During World War II, British Army pioneer platoons had ten pioneers plus tradesmen. In 1944 they were renamed Assault Pioneer Platoons and had two Assault Sections plus one Pioneer Section. The five man strong Assault Sections had a jeep and trailer and a 3-ton lorry. The Assault Sections had specialist men and equipment for the disposal of mines and breaching obstacles. The Pioneer Section had eight tradesmen: a
mason, a bricklayer and six carpenters. The Pioneer Section was used to turn buildings into accommodation for
riflemen; riflemen were the principal unit in the British and American army. ;Composition •
Assault Section • Commander (Corporal), armed with a rifle • Driver for Jeep (Private) armed with a
Sten submachine gun • Three Pioneers (Privates) with rifles •
Pioneer Section • Pioneer Sergeant (Sergeant) with rifle • Bricklayer (Private), with rifle • Mason (Private), with rifle • Six Carpenters (Privates), with rifles • Driver for 3-ton lorry (Private) with Sten
Modern usage In 2019, the
Canadian Army decided to bring back assault pioneers to bridge the gap between the Royal Canadian engineers and the infantry. They were also brought back because of experiences from Afghanistan and
Operation Athena. • Units with Assault pioneer platoons •
The Royal Canadian Regiment •
Royal 22e Régiment •
Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry •
The Princess Louise Fusiliers •
The Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment • The Seaforth Highlanders of Canada •
Ghurka ARRC Support Battalion ==See also==