-422: The combat arms ) undergo training in combat engineer and infantry battle drills, expedient demolitions, threat weapons, unarmed combat, mountaineering, and water operations. Some of the training in this 28-day course, arguably one of the most challenging in the U.S. Army, features covert infiltration techniques or survival skills. In the Israeli Defense Forces , sapper (פלס) is a military profession code denoting
6550-574: The sappe by firing down its length. As they pressed forward, a position was prepared from which a cannon could suppress the defenders on the fort's bastions. The sappers would then change the course of their trench, zig-zagging toward the fortress wall. Each leg brought the attacker's artillery closer until the besieged cannon would be sufficiently suppressed for the attackers to breach the walls. Broadly speaking, sappers were originally experts at demolishing or otherwise overcoming or bypassing fortification systems. An additional term applied to sappers of
6681-659: The 25 miles (40 km) stretch of 4-foot 8 inch standard gauge Sinai railway and water pipeline from Qantara/Kantara to Qatiya/Katia. By the end of March or early in April 16 miles (26 km) of track, including sidings, had been laid. The intact water cistern and wells on the central road across Sinai still enabled Ottoman Army forces to threaten the Canal at any time. Between 11 and 15 April, 25 Bikaner Camel Corps, 10 Engineers with 12 men from 8th Light Horse Regiment and 117 men from 9th Light Horse Regiment (30 light horsemen armed as Lancers), with 127 Egyptian Camel Transport Corps travelled 52 miles (84 km) to destroy
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#17327727191296812-403: The 3rd Infantry Division, with Bedouin irregulars, German machine-gunners and Austrian artillery from Pasha 1. Romani was defended by the 52nd (Lowland) Division, and the 1st, and 2nd Light Horse Brigades. The canal was defended by the 5th Mounted, the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigades and the 5th Light Horse Regiment. Sustained fighting began in the early hours and by about 11:00 on 4 August,
6943-439: The 5th Wing under Colonel W. G. H. Salmond. The planes flew out to sea until east of El Arish, then turned inland to approach from the southeast. Two Ottoman aircraft on the ground and two of the ten aircraft hangars were set on fire; bombs hit four others and troops were also attacked. Three British aircraft were forced to land, one in the sea. The Egyptian Expeditionary Force required huge amounts of ammunition and supplies and
7074-414: The Anzac Mounted Division on 9 August, at the extremity of British Empire lines of communication . This was the first substantial Allied victory against the Ottoman Empire in World War I, ending the Defence of the Suez Canal campaign. The Canal was never again threatened by land forces during the remainder of the war. The Allies then went on the offensive for seven months, pushing the Ottoman Army back across
7205-456: The Artillery regiments. In 1793, the Corps was reorganized into companies of miners and battalions of sappers, each assigned to a particular division. Eventually, as the missions of the Corps grew more diversified, additional titles were used by combat engineers, such as Conductor ( sapeur-conducteur ) in 1810, entrusted with the logistics of the Corps, Firefighter ( sapeur-pompier ) in 1810 or telegraph sapper ( sapeur-télégraphiste ). In 1814,
7336-422: The Austrian, German and Ottoman force had pushed the two Australian brigades back to a point where the 52nd (Lowland) Division in their trenches were able to attack the attackers' right flank, and the New Zealand Mounted Rifle and 5th Mounted Brigades arrived in time to extend the Australian Light Horse's line. The Ottoman advance was stopped by the combined Allied fire from the infantry and mounted troops, deep sand,
7467-426: The British Indian Army was "miner." The native engineer corps were called "sappers and miners," for example, the Royal Bombay Sappers and Miners . The term arose from a task done by sappers to further the battle after saps were dug. The saps permitted cannons to be brought into firing range of the besieged fort and its cannons, but often the cannons themselves were unable to breach the fort walls. The engineers would dig
7598-465: The Canal and north of El Ferdan Station. The yeomanry 5th Mounted Brigade were guarding the water pipeline and railway being built out into the desert towards Romani. While the three regiments were widely dispersed, squadrons were surprised and overwhelmed at Katia and Oghratina , east of Romani, suffering the loss of about two squadrons. Fighting for the oases area during a raid on Katia and Oghratina demonstrated its importance to both sides. From
7729-411: The Canal. He moved to the headquarters of the Fourth Army in Ain Sofar in August, then to the new headquarters in Jerusalem , and waited for the German specialists. However, the Ottoman line of communication was extended towards Egypt, with the completion of the 100-mile (160 km) section of the Ottoman railway to Beersheba, which was opened on 17 October 1915. Von Kressenstein's raids confirmed
7860-418: The Engineers, thus creating the title sapeurs-pontonniers . In 1909, the Engineering Arm of the Army Staff was entrusted the burgeoning Air Service ( Aérostation militaire ), its personal was titled sapper-airman ( sapeur-aérostier ). The titled was disused in 1914 when the Air Service took its independence from the Engineering Arm. The first fire company created by Napoléon I was a military sapper company of
7991-433: The Europeans who controlled both these industries. In the autumn of 1917 GHQ was transferred from Cairo to the front leaving garrison battalions. This move took the commander in chief of the EEF, who was responsible for martial law, out of touch with the civil authorities, and unrest in Egypt became serious during the winter of 1917/18. By 1917, 15,000 Egyptian volunteers were serving in the Egyptian Army, deployed mainly in
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#17327727191298122-443: The III Corps. The Ottoman defences were captured by 8 November, and the pursuit began. EEF victories followed, at the Battle of Mughar Ridge , 10 to 14 November, and the Battle of Jerusalem , 17 November to 30 December. Serious losses on the Western Front in March 1918, during Erich Ludendorff 's German spring offensive , forced the British Empire to send reinforcements from the EEF. The advance stalled until Allenby's force resumed
8253-403: The Infantry and the Engineers regiments of the Legion. In the Hellenic Army , there is the "mechanic" or "Corps of Engineers" (μηχανικό; michaniko ). The Italian Army uses the term "Guastatori" for its combat engineers, "Pionieri" for its construction engineers, "Pontieri" for its bridging engineers, and "Ferrovieri" for its railroad engineers. In Portugal, the term "sapper" is used both in
8384-453: The Ottoman Empire upon the latter's entry into the First World War on the side of the Central Powers. This prompted the United Kingdom to depose Abbas, terminate the still persisting legal fiction of Ottoman sovereignty over Egypt, and declare the re-establishment of the Sultanate of Egypt, with Hussein Kamel , uncle of the deposed Khedive, as Sultan . The sultanate was to be administered as a British protectorate , with all matters pertinent to
8515-490: The PAVN and Viet Cong commando–sapper units which were organized as independent formations. While not always successful due to lack of appropriate personal weapon types for combat and assault like other special forces , they were still capable of inflicting heavy damage with their non-firearms arsenal. During the Vietnam War, they were armed with various types of bombs, mines, explosive charges, grenades and even steel-pellet mines which proved especially devastating. These are still
8646-413: The Sinai Peninsula, fighting the Battles of Magdhaba and Rafa before being stopped on Ottoman soil in southern Palestine at the First Battle of Gaza in March 1917. In early June 1916, the Sharifian Army of Sherif Hussein , Amir of Mecca, launched attacks on the Ottoman garrisons in Mecca and Jeddah in the south western Arabian Peninsula . Jeddah fell quickly allowing the Royal Navy to use
8777-443: The Sudan with three battalions in the EEF, along with 98,000 labourers, 23,000 of whom were serving overseas. The number of Egyptian enlistments could not be increased as conscription could threaten the production of much needed food and cotton and the stability of Egypt. Also by this time, much of the railway lines in Egypt that were not crucial to the production of cotton, sugar, cereals and forages, had already been lifted and used on
8908-422: The Suez Canal, from shortly after midnight on 3/4 August until the invading force retired during the late morning and afternoon of 5 August. The Central Powers force of Austrians, Germans and Ottomans, led by Kress von Kressenstein, sought to stop the British Empire reclaiming the Egyptian territory of the Sinai Peninsula and cut the Suez Canal by bringing it within artillery range. It numbered 12,000, mainly from
9039-483: The Suez Canal. Colonel Kress von Kressenstein did all he could to keep the British occupied, launching an attack on 8 April 1915 when a mine was placed in the Suez Canal, which was located and disabled by a patrol, and between 5 and 13 May 1915 he personally led a charge. During the Gallipoli campaign these tactics were abandoned. Von Kressenstein also demanded German special forces, which were promised to arrive in February 1916, to prepare another expedition against
9170-435: The United Kingdom formed the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force commanded by Lieutenant General Sir Archibald Murray with headquarters at Ismailia. After the evacuation from Gallipoli the total British force in Egypt was nearly 400,000 men in 13 infantry and mounted divisions, a force regarded as the strategic reserve for the whole Empire. In March 1916, Sir Archibald Murray took command of all these forces which were united into
9301-450: The Wadi Mukhsheib, sealed the cisterns to prevent them refilling during next season's rains and returned on 14 June. At the same time a detachment of Middlesex Yeomanry advanced to Moiya Harab. With the central Sinai route now denied to them, Ottoman forces could only advance towards the Suez Canal along the northern coast. Kress von Kressenstein launched a surprise attack on Easter Sunday, also Saint George's Day , 23 April 1916, east of
9432-503: The ability of one's own force to move around the battlefield. Combat engineers typically support this role through reduction of enemy obstacles which include point and row minefields, anti-tank ditches, wire obstacles, concrete, and metal anti-vehicle barriers, and improvised explosive devices (IED) and wall and door breaching in urban terrain. Mechanized combat engineer units also have armored vehicles capable of laying short bridges for limited gap-crossing. Building obstacles to prevent
9563-567: The area. The Australian 1st Light Horse Brigade arrived at Romani on 28 May 1916. Until the railway and water pipeline to Pelusium Station and Romani were built, all water, food (mainly bully beef and biscuits, as packing and transport methods did not allow fresh meat and vegetables), shelters, other equipment and ammunition had to be carried to this position by the Egyptian Camel Transport Corps. With flies attracted to horse litter, etc., provision of safe sanitation
9694-484: The army allowed them certain privileges such as the authorization to wear beards . In addition to their beards and axes, they traditionally wear leather aprons and gloves. The pioneers units disappeared during the mid-20th c. century, their last appearance being the short-lived Pioneers Regiments of 1939–1944, a military public works service using the older draftees in the army. Only the Foreign Legion kept using
9825-455: The atmosphere into a haze of floating sand particles flung about by a hot southerly wind. The ANZAC troops and their commanders, unused to the conditions, suffered considerably from heatstroke and thirst during these early patrols. One such patrol, returning during the hottest part of the day after a sleepless night far from base, and very little water, suffered casualties of 160 men who collapsed from heat exhaustion. An important innovation in
9956-422: The attacker's guns. The attacking army's artillery had to be brought forward, under fire, so as to facilitate effective counter-battery fire . This was achieved by digging what the French termed a sappe (derived from the archaic French word for spade or entrenching tool ). Using techniques developed and perfected by Vauban , the sappers began the trench at such an angle so as to avoid enemy fire enfilading
10087-482: The attackers. The placement of land mines to create minefields and their maintenance and removal. Building structures which enable one's own soldiers to survive on the battlefield. Examples include trenches, bunkers, shelters, and armored vehicle fighting positions. Defensive fortifications are designed to prevent intrusion into the inner works by infantry . For minor defensive locations, these may only consist of simple walls and ditches. The design principle
10218-482: The basic Combat Engineer training. In the Portuguese Army , a sapador de engenharia (engineering sapper) is a soldier of the engineering branch that has specialized combat engineer training. A sapador de infantaria (infantry sapper) is a soldier of the infantry branch that has a similar training and that usually serves in the combat support sapper platoon of an infantry battalion. The Italian Army uses
10349-678: The bomb disposal training center in Beit Shemesh , which includes operational exercises, theoretical studies, and fieldwork. In Japan, Kōhei-ka ( 工兵科 , 工 means "engineer" and 兵 means "soldiers"), or Engineer Branch in English, was a branch (兵科) of the Imperial Japanese Army . General Yūsaku Uehara , who introduced the French sapeur or ingénieur system to IJA and authored the Kōhei Sōten (工兵操典, "Engineers' Manual"),
10480-451: The brackish water was found, a medical officer assessed it as either drinking water, horse water or not fit for horses, and signs were erected. In June, the 1st Light Horse Brigade carried out reconnaissances to Bir Bayud, Sagia and Oghratina, to Bir el Abd, Hod el Ge'eila, Hod um el Dhauanin and Hod el Mushalfat. Another routine reconnaissance by 2nd Light Horse Brigade took place on 9 July to El Salmana. Just ten days later, El Salmana
10611-470: The bridge to enable the division's wheeled vehicles and guns to follow on 28 September. In the Canadian Forces, sappers exist both in the regular force and reserve force. The rank of sapper is used instead of private trained to signify completion of the basic Engineer training course. Canadian sappers have been deployed in many major conflicts in recent history including World War I, World War II,
10742-429: The canal posed a number of problems, with its sheer size alone making it hard to control. There was no road from Cairo , while only one railway track crossed the 30 miles (48 km) of desert from Cairo to Ismaïlia on the canal before branching north to Port Said and south to Suez . Control of the central area around Ismaïlia was of great strategic importance because these three canal towns relied on fresh water from
10873-427: The canal, the rest of the advance party abandoning attempts to cross as a result of the strong British defence by 30,000 men of the Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade and the Bikaner Camel Corps supported by Egyptian Army and Indian mountain artillery. The British then amassed troops at the scene which made another crossing impossible. The Ottoman companies held their positions until the evening of 3 February 1915, when
11004-474: The combat engineers in the Austro-Hungarian k.u.k. Forces were called "Pioniere". In the British, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand armies, an assault pioneer is an infantry soldier with some limited combat engineer training in clearing obstacles during assaults and light engineering duties. Until recently, assault pioneers were responsible for the operation of flamethrowers . Field engineer
11135-952: The combat engineers use a variety of vehicles, explosive devices, and plastic explosives including: The Basic Field Manual, Engineer Soldier's Handbook , 2 June 1943 (FM 21-105) was written to provide guidance to a new combat engineer in the United States. Sinai and Palestine Campaign Force in Egypt (to March 1916) Egyptian Expeditionary Force Fourth Army Yildirim Army Group 1,200,000 (total) January 1915: over 150,000 men September 1918: 467,650 total number of personnel Estimated 200,000–400,000 January 1918: [REDACTED] 61,877 battle casualties 5,981+ died of disease c. 100,000+ evacuated sick French and Italian casualties: Unknown [REDACTED] 190,200 battle casualties ~40,900 died of disease [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Unknown total The Sinai and Palestine campaign
11266-444: The commanding officer ordered them to withdraw. The retreat proceeded "orderly, first into a camp ten km east of Ismailia". Subsequently, Ottoman advance troops and outposts were maintained on the Sinai peninsula on a line between El Arish and Nekhl , with forces at Gaza and Beersheba. During the next few months Kress von Kressenstein commanded mobile units and launched a series of raids and attacks in an attempt to disrupt traffic on
11397-540: The companies of miners were integrated into the sapper battalions, themselves organized in Engineers Regiments ( régiments du génie ). In 1875, the distinction between miners and sappers was abolished and all members of the Corps of Engineers were titled sappers-miners, though only sapper was used in common usage. In 1894, the pontonniers or bridgemakers were transferred from the Artillery Corps to
11528-440: The conclusion of the Battle of Romani on 12 August 1916, the Ottoman Army had been pushed back to its forward position at Bir el Abd, the last oasis in the series stretching from the Romani area. The Ottomans' main forward base was pushed back to El Arish, with a fortified advanced post at Bir el Mazar, where a small group of wells which reliably provided water. El Arish was the target of an air raid on 18 June 1916 by 11 aircraft of
11659-774: The construction and running of water points. In these roles, combat engineers use a wide variety of hand and power tools. They are also responsible for construction rigging, the use of explosives , and the carrying out of demolitions, obstacle clearance, and obstacle construction, assault of fortifications, use of assault boats in water obstacle crossings, helipad construction, general construction, route reconnaissance and road reconnaissance, and erecting communication installations. Combat engineers build and run water distribution points, carrying out water filtration, and NBC decontamination when necessary, and storage prior to distribution. All these role activities and technologies are divided into several areas of combat engineering: Improving
11790-471: The country's railway and Egyptian personnel. However, Maxwell had proclaimed on 6 November 1914 that Egypt would not be required to aid Britain's war effort. Martial law allowed the British administration to control foreign European residents, monitor foreign agents and intern dangerous persons who were the subjects of hostile nations. The powers were also used to police prostitution and the sale of alcohol. The Capitulations , however provided some protection to
11921-421: The duties referenced. Combat engineer A combat engineer (also called pioneer or sapper ) is a type of soldier who performs military engineering tasks in support of land forces combat operations. Combat engineers perform a variety of military engineering, tunnel and mine warfare tasks, as well as construction and demolition duties in and out of combat zones. Combat engineers facilitate
12052-465: The effectiveness of these units, EOD and mechanic teams were typically embedded with the combat engineer platoon. Due to rising IED threats, the U.S. Army sends some combat engineers to complete Explosive Ordnance Clearance Agent training. Individual combat engineers are often assigned as a component of both covert and overt direct action special operations teams. For example, the active duty US Army Special Forces and its two reserve components ,
12183-781: The end of 1915 General Sir John Maxwell, with headquarters at Cairo, had responsibility for troops in the Egyptian Delta, the Western Desert and the Sudan and administered martial law over the whole region including the Suez Canal. The British War Office controlled the Levant Base which was responsible for administering British Empire forces in Salonika, Gallipoli, Mesopotamia and India, and had its headquarters at Alexandria. The retreating forces on Gallipoli and divisions from
12314-410: The enemy from moving around the battlefield. Destroying bridges, blocking roads, creating airstrips, digging trenches, etc. Can also include planting land mines and anti-handling devices when authorized and directed to do so. When the defender must retreat it is often desirable to destroy anything that may be of use to the enemy, particularly bridges, as their destruction can slow the advance of
12445-486: The getting of water, which enabled the mounted units to operate more effectively over wide areas of rocky desert areas and sand dunes on reconnaissance, was the Spear Point, developed by Australian Engineers designed to be attached to a pump: A 2 ½ inch pipe was pointed, perforated and covered with a sheet of fine perforated brass. This was driven down into the water area by means of a small pulley bar and monkey, or by
12576-696: The impracticality, identified by Lord Kitchener , Secretary of State for War , in November 1914, of defending the Suez Canal from the western side. Near the end of 1915, with the Gallipoli campaign drawing to an end, Cabinet authorised new positions to be established in the desert about 11,000 yards (10 km) east of the Canal, strengthening defence of the canal against long range guns, and agreed to provide additional troops. Port Said became headquarters of these new defences, with an advanced headquarters at Kantara. The defences were organised into three sectors: At
12707-556: The increased British Empire presence at the beginning of June, with the first of many air raids on Romani killing eight troopers from the 1st Light Horse Brigade and wounding 22. About 100 horses were also lost. At this time the forward Ottoman air base was at Bir el Mazar, 42 miles (68 km) east of Romani. Early reconnaissances by the ANZAC Mounted Division covered considerable distances from Romani as far as Oghratina, to Bir el Abd and Bir Bayud. The longest raid
12838-431: The infantry brigades. Combat engineering corps sappers are arranged in battalions. Each sapper goes through high level infantry training, which qualifies him as rifleman 06 (רובאי 06). Combat engineering sappers are qualified as "sapper 06" (פלס 06). They are skilled in infantry combat, basic sabotage , landmine planting and demining , use of explosives , breaching and opening routes, trench warfare , and operating
12969-453: The length of the railway. They formed a firm base for mobile operations and defence in depth for the huge administrative organisation advancing with the railway, in support of the Anzac Mounted Division and the 52nd (Lowland) Division. The movement of the infantry across Sinai was eased by construction of wire netting roads also used by Egyptian Labour Corps, light vehicles, cars, and ambulances. This reasonably stable surface, which did not sink,
13100-518: The main weapons of the đặc công . These elite units served as raiders against American/ ARVN troops, and infiltrated spearheads during the final Ho Chi Minh Campaign in 1975, where they seized key road and bridge assets, destroyed installations, attacked command and control nodes located deep inside enemy territory, planted explosives on U.S. water craft, and otherwise helped the PAVN's rapid mobile forces advance. A typical PAVN/VC đặc công organization
13231-717: The mandates for Mesopotamia and Palestine. The Republic of Turkey came into existence in 1923 after the Turkish War of Independence ended the Ottoman Empire. The European mandates ended with the formation of the Kingdom of Iraq in 1932, the Lebanese Republic in 1943, the Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan and Syrian Arab Republic in 1946, and the State of Israel in 1948. Since 1805 , Egypt had been
13362-447: The mid summer mid day heat and thirst. In mid summer desert conditions, the British infantry were unable to move effectively to pursue the retreating columns the next day and alone, the Anzac Mounted Division was unable to attack and capture Von Kressenstein's large force which made an orderly retreat to Katia and eventually back to their base at Bir el Abd. Bir el Abd was abandoned on 12 August 1916 after fierce fighting, during an attack by
13493-424: The military and in the civilian environment. In the Portuguese Army , a sapador de engenharia (engineering sapper) is a soldier of the engineer branch that has specialized combat engineer training. A sapador de infantaria (infantry sapper) is a soldier of the infantry branch that has a similar training and who usually serves in the combat support sapper platoon of an infantry battalion. A sapador NBQ (NBC sapper)
13624-634: The military railway, except the Khedivial Railway from Alexandria to Dabaa which was available for emergencies. The Egyptian Labour Corps and the Egyptian Camel Transport Corps had performed invaluable service during the Sinai campaign and would perform even greater service and hardships during the coming Palestine campaign. As the war dragged on and the fighting moved beyond the Egyptian border, many Egyptians felt
13755-771: The military ranks and organization of the Paris Battalion. In 1831, National Guard engineers companies became the reserve components of the Fire Services and kept their military organization even after the disappearance of the National Guard in 1852. Sapper-firefighter is the common title of the civilian and Paris firefighters in France, but the other military firefighters units, such as the Marseille Naval Fire Battalion , do not use
13886-467: The military. JGSDF Engineer Branch personnel are educated at JGSDF Engineer School ( 陸上自衛隊施設学校 ). In France, sapper ( sapeur ) is the title of military combat engineers and firefighters , both civil and military, (sapper-fireman or sapeur-pompier ). Military sappers fall under the umbrella of the Engineering Arm or Arme du Génie . A related title is pioneer ( pionnier ), used only in
14017-779: The mobility of friendly forces while impeding that of the enemy. They also work to assure the survivability of friendly forces, building fighting positions, fortifications , and roads . They conduct demolition missions and clear minefields manually or through use of specialized vehicles . Common combat engineer missions include construction and breaching of trenches, tank traps and other obstacles and fortifications ; obstacle emplacement and bunker construction; route clearance and reconnaissance; bridge and road construction or destruction; emplacement and clearance of land mines ; and combined arms breaching. Typically, combat engineers are also trained in infantry tactics and, when required, serve as provisional infantry. Combat engineers play
14148-479: The movement, defense, and survival of superordinate and allied forces, and impede those of enemies. The term "sapper" is used in the British Army and Commonwealth nations, the U.S. military, and the militaries of other countries. A sapper, in the sense first used by the French military, was one who dug trenches to allow besieging forces to advance towards the enemy defensive works and forts over ground that
14279-417: The new Egyptian Expeditionary Force . Murray believed a British advance into the Sinai to occupy Qatiya/Katia would be more cost effective than the static defences recently established. The War Office agreed to this, but not to his more ambitious plan to advance to the Ottoman border. He believed that the area captured in an advance to El Arish or Rafa could be held with fewer troops than would be needed for
14410-505: The northern sector of the Canal and near Suez in the south. These were followed by the main attacks on 3 and 4 February, on the Suez Canal to east of the Suez to Kantara Railway. Kress von Kressenstein's Ottoman Suez Expeditionary Force advanced from Southern Palestine to arrive on the Canal on 2 February when they succeeded in crossing the Canal near Ismailia on the morning of 3 February 1915. Only two Ottoman companies successfully crossed
14541-574: The objective of the sappers is to facilitate the living, moving, and to fight for friendly troops on the battlefield and denying the same to enemy forces. The motto of the Canadian Military Engineers is Ubique ( Latin : everywhere ) a motto shared with the Royal Canadian Artillery . The term "sappers", in addition to the connotation of rank of engineer private, is used collectively to informally refer to
14672-460: The offensive during the manoeuvre warfare of the Battle of Megiddo in September. The successful infantry battles at Tulkarm and Tabsor created gaps in the Ottoman front line, allowing the pursuing Desert Mounted Corps to encircle the infantry fighting in the Judean Hills and fight the Battle of Nazareth and Battle of Samakh , capturing Afulah, Beisan , Jenin and Tiberias . In
14803-459: The only sappers or combat engineers present at the historical Battle of Khe Sanh belonged to US, South Vietnamese and (opposing) North Vietnamese units. In the 2008 science-fiction novel The Last Colony , a fictitious "sapper field" technology is used to disrupt enemy weapons operation. Rudyard Kipling's poem "Sappers" (1896) detailed some of the duties of Sappers in the British Army of Victorian times. The notes on this poem further explain
14934-682: The port. Fighting in Mecca lasted three weeks. A large Ottoman garrison held out at Taif until late September when they capitulated, while Sherif Hussein's third son Feisal attacked the Ottoman garrison at Medina . The British were keen to extend the Arab Revolt by destabilizing sections of the Ottoman Empire through which the Hejaz Railway ran north – south, from Istanbul to Damascus and on to Amman , Maan , Medina and to Mecca. The railway, built with German assistance to carry pilgrims,
15065-610: The process the EEF destroyed three Ottoman armies during the Battle of Sharon , the Battle of Nablus and the Third Transjordan attack , capturing thousands of prisoners and large quantities of equipment. Damascus and Aleppo were captured during the subsequent pursuit, before the Ottoman Empire agreed to the Armistice of Mudros on 30 October 1918, ending the Sinai and Palestine campaign. The British Mandate of Palestine and
15196-581: The professionals maintained by the government , local authorities and large private forestry companies, who cleans and maintain forests and prevents and fights forest fires . In the Pakistan Army , sapper officers perform combat and normal engineer duties. The Corps is led by the Engineer-in-Chief who is a Lt Gen . The current Engineer-in-Chief is Lt Gen Khalid Asghar. The Frontier Works Organization , Military Engineering Service and
15327-477: The sapper title, as they had no military engineers lineage. Since the 18th century, every grenadier battalion in the French Army had a small unit of pioneers , sometimes called sappers-pioneers ( sapeurs-pionniers ). They had the mission to advance under enemy fire in order to destroy the obstacles drawn by the enemy and to clear the way for the rest of the infantry . The danger of such missions resulted in pioneers having short life expectancies. Because of this,
15458-549: The term guastatori for their combat engineers. In the Finnish army , pioneeri is the private equivalent rank in the army for a soldier who has completed the basic combat engineering training. Naval engineers retain the rank matruusi but bear the pioneeri insignia on their sleeves. The German Bundeswehr uses the term Pionier for their combat engineers and other specialized units, who are associated with Special Forces to clear obstacles and perform engineering duties. Also
15589-584: The unit patch on the left shoulder (Army Regulation 670-1 Chapter 29–13, Sub-Paragraph f). Along with the Sapper Tab , the Special Forces Tab , Ranger Tab , and President's Hundred Tab identify soldiers who have passed a demanding course of military instruction and have demonstrated their competence in particular specialties and skills. To wear the Sapper Tab, a soldier must graduate from
15720-696: The use of the battle drills and specialized engineer techniques learned throughout the course. The course is open to enlisted soldiers in the grades of E-4 (P) (Army specialists and corporals on the list for promotion to sergeant) through E-7, cadets, and officers O-3 (Captain) and below. The course is primarily for U.S. Army and USMC combat engineers, but may be attended by all service members with an approved waiver. PAVN (People's Army of Vietnam) and Viet Cong sappers, as they were called by US forces, are better described as commando units. The Vietnamese term đặc công can be literally translated as "special task". Thousands of specially trained elite fighters served in
15851-483: The war effort controlled exclusively by the United Kingdom. The Suez Canal was of vital strategic importance to the British, reducing the sailing time from India, New Zealand and Australia to Europe. As a result Egypt became a major base during the war, particularly during the Gallipoli campaign . To Germany and the Ottoman Empire the canal was the closest and weakest link in British communications. Defence of
15982-427: The war no longer concerned them. At the same time the increasing need for Egyptian personnel turned volunteers into forced labour, although "highly paid," in a system controlled by the local mudirs. From 26 January to 4 February 1915 the Suez Canal was attacked by a large force of the Ottoman Army. Beginning on 26 and 27 January, two smaller flanking columns of the Ottoman Army made secondary attacks near Kantara in
16113-442: Was a constant battle. Incinerators were constructed to burn refuse by stacking used bully beef tins filled with sand. During this period men had to patrol constantly despite poor diet, severe weather conditions, little shelter from the sun and very few rest periods. [In] April 1916 – Everything is being hurried up. The big English flying school near our camp has been ordered to turn out as many pilots as quickly as possible and there
16244-604: Was also studied by non-artillery and non-engineer officers. Ordinary personnel at Engineer Branch are educated at the Army Engineer School ( 陸軍工兵学校 ) and other schools. JGSDF Shisetsu-ka ( 施設科 , "施設" literally means "facilities"), or Engineer Branch in English, is equivalent to the IJA Kōhei-ka . In accordance with the JSDF's nomenclature, this title was devised to avoid the character for 'soldier', which evokes
16375-764: Was amalgamated with the officer corps of the Royal Engineers to form the Corps of Royal Engineers. During the course of the First World War, some Royal Marines also took the rank of Sapper. This was adopted as tradition in the Royal Marine Divisional Engineers of the Royal Naval Division . During the Sinai and Palestine Campaign of World War I, Australian sappers repaired a bridge at the historic crossing of
16506-467: Was equivalent to the Army War College . Some Kōtōka graduates, like Lt. Gen. Takeo Yasuda , continued their studies as Rikugun Ingai Gakusei (陸軍員外学生) at Imperial University of Tokyo's Engineering Faculty and Science Faculty and obtained degrees. Due to the apparent importance of science and technology, Artillery and Engineering School was renamed Army Science School during World War II and
16637-542: Was made on 31 May 1916 by the New Zealand Mounted Rifle Brigade to Salmana, covering 100 kilometres (62 mi) in 36 hours. After the middle of May and in particular from mid June to the end of July the heat in the Sinai desert ranged from extreme to fierce. Even worse for the British were the Khamsin dust storms which blow once every 50 days for a few hours or several days, turning
16768-493: Was named in honour of sappers, especially those who graduated from the Royal Military College of Canada . 46°18′56″N 83°57′29″W / 46.31556°N 83.95806°W / 46.31556; -83.95806 In the 1978 song by Australian rock band Cold Chisel , " Khe Sanh ", the narrator (a fictional Australian army Vietnam War veteran) says "I left my heart to the sappers round Khe Sanh". However,
16899-646: Was not only important for Ottoman communications but contained solidly-built stone station buildings which could form defensive positions. With the balance of power in northern Sinai moving in favour of the British, the Sherif was encouraged to seek support for his revolt from as far north as Baalbek, north of Damascus. In London, the War Office, hoping to foment unrest throughout the Ottoman Arab territories, encouraged Murray's plan to advance to El Arish. At
17030-532: Was occupied by Ottoman Army units as they concentrated for the Battle of Romani . In the middle of June the No. 1 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps began active service with "B" Flight at Suez doing reconnaissance work and on 9 July "A" Flight was stationed at Sherika in Upper Egypt with "C" Flight based at Kantara. The battle of Romani took place near the Egyptian town of that name 23 miles (37 km) east of
17161-791: Was part of the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I , taking place between January 1915 and October 1918. The British Empire , the French Third Republic , and the Kingdom of Italy fought alongside the Arab Revolt in opposition to the Ottoman Empire , the German Empire , and the Austro-Hungarian Empire . It started with an Ottoman attempt at raiding the Suez Canal in 1915 and ended with
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