# Were there engineers in the WWI SOS (Services of Supply) or was Engineering a completely separate division within the AEF?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-engineers-in-the-wwi-sos-services-of-supply-or-was-engineering-a-completely-separate-division-within-the-aef/1000665>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 23, 2024, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-engineers-in-the-wwi-sos-services-of-supply-or-was-engineering-a-completely-separate-division-within-the-aef/1000665 "2024-04-23T17:54:10Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
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**Author:** ![Octagon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/2acd7d/32.png) [@Octagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octagon)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2024, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-engineers-in-the-wwi-sos-services-of-supply-or-was-engineering-a-completely-separate-division-within-the-aef/1000665/1 "2024-04-23T17:54:10Z")

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Were there engineers in the WWI SOS (Services of Supply) or was Engineering a completely separate division within the AEF?

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**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2024, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-engineers-in-the-wwi-sos-services-of-supply-or-was-engineering-a-completely-separate-division-within-the-aef/1000665/2 "2024-04-24T14:51:18Z")

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The Corps of Engineers has always been a separate branch- as far as I can tell, the AEF’s engineering troops were either the combat engineer units (“sappers”) assigned to infantry divisions, or they were independent regiments assigned to higher headquarters doing stuff like railway construction, lumber production, road construction, etc.

[Services of Engineer Units in the A.E.F. on JSTOR](https://www.jstor.org/stable/44693639)

[America Enters the Great War (army.mil)](https://www.usace.army.mil/About/History/Historical-Vignettes/Military-Construction-Combat/129greatwar/)

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**Author:** ![Octagon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/2acd7d/32.png) [@Octagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octagon)\
**Post date:** [April 25, 2024, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-engineers-in-the-wwi-sos-services-of-supply-or-was-engineering-a-completely-separate-division-within-the-aef/1000665/3 "2024-04-25T07:05:41Z")

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Thanks bump. That looks right.