Engineers as Infanteers

[patrick666]

How much do Engineers train in the Infantry field and what exactly is involved? Small arms, tactics, etc.. right? How often are they called upon as Infanteers and if not, do you still train here and there?

Cheers

 

[Quiet Riot]

Speaking from my limited experience in the reserves, almost every ex we go on we are attached to the infantry.  The secondary role of an engineer is to be an infanteer.  Although we don't practice section attacks or patrolling as much as the infantry, we do refreshers before going on ex's with the infantry.

 

[Nfld Sapper]

How much do Engineers train in the Infantry field and what exactly is involved? Small arms, tactics, etc.. right? How often are they called upon as Infanteers and if not, do you still train here and there?

Cheers

It will depend on you unit. My unit for example has done more infantry stuff in the last few years than engineer stuff. Have done section attacks, fighting patrols, etc.

Speaking from my limited experience in the reserves, almost every ex we go on we are attached to the infantry. The secondary role of an engineer is to be an infanteer. Although we don't practice section attacks or patrolling as much as the infantry, we do refreshers before going on ex's with the infantry.

That depends on what your unit has in their TP for the year. My unit for example does very little with 1 R NFLD R, we do all our exs by ourselves. In rare instances we will send a section to work with IF they request us. One such example was that we sent an entire troop with them to FT. Pickett.


So to sum up it will always depend on your units training cell as to how much infantry activity you will be doing.


Chimo!

 

[aesop081]

How much do Engineers train in the Infantry field and what exactly is involved? Small arms, tactics, etc.. right? How often are they called upon as Infanteers and if not, do you still train here and there?

Cheers

Back in the regiments i was part of we did alot of infantry type stuff. It often gets blured with the engineer tasks we are trying to accomplish because of the tactical situation. For exaple, we may be tasked with explosively demolishing something, but we have to patrol to get there.  I may not be explaining it very well.  Engineer recce often invols using "infantry" skills" in order to get somewhere to gather "engineer" info.....and so on and so on...... We have the weapons the infatry has ( with the exception of the 60mm mortar if i remember correctly, its been a while) and organized alot somewhat similar lines.  On my first tour overseas, our section was employed on occasion in "pure" infantry roles. It is an important aspect of a combat engineer's training that provides the sapper with vital skills on the battlefield.

Cheers

 

[hogstable]

First of all good to be on the forum.

I am a TA sapper in the UK. There is a divide between the two camps. I am from an Infantry background myself and I am appalled at the lack of interest. We can however do reasonably well in our OBUA exercises but that is because  we have been pressed enough!!

 

[Kat Stevens]

Back in the moldy old days of 6 week summer concentration in good ol' Wainwrong, there used to be a Brigade Patrolling Competition.  1 CER used to compete in both fighting and recce patrols, and usually placed very well, often embarrassing teams from the Major Units in the Brigade (no names, no flames  ;D).  We were very good at grunt stuff then...it was just considered another skillset the sappers had in our awesome arsenal...

CHIMO,  Kat

 

[aesop081]

it was just considered another skillset the sappers had in our awesome arsenal...

CHIMO,   Kat

Exactly the way it should be