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87-623: The Bataillon de Chasseurs Ardennais ( lit.   ' Battalion of Ardennes Hunters ' , or more figuratively, 'Ardennes Light Infantry', officially abbreviated as ChA ) is an infantry formation in the Land Component of the Belgian Armed Forces . Originally formed in 1933 to ensure the defense of Belgium's Luxembourg Province including the natural region of the Ardennes and particularly noted for its role during

174-748: A sidearm or ancillary weapons . Infantry with ranged or polearms often carried a sword or dagger for possible hand-to-hand combat. The pilum was a javelin the Roman legionaries threw just before drawing their primary weapon, the gladius (short sword), and closing with the enemy line. Modern infantrymen now treat the bayonet as a backup weapon, but may also have handguns as sidearms . They may also deploy anti-personnel mines, booby traps, incendiary, or explosive devices defensively before combat. Infantry have employed many different methods of protection from enemy attacks, including various kinds of armour and other gear, and tactical procedures. The most basic

261-464: A fashion statement and for its political undertones. Berets were also worn by bebop and jazz musicians like Dizzy Gillespie , Gene Krupa , Wardell Gray and Thelonious Monk . Guerrillero Heroico , an iconic photograph of the Argentine revolutionary Che Guevara , shows him wearing a black beret with a brass star. In the 1960s several activist groups adopted the black beret. These include

348-628: A few exceptions like the Mongol Empire , infantry has been the largest component of most armies in history. In the Western world , from Classical Antiquity through the Middle Ages ( c. 8th century BC to 15th century AD), infantry are categorised as either heavy infantry or light infantry . Heavy infantry, such as Greek hoplites , Macedonian phalangites , and Roman legionaries , specialised in dense, solid formations driving into

435-683: A few well-known historic examples are the Scottish soldiers, who wore the blue bonnet in the 17th and 18th centuries, the Volontaires Cantabres, a French force raised in the Basque country in the 1740s to the 1760s, who also wore a blue beret, and the Carlist rebels, with their red berets, in 1830s Spain. The French Chasseurs alpins , a corps of mountain troops created in 1888, were the first permanently established military force to wear

522-512: A full suit of attack-proof armour would be too heavy to wear in combat. As firearms improved, armour for ranged defence had to be made thicker and heavier, which hindered mobility. With the introduction of the heavy arquebus designed to pierce standard steel armour, it was proven easier to make heavier firearms than heavier armour; armour transitioned to be only for close combat purposes. Pikemen armour tended to be just steel helmets and breastplates, and gunners had very little or no armour at all. By

609-417: A hundred meters wide and a dozen rows deep. Maintaining the advantages of heavy infantry meant maintaining formation; this became even more important when two forces with heavy infantry met in battle; the solidity of the formation became the deciding factor. Intense discipline and training became paramount. Empires formed around their military. The organization of military forces into regular military units

696-399: A problem. This can be avoided by having shield-armed soldiers stand close together, side-by-side, each protecting both themselves and their immediate comrades, presenting a solid shield wall to the enemy. The opponents for these first formations, the close-combat infantry of more tribal societies , or any military without regular infantry (so called " barbarians ") used arms that focused on

783-785: A replacement for the 10th Line Regiment, the 14th Line Regiment was created in June 1934. After its foundation, the Chasseurs ardennais underwent a significant period of organisational change and expansion. The original regiment was replaced by three separate battalions of Chasseurs ardennais in August 1934 which were intended to form part of three "mixed groups" based at Arlon, Vielsalm , and Bastogne , where they would be supported by recently formed and highly mobile Frontier Cyclists Units ( Unités cyclistes frontière ) as well as supporting artillery formations. These latter units were absorbed into

870-440: A return to body armour for infantry, though the extra weight is a notable burden. In modern times, infantrymen must also often carry protective measures against chemical and biological attack, including military gas masks , counter-agents, and protective suits. All of these protective measures add to the weight an infantryman must carry, and may decrease combat efficiency. Early crew-served weapons were siege weapons , like

957-500: A strong symbol of the unique identity of southwestern France and is worn while celebrating traditional events. In Spain, the beret is usually known as the boina , sometimes also as bilbaína or bilba . They were once common men's headwear across the north and central areas of the country . The first areas to wear it were the Basque Country , Navarre , Aragon and Castile , but its use spread over rest of Spain during

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1044-463: Is personal armour . This includes shields , helmets and many types of armour – padded linen , leather, lamellar , mail , plate , and kevlar . Initially, armour was used to defend both from ranged and close combat; even a fairly light shield could help defend against most slings and javelins, though high-strength bows and crossbows might penetrate common armour at very close range. Infantry armour had to compromise between protection and coverage, as

1131-419: Is a specialization of military personnel who engage in warfare combat . Infantry generally consists of light infantry , irregular infantry , heavy infantry , mountain infantry , motorized infantry , mechanized infantry , airborne infantry , air assault infantry , and naval infantry . Other types of infantry, such as line infantry and mounted infantry , were once commonplace but fell out of favor in

1218-744: Is first noted in Egyptian records of the Battle of Kadesh ( c.  1274 BC ). Soldiers were grouped into units of 50, which were in turn grouped into larger units of 250, then 1,000, and finally into units of up to 5,000 – the largest independent command. Several of these Egyptian "divisions" made up an army, but operated independently, both on the march and tactically, demonstrating sufficient military command and control organisation for basic battlefield manoeuvres. Similar hierarchical organizations have been noted in other ancient armies, typically with approximately 10 to 100 to 1,000 ratios (even where base 10

1305-603: Is no longer as widely worn as it once was, but it remains a strong sign of local identity in the southwest of France. When French people want to picture themselves as "the typical average Frenchman" in France or in a foreign country, they often use this stereotype from Anglo-Saxon countries. There are today, three manufacturers in France. Laulhère (who acquired the formerly oldest manufacturer, Blancq-Olibet, in February 2014 ) has been making bérets since 1840. The beret still remains

1392-463: Is often adorned with a cap badge , either in cloth or metal. Some berets have a piece of buckram or other stiffener in the position where the badge is intended to be worn. Berets are not usually lined, but many are partially lined with silk or satin. In military berets, the headband is worn on the outside; military berets often have external sweatbands of leather, pleather or ribbon. The traditional beret (also worn by selected military units, such as

1479-536: Is part of the long-standing stereotype of the intellectual , film director , artist , " hipster ", poet, bohemian and beatnik . The painter Rembrandt and the composer Richard Wagner , among others, wore berets. In the United States and Britain, the middle of the 20th century saw an explosion of berets in women's fashion. In the latter part of the 20th century, the beret was adopted by the Chinese both as

1566-635: Is the usual trophy in sport or bertso competitions, including Basque rural sports, the Basque portions of the Tour de France , and the Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco . It may bear sewn ornamental references to the achievement or contest. The black beret was once considered the national cap of France in Anglo-Saxon countries and is part of the stereotypical image of the Onion Johnny . It

1653-1022: The Belgian Chasseurs Ardennais or the French Chasseurs Alpins ), usually has the "sweatband" folded inwardly. In such a case, these berets have only an additional inch or so of the same woollen material designed to be folded inwardly. Newer beret styles made of Polar fleece are also popular. Berets came to be popularised across Europe and other parts of the world as typical Basque headgear, as reflected in their name in several languages (e.g. béret basque in French; Baskenmütze in German; Basco in Italian; Tascu/Birritta in Sicilian; or baskeri in Finnish), while

1740-721: The British Army , such as the Royal Armoured Corps and the Guards Armoured Division , adopting the black beret in 1941. British officer Bernard Montgomery ("Monty") took to wearing a black beret given to him by the driver of his command vehicle in 1942, and it became his trademark. The maroon beret (not to be confused with the red beret ), was officially introduced in July 1942 at the direction of Major-General Frederick Browning , commander of

1827-558: The Bronze Age across Northern Europe and as far south as ancient Crete and Italy , where it was worn by the Minoans , Etruscans and Romans . Such headgear has been popular among the nobility and artists across Europe throughout modern history. Dutch artist, Rembrandt , 15 July 1606 - 4 October 1669, was well known for wearing a beret and it is believed he inspired the beret’s association with artists. The Basque-style beret

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1914-688: The Chasseurs ardennais proved more successful in combat than many other units and fought a number of successful small-scale actions against the German Army before the capitulation of the Belgian Army. After the war, the military traditions of the Chasseurs ardennais were revived in 1946. The formation formed part of the Belgian Forces in Germany and subsequently participated in a range of international peacekeeping and NATO missions. It

2001-592: The First World War , British General Hugh Elles proposed the beret for use by the newly formed Royal Tank Regiment , which needed headgear that would stay on while climbing in and out of the small hatches of tanks. They were approved for use by King George V in 1924. Another possible origin of the RTR beret is that it was suggested to Alec Gatehouse by Eric Dorman-Smith . While the two officers were serving at Sandhurst in 1924, Gatehouse, who had transferred to

2088-528: The Fortified Position of Liège . Albert Devèze , Liberal Minister of Defence from 1932 to 1936, demanded the creation of a new élite light infantry unit in the Belgian Army to protect the frontier in the region as part of his plan for the "integral defence of the territory" ( défense intégrale du territoire ) in the context of the ongoing military alliance with France. Similar ideas about

2175-529: The German invasion of 1940 , the unit currently serves as a mechanized infantry formation and forms part of the Motorized Brigade . The Chasseurs ardennais were first formed as a light infantry unit in 1933 from the existing 10th Line Regiment  [ fr ] to defend the largely rural region south of the fortified positions of Namur and Liège . Considered a high-value élite unit, it

2262-726: The Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA), the ETA (who wore black berets over hoods in public appearances), the Black Panther Party of the United States, formed in 1966, and the "Black Beret Cadre" (a similar Black Power organisation in Bermuda ). In addition, the Brown Berets were a Chicano organisation formed in 1967. The Young Lords Party, a Latino revolutionary organisation in

2349-1142: The Royal Dragoon Guards , Royal Lancers , and King's Royal Hussars . Similarly, motorised infantry have trucks and other unarmed vehicles for non-combat movement, but are still infantry since they leave their vehicles for any combat. Most modern infantry have vehicle transport, to the point where infantry being motorised is generally assumed, and the few exceptions might be identified as modern light infantry . Mechanised infantry go beyond motorised, having transport vehicles with combat abilities, armoured personnel carriers (APCs), providing at least some options for combat without leaving their vehicles. In modern infantry, some APCs have evolved to be infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs), which are transport vehicles with more substantial combat abilities, approaching those of light tanks . Some well-equipped mechanised infantry can be designated as armoured infantry . Given that infantry forces typically also have some tanks, and given that most armoured forces have more mechanised infantry units than tank units in their organisation,

2436-565: The Scottish bonnet or Bluebonnet (originally bonaid in Gaelic), whose ribbon cockade and feathers identify the wearer's clan and rank. Other Scottish types include the tam-o'-shanter (named after a Robert Burns ' character in one of his poems) and the striped Kilmarnock cap , both of which feature a large pompom in the centre. The beret's practicality has long made it an item of military, police and other uniform clothing. Among

2523-442: The ballista , trebuchet , and battering ram . Modern versions include machine guns , anti-tank missiles , and infantry mortars . Beginning with the development the first regular military forces, close-combat regular infantry fought less as unorganised groups of individuals and more in coordinated units, maintaining a defined tactical formation during combat, for increased battlefield effectiveness; such infantry formations and

2610-605: The corps upgraded to division -status between March and July 1937. The artillery group, in turn, was expanded and became the Regiment of Artillery of the Chasseurs Ardennais ( Régiment d'Artillerie des Chasseurs ardennais ) in September 1938. Following the mobilization of the Belgian Army in late 1939 this division comprised 35,000 men, and a second division of three more regiments was created. The 1st Division

2697-607: The 10th Line Regiment: Saint Hubertus is the patron saint of the unit. The Chasseurs ardennais have, since their inception, worn a distinctive light green Basque-style beret. This is larger than the berets subsequently adopted by other units of the Belgian Land Component in the post-war period. The cap badge depicts the head of a wild boar which are found in the Ardennes region. The Chasseurs Ardennais Battalion comprises: Infantry Infantry

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2784-469: The 1800s with the invention of more accurate and powerful weapons. In English, use of the term infantry began about the 1570s, describing soldiers who march and fight on foot. The word derives from Middle French infanterie , from older Italian (also Spanish) infanteria (foot soldiers too inexperienced for cavalry), from Latin īnfāns (without speech, newborn, foolish), from which English also gets infant . The individual-soldier term infantryman

2871-429: The 1920s, berets were associated with the working classes in a part of France and Spain and by 1928 more than 20 French factories and some Spanish and Italian factories produced millions of berets. In Western fashion, men and women have worn the beret since the 1920s as sportswear and later as a fashion statement. Military berets were first adopted by the French Chasseurs Alpins in 1889. After seeing these during

2958-469: The 19th century in Southern France and the north of Spain , where they were already common headwear, and the beret remains associated with these countries, particularly France. Berets are worn as part of the uniform of many military and police units worldwide, as well as by other organizations. Archaeology and art history indicate that headwear similar to the modern beret has been worn since

3045-458: The 19th century. In the 20th century, the beret became part of a common stereotype of rural people, often with negative connotations of boorishness and uncouthness, found in expressions such as " paleto de boina a rosca " ("a hick wearing a screwed-on beret"), which has greatly reduced the popularity of the beret in Spain. There are several traditional Scottish variants of the beret, notably

3132-630: The 1st Battalion of Chasseurs ardennais , assuming the traditions of the earlier 1st Regiment. The green beret was reinstated in February 1947. Five further battalions were later also re-established. In subsequent years, Chasseurs ardennais units were deployed to the Belgian Congo and Ruanda-Urundi at the time of decolonisation . It also participated in peacekeeping operations with the United Nations Protection Force (UNIPROFOR) and later Kosovo Force (KFOR) in

3219-643: The 1st Battalion of the newly founded 4th "Steenstraete" Infantry Brigade which returned to Belgium in November 1945 and was later deployed as part of the Belgian Army of Occupation to participate in the Allied occupation of Germany . As part of the reorganisation of Belgian unit traditions, this battalion became the Battalion of Chasseurs Ardennais ( Bataillon des Chasseurs Ardennais ) in March 1946 and subsequently

3306-527: The American all-purpose lightweight individual carrying equipment (ALICE). Infantrymen are defined by their primary arms – the personal weapons and body armour for their own individual use. The available technology, resources, history, and society can produce quite different weapons for each military and era, but common infantry weapons can be distinguished in a few basic categories. Infantrymen often carry secondary or back-up weapons, sometimes called

3393-585: The Basques themselves use the words txapela or boneta . They are very popular and common in the Basque Country . The colours adopted for folk costumes varied by region and purpose: black and blue are worn more frequently than red and white, which are usually used at local festivities. The people of Aragon and the Basque country adopted red berets while the black beret became the common headgear of workers in both Spain and France. A big commemorative black beret

3480-598: The Belgian Army withdrew across the Meuse river on 10-11 May 1940, it proved impossible to establish a viable defensive position. The 1st Chasseurs Ardennais Division regrouped north of Namur and suffered heavy losses to German aerial attacks at Belgrade and Temploux suffering several hundred casualties. The two divisions were ordered to withdraw to the Leie (Lys) river in Flanders. Chasseurs ardennais units successfully held

3567-669: The British 1st Airborne Division , and soon became an international symbol of airborne forces. In the 1950s the U.S. Army's newly conceived Special Forces units began to wear a green beret as headgear, following the custom of the British Royal Marines , which was officially adopted in 1961 with such units becoming known as the " Green Berets ", and additional specialized forces in the Army, U.S. Air Force and other services also adopted berets as distinctive headgear. The beret

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3654-529: The Royal Tank Corps, had been given the task of designing a practical headgear for the new corps. Dorman-Smith had toured Spain, including the Basque region, with his friend Ernest Hemingway during the past few years, and had acquired a black Basque beret during his travels. The specifications were that it had to protect men's hair from the oil in a tank but not take up space in the cramped interior, and he led Gatehouse straight to his room. Hanging on

3741-507: The Swiss, English, Aragonese and German, to men-at-arms who went into battle as well-armoured as knights, the latter of which at times also fought on foot. The creation of standing armies —permanently assembled for war or defence—saw increase in training and experience. The increased use of firearms and the need for drill to handle them efficiently. The introduction of national and mass armies saw an establishment of minimum requirements and

3828-624: The United States in the 1960s and 1970s, also wore berets, as did the Guardian Angels unarmed anti-crime citizen patrol units originated by Curtis Sliwa in New York City in the 1970s to patrol the streets and subways to discourage crime (red berets and matching shirts). Adherents of the Rastafari movement often wear a very large knitted or crocheted black beret with red, gold and green circles atop their dreadlocks . The style

3915-443: The arms they used developed together, starting with the spear and the shield. A spear has decent attack abilities with the additional advantage keeping opponents at distance; this advantage can be increased by using longer spears, but this could allow the opponent to side-step the point of the spear and close for hand-to-hand combat where the longer spear is near useless. This can be avoided when each spearman stays side by side with

4002-460: The army's strength effectively in any one place. On the initiative of Devèze and General Albert Hellebaut  [ fr ] , the existing 10th Line Regiment  [ fr ] ( 10 Régiment de Ligne ) based at Arlon was renamed the Regiment of Chasseurs ardennais ( Régiment de Chasseurs ardennais , abbreviated to ChA) by royal decree on 10 March 1933. The new unit would be composed largely of volunteers rather than conscripts. Although

4089-411: The carrying burden is spread across several infantrymen. In all, this can reach 25–45 kg (60–100 lb) for each soldier on the march. Such heavy infantry burdens have changed little over centuries of warfare; in the late Roman Republic, legionaries were nicknamed " Marius' mules " as their main activity seemed to be carrying the weight of their legion around on their backs, a practice that predates

4176-463: The distinction between mechanised infantry and armour forces has blurred. The first military forces in history were infantry. In antiquity , infantry were armed with early melee weapons such as a spear , axe , or sword , or an early ranged weapon like a javelin , sling , or bow , with a few infantrymen being expected to use both a melee and a ranged weapon. With the development of gunpowder , infantry began converting to primarily firearms . By

4263-559: The early morning on 10 May 1940. Attacking with the benefit of surprise, the initial phase of the attack included the deployment of parachute units at Nives and Léglise in Belgian Luxembourg ( Operation Niwi ) to aid the main ground offensive. As a result of this, lines of communications between the Belgian command with the local headquarters at Neufchâteau were disrupted and a number of Chasseurs ardennais units posted at

4350-455: The enemy to prepare for the main forces' battlefield attack, protecting them from flanking manoeuvers , and then afterwards either pursuing the fleeing enemy or covering their army's retreat. After the fall of Rome, the quality of heavy infantry declined, and warfare was dominated by heavy cavalry , such as knights , forming small elite units for decisive shock combat , supported by peasant infantry militias and assorted light infantry from

4437-442: The eponymous Gaius Marius . When combat is expected, infantry typically switch to "packing light", meaning reducing their equipment to weapons, ammunition, and other basic essentials, and leaving other items deemed unnecessary with their transport or baggage train , at camp or rally point, in temporary hidden caches, or even (in emergencies) simply discarding the items. Additional specialised equipment may be required, depending on

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4524-400: The existence of any organised military, likely started essentially as loose groups without any organisation or formation. But this changed sometime before recorded history ; the first ancient empires (2500–1500 BC) are shown to have some soldiers with standardised military equipment, and the training and discipline required for battlefield formations and manoeuvres: regular infantry . Though

4611-434: The expected duration of time operating away from their unit's base, plus any special mission-specific equipment. One of the most valuable pieces of gear is the entrenching tool —basically a folding spade —which can be employed not only to dig important defences, but also in a variety of other daily tasks, and even sometimes as a weapon. Infantry typically have shared equipment on top of this, like tents or heavy weapons, where

4698-702: The former Yugoslavia at the time of the Yugoslav wars . As part of the cuts to defense spending after the Cold War , the regiment was reduced to battalion-strength in 2011. It consisted of 415 men in 2015. Elements from the Chasseurs ardennais served as part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in the Afghanistan War . The unit's flag carries the following citations, some of which were inherited from

4785-568: The front at Gottem , Deinze and Vinkt during the ensuing Battle of the Lys (24–28 May 1940) before the ultimate capitulation of the Belgian Army on 28 May 1940. The success of their resistance at Deinze and Vinkt provoked reprisal attacks against local civilians by the German 225th Infantry Division in the Vinkt massacre . As the historian Alain Colignon notes, the Chasseurs ardennais were "about

4872-450: The frontier did not receive the order to withdraw. An individual company of the 1st ChA resisted the main attacks from the 1st Panzer Division with considerable success at Bodange  [ fr ] on the Sauer river throughout much of the first day of the invasion. Another company from the 3rd ChA similarly resisted the 7th Panzer Division at Chabrehez  [ fr ] . As

4959-416: The idea of a distinctive uniform was rejected, the Chasseurs adopted a distinctive green Basque-style beret in the style of the Chasseurs alpins . At the time, they were the only unit in the Belgian Army to wear a beret. At the same time, a series of 375 pillboxes were built along the Belgian frontier for the Chasseurs ardennais to defend as part of the so-called Ligne Devèze  [ fr ] . As

5046-464: The idea of frontier defence was abandoned as militarily impractical. The Chasseurs ardennais were briefly threatened with disbandment. Their new role in the event of a German invasion was to launch delaying actions whilst withdrawing to the other side of the Meuse river . Otherwise, the Chasseurs ardennais remained largely unchanged and continued to expand. The "mixed groups" were renamed "regiments" and

5133-413: The importance of frontier defence had circulated for several decades previously. The idea was partly inspired by the France's Chasseurs alpins and Italy's Alpini . Devèze's policy was criticised by some at the time, including General Émile Galet , for diluting the strength of the Belgian Army across the entire length of the country's eastern frontier and therefore making it impossible to concentrating

5220-889: The individual – weapons using personal strength and force, such as larger swinging swords, axes, and clubs. These take more room and individual freedom to swing and wield, necessitating a more loose organisation. While this may allow for a fierce running attack (an initial shock advantage) the tighter formation of the heavy spear and shield infantry gave them a local manpower advantage where several might be able to fight each opponent. Thus tight formations heightened advantages of heavy arms, and gave greater local numbers in melee. To also increase their staying power, multiple rows of heavy infantrymen were added. This also increased their shock combat effect; individual opponents saw themselves literally lined-up against several heavy infantryman each, with seemingly no chance of defeating all of them. Heavy infantry developed into huge solid block formations, up to

5307-422: The introduction of special troops (first of them the engineers going back to medieval times, but also different kinds of infantry adopted to specific terrain, bicycle, motorcycle, motorised and mechanised troops) culminating with the introduction of highly trained special forces during the first and second World War. Naval infantry, commonly known as marines , are primarily a category of infantry that form part of

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5394-553: The last to have maintained their cohesion and "fighting spirit" and performed significantly better than other Belgian infantry units in combat. After the Liberation of Belgium in 1944, the Belgian Army was gradually reformed and a number of newly-recruited units were sent for training in Northern Ireland in the final months of the conflict. A number of former members of the Chasseurs ardennais had been recruited into

5481-725: The lower classes. Towards the end of Middle Ages, this began to change, where more professional and better trained light infantry could be effective against knights, such as the English longbowmen in the Hundred Years' War . By the start of the Renaissance , the infantry began to return to a larger role, with Swiss pikemen and German Landsknechts filling the role of heavy infantry again, using dense formations of pikes to drive off any cavalry. Dense formations are vulnerable to ranged weapons. Technological developments allowed

5568-417: The main enemy lines, using weight of numbers to achieve a decisive victory , and were usually equipped with heavier weapons and armour to fit their role. Light infantry, such as Greek peltasts , Balearic slingers , and Roman velites , using open formations and greater manoeuvrability, took on most other combat roles: scouting , screening the army on the march, skirmishing to delay, disrupt, or weaken

5655-447: The main force of the army, these forces were usually kept small due to their cost of training and upkeep, and might be supplemented by local short-term mass-conscript forces using the older irregular infantry weapons and tactics; this remained a common practice almost up to modern times. Before the adoption of the chariot to create the first mobile fighting forces c.  2000 BC , all armies were pure infantry. Even after, with

5742-483: The manner of wearing the beret; there is no universal rule and older gentlemen usually wear it squared on the head, jutting forward. It can be worn by both men and women. Military uniform berets feature a headband or sweatband attached to the wool, made either from leather, silk or cotton ribbon, sometimes with a drawstring allowing the wearer to tighten the cap. The drawstrings are, according to custom, either tied and cut off or tucked in or else left to dangle. The beret

5829-487: The mid 17th century began replacement of the pike with the infantry square replacing the pike square. To maximise their firepower, musketeer infantry were trained to fight in wide lines facing the enemy, creating line infantry . These fulfilled the central battlefield role of earlier heavy infantry, using ranged weapons instead of melee weapons. To support these lines, smaller infantry formations using dispersed skirmish lines were created, called light infantry, fulfilling

5916-419: The military beret as a standard headgear. As retained until the present day the chasseur beret is a large and somewhat floppy headdress. In the 20th century, royal approval was given for the Royal Tank Corps to adopt the black beret in 1924, with the 11th Hussars adopting a brown beret in 1928. In World War II , the Royal Dragoons adopted the grey beret at the end of 1939, with other mechanised units of

6003-595: The mission or to the particular terrain or environment, including satchel charges , demolition tools, mines , or barbed wire , carried by the infantry or attached specialists. Historically, infantry have suffered high casualty rates from disease , exposure, exhaustion and privation — often in excess of the casualties suffered from enemy attacks. Better infantry equipment to support their health, energy, and protect from environmental factors greatly reduces these rates of loss, and increase their level of effective action. Health, energy, and morale are greatly influenced by how

6090-633: The naval forces of states and perform roles on land and at sea, including amphibious operations , as well as other, naval roles. They also perform other tasks, including land warfare, separate from naval operations. Air force infantry and base defense forces are used primarily for ground-based defense of air bases and other air force facilities. They also have a number of other, specialist roles. These include, among others, Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) defence and training other airmen in basic ground defense tactics. Infentory Basque beret Mass production of berets began in

6177-409: The new Artillery Group of the Chasseurs Ardennais ( Groupe d’Artillerie des Chasseurs ardennais ) in September 1934. The three mixed groups and the artillery group were, in turn, merged into a single "Corps of Chasseurs ardennais " ( Corps des Chasseurs ardennais ) in November 1934 based in Arlon and later Namur . After the end of Belgium's alliance with France in 1936 and its return to neutrality ,

6264-400: The others in close formation, each covering the ones next to him, presenting a solid wall of spears to the enemy that they cannot get around. Similarly, a shield has decent defence abilities, but is literally hit-or-miss; an attack from an unexpected angle can bypass it completely. Larger shields can cover more, but are also heavier and less manoeuvrable, making unexpected attacks even more of

6351-458: The raising of large numbers of light infantry units armed with ranged weapons, without the years of training expected for traditional high-skilled archers and slingers. This started slowly, first with crossbowmen , then hand cannoneers and arquebusiers , each with increasing effectiveness, marking the beginning of early modern warfare , when firearms rendered the use of heavy infantry obsolete. The introduction of musketeers using bayonets in

6438-1041: The same multiple roles as earlier light infantry. Their arms were no lighter than line infantry; they were distinguished by their skirmish formation and flexible tactics. The modern rifleman infantry became the primary force for taking and holding ground on battlefields as an element of combined arms . As firepower continued to increase, use of infantry lines diminished, until all infantry became light infantry in practice. Modern classifications of infantry have since expanded to reflect modern equipment and tactics, such as motorised infantry , mechanised or armoured infantry , mountain infantry , marine infantry , and airborne infantry . Beyond main arms and armour, an infantryman's "military kit" generally includes combat boots , battledress or combat uniform , camping gear , heavy weather gear, survival gear , secondary weapons and ammunition , weapon service and repair kits, health and hygiene items, mess kit , rations , filled water canteen , and all other consumables each infantryman needs for

6525-723: The soldier is fed, so militaries issue standardised field rations that provide palatable meals and enough calories to keep a soldier well-fed and combat-ready. Communications gear has become a necessity, as it allows effective command of infantry units over greater distances, and communication with artillery and other support units. Modern infantry can have GPS , encrypted individual communications equipment, surveillance and night vision equipment, advanced intelligence and other high-tech mission-unique aids. Armies have sought to improve and standardise infantry gear to reduce fatigue for extended carrying, increase freedom of movement, accessibility, and compatibility with other carried gear, such as

6612-464: The time of Napoleonic warfare , infantry, cavalry and artillery formed a basic triad of ground forces, though infantry usually remained the most numerous. With armoured warfare , armoured fighting vehicles have replaced the horses of cavalry, and airpower has added a new dimension to ground combat, but infantry remains pivotal to all modern combined arms operations. The first warriors, adopting hunting weapons or improvised melee weapons, before

6699-445: The time of the musket, the dominance of firepower shifted militaries away from any close combat, and use of armour decreased, until infantry typically went without wearing any armour. Helmets were added back during World War I as artillery began to dominate the battlefield, to protect against their fragmentation and other blast effects beyond a direct hit. Modern developments in bullet-proof composite materials like kevlar have started

6786-531: The tribal host assembled from farmers and hunters with only passing acquaintance with warfare and masses of lightly armed and ill-trained militia put up as a last ditch effort. Kushite king Taharqa enjoyed military success in the Near East as a result of his efforts to strengthen the army through daily training in long-distance running. In medieval times the foot soldiers varied from peasant levies to semi-permanent companies of mercenaries, foremost among them

6873-559: The wall was his Basque beret from Pamplona. He tossed it across, and Gatehouse gingerly tried it on. The beret design was adopted... The black RTR beret was made famous by Field Marshal Montgomery in the Second World War . The beret fits snugly around the head, and can be "shaped" in a variety of ways – in the Americas it is commonly worn pushed to one side. In Central and South America , local custom usually prescribes

6960-613: The weapon speciality; examples of infantry units that retained such names are the Royal Irish Fusiliers and the Grenadier Guards . Dragoons were created as mounted infantry , with horses for travel between battles; they were still considered infantry since they dismounted before combat. However, if light cavalry was lacking in an army, any available dragoons might be assigned their duties; this practice increased over time, and dragoons eventually received all

7047-452: The weapons and training as both infantry and cavalry, and could be classified as both. Conversely, starting about the mid-19th century, regular cavalry have been forced to spend more of their time dismounted in combat due to the ever-increasing effectiveness of enemy infantry firearms. Thus most cavalry transitioned to mounted infantry. As with grenadiers, the dragoon and cavalry designations can be retained long after their horses, such as in

7134-430: Was commanded at the outbreak of war by General Victor Descamps; the 2nd Division by General François Ley. From its inception, the Chasseurs ardennais received an unusually large portion in receiving modern equipment. These included the new Mauser Model 1935 rifle and FN Model 1930 machine gun . By 1938, each regiment had 16 T-13 tank destroyers and three T-15 light tanks . The German invasion of Belgium began in

7221-462: Was formed largely of volunteers from the region and was allocated more modern equipment than other units of the Belgian Army. After Belgium's return to neutrality in 1936, the role of the Chasseurs ardennais shifted and the formation expanded significantly. It eventually consisted of two army divisions complete with artillery and mobile units. At the time of the German invasion of Belgium in May 1940,

7308-510: Was not coined until 1837. In modern usage, foot soldiers of any era are now considered infantry and infantrymen. From the mid-18th century until 1881, the British Army named its infantry as numbered regiments "of Foot" to distinguish them from cavalry and dragoon regiments (see List of Regiments of Foot ). Infantry equipped with special weapons were often named after that weapon, such as grenadiers for their grenades , or fusiliers for their fusils . These names can persist long after

7395-399: Was not common), similar to modern sections (squads) , companies , and regiments . The training of the infantry has differed drastically over time and from place to place. The cost of maintaining an army in fighting order and the seasonal nature of warfare precluded large permanent armies. The antiquity saw everything from the well-trained and motivated citizen armies of Greece and Rome,

7482-469: Was reduced to its current strength in 2011. After its inception, the Chasseurs ardennais has adopted a distinctive green basque-style beret and insignia depicting a wild boar . Belgian military planners had long been aware of the particular vulnerability of the Province of Luxembourg in the south-east which was situated in a relatively undefended region south of the Fortified Position of Namur and

7569-665: Was the traditional headwear of Aragonese and Navarrian shepherds from the Ansó and Roncal valleys of the Pyrenees , a mountain range that divides southern France from northern Spain. The commercial production of Basque-style berets began in the 17th century in the Oloron-Sainte-Marie area of southern France. Originally a local craft, beret-making became industrialised in the 19th century. The first factory, Beatex-Laulhere, claims production records dating back to 1810. By

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