Pioneer (military)

A pioneer (pronEng|ˌpаɪəˈnɪər) is a soldier employed to perform engineering tasks, originally in France. The word ( _fr. pionnier) was borrowed into English, from Old French "pionnier", which meant a "foot soldier", from the root 'peon' [ [http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=pioneer] Online Etymological Dictionary] recorded in 1523 [which is in turn derived from pedn-, from Late Latin, "one who has broad feet"] . It was used in a military sense as early as 1626-1627. [ [http://www.portsdown.demon.co.uk/ord.htm English Ordnance 1626 to 1643] ] Captain George Smith defines it as

PIONEERS, in war-time, are such as are commanded in from the country, to march with an army, for mending the ways, for working on intrenchments, and fortifications, and for making mines and approaches: the soldiers are likewise employed in all these things. Most of the foreign regiments of artillery have half a company of pioneers, well instructed in that important branch of duty. Our regiments of infantry and cavalry have 3 or 4 pioneers each, provided with aprons, hatchets, saws, spades, and pick-axes. [Captain Smith, George., "An Universal Military Dictionary, or A copious explanation of the technical terms & c. used in the equipment, machinery movements and military operations of an army...", London, Printed for J. Millan, near Whitehall, 1779]

In the past it had been a military occupation within the European armies in the Artillery and later Engineer branch of Service. Their primary job was to assist other Arms in tasks such as construction of field fortifications or military camps. [ [http://www.unsw.adfa.edu.au/~rmallett/Pioneers.html] Pioneers] During the First World War pioneers were often engaged in construction and repair of military railways. [p.170, Dooley] A similar military occupation to the pioneer is that of a sapper. The United States Marine Corps have sometimes organized their sappers into "Pioneer Battalions". [p.160, Lane]

Pioneer units

* 1st Pioneer Battalion (New South Wales) First Division, 1 AIF
* 2nd Pioneer Battalion Second Division, 1 AIF
* 3rd Pioneer Battalion Second Division, 1 AIF
* 4th Pioneer Battalion Second Division, 1 AIF
* 5th Pioneer Battalion Second Division, 1 AIF
* 2/1 Australian Pioneer Battalion
* 2/2 Australian Pioneer Battalion
* 2/3 Australian Pioneer Battalion
* 2/4 Australian Pioneer Battalion
* 2/5 Australian Pioneer Battalion
* 1st Bavarian Pioneer Battalion, First Bavarian Division had 12 destruction squads during First World War
* 2nd Bavarian Pioneer Battalion
* British Garrison at Calais Pioneers
* Pioneer Corps
* 4th (Pioneer) Battalion Coldstream Guards with the Guards Division, 1917 [seven infantry battalions were converted to divisional pioneers in 1917 with a strength of about 600 personnel that could also be used as infantry] alternatively known as Guards Pioneer Battalion
* 6th East Yorkshire Regiment (Pioneer Battalion) with Division, 1917 (3-company establishment)
* 3rd Salford Pals Battalion (19th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers) (converted to a 'pioneer' battalion)
* 9th Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders Regiment (Pioneer Battalion) with 9th Division, 1917
* 1/6th Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Pioneer Battalion) with 5th Division, 1917
* 9th Battalion, South Staffordshire Regiment (Pioneer Battalion) with 23rd Division, 1917
* 19th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment (Pioneer Battalion) with 41st Division, 1917
* 1/5th Royal Sussex Regiment (Pioneer Battalion) with 48th Division, 1917
* 8th (Pioneer) Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment divisional pioneer battalion
* 12th (Pioneer) Battalion Sherwood Foresters
* Pioneer Battalion, The Royal Scots
* 19th Battalion (Pioneers), The Welsh Regiment (Glamorgan Pioneers)
* 15th (Pioneer) Battalion, the Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) recruited at Oxford, Thame, Dover, Elham and Lyminge, Bude, Woolacombe and Truro areas during the Second World War
* 5th (Pioneer) Battalion, Cheshire Regiment was appointed "in consequence of earning a high reputation as diggers and as constructors of field works"
* 25th (Pioneer) Battalion, King's Royal Rifle Corps [At Field-Marshal Earl Kitchener's suggestion, a pioneer battalion formed part of each of the field infantry divisions, and by June 1916 all divisions possessed a pioneer battalion]
* Pioneer Battalion, 5th Royal Irish Lancers, 1902 - 1922 was created to construct a new railway in the I Corps area on the Western Front.
* 1st Battalions Monmouthshire Regiment Territorial Force 11th November 1915: Pioneer Battalion of 46th Division, south west of Avesnes, France. [established great reputations for their prowess as diggers and contained many highly skilled men among the miners in their ranks]
* 2nd Battalions Monmouthshire Regiment Territorial Force 1st May 1916: Joined 29th Division as Pioneer Battalion. [digging assembly and communication trenches, in providing in advance for the Forwarding of ammunition and supplies, in mining and sapping before the attack] [the only Territorial battalion to take part in the march into Germany, and to help to establish 'Die Wacht am Rhein'.]
* 3rd Battalions Monmouthshire Regiment Territorial Force 28th September 1915: Became Pioneer Battalion 28th Division.
* 16th (Pioneer) Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles
* 605th Pioneer Battalion, Pioneer Corps, The British Army - used for light engineering tasks
* 606th Pioneer Battalion, Pioneer Corps, The British Army - used for light engineering tasks
* 23 Pioneer Regiment, Royal Logistics Corps
* 168 Pioneer Regiment, Territorial Army
* African Pioneer Corps
* British Indian Army Pioneer Battalion (enlisted, drilled and trained as any other native infantry battalion of the line, but received additional construction training)
* 2nd Canadian Pioneer Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force with over a thousand men whose training gave them a combination of engineering and infantry skills.
* 48th Battalion served in the field as the 3rd Canadian Pioneer Battalion (48th Canadians), with the 3rd Canadian Division
* 67th "Western Scots" (Pioneer Battalion) (Canadian Expeditionary Force) 1916
* 107th Pioneer Battalion (Canada)
* Imperial German Army pioneers were regarded as a separate combat arm trained in construction and demolition or fortifications, but were often used as emergency infantry. [p.272, Showalter] One battalion was assigned to each Corps:The Guard Pioneer Battalion 1. (6 companies with 20 large and 18 small flame-throwers each):The Guard Pioneer Battalion 2.:The Guard Pioneer Battalion 3.:The Guard Reserve Pioneer Battalion - created from reservists who had been civilian firemen, and were issued with experimental flame-throwers
* Independent Pioneer Battalion (4th Hazara Pioneers), Indian Army
* First Jangi Auxiliary Pioneer Battalion (1000 strong) of the Nepalese Army
* Jagannath Auxiliary Pioneer Battalion of the Nepalese Army
* The New Zealand Pioneer Battalion, sometimes referred to as the Pioneer Maori Battalion.:The battalion included four companies, each with two Maori and two European (Pakeha) platoons, and included remnants of the Otago Mounted Rifles
* Prussian Army pioneer battalions:1 Prussian Pioneer Battalion of the Guards - 3 Field companies, one Reserve company:12 Prussian Pioneer Battalions of the Line (18 officers, 495 men and 6 other persons)::2nd Pioneer Battalion at Stettin::4th Pioneer Battalion at Magdeburg
* 1st Pioneer Battalion, Imperial Russian Army
* 2nd Pioneer Battalion, Imperial Russian Army
* 3rd Pioneer Battalion (later 5th Pioneer Battalion), Imperial Russian Army
* 4th Pioneer Battalion, Imperial Russian Army
* Saxon Pioneer Battalion
* South African Army Pioneer Battalion
* First Pioneer Battalion of Engineers, Mounted, United States Army (1st Bn. mtd. Engra.) (3 companies)
* First Pioneer Battalion of Engineers, United States Army (1st Bn. Engrs.) (3 companies)
* 9th Pioneer Battalion, US Army
* 18th Reserve Pioneer Battalion, US Army
* Jefferson County Pioneer Battalion, Pennsylvania (CO Lieutenant-Colonel, Hance Robinson)
* 1st Pioneer Battalion United States Marine Corps
* 2nd Pioneer Battalion United States Marine Corps
* 3rd Pioneer Battalion United States Marine Corps
* 4th Pioneer Battalion United States Marine Corps
* 5th Pioneer Battalion United States Marine Corps [the pioneer battalion supplied the foundation for the divisional shore parties]
* Wehrmacht Heer Pioneer battalions:Panzer-pionier-bataillon (armoured pioneer battalion performing engineering tasks during an assault from manoeuvre):Sturmpionierbataillon (assault pioneer battalion performing engineering tasks during an infantry assault)
* Gebirgs-pionier-bataillon 95, Wehrmacht Heer, a pioneer unit trained for the mountain terrain
* Pionier-bataillon 233 (divisional pioneer unit)
* Heeres-pionier-bataillon 73 (Corps pioneer unit)
* Pioneer Battalion Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, Waffen-SS

ee also

* Combat engineer

Citations and notes

References

* Dooley, Thomas P., "Irishmen Or English Soldiers?: The Times and World of a Southern Catholic Irish Man (1876-1916) Enlisting in the British Army During the First World War", Liverpool University Press, 1995
* Lane, Kerry, "Guadalcanal Marine", University Press of Mississippi, 2004
* Showalter, Dennis E., "Tannenberg: Clash of Empires, 1914", Brassey's, London, 2004