German Pionier 1939–45: Combat Engineer of the Wehrmacht

Osprey Warrior #146

by Gordon L. Rottman, Carlos Chagas (Illustrator)

The German Army of World War II (1939-1945) collectively referred to its various engineer units as Pioniere - what would be called combat engineers in the West. This organization included Pioniertruppen (Pionier Troops), Bautruppen (Construction Troops), Eisenbahntruppen (Railway Troops), and Technische Truppen (Technical Troops). They were first and foremost assault troops, and construction workers second. They were tasked with overcoming manmade and natural obstacles, and in the attack they supported the infantry as specialist assault troops, attacking fortified positions with demolitions and flamethrowers. In the defence they constructed fortifications and shelters, erected obstacles, laid minefields, planted booby traps, cleared fields of fire, erected camouflage, and maintained supply routes. This book examines the recruitment and special training of a German Pionier. It also covers life in the field while on campaign and the of a Pionier role in supporting infantry assaults.

Genres: World War II

64 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Gordon L. Rottman served for 26 years in the US Army in Special Forces, airborne infantry, long-range reconnaissance patrol, and military intelligence assignments in the Regular Army, Army National Guard, and Army Reserve. He has worked as a Special Operations Forces scenario writer for 14 years at the Army's Joint Readiness Training Center, Fort Polk, Louisiana where he developed training exercises for Special Forces.
Gordon began writing military history books in 1984 and is currently a full-time author. He has written 50 books for Osprey. He is married with four children and lives in Cypress, Texas.

Reviews

[John Somers · Rating 3 out of 5]

12/20.

[Glen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy Rottman's books because they tend to look at the lives of the various fighting men from their beginning as raw recruits though to their baptism by fire in battle. He wrote a good back on the Japanese infantryman too. This book covers Pionier training, ranking systems, field equipment, life in the field and weaponry (explosive charges etc.). The last half of the book deals with the typical experiences Pioniers would face on the battlefield, such as destroying bunkers, building pontoon bridges and impeding the enemy by setting various booby traps. The illustrations are very nice as well, especially for those in to modeling.