Ok, now forgive me for being an idiot, but what exactly is a Sapper?I've seen it used on websites and im not sure what exactly it is. It looks to be a rank of some sort. If so, where does it place on the rank scale?
Actually it's a reasonable question ( but might fit a little better under 'Information Requests'...). A 'sapper' is a military field engineer ; the word comes from the French 'sapeur' and was first recorded as being used at the Siege of Rouen in 1501. The term 'Sapper' is now used by many Armies including the US and, especially, the British.
Well here goes. I was a Sapper and the saying goes "Once a Sapper always a Sapper" That is very true for we have a great Esprit de Corps. The Royal Engineers go way back to a time when they were known as "Gentlemen" of the Royal Engineers, Sappers come in a great many variations from those that run the railways and a great many other types. The invasion on D day was headed by first, the DD (Duplex drive) tanks, then the Assault Engineers, before infantry and artillery, their job was to remove everything that stood in the way, such as beach defences, everything hinged on the Sappers,, In the end they had to resort to swimming and removing the mines and shells from the defences... many drowned as the tide swept in... But true to their tradition they kept at it until their job was done. Then we had tne armoured RE as in "Hobarts Funnies" Their contribution can hardly be overstated,.. Then lo and behold, we had the Field Companies, Sapper Brian served in a Field Company R.E. What do they do? everything on the field of battle, hence the "Field Company" On D Day we were charged with the duty of opening up a path from the beach to the road beyond, and to remove mines and the enemy, and anything else that stood in the way, to do this we had special "demolition teams" to remove concrete gun emplacements with 36lb Beehive HE charges, If th enemy was stubborn we also had flame throwers! All the tasks set for the my company 246 Field Company RE were carried out as required! we had assault mine clearing teams on Queen red and Queen white sectors of Sword Beach, We tackled assault river and canal crossings, we cleared mines under the nose of the enemy. You name it, if it was up at the sharp end? the RE Field Companies were there. Occasionaly we fought as infantry, that made a pleasant change. We were first at Pegasus Bridge after the Airborne, Hey! I could go on for hours like this.. Sapper Brian was wounded near the Yanks at Vire and again at Overloon and Venraij in Holland, he is now severely war disabled. SAPPERS MATE! Brian.
Excuse me, Martin, but so far as I know, we Americans have never referred to our Engineers as "sappers"; they're just plain Engineers to us, if not more formally referred to as the "Corps of Engineers". Yours, Paul
Would you like to come with me as I retrace my journey through the devastation of; Falaise. Blood soaked Falaise. Carnage! Bloody carnage. For here is war at it's most evil, this is where all the press reports and tales of courage in war, are stripped naked of any kind of veneer of patriotism, or humanity. For this was the real horror of war, and at its bloodiest. Destruction, utter and complete destruction, it is very hard to describe the scene in words. The roads blocked with dead horses still harnessed to the carts they were pulling, swollen with feet stuck up in the air. German soldiers dead, sometimes one on top of the other, further on, groups of German dead lying in twisted and grotesque positions. Tanks that finished tilted in crazy angles against the side of buildings, mobile guns and armoured troop carriers destroyed. Artillery twisted and abandoned. The whole paraphernalia of war turned into a massive mangled mess and covered with Normandy dust. Some soldiers burned as their vehicles caught fire. Religious statues destroyed, one very poignant sight was that of a life size statue of Christ with his hands spread wide in supplication. But, with both hands blow off. This went on for miles as we chased the fleeing Enemy towards the hell that awaited them at the neck of the Falaise gap. The Germans used any method to try and escape, in some areas it was not possible to cross the road for German dead. The mighty Tiger tanks blown to smithereens and scattered in every direction. Wall to wall death, smashed houses and buildings with the roads between with so many dead it was difficult to walk, men half out of tanks and cars, burned alive before they could get out, blackened figures fixed in the position of trying to get out their vehicles, some even had their hand on the car door handles and fixed in that position as the flames overtook them. The stench of death hung over everything like a sickening pall, the sun had already begun to cause early decay. An inferno beyond comprehension! Covering everything was a thick layer of grey dust, almost as though the scene had been sprayed with grey emulsion. Well! that is part of the our journey through the great trap of Falaise, do you wish to go further? Brian
Paul - sorry, looks like a case of more rubbish on the internet ! http://www.wood.army.mil/sapper/history.htm And - Sapper - I'm always fascinated to read of your experiences, especially at Falaise....
Looks like it, Martin. My brother was in the Engineers in Vietnam, and he's never referred to himself as a "sapper". This website you showed us is the first time I've ever seen or heard of such a word being attached to American military engineers. Yours, Paul [ 27. December 2003, 08:59 PM: Message edited by: Paul_9686 ]
