Israeli Combat Engineering Corps
The Israeli Combat Engineering Corps (Hebrew: חיל ההנדסה הקרבית, Heil HaHandasa HaKravit) is the combat engineering forces of the Israel Defense Forces.
| Israeli Combat Engineering Corps | |
|---|---|
Israeli Combat Engineering Corps symbols | |
| Active | 1947–today |
| Country | Israel |
| Allegiance | Israel Defense Forces |
| Branch | Israeli Ground Forces |
| Type | Combat Engineering |
| Role | Combat Engineering, EOD, counter-NBC |
| Part of | Maneuvering Corps GOC Army Headquarters |
| Nickname(s) | "Muhandesim", "Palasim", "Ksoofim" |
| Motto(s) | "Rishonim Tamid" ("Always First"), "Rishonim BaHazit" ("First in the Front"), "Lech Beyekvot Haksufim" ("Follow the Silver ones") |
| Colors | Silver berets |
| March | "Handasa Kravit Theme" |
| Mascot(s) | Panther |
| Engagements | All of Israel's wars, notable are:
|
| Decorations | Israel Defense Prize |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Brigadier General Ido Mizrahi |
| Notable commanders | Emmanuel Shachar, Elchanan Klein, Avishay Katz, Shimon Daniel, Moshe Sheli |
The Combat Engineering Corps beret's color is silver and its symbol features a sword on a defensive tower with an explosion halo on the background. The Combat Engineering Corps mottos are "Always First" (ראשונים תמיד Rishonim Tamid) and the unofficial "The hard, we shall do today; the impossible, we shall do tomorrow".
Its roles include mobility assurance, road breaching, defense and fortifications, counter-mobility of enemy forces, construction and destruction under fire, sabotage, explosives, bomb disposal, counter-weapons of mass destruction (NBC) and special engineering missions.
In addition to Combat Engineering Corps sappers, each infantry brigade has an engineering company trained with basic engineering and explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) skills (called פלח"הן). Combat Engineering Corps sappers and heavy equipment operators are often attached to other units (such as armored or infantry brigades) in order to help them breach through obstacles and handle explosive threats.