Saper

A sapper is a soldier who serves in military engineering units or a civilian engineer attached to the army, specializing in tasks that enable friendly forces to move and fight while hindering the enemy. Typical duties include building and demolishing fortifications, constructing bridges and roads, clearing obstacles, and laying or breaching minefields and other battlefield impediments. Sappers provide mobility, countermobility, and survivability support for infantry and armored units through engineering, explosive, and demolition work.

The term derives from the French sapeur, from sape meaning pick or spade, and originally referred to soldiers who undermined fortifications by digging saps during sieges. In the 17th and 18th centuries, sapper-miners were specialized troops focused on mining and countermining. Over time the role broadened to general combat engineering, including battlefield construction, demolition, and obstacle clearance.

In modern armed forces, sappers are part of engineer corps and undergo training in explosives handling, demolition, surveying, and construction, as well as route clearance and hazard recognition. The unit designation varies by country; for example, some armies use Sappers and Miners, while others designate engineers or pioneers with sapper qualifications. The role persists in many nations, reflecting a historical emphasis on siegecraft while adapting to contemporary combat needs.

Notable roles include mine clearance and counter-mine operations, bridge-building and river crossing support, obstacle breaching, demolition of hazards, and rapid engineering responses in combat and disaster relief. Sappers thus function as a critical engineering and support element within combined-arms operations.