combat engineer

combat engineer (plural combat engineers)

1. (military) A soldier employed to carry out engineering tasks in support of land forces during combat operations, facilitating the mobility of friendly forces while impeding that of the enemy.

   Synonyms: field engineer, pioneer, (traditionally) sapper

   • 2007, Stanley Weintraub, 15 Stars: Eisenhower, MacArthur, Marshall, page 325:

     With him were 60,000 combat engineers for multiple bridgings of the river, and hundreds of thousands of tons of supplies, landing craft, and amphibious vehicles.