120-586: The Royal Australian Engineers ( RAE ) is the military engineering corps of the Australian Army (although the word corps does not appear in their name or on their badge). The RAE is ranked fourth in seniority of the corps of the Australian Army, behind the Staff Cadets , Armoured and Artillery Corps . The corps was formed by the amalgamation of the various colonial engineer corps of
240-537: A better system of training for siege operations was required. On 23 April 1812 an establishment was authorised, by Royal Warrant, to teach "Sapping, Mining, and other Military Fieldworks" to the junior officers of the Corps of Royal Engineers and the Corps of Royal Military Artificers, Sappers and Miners. The first courses at the Royal Engineers Establishment were done on an all ranks basis with
360-480: A dedicated force of military engineering specialists were the Romans, whose army contained a dedicated corps of military engineers known as architecti . This group was pre-eminent among its contemporaries. The scale of certain military engineering feats, such as the construction of a double-wall of fortifications 30 miles (48 km) long, in just 6 weeks to completely encircle the besieged city of Alesia in 52 B.C.E.,
480-574: A fight, and the western section was not of any strategic value to either side, so they did not battle there. The Japanese invaded the north shore of the Australia territories and were aiming to move south and take the southern shore too. The highlands, northern and eastern parts of the island became key battlefields in the South West Pacific Theatre of World War II . Notable battles were for Port Moresby (the naval battle
600-778: A floristic region that extends from the Malay Peninsula across Indonesia to New Guinea and the East Melanesian Islands . The flora of New Guinea is a mixture of many tropical rainforest species with origins in Asia, together with typically Australasian flora. Typical Southern Hemisphere flora include the conifers Podocarpus and the rainforest emergents Araucaria and Agathis , as well as tree ferns and several species of Eucalyptus . New Guinea has 284 species and six orders of mammals: monotremes , three orders of marsupials , rodents and bats ; 195 of
720-565: A force of 233 regular troops and a militia force of 1,750. With the outbreak of World War II , however, the corps was expanded greatly, eventually reaching a peak of 32,984 men in 1945. RAE units of the Second Australian Imperial Force and militia served in North Africa , Malaya , New Guinea and Borneo campaigns . Following the end of the war, the size of the corps was once again reduced. Nevertheless,
840-483: A given volume in a short duration. Specific military engineering occupations also extend to the field of explosives and demolitions and their usage on the battlefield. Explosive devices have been used on the battlefield for several centuries, in numerous operations from combat to area clearance. Earliest known development of explosives can be traced back to 10th-century China where the Chinese are credited with engineering
960-537: A near-equivalent number of separate languages, which makes New Guinea the most linguistically diverse area in the world. Ethnologue 's 14th edition lists 826 languages of Papua New Guinea and 257 languages of Western New Guinea , total 1073 languages, with 12 languages overlapping. They can be divided into two groups, the Austronesian languages , and all the others placed in the catch-all category of Papuan languages , most of which are unrelated. The separation
1080-638: A new name because of the negative association of Papua . Frans Kaisiepo , the committee leader, suggested the name from Mansren Koreri myths, Iri-an from the Biak language of Biak Island , meaning "hot land" (referring to the climate), but also from Iryan which means heated process as a metaphor for a land that is entering a new era. In Serui Iri-an ( lit. "land-nation") means "pillar of nation", while in Merauke Iri-an ( lit. "placed higher-nation") means "rising spirit" or "to rise". The name
1200-489: A part of Indonesia and is organized as the provinces of Papua , Central Papua , Highland Papua , South Papua , Southwest Papua , and West Papua . The two major cities on the island are Port Moresby and Jayapura . The island has been known by various names: The name Papua was used to refer to parts of the island before contact with the West. Its etymology is unclear; one theory states that it derived from Tidore ,
1320-553: A popular spectacle for the local people by 1843, when 43,000 came to watch a field day laid on to test a method of assaulting earthworks for a report to the Inspector General of Fortifications. In 1869 the title of the Royal Engineers Establishment was changed to "The School of Military Engineering" (SME) as evidence of its status, not only as the font of engineer doctrine and training for the British Army , but also as
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#17327728410481440-401: A technical discipline, the term civil engineering entered the lexicon as a way to distinguish between those specializing in the construction of such non-military projects and those involved in the older discipline. As the prevalence of civil engineering outstripped engineering in a military context and the number of disciplines expanded, the original military meaning of the word "engineering"
1560-429: Is divided politically into roughly equal halves across a north–south line: The current population of the island of New Guinea is about fifteen million. Archaeological evidence indicates that humans may have inhabited the island continuously since 50,000 BCE, and first settlement possibly dating back to 60,000 years ago has been proposed. The island is presently populated by almost a thousand different tribal groups and
1680-611: Is an example. Such military engineering feats would have been completely new, and probably bewildering and demoralizing, to the Gallic defenders. Vitruvius is the best known of these Roman army engineers, due to his writings surviving. Examples of battles before the early modern period where military engineers played a decisive role include the Siege of Tyre under Alexander the Great , the Siege of Masada by Lucius Flavius Silva as well as
1800-437: Is around 4,000 m (13,100 ft) elevation, and the tallest peaks contain equatorial glaciers —which have been retreating since at least 1936 . Various other smaller mountain ranges occur both north and west of the central ranges. Except in high elevations, most areas possess a warm humid climate throughout the year, with some seasonal variation associated with the northeast monsoon season. Another major habitat feature
1920-412: Is commonly listed under the role of combat engineers who demolitions expertise also includes mine and IED detection and disposal. For more information, see Bomb disposal . Military engineers are key in all armed forces of the world, and invariably found either closely integrated into the force structure, or even into the combat units of the national troops. Brazilian Army engineers can be part of
2040-774: Is home to an estimated 44 uncontacted tribal groups . With some 786,000 km of tropical land—less than one-half of one percent (0.5%) of the Earth's surface—New Guinea has an immense biodiversity , containing between 5 and 10 percent of the total species on the planet. This percentage is about the same amount as that found in the United States or Australia. A high percentage of New Guinea's species are endemic , and thousands are still unknown to science: probably well over 200,000 species of insect, between 11,000 and 20,000 plant species, and over 650 resident bird species. Most of these species are shared, at least in their origin, with
2160-703: Is known as the Battle of the Coral Sea ), Milne Bay and for the Kokoda track . Papuans often gave vital assistance to the Allies , fighting alongside Australian troops, and carrying equipment and injured men across New Guinea. Approximately 216,000 Japanese, Australian and U.S. soldiers, sailors and airmen died during the New Guinea Campaign. Following the return to civil administration after World War II,
2280-533: Is loosely defined as the art, science, and practice of designing and building military works and maintaining lines of military transport and military communications . Military engineers are also responsible for logistics behind military tactics. Modern military engineering differs from civil engineering . In the 20th and 21st centuries, military engineering also includes CBRN defense and other engineering disciplines such as mechanical and electrical engineering techniques. According to NATO , "military engineering
2400-529: Is most often used for a wider region that includes lands, such as New Zealand , which are not on the same continental shelf. In the early 1970s, they introduced the term Greater Australia for the Pleistocene continent. Then, at a 1975 conference and consequent publication, they extended the name Sahul from its previous use for just the Sahul Shelf to cover the continent. The island of New Guinea
2520-451: Is not merely linguistic; warfare among societies was a factor in the evolution of the men's house : separate housing for groups of adult men, away from the single-family houses of women and children. Pig-based trade between groups and pig-based feasts form a common tradition with the other peoples of southeast Asia and Oceania. Most Papuan societies practice agriculture, supplemented by hunting and gathering. Current evidence indicates that
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#17327728410482640-639: Is now largely obsolete. In its place, the term "military engineering" has come to be used. In ancient times, military engineers were responsible for siege warfare and building field fortifications , temporary camps and roads. The most notable engineers of ancient times were the Romans and Chinese , who constructed huge siege-machines (catapults, battering rams and siege towers ). The Romans were responsible for constructing fortified wooden camps and paved roads for their legions . Many of these Roman roads are still in use today. The first civilization to have
2760-435: Is that engineer activity undertaken, regardless of component or service, to shape the physical operating environment. Military engineering incorporates support to maneuver and to the force as a whole, including military engineering functions such as engineer support to force protection, counter-improvised explosive devices, environmental protection, engineer intelligence and military search. Military engineering does not encompass
2880-531: Is the world's second-largest island , with an area of 785,753 km (303,381 sq mi). Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean , the island is separated from Australia by the 150-kilometre (81-nautical-mile; 93-mile) wide Torres Strait , though both landmasses lie on the same continental shelf , and were united during episodes of low sea level in the Pleistocene glaciations as
3000-478: Is the vast southern and northern lowlands. Stretching for hundreds of kilometres, these include lowland rainforests, extensive wetlands, savanna grasslands, and some of the largest expanses of mangrove forest in the world. The southern lowlands are the site of Lorentz National Park , a UNESCO World Heritage Site . The northern lowlands are drained principally by the Mamberamo River and its tributaries on
3120-667: The Australian Defence Force . Its main roles are to provide mobility, counter mobility and sustainability capabilities to the Australian Army and its allies. This means enhancing the ability of friendly forces to move while denying movement to enemy forces. In order to provide these capabilities, engineers are required to conduct many tasks, including penetrating minefields, locating and disarming booby traps, clearing unexploded ordnance, conducting explosive demolitions, purifying water, surveying, and building and maintaining roads, airfields, and bridges. The Corps also performs
3240-577: The Battle of the Trench under the suggestion of Salman the Persian to dig a trench. For about 600 years after the fall of the Roman empire , the practice of military engineering barely evolved in the west. In fact, much of the classic techniques and practices of Roman military engineering were lost. Through this period, the foot soldier (who was pivotal to much of the Roman military engineering capability)
3360-553: The Biak phrase sup i babwa , which means "the land below [the sunset]", and refers to the Raja Ampat Islands . When Portuguese and Spanish explorers arrived via the Spice Islands , they also used the name Papua . However, Westerners, beginning with Spanish explorer Yñigo Ortiz de Retez in 1545, used the name New Guinea , due to the resemblance between the indigenous peoples of the island and Africans of
3480-522: The Brazilian Air Force is occupied by engineers professionalized by Centro de Instrução e Adaptação da Aeronáutica (CIAAR) (Air Force Instruction and Adaptation Center) and trained, or specialized, by Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica (ITA) (Aeronautics Institute of Technology). The Royal School of Military Engineering is the main training establishment for the British Army 's Royal Engineers . The RSME also provides training for
3600-481: The British Army in the conduct of siege operations and bridging. During this war low-ranking Royal Engineers officers carried out large-scale operations. They had under their command working parties of two or three battalions of infantry, two or three thousand men, who knew nothing in the art of siegeworks. Royal Engineers officers had to demonstrate the simplest tasks to the soldiers, often while under enemy fire. Several officers were lost and could not be replaced, and
3720-562: The Churchill AVRE . These and other dedicated assault vehicles were organised into the specialised 79th Armoured Division and deployed during Operation Overlord – 'D-Day'. Other significant military engineering projects of World War II include Mulberry harbour and Operation Pluto . Modern military engineering still retains the Roman role of building field fortifications , road paving and breaching terrain obstacles. A notable military engineering task was, for example, breaching
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3840-747: The First Australian Imperial Force . These units included field engineering units, tunneling companies, railway units and signalling squadrons which served at Gallipoli, the Sinai, Palestine, France and Belgium. Following the end of the war the School of Military Engineering was disbanded. On 1 January 1925 the RAE Signal Service was separated to form the Australian Corps of Signals. This was followed in 1932 by
3960-580: The Grand Valley of the Baliem River, which had 50,000 yet-undiscovered Stone Age farmers living in orderly villages. The people, known as the Dani , were the last society of its size to make first contact with the rest of the world. A 1930 expedition led by the prospector Michael Lehay also encountered an indigenous group in the highlands. The inhabitants, believing themselves to be the only people in
4080-579: The Guinea region . The name is one of several toponyms sharing similar etymologies , ultimately meaning "land of the blacks" or similar meanings. The Dutch, who arrived later under Jacob Le Maire and Willem Schouten , called it Schouten island . They later used this name only to refer to islands off the north coast of Papua proper, the Schouten Islands or Biak Island. When the Dutch colonized
4200-598: The Gulf of Papua form a single delta complex. The rivers of the island are extremely rich in water due to the annual rainfall of 2,000–10,000 mm. According to a modest calculation, the New Guinea River carries about 1,500 km /a (48,000 m /s) of water into the sea. Fly alone carries more water 238 km /a (7,500 m /s) than all the rivers in Australia combined. The island of New Guinea lies to
4320-599: The Indonesian archipelago , it lies north of Australia's Top End , the Gulf of Carpentaria and Cape York Peninsula , and west of the Bismarck Archipelago and the Solomon Islands archipelago . Politically, the western half of the island comprises six provinces of Indonesia : Papua , Central Papua , Highland Papua , South Papua , West Papua and Southwest Papua . The eastern half forms
4440-583: The Mamberamo River , near which he landed on 20 June, naming the island 'Nueva Guinea'. The first known map of the island was made by F. Hoeiu in 1600 and shows it as 'Nova Guinea'. In 1606, Luís Vaz de Torres explored the southern coast of New Guinea from Milne Bay to the Gulf of Papua including Orangerie Bay , which he named Bahía de San Lorenzo . His expedition also discovered Basilaki Island naming it Tierra de San Buenaventura , which he claimed for Spain in July 1606. On 18 October, his expedition reached
4560-623: The Papuan Peninsula ). A spine of east–west mountains, the New Guinea Highlands , dominates the geography of New Guinea, stretching over 1,600 km (1,000 mi) across the island, with many mountains over 4,000 m (13,100 ft). The western half of the island contains the highest mountains in Oceania , with its highest point, Puncak Jaya , reaching an elevation of 4,884 m (16,023 ft). The tree line
4680-768: The Royal Navy , Royal Air Force , other Arms and Services of the British Army , Other Government Departments, and Foreign and Commonwealth countries as required. These skills provide vital components in the Army's operational capability, and Royal Engineers are currently deployed in Afghanistan , Iraq , Cyprus , Bosnia , Kosovo , Kenya , Brunei , Falklands , Belize , Germany and Northern Ireland . Royal Engineers also take part in exercises in Saudi Arabia , Kuwait , Italy, Egypt , Jordan , Canada, Poland and
4800-523: The Suez Canal during the Yom Kippur War . Military engineers can come from a variety of engineering programs. They may be graduates of mechanical , electrical , civil , or industrial engineering . Modern military engineering can be divided into three main tasks or fields: combat engineering, strategic support, and ancillary support. Combat engineering is associated with engineering on
4920-583: The Territory of New Guinea , to be administered by Australia under a League of Nations mandate . The territories under Australian administration became collectively known as The Territories of Papua and New Guinea (until February 1942). Before about 1930, European maps showed the highlands as uninhabited forests. When first flown over by aircraft, numerous settlements with agricultural terraces and stockades were observed. The most startling discovery took place on 4 August 1938, when Richard Archbold discovered
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5040-671: The states and territories of Australia in 1902 and since then has served in various conflicts including World War I , World War II and the Vietnam War . The corps has also served on numerous peacekeeping operations and was heavily involved in the Australian contribution to the war in Afghanistan . The origins of the Royal Australian Engineers date back to 15 November 1860, when the Corps of Engineers
5160-483: The 14th-century development of gunpowder , new siege engines in the form of cannons appeared. Initially military engineers were responsible for maintaining and operating these new weapons just as had been the case with previous siege engines. In England, the challenge of managing the new technology resulted in the creation of the Office of Ordnance around 1370 in order to administer the cannons, armaments and castles of
5280-610: The Australian section was known as the Territory of Papua-New Guinea from 1945 to 1949 and then as Territory of Papua and New Guinea . Although the rest of the Dutch East Indies achieved independence as Indonesia on 27 December 1949, the Netherlands regained control of western New Guinea. During the 1950s, the Dutch government began to prepare Netherlands New Guinea for full independence and allowed elections in 1959;
5400-474: The Dutch promoted Tidore as suzerain of Papua. By 1849, Tidore's borders had been extended to the proximity of the current international border between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea , as it formed extensive trade pact and custom of Uli-Siwa ( federation of nine ). In 1883, following a short-lived French annexation of New Ireland , the British colony of Queensland annexed south-eastern New Guinea. However,
5520-563: The Indonesian portion of New Guinea and the Maluku Islands is estimated to have 9,518 species of vascular plants, of which 4,380 are endemic. In 2020, an international study conducted by a team of 99 experts cataloged 13,634 species representing 1,742 genera and 264 families of vascular plants for New Guinea and its associated islands ( Aru Islands , Bismarck Archipelago , D'Entrecasteaux Islands , Louisiade Archipelago ), making it
5640-545: The Morning Star flag) and via the formation of the Organisasi Papua Merdeka (OPM, or Free Papua Movement) in 1965. Amnesty International has estimated more than 100,000 Papuans, one-sixth of the population, have died as a result of government-sponsored violence against West Papuans. Reports published by TRT World and De Gruyter Oldenbourg have put the number of killed Papuans since the start of
5760-606: The Papuans (who constitute the majority of the island's peoples) are descended from the earliest human inhabitants of New Guinea. These original inhabitants first arrived in New Guinea at a time around the Last Glacial Maximum (c. 21,000 years ago) when the island was connected to the Australian continent via a land bridge , forming the landmass of Sahul . These peoples had made the (shortened) sea-crossing from
5880-741: The Quadro Complementar de Oficiais da Armada and the Quadro Complementar de Oficiais Fuzileiros Navais. Officers can come from the Centro de Instrução Almirante Wandenkolk (CIAW) (Admiral Wandenkolk Instruction Center) and the Escola Naval (EN) (Naval School) which, through internal selection of the Navy, finish their graduation at the Universidade de São Paulo (USP) (University of São Paulo) . The Quadro de Oficias Engenheiros of
6000-679: The Quadro de Engenheiros Militares, with its members trained or professionalized by the traditional Instituto Militar de Engenharia (IME) (Military Institute of Engineering) , or the Arma de Engenharia, with its members trained by the Academia Militar das Agulhas Negras (AMAN) (Agulhas Negras Military Academy). In the Brazil's Navy , engineers can occupy the Corpo de Engenheiros da Marinha,
6120-522: The Queensland government's superiors in the United Kingdom revoked the claim, and (formally) assumed direct responsibility in 1884, when Germany claimed north-eastern New Guinea as the protectorate of German New Guinea (also called Kaiser-Wilhelmsland ). The first Dutch government posts were established in 1898 and in 1902: Manokwari on the north coast, Fak-Fak in the west and Merauke in
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#17327728410486240-401: The Survey Section separating to form the Australian Survey Corps . The regular Permanent Force and reserve Citizen Military Forces (CMF) engineer units were brought together in January 1936 as the "Corps of Royal Australian Engineers". In 1939 the School of Military Engineering was re-established at Steele Barracks in Liverpool, New South Wales . During the inter-war years the RAE maintained
6360-490: The United States' history of warfare. The Army originally claimed engineers exclusively, but as the U.S. military branches expanded to the sea and sky, the need for military engineering sects in all branches increased. As each branch of the United States military expanded, technology adapted to fit their respective needs. New Guinea New Guinea ( Tok Pisin : Niugini ; Hiri Motu : Niu Gini ; Indonesian : Papua , fossilized Nugini , or historically Irian )
6480-524: The United States. The prevalence of military engineering in the United States dates back to the American Revolutionary War when engineers would carry out tasks in the U.S. Army. During the war, they would map terrain to and build fortifications to protect troops from opposing forces. The first military engineering organization in the United States was the Army Corps of Engineers. Engineers were responsible for protecting military troops whether using fortifications or designing new technology and weaponry throughout
6600-424: The Vietnam War, the RAE maintained a force of about 1,000 personnel in South Vietnam where they served as part of the 1st Australian Task Force . Following the end of the war the size of the Australian Army was decreased in line with the abolition of the national service scheme and as a consequence of this and a number of lessons that came out of the deployment to Vietnam the RAE underwent a series of changes. One of
6720-452: The ability of defenders to bring fire onto attacking enemies. Fort construction proliferated in 16th-century Europe based on the trace italienne design. By the 18th century, regiments of foot (infantry) in the British, French, Prussian and other armies included pioneer detachments. In peacetime these specialists constituted the regimental tradesmen, constructing and repairing buildings, transport wagons, etc. On active service they moved at
6840-758: The activities undertaken by those 'engineers' who maintain, repair and operate vehicles, vessels, aircraft, weapon systems and equipment." Military engineering is an academic subject taught in military academies or schools of military engineering . The construction and demolition tasks related to military engineering are usually performed by military engineers including soldiers trained as sappers or pioneers . In modern armies, soldiers trained to perform such tasks while well forward in battle and under fire are often called combat engineers . In some countries, military engineers may also perform non-military construction tasks in peacetime such as flood control and river navigation works, but such activities do not fall within
6960-443: The area now known as the Torres Strait flooded after the end of the last glacial period . Anthropologically, New Guinea is considered part of Melanesia . New Guinea is differentiated from its drier, flatter, and less fertile southern counterpart, Australia, by its much higher rainfall and its active volcanic geology. Yet the two land masses share a similar animal fauna, with marsupials , including wallabies and possums , and
7080-404: The attack on Fort Eben-Emael in Belgium was conducted by Luftwaffe glider -deployed combat engineers. The need to defeat the German defensive positions of the " Atlantic wall " as part of the amphibious landings in Normandy in 1944 led to the development of specialist combat engineer vehicles. These, collectively known as Hobart's Funnies , included a specific vehicle to carry combat engineers,
7200-425: The basic Royal Australian Engineers colours are red (primary) and blue. Typically, however, unit colour patches , consist of a red feature on a purple field. The banner or flag depiction of the colours consists of a red field with two horizontal blue bands near the top and bottom of the field. This, in keeping with the Corps of Royal Engineers, represents two rivers shown in blue with the red background representing all
7320-438: The battlefield. Combat engineers are responsible for increasing mobility on the front lines of war such as digging trenches and building temporary facilities in war zones. Strategic support is associated with providing service in communication zones such as the construction of airfields and the improvement and upgrade of ports, roads and railways communication. Ancillary support includes provision and distribution of maps as well as
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#17327728410487440-403: The coastal areas and islands of New Guinea. They also introduced pigs and dogs . These Austronesian migrants are considered the ancestors of most people in insular Southeast Asia, from Sumatra and Java to Borneo and Sulawesi , as well as coastal new Guinea. The western part of the island was in contact with kingdoms in other parts of modern-day Indonesia. The Negarakertagama mentioned
7560-444: The coastal fringes of the main island in places. Human habitation of New Guinea over tens of thousands of years has led to a great deal of diversity, which was further increased by the later arrival of the Austronesians and the more recent history of European and Asian settlement through events like transmigration . Large areas of New Guinea are yet to be explored by scientists and anthropologists. The Indonesian province of West Papua
7680-460: The combined landmass of Sahul . Numerous smaller islands are located to the west and east. The island's name was given by Spanish explorer Yñigo Ortiz de Retez during his maritime expedition of 1545 due to the resemblance of the indigenous peoples of the island to those in the African region of Guinea . The eastern half of the island is the major land mass of the nation of Papua New Guinea . The western half, known as Western New Guinea , forms
7800-482: The completion of Watson's Pier at Anzac Cove. In recognition of the officer who led the construction of the pier, Lieutenant Stanley Watson, a signals officer within the Royal Australian Engineers, an officer of the Royal Australian Signals Corps attends each dinner as a guest. The name Waterloo was used because the first dinner was observed on the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. The RAE provides combat engineering , construction, and other technical support to
7920-442: The conflict at roughly 500,000. From 1971, the name Papua New Guinea was used for the Australian territory. On 16 September 1975, Australia granted full independence to Papua New Guinea. In 2000, Irian Jaya was formally renamed "The Province of Papua" and a Law on Special Autonomy was passed in 2001. The Law established a Papuan People's Assembly (MRP) with representatives of the different indigenous cultures of Papua. The MRP
8040-571: The continent of Australia, which was until fairly recent geological times part of the same landmass (see Australia-New Guinea for an overview). The island is so large that it is considered 'nearly a continent' in terms of its biological distinctiveness. In the period from 1998 to 2008, conservationists identified 1,060 new species in New Guinea, including 218 plants, 43 reptiles, 12 mammals, 580 invertebrates, 134 amphibians, 2 birds and 71 fish. Between 2011 and 2017, researchers described 465 previously undocumented plant species in New Guinea. As of 2019,
8160-421: The director of the Establishment, was keen to confirm his teaching, and regular exercises were held as demonstrations or as experiments to improve the techniques and teaching of the Establishment. From 1833 bridging skills were demonstrated annually by the building of a pontoon bridge across the Medway which was tested by the infantry of the garrison and the cavalry from Maidstone . These demonstrations had become
8280-448: The disposal of unexploded warheads. Military engineers construct bases, airfields, roads, bridges, ports, and hospitals. During peacetime before modern warfare, military engineers took the role of civil engineers by participating in the construction of civil-works projects. Nowadays, military engineers are almost entirely engaged in war logistics and preparedness. Explosives are defined as any system that produces rapidly expanding gases in
8400-457: The east of the Malay Archipelago , with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago. Geologically it is a part of the same tectonic plate as Australia. When world sea levels were low, the two shared shorelines (which now lie 100 to 140 metres below sea level), and combined with lands now inundated into the tectonic continent of Sahul , also known as Greater Australia. The two landmasses became separated when
8520-416: The egg-laying monotreme , the echidna . Other than bats and some two dozen indigenous rodent genera, there are no pre-human indigenous placental mammals . Pigs, several additional species of rats, and the ancestor of the New Guinea singing dog were introduced with human colonization. Prior to the 1970s, archaeologists called the single Pleistocene landmass by the name Australasia , although this word
8640-821: The end of World War I , the standoff on the Western Front caused the Imperial German Army to gather experienced and particularly skilled soldiers to form "Assault Teams" which would break through the Allied trenches. With enhanced training and special weapons (such as flamethrowers ), these squads achieved some success, but too late to change the outcome of the war. In early WWII, however, the Wehrmacht "Pioniere" battalions proved their efficiency in both attack and defense, somewhat inspiring other armies to develop their own combat engineers battalions. Notably,
8760-438: The estuary, making it the longest river in New Guinea. The winding, muddy, sluggish river can be navigated for 500 km. Ramu is a 650 km long river. Its lower section is navigable, but its upper flow is high-falling, fast-flowing. The energy of the river is used by a power plant near the city of Kainantu . On the south side, the most significant rivers are Pulau , Digul, Fly, Kikori and Purari . The largest river in
8880-533: The following titles: The motto of the Royal Australian Engineers is Ubique (Everywhere), a motto shared with RAE's parent corps, the Royal Engineers . This motto was bestowed by King William IV in 1832 in recognition that both Sappers and Gunners were not entitled to carry Regimental Colours and typically served as small detachments instead of a whole unit. The original motto of the RAE, adopted at Federation
9000-522: The greatest regard to economy. To reduce staff the NCOs and officers were responsible for instructing and examining the soldiers. If the men could not read or write they were taught to do so, and those who could read and write were taught to draw and interpret simple plans. The Royal Engineers Establishment quickly became the centre of excellence for all fieldworks and bridging. Captain Charles Pasley ,
9120-429: The head of marching columns with axes, shovels, and pickaxes, clearing obstacles or building bridges to enable the main body of the regiment to move through difficult terrain. The modern Royal Welch Fusiliers and French Foreign Legion still maintain pioneer sections who march at the front of ceremonial parades, carrying chromium-plated tools intended for show only. Other historic distinctions include long work aprons and
9240-589: The highlands were an early and independent center of agriculture, with evidence of irrigation going back at least 10,000 years. Sugarcane was cultivated in New Guinea around 6000 BCE. The gardens of the New Guinea Highlands are ancient, intensive permacultures , adapted to high population densities, very high rainfalls (as high as 10,000 mm per year (400 in/yr)), earthquakes, hilly land, and occasional frost. Complex mulches, crop rotations and tillages are used in rotation on terraces with complex irrigation systems. Western agronomists still do not understand all of
9360-583: The island and the province. The name Irian , which was originally favored by natives, is now considered to be a name imposed by the authority of Jakarta . New Guinea is an island to the north of the Australian mainland , south of the equator. It is isolated by the Arafura Sea to the west, and the Torres Strait and Coral Sea to the east. Sometimes considered to be the easternmost island of
9480-543: The islands of Wallacea and Sundaland (the present Malay Archipelago ) by at least 40,000 years ago. The ancestral Austronesian peoples are believed to have arrived considerably later, approximately 3,500 years ago, as part of a gradual seafaring migration from Southeast Asia , possibly originating in Taiwan. Austronesian-speaking peoples colonized many of the offshore islands to the north and east of New Guinea, such as New Ireland and New Britain , with settlements also on
9600-562: The kingdom. Both military engineers and artillery formed the body of this organization and served together until the office's successor, the Board of Ordnance was disbanded in 1855. In comparison to older weapons, the cannon was significantly more effective against traditional medieval fortifications . Military engineering significantly revised the way fortifications were built in order to be better protected from enemy direct and plunging shot. The new fortifications were also intended to increase
9720-657: The language used by the Sultanate of Tidore . An expedition by the Sultan of Tidore , together with Sahmardan, the Sangaji of Patani , and the Papuan Gurabesi , managed to conquer some areas in New Guinea, which was then reorganised to form Korano Ngaruha ("Four Kings") or Raja Ampat , Papoua Gam Sio ( lit. "The Papua Nine Negeri "), and Mafor Soa Raha ( lit. The Mafor "Four Soa "). The name comes from
9840-545: The late 1980s members of the Corps have been involved in combat and peacekeeping operations in Namibia , Rhodesia , Pakistan , Kurdistan , Cambodia , Somalia , Rwanda , Bougainville and Mozambique as well as Timor Leste , the Solomon Islands , Iraq and Afghanistan . On 1 July 1996 the RAE reabsorbed the Royal Australian Survey Corps. Over the course of its existence, the corps has held
9960-606: The leading scientific military school in Europe. The dawn of the internal combustion engine marked the beginning of a significant change in military engineering. With the arrival of the automobile at the end of the 19th century and heavier than air flight at the start of the 20th century, military engineers assumed a major new role in supporting the movement and deployment of these systems in war. Military engineers gained vast knowledge and experience in explosives . They were tasked with planting bombs, landmines and dynamite . At
10080-414: The lives lost to achieve the crossing. If a unit title is shown it is shown in yellow. The Waterloo Dinner is an annual dinner for commissioned officers held by units of the Royal Australian Engineers, although some smaller units may permit other ranks to attend. It is traditionally held on or about 18 June in commemoration of the first dinner, held by members of the corps at Gallipoli in 1915 to celebrate
10200-435: The main exports of the island during this period were resins, spices, slaves and the highly priced feathers of the bird-of-paradise . In a period of constant conflict called 'hongi wars', in which rival villages or kingdoms would invoke the name of Tidore Sultan, rightly, for punitive expeditions for not fulfilling their tributary obligations, or opportunitively for competitions over resources and prestige. Sultan Nuku , one of
10320-548: The main island as part of the Dutch East Indies , they called it Nieuw Guinea . The name Irian was used in the Indonesian language to refer to the island and Indonesian province, as Irian Barat (West Irian) Province and later Irian Jaya Province. The name Irian was suggested during a tribal committee meeting in Tobati, Jayapura, formed by Soegoro Atmoprasodjo under governor JP van Eechoed, to decide on
10440-594: The mainland of the country of Papua New Guinea . The shape of New Guinea is often compared to that of a bird-of-paradise (indigenous to the island), and this results in the usual names for the two extremes of the island: the Bird's Head Peninsula in the northwest ( Vogelkop in Dutch, Kepala Burung in Indonesian; also known as the Doberai Peninsula), and the Bird's Tail Peninsula in the southeast (also known as
10560-521: The majority of the Australian Army's demolition tasks and is trained to fight as infantry if needed. The corps has both Regular and Reserve units, which are situated across the country within the Army's three regular manoeuvre brigades – the 1st , 3rd and 7th Brigades – and within the Reserve 2nd Division . The current Regular units are: The current Reserve (part-time) units are: Military engineering Military engineering
10680-472: The mammal species (69%) are endemic. New Guinea has 578 species of breeding birds, of which 324 species are endemic. The island's frogs are one of the most poorly known vertebrate groups, totalling 282 species, but this number is expected to double or even triple when all species have been documented. New Guinea has a rich diversity of coral life and 1,200 species of fish have been found. Also about 600 species of reef-building coral—the latter equal to 75 percent of
10800-539: The most famous Tidore sultans who rebelled against Dutch colonization, called himself "Sultan of Tidore and Papua", during his revolt in 1780s. He commanded loyalty from both Moluccan and Papuan chiefs, especially those of Raja Ampat Islands, from his base in Gebe . Following Tidore's subjugation as Dutch tributary, much of the territory it claimed in western part of New Guinea came under Dutch rule as part of Dutch East Indies. The first known European contact with New Guinea
10920-474: The most significant changes came in 1972 and was the decision to establish full regimental sized engineer units, as opposed to squadron or company sized units. These units were initially known as Field Regiments but have subsequently become known as Combat Engineer Regiments. As a part of this restructuring the RAE was reorganised to raise one regiment for each brigade and the Corps lost its responsibility for maintaining water transport and engineering stores. Since
11040-553: The mouth of the river in 1845. The total length of the river is 1,050 km. Smaller boats can sail 900 km on the river. The estuary section, which decomposes into islands, is 70 km wide. The tide of the sea can have an effect of up to 300 kilometers. Strickland , a tributary of the Fly, reaches the Papuan Plain through wild gorges. Fly and Strickland together form the largest river in New Guinea. The many rivers flowing into
11160-561: The partial elected New Guinea Council took office on 5 April 1961. The Council decided on the name of West Papua ( Papua Barat ) for the territory, along with an emblem, flag , and anthem to complement those of the Netherlands. On 1 October 1962, after some military interventions and negotiations, the Dutch handed over the territory to the United Nations Temporary Executive Authority , until 1 May 1963, when Indonesia took control. The territory
11280-480: The practices, and it has been noted that native gardeners are as, or even more, successful than most scientific farmers in raising certain crops. There is evidence that New Guinea gardeners invented crop rotation well before western Europeans. A unique feature of New Guinea permaculture is the silviculture of Casuarina oligodon , a tall, sturdy native ironwood tree, suited to use for timber and fuel, with root nodules that fix nitrogen. Pollen studies show that it
11400-627: The region of Wanin and Sran, in eastern Nusantara as part of Majapahit 's tributary. This 'Wanin' has been identified with the Onin Peninsula, part of the Bomberai Peninsula near the city of Fakfak . while ' Sran ' had been identified as region of Kowiai , just south of Onin peninsula. The sultans of Tidore , in the Maluku Islands , claimed sovereignty over various coastal parts of the island. During Tidore's rule,
11520-544: The richest coral reefs on the planet. The entire length of the New Guinea Highlands system passes through New Guinea as a vast watershed. The northern rivers flow into the Pacific Ocean , the southern rivers into the Arafura Sea and the Gulf of Papua . On the north side, the largest rivers are the Mamberamo, Sepik and Ramu. Mamberamo was born from the confluence of two large inland rivers. Tariku comes from
11640-511: The right to wear beards. In West Africa , the Ashanti army was accompanied to war by carpenters who were responsible for constructing shelters and blacksmiths who repaired weapons. By the 18th century, sappers were deployed in the Dahomeyan army during assaults against fortifications. The Peninsular War (1808–14) revealed deficiencies in the training and knowledge of officers and men of
11760-442: The scope of military engineering. The word engineer was initially used in the context of warfare, dating back to 1325 when engine’er (literally, one who operates an engine) referred to "a constructor of military engines". In this context, "engine" referred to a military machine, i. e., a mechanical contraption used in war (for example, a catapult ). As the design of civilian structures such as bridges and buildings developed as
11880-471: The seas bordering New Guinea: The first inhabitants Indigenous people of New Guinea , from whom the Papuan people are probably descended, adapted to the range of ecologies and, in time, developed one of the earliest known agricultures. Remains of this agricultural system, in the form of ancient irrigation systems in the highlands of Papua New Guinea, are being studied by archaeologists. Research indicates that
12000-568: The south at the border with British New Guinea . The German, Dutch and British colonial administrators each attempted to suppress the still-widespread practices of inter-village warfare and headhunting within their respective territories. In 1905, the British government transferred some administrative responsibility over southeast New Guinea to Australia (which renamed the area " Territory of Papua "); and, in 1906, transferred all remaining responsibility to Australia. During World War I , Australian forces seized German New Guinea, which in 1920 became
12120-693: The various units and sub-units of the RAE have been deployed on many overseas operations since 1945. During the Korean War there were no formed engineer units deployed by the Australian Army, although individual members of the RAE were deployed with the 1st Commonwealth Division . Later, RAE units deployed as part of the Australian commitment to the Malayan Emergency , Confrontation and the Vietnam War . They have also been deployed overseas to carry out construction work in New Guinea . During
12240-555: The west to the east and Taritatu from the east. These rivers meander through swamps with huge internal descents and then merge. The Mamberamo thus formed reaches the ocean by breaking through the Coastal Mountains. Mamberamo River is navigable to Marine Falls. The Sepik is a much more important river. Similarly, it collects water from a spacious pool. It is 1,100 kilometers from the Victor Emanuel Range to
12360-519: The western part of the island in present-day Indonesia, and also claimed the territory for the King of Spain. A successive European claim occurred in 1828, when the Netherlands formally claimed the western half of the island as Netherlands New Guinea . Dutch colonial authority built Fort Du Bus an administrative and trading post established near Lobo, Triton Bay, but by 1835 had been abandoned. Considering that New Guinea had little economic value for them,
12480-622: The western part of the island is Digul . It originates from the Star Mountains , which rise to an altitude of 4,700 m. The coastal plain is bordered by a swamp world hundreds of kilometers wide. Digul is the main transport route to the fertile hills and mountains within the island. The river Fly is born near the eastern branches of the Digul. It is named after one of the ships of the English Royal Fleet, which first sailed into
12600-687: The western side, and by the Sepik on the eastern side. The more extensive southern lowlands are drained by a larger number of rivers, principally the Digul in the west and the Fly in the east. The largest island offshore, Dolak , lies near the Digul estuary, separated by a strait so narrow it has been named a "creek". New Guinea contains many of the world's ecosystem types: glacial, alpine tundra , savanna , montane and lowland rainforest, mangroves , wetlands , lake and river ecosystems , seagrasses , and some of
12720-498: The words papo ("to unite") and ua (negation), which means "not united", i.e. an outlying possession of Tidore. Anton Ploeg reports that the word papua is often said to be derived from the Malay word papua or pua-pua , meaning "frizzly-haired", referring to the very curly hair of the island's inhabitants. However Sollewijn Gelpke in 1993 considered this unlikely as it had been used earlier, and he instead derived it from
12840-459: The world and, having never seen Europeans before, initially believed the explorers to be spirits of the dead due to the local belief that a person's skin turned white when they died and crossed into the land of the dead. Netherlands New Guinea and the Australian territories (the eastern half ) were invaded in 1942 by the Japanese . The Netherlands were defeated by that stage and did not put up
12960-438: The world's first known explosive, black powder . Initially developed for recreational purposes, black powder later was utilized for military application in bombs and projectile propulsion in firearms. Engineers in the military who specialize in this field formulate and design many explosive devices to use in varying operating conditions. Such explosive compounds range from black powder to modern plastic explosives. This particular
13080-669: The world's known total. The entire coral area covers 18 million hectares off a peninsula in northwest New Guinea. As of 2020, the Western portion of New Guinea, Papua and West Papua, accounts for 54% of the island's primary forest and about 51% of the island's total tree cover, according to satellite data. According to the WWF , New Guinea can be divided into twelve terrestrial ecoregions : The WWF and Nature Conservancy divide New Guinea into five freshwater ecoregions : The WWF and Nature Conservancy identify several marine ecoregions in
13200-534: The world's most floristically diverse island, surpassing Madagascar (11,488), Borneo (11,165), Java (4,598), and the Philippines (9,432). Biogeographically , New Guinea is part of Australasia rather than the Indomalayan realm, although New Guinea's flora has many more affinities with Asia than its fauna, which is overwhelmingly Australian. Botanically, New Guinea is considered part of Malesia ,
13320-582: Was Facimus et Frangimus (We make and we break) and appeared on the engineer hat badge up until 1947 when it was replaced by Honi soit qui mal y pense . It now only appears on the Corps Cipher. The current engineer hat badge features a leather garter adorned with a crown and the motto Honi soit qui mal y pense (Shame on him who thinks ill of it), mirroring the motto of the Order of the Garter . This honour
13440-535: Was adopted during an ancient period of extreme deforestation. In more recent millennia, another wave of people arrived on the shores of New Guinea. These were the Austronesian people , who had spread down from Taiwan , through the South-east Asian archipelago , colonising many of the islands on the way. The Austronesian people had technology and skills extremely well adapted to ocean voyaging and Austronesian language speaking people are present along much of
13560-541: Was awarded to the RAE in 1947 for their efforts during World War II. The Royal Australian Engineers also adopted the Royal Engineers practice of calling their private soldiers " Sappers ", in recognition of the fact that the very earliest engineers had been primarily concerned with driving saps (tunnels) both towards the enemy lines, and underneath fortifications. Although the Corps does not carry official regimental colours such as those carried by infantry units,
13680-456: Was by Portuguese and Spanish sailors in the 16th century. In 1526–27, Portuguese explorer Jorge de Meneses saw the western tip of New Guinea and named it ilhas dos Papuas . In 1528, the Spanish navigator Álvaro de Saavedra also recorded its sighting when trying to return from Tidore to New Spain . In 1545, Spaniard Íñigo Ortíz de Retes sailed along the north coast of New Guinea as far as
13800-505: Was empowered to protect the rights of Papuans, raise the status of women in Papua, and to ease religious tensions in Papua; block grants were given for the implementation of the Law as much as $ 266 million in 2004. The Indonesian courts ' enforcement of the Law on Special Autonomy blocked further creation of subdivisions of Papua: although President Megawati Sukarnoputri was able to create
13920-434: Was founded in the colony of Victoria by Peter Scratchley . By 1876, five of the six colonies—New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania, and Western Australia—had raised their own engineer units. These were amalgamated on 1 July 1902 as the Corps of Engineers. At this time, the corps consisted of field, fortress, telegraph, electric and submarine mining companies. After Federation the small regular engineer component
14040-881: Was granted the prefix "Royal"; however, the Militia remained part of the "Australian Engineers". In 1911, the Australian Corps of Signallers was absorbed into the Engineers as the RAE Signal Service. Four years later, in July 1915, all members of the Survey Section RAE, separated to form the Australian Survey Corps . During this period the School of Military Engineering was established at Moore Park in Sydney. During World War I, there were approximately 40 engineering units raised as part of
14160-664: Was largely replaced by mounted soldiers. It was not until later in the Middle Ages , that military engineering saw a revival focused on siege warfare. Military engineers planned castles and fortresses. When laying siege, they planned and oversaw efforts to penetrate castle defenses. When castles served a military purpose, one of the tasks of the sappers was to weaken the bases of walls to enable them to be breached before means of thwarting these activities were devised. Broadly speaking, sappers were experts at demolishing or otherwise overcoming or bypassing fortification systems. With
14280-456: Was promoted in 1945 by Marcus Kaisiepo, brother of Frans Kaisiepo . The name was politicized later by Corinus Krey, Marthen Indey , Silas Papare , and others with the Indonesian backronym Ikut Republik Indonesia Anti Nederland ("Join the Republic of Indonesia Oppose the Netherlands"). Irian was used somewhat in 1972. The name was used until 2001, when Papua was again used for
14400-469: Was renamed West Irian ( Irian Barat ) and then Irian Jaya. In 1969, Indonesia, under the 1962 New York Agreement , organised a referendum named the Act of Free Choice , in which the military hand picked Papuan tribal elders to vote for integration with Indonesia. There has been significant reported resistance to Indonesian integration and occupation, both through civil disobedience (such as publicly raising
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