Misplaced Pages

#537462

36-881: Camel Corps may refer to: Military units [ edit ] Camel cavalry units in the Spanish, French, Italian and British colonial possessions in North Africa and the Middle East, for instance: Méhariste , a camel mounted African unit in the French army Free French Camel Corps , a camel cavalry unit of the Free French forces under General Charles de Gaulle during World War II in Eastern Africa Tropas Nómadas , an auxiliary regiment to

72-542: A battalion in the Sudan Defence Force (1925–1950s) Bikaner Camel Corps , a unit of Imperial Service Troops from India (1889–present) Other [ edit ] Camel Corps, nickname for British Foreign Office officials in the Middle East, see Adel Darwish Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Camel Corps . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change

108-846: A camel corps in the Desert Column of the Gordon Relief Expedition (1884–85) under the command of Herbert Stewart, earning their colours in the Battle of Abu Klea Imperial Camel Corps , an Allied unit that fought in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign during World War I (1916–1919) Somaliland Camel Corps , a unit of the British Army based in British Somaliland (1914–1944) Sudan Camel Corps ('the Hajana'),

144-621: A camel. According to Herodian , the Parthian king Artabanus IV employed a unit consisting of heavily armored soldiers equipped with lances ( kontos ) and riding on camels. The Roman Empire used locally enlisted camel riders along the Arabian frontier during the 2nd century. The first of these was the Ala I Ulpia Dromoedariorum Palmyrenorum , recruited under Emperor Trajan from Palmyra . Arab camel troops or dromedarii were employed during

180-539: A description of the Khagan and his army. … The rest of his military retinue [was] clothed in fur, serge and fine wool, the spears and standards and bows in order, and the riders of camels and horses stretched far out of [sight]. Napoleon employed a camel corps for his French campaign in Egypt and Syria . During the late 19th and much of the 20th centuries, camel troops were used for desert policing and patrol work in

216-621: A large number of Arab mercenaries into his massive army during the Second Persian invasion of Greece , all of whom were equipped with bows and mounted on camels. Herodotus noted that the Arab camel cavalry, including a massive force of Libyan charioteers, numbered as many as twenty thousand. Employed from the nomadic tribes of Arabia and Syria, the camel-mounted mercenaries in Persian service fought as skirmishing archers, sometimes riding two to

252-592: A part of India, also established a camel-mounted defense battalion in 1948. They were used for transportation purposes during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948 . Both the camelry units were handed over to the Indian Army 's Grenadiers Regiment during the 1951 merger of the local Rajasthani armies with the Grenadiers and were incorporated into the regiment as its 13th battalion. They were used by

288-748: A set-piece battle. The Ottoman Army maintained camel companies as part of its Yemen and Hejaz Corps, both before and during World War I . The Italians used Dubat camel troops in their Somalia Italiana , mainly for frontier patrol during the 1920s and 1930s. These Dubats participated in the Italian conquest of the Ethiopian Ogaden in 1935–1936 during the Second Italo-Ethiopian War . The colonial authorities in Spanish Morocco used locally recruited camel troops in

324-535: A significant amount of territory. Five BSF camels were killed in the Battle of Longewala , one of the most significant battles of the war. The Indian Army finally stopped using camels in 1975. A local officer rejected a subsequent attempt to convert the 13th Grenadiers battalion and the 24th Rajput battalions into camel-mounted units. Camels are still used by the Border Security Force for patrolling

360-478: The 185 Light Regiment (Pack) , was also raised. The 185 Light Regiment (Pack) gave away its camels to the Border Security Force in 1971 on the insistence of Major General J. F. R. Jacob , the then-commander of the army's Eastern Command and a major advocate for mobile warfare who found camels to be too old fashioned for modern military use and had them replaced with gun-towing vehicles, however

396-1039: The Boxer Rebellion in 1900, in Somaliland from 1902 to 1904 during the Somaliland Campaign , in Egypt during the Middle Eastern Theatre of the World War I in 1915 where they destroyed the Turkish forces during the Raid on the Suez Canal with a camel cavalry charge and in the Middle Eastern Sector of the World War 2 . The auxiliary defense forces of the princely state of Jaisalmer , which had by then become

SECTION 10

#1732775410538

432-534: The Middle East , due in part to the animals' high level of adaptability. They were better suited to working and surviving in arid environments than the horses of conventional cavalry . The smell of the camel, according to Herodotus , alarmed and disoriented horses, making camels an effective anti-cavalry weapon of the Achaemenid Persians in the Battle of Thymbra . The first recorded use of

468-614: The Nachnas are used for ceremonial duties. The BSF is also known for the yearly participation of its camel contingent in the Delhi Parade for the occasion of the Indian Republic Day since 1976. Inspector General KS Rathore is credited with enhancing the band's capabilities during his years as an inspector general from 1986 to 1989. The camel contingent has two groups, one consisting of camels ridden by border guards and

504-569: The late Roman Empire for escort, desert policing, and scouting duties. The normal weaponry included long swords of Persian style, bows, and daggers. The camel was used as a mount by pre-Islamic civilizations in the Arabian Peninsula . As early as the 1st Century AD Nabatean and Palmyrene armies employed camel-mounted infantry and archers recruited from nomadic tribes of Arabian origin. Typically such levies would dismount and fight on foot rather than from camel-back. Extensive use

540-583: The 13th and 17th Grenadier battalions and the Border Security Force continued to use camels for infantry purposes. In the same year, camels were once again used in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 by both the grenadiers as well as the BSF, who fought alongside the army in the Eastern Theatre. The 13 and the 17th camel-mounted Grenadier battalions fought in the Bikaner and Gadra sectors where they captured

576-572: The 14-day Siege of Sardis , the city and possibly its king fell, and Lydia was conquered by the Persians. Cyrus conquered the Kingdom of Media in 550 BC, which created conflict with the neighboring Lydian Kingdom. Cyrus planned to catch the Lydian king unprepared for battle, but at Thymbra , Croesus had more than twice as many men as Cyrus. The Lydians marched out to meet Cyrus and quickly armed all

612-493: The British, French, German, Spanish, and Italian colonial armies. Descendants of such units still form part of the modern Moroccan , Egyptian armies, and the paramilitary Indian Border Security Force (see below). The British-officered Egyptian Camel Corps played a significant role in the 1898 Battle of Omdurman ; one of the few occasions during this period when this class of mounted troops took part in substantial numbers in

648-507: The Grenadiers for both transportation and fighting during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 where they prevented Pakistani forces from infiltrating and capturing territory intended to be used as negotiating chips in the Bikaner and Jaisalmer sectors both before and after the ceasefire. A camel-mounted raid was carried out by Major Jai Singh deep inside the Pakistani post of Ghoriwala , while another camel-assisted Indian attack at Tanot led to

684-413: The Lydian flanks swung in, gaps appeared at the hinges of the wheeling wings. The disorder was increased by the effective overhead fire of the Persian archers and mobile towers, stationed within the square. Cyrus then gave the order to attack, and his flank units smashed into Croesus' disorganized wings. Soon, the Lydian cavalry lost many soldiers and was forced to retreat. With most of Cyrus' army intact and

720-454: The Lydian horses shied away from camels, Cyrus formed the camels from his baggage train into an ad hoc camel corps with armed riders replacing packs. Although not technically employed as cavalry, the smell and appearance of the camels were said to be crucial in panicking the Lydian cavalry and turning the battle in Cyrus' favour. More than sixty years later, Persian king Xerxes I recruited

756-457: The actual battle. Cyrus deployed his troops with flanks withdrawn in a square formation. The flanks were covered by chariots, cavalry, and infantry. Cyrus also used baggage camels to create a barrier around his archers. The smell of the camels disrupted the Lydian horses and scattered their cavalry charge as the archers fired upon Lydian forces. As Cyrus had expected, the wings of the Lydian army wheeled inward to envelop this novel formation. As

SECTION 20

#1732775410538

792-466: The archers and slingers are known to have carried small to large shields. The others were 42,000 Arabians ; Armenians ; and Medians , which amounted to 126,000 infantry. There were also 300 camel cavalry, 300 chariots, and 5-6 siege towers, which were known to hold 20 men each. It all amounted to more than 1,000 men, partly because there was one citizen, and one soldier on each chariot. Xenophon tells us that Croesus had an army of 420,000 men, which

828-476: The battle's progress and outcome, however, confirms what Xenophon gives later. After the battle, the Lydians were driven within the walls of Sardis and put to siege by the victorious Cyrus. The city fell after the 14-day Siege of Sardis , reportedly by the Lydians' failure to garrison a part of the wall that they had thought to be unsusceptible to attack because of the steepness of the adjacent declivity of

864-508: The camel as a military animal was by the Arab king Gindibu , said to have employed as many as 1,000 camels at the Battle of Qarqar in 853 BC. They were reportedly later used in the Battle of Thymbra in 547 BC, between Cyrus the Great of Persia and Croesus of Lydia . According to Xenophon , Cyrus' cavalry was outnumbered by six to one. Acting on information from one of his generals that

900-773: The colonial army in Spanish Sahara (1930s–1975) Military formations [ edit ] United States Camel Corps , a mid-nineteenth century experiment by the United States Army in using camels as pack animals in the Southwest United States Scinde Camel Corps , an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army (1843–1853) Egyptian Camel Corps , fighting in the Battle of Kirbekan and Ginnis (both 1885) Camel Corps (Gordon Relief Expedition) ,

936-412: The deaths of 102 Pakistani soldiers, including two officers, and successfully regained a large amount of Indian territory. Many Indian Army camels were also given to the Border Security Force (BSF) upon its conception in the aftermath of the 1965 war. In 1966, the Grenadiers added another camelry battalion, the 17th battalion led by Lieutenant Colonel KS Harihar Singh. In 1967, a camel artillery regiment,

972-663: The decisive battle in the war between Croesus of the Lydian Kingdom and Cyrus the Great of the Achaemenid Empire . Cyrus, after he had pursued Croesus into Lydia after the drawn Battle of Pteria , met the remains of Croesus' partially-disbanded army in battle on the plain north of Sardis in December 547 BC. Croesus' army was about twice as large and had been reinforced with many new men, but Cyrus still utterly defeated it. That proved to be decisive, and after

1008-566: The ground. Croesus was captured, and his territory, including the Greek cities of Ionia and Aeolis , was incorporated into Cyrus' already-powerful empire. That development brought Greece and Persia into conflict and culminated in the celebrated Persian wars of Cyrus' successors. Along with acquiring Ionia and Aeolis, Cyrus also had the Egyptian soldiers, who fought on behalf of the Lydians, voluntarily surrender and join his army. According to

1044-442: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Camel_Corps&oldid=890465371 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Camel cavalry Camel cavalry was a common element in desert warfare throughout history in

1080-411: The loss of most of the Lydian cavalry, Cyrus ordered all cavalry and infantry to attack what remained of Croesus' forces. Most of the infantry soon surrendered, but Croesus and a small part of the infantry retreated and headed for the Lydian capital of Sardis , which resulted in a decisive victory for the Persians. Herodotus gives an account of the battle but does not give any numbers. His account of

1116-757: The northern part of the protectorate, mainly for frontier patrol work from the 1930s until 1956. Forming part of the Tropas Nomades del Sahara , these camel-mounted units had a limited local role in the Spanish Civil War during 1936–1939. The Jordanian Desert Patrol still uses camels. The princely state of Bikaner (now Bikaner city in Rajasthan ) maintained a unit called the Bikaner Camel Corps which had fought in China during

Camel Corps - Misplaced Pages Continue

1152-400: The other being Border Security Force Camel Band , consisting of camels walking along with musicians who march on foot. Both of these elements perform together during the march of the camel contingent. The contingent generally consists of 90 camels Battle of Thymbra Lydian Kingdom Persian Revolt Invasion of Anatolia Invasion of Babylonia The Battle of Thymbra was

1188-759: The remote areas of the Thar Desert lying along the India–Pakistan border in Rajasthan . Camels are purchased between the ages of 5 and 6 and trained at the Camel Training Centre at the BSF Frontier Headquarters at Jodhpur . They serve for 15–16 years and are retired from service at the age of 21. The camels used by the BSF are from three different breeds. The Jaisalmeris and the Bikaneris are used for border patrol, while

1224-472: The reserves there before their allies could arrive, which they never did. According to Xenophon , Cyrus had 196,000 men in total, which was composed of 31,000 to 70,000 Persians. That consisted of 20,000 infantry , which may have included archers and slingers ; 10,000 elite infantry/ cavalry , which may have been the Persian Immortals ; and 20,000 peltasts and 20,000 pikemen . All except

1260-482: Was composed of 60,000 Babylonians , Lydians , and Phrygians , also Cappadocians , plus nations of the Hellespont . This amounted to 300,000 men which included 60,000 cavalries. There were also 120,000 Egyptians , plus 300 chariots, which may have been at least 500 men. The numbers of the battle given by Xenophon, even if untrue, are considered within the realm of possibility, but less than half may have engaged in

1296-572: Was made of camels during the initial campaigns of Muhammad and his followers. Subsequently, the Arabs used camel-mounted infantry to outmaneuver their Sassanid and Byzantine enemies during the Muslim conquests . The Göktürks used camel cavalry according to the Chinese Buddhist pilgrim Xuanzang , who visited the western Göktürk capital Suyab in modern day Kyrgyzstan and left

#537462