Indian Army Corps of Engineers
|
Indian Army Corps of Engineers |
|
|---|---|
| Lineup | 1780 (Madras Sappers) |
| Country |
 India
|
| Nickname | Military Engineer Service (MES) |
| motto | Ubique ( Everywhere ) |
| Colours | Gold, red and black |
| Butcher |
Second Anglo-Afghan War First World War Second World War Burma Campaign |
| commander | |
| Current commander |
Lieutenant-General AK Nanda , Engineer-in-Chief |
The Indian Army Corps of Engineers has a tradition that dates back to the mid-18th century. The first sub-unit of the Corps (18 Field Company) was founded in 1777, the Corps itself states 1780 as the year it was founded, when the oldest group of the Corps, the Madras Sappers , were established.
The corps consists of three groups, the Madras Sappers , the Bengal Sappers and the Bombay Sappers . A group essentially corresponds to an infantry regiment of the Indian armed forces . The corps itself corresponds to the pioneers in the German armed forces . Each group of the Indian Army Corps of Engineers consists of a number of regiments. The regiment is the basic combat unit and thus corresponds to an infantry battalion.
In addition to the pioneer units, the corps maintains the units of the Military Engineering Service (MES), the Border Roads Organization (BRO), the Married Accommodation Project and the Survey of India .
history
The Corps of Engineers is one of the oldest parts of the Indian armed forces. The history of today's corps begins in 1780 with the creation of two pioneer companies, the Madras Sapper . The Madras, Bengal and Bombay Sappers groups were founded. The groups were transferred to the British Indian Army in 1857 and were combined on November 18, 1932 to form the Corps of Indian Engineers .
The units of the Corps have participated in all major combat missions of the British Indian Army and received numerous awards.
Until 1911, the pioneers had the task of delivering news on the battlefield. Between 1911 and 1920 there were separate units for the transmission of messages in the groups, which were then spun off into the independent Corps of Signals . The first soldiers of the Indian Air Force came from among the pioneers in 1932 . Indian Railways employees also served in the Corps between 1942 and 1945 .
Pioneers
In war, engineer units ensure the mobility of their own troops by building bridges, paths and landing areas and fight the enemy by building obstacles such as minefields or the destruction of bridges. At the founding of the first units of the Corps in 1780 became first clearly the professionals for the investment of siege equipment especially saps were needed and the units of sappers (Engl. Sappers) were set up.
Military engineering service
The Military Engineering Service (MES) is responsible for the construction and maintenance of buildings, airfields, ship docks and the like. including all other facilities such as military roads, water and electricity supply for the Indian armed forces .
The Military Engineering Service is the largest construction company in India. The MES was founded in 1851 and was intended to support the British Indian Army behind the combat zone.
Border Roads organization
The Border Roads Organization (BRO) is responsible for building public roads, airports and bridges. By building roads in the once inaccessible areas of the Indian Himalayas , in Rajasthan and the north and north-east of India, it has made a significant contribution to the economic development of these areas.
Assignments abroad
Engineer units have served as part of the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka .
Units of the Indian Army Corps of Engineers are also involved in UN peacekeeping operations.
Awards
General PS Bhagat of the Indian Army Corps of Engineers was the first Indian officer to receive the Victoria Cross during World War II . The pioneer Subedar Subramamiam was the first Indian to receive the George Cross in the same war .