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131-458: Certain countries such as France ( Grenadiers à Cheval de la Garde Impériale ) and Argentina ( Regiment of Mounted Grenadiers ) established units of Horse Grenadiers , and for a time the British Army had Horse Grenadier Guards . Like their infantry grenadier counterparts, these horse-mounted soldiers were chosen for their size and strength ( heavy cavalry ). In modern warfare , a grenadier

262-759: A Coalition square, two lieutenants (Tuefferd and Moreau) and sixteen other officers wounded. Waterloo was to be the last engagement of this legendary unit, which was disbanded by the Bourbons after their Second Restoration in late 1815. Uniform of the 1st squadron of the Grenadier-à-cheval, in 1815, on "Les uniformes pendant la campagne des Cent Jours" Mitre The mitre ( Commonwealth English ) or miter ( American English ; see spelling differences ; both pronounced / ˈ m aɪ t ər / MY -tər ; Greek : μίτρα , romanized :  mítra , lit.   'headband' or 'turban')

393-453: A charge, hacking his way back to his own lines. The regiment lost 4 officers dead and 14 officers wounded, as well as a large number of troopers, but the charge of the Guard cavalry did allow their fellow reserve cavalry to break their encirclement and get back to their original positions. The French would go on to draw the bloody Battle of Eylau later that evening. The Peninsular War erupted

524-577: A formal coronation in June 1963. However, as a sign of the perceived need for greater simplification of the papal rites, as well as the changing nature of the papacy itself, he abandoned the use of his tiara in a dramatic ceremony in Saint Peter's Basilica during the second session of Vatican II in November 1963. However his 1975 Apostolic Constitution made it clear the tiara had not been abolished: in

655-538: A length of slow-match, and roughly the size of a tennis ball . The grenadiers had to be tall and strong enough to hurl these heavy objects far enough so as not to harm themselves or their comrades, and disciplined enough to stand at the forefront of the fight, light the fuse and throw at the appropriate moment to minimize the ability of an enemy to throw the grenade back. Understandably, such requirements led to grenadiers being regarded as an elite fighting force. The wide hats with broad brims characteristic of infantry during

786-409: A mitre is always white, although in liturgical usage white also includes vestments made from gold and silver fabrics. The embroidered bands and other ornaments which adorn a mitre and the lappets may be of other colours and often are. On all occasions, an altar server may wear a shawl-style veil , called a vimpa , around the shoulders when holding the bishop's mitre. In ecclesiastical heraldry ,

917-656: A mitre was placed above the shield of all persons who were entitled to wear the mitre, including abbots. It substituted for the helm of military arms, but also appeared as a crest placed atop a helmet, as was common in German heraldry. In the Anglican Churches, the Church of Sweden, and the Lutheran Church of Finland, the mitre is still placed above the arms of bishops instead of the ecclesiastical hat . In

1048-526: A mitre. In 1585 a Russian envoy witnessed the patriarchs of Constantinople, Alexandria, and Jerusalem celebrated the divine liturgy together and only the Alexandrian patriarch wore a mitre. Some modern scholars believe that the mitre was first adopted among the Orthodox when Cyril Lucaris (previously patriarch of Alexandria) became Ecumenical Patriarch in the early 1600s. Others instead claim that

1179-692: A month after the battle, the command of the regiment was taken by Lorainer colonel Michel Ordener . Five years would pass before the grenadiers' next engagement, which occurred during the War of the Third Coalition . As war broke out with Russia and Austria , the horse grenadiers, now a part of the Imperial Guard , crossed the Rhine into Germany on October 1, 1805. Ten days after that, they were at Augsburg and on October 20 they were present at

1310-474: A new pontificate. The most typical mitre in the Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic churches is based on the closed Imperial crown of the late Byzantine Empire . Therefore, it too is ultimately based on the older καμιλαύκιον although it diverged from the secular headdress at a much later date, after it had already undergone further development. Orthodox bishops started wearing mitres around

1441-435: A papal mitre (containing still the three levels of 'crowns' representing the powers of the papacy in a simplified form) and pallium . Prior to Benedict XVI, each pope's coat of arms always contained the image of the papal tiara and St. Peter's crossed keys, even though the tiara had fallen into disuse, especially under popes John Paul I and John Paul II . Pope Paul VI was the last pope to date to begin his papal reign with

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1572-538: A peak and sewn together at the sides. Two short lappets always hang down from the back. The camelaucum ( Greek : καμιλαύκιον , kamilaukion ), the headdress that both the mitre and the papal tiara stem from, was originally a cap used by officials of the Imperial Byzantine court. "The tiara [from which the mitre originates] probably developed from the Phrygian cap , or frigium, a conical cap worn in

1703-523: A popular and familiar choice in the grenadier role and is still issued by other U.S. military branches. The Argentine Army still maintains a prestigious unit known as the Regiment of Mounted Grenadiers ( Regimiento de Granaderos a Caballo )--actually a squadron-strength formation—which serves as the Presidential ceremonial escort and guard unit. The regiment was founded in 1903 as a recreation of

1834-461: A rare opportunity to rout the disorderly troops before him and to that effect he requested a charge from general Étienne de Nansouty 's cavalry reserve, inviting all other cavalry commanders in the sector to do the same. The Guard cavalry, however, did not move and the opportunity came to nothing. An angry MacDonald confronted Walther after the battle over the latter's inaction, at which Walther explained that neither his commander, Marshal Bessières, nor

1965-710: A team of pontooners belonging to the enemy " Army of Bohemia ". After Napoleon's abdication and the Bourbon Restoration , the Grenadiers were ordered to Blois , by royal ordinance. According to this ordinance, dated 12 May, they were to be reorganised into a "Corps of Royal Cuirassiers of France". Its complement was set by 21 June ordinance, which provided that the Corps was to be 42 officers and 602 men strong, divided into two-company strong squadrons. However, with Napoleon's return to power in late March 1815,

2096-554: A total of 1016 officers and men. The next year, two squadrons of vélites , totaling 800 men were added, as well as a major en second (deputy commander). The two vélite squadrons would only be disbanded in August 1811, with the men being reshuffled in a 5-squadron regiment, totaling 1250 men. A further reorganisation was operated just before the Russian campaign , bringing the number of squadrons back down to four. In January 1813, after

2227-578: A unit that existed from 1813 to 1826 under the leadership of national hero General José de San Martín . Unlike most other units that carried the title of "grenadiers", the Argentine Grenadiers are a cavalry unit, and continue to mount horses for ceremonial purposes, as well as carrying lances and cavalry sabers. The Belgian Land Component retains two regiments of grenadiers based in Brussels. First raised in 1837 from companies drawn from

2358-598: A veteran of the French Revolutionary Wars , who would command the unit until his death, on November 24, 1813. His successor would be 45-year-old Claude-Étienne Guyot , who would command the brigade until the fall of the Empire in July 1815. During this period, the most remarkable commander of the regiment would be the battle-hardened Louis Lepic , commanding as colonel-major . The first true engagement of

2489-452: Is Greek , and means a piece of armour , usually a metal guard worn around the waist and under a cuirass , as mentioned in Homer 's Iliad . In later poems, it was used to refer to a headband used by women for their hair, and a sort of formal Babylonian headdress, as mentioned by Herodotus ( Histories 1.195 and 7.90). It also refers to a kind of hairband, such as "the victor's chaplet at

2620-683: Is a specially trained soldier operating as part of a fireteam , proficient in the use of limited high-angle indirect fire over " dead zones ". This soldier is armed with a grenade launcher , a shoulder-fired, indirect-fire large-caliber weapon. The concept of troops being equipped with grenades dates back to the military of the Ming dynasty , when Chinese soldiers stationed on the Great Wall used thunder crash bombs . The earliest references to soldiers using grenades in European armies dates back to

2751-882: Is a type of headgear now known as the traditional, ceremonial headdress of bishops and certain abbots in traditional Christianity. Mitres are worn in the Catholic Church , Eastern Orthodox Church , Oriental Orthodox Churches , the Anglican Communion , some Lutheran churches, for important ceremonies, by the Metropolitan of the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church , and also, in the Catholic Church, all cardinals , whether or not bishops, and some Eastern Orthodox archpriests . μίτρα, mítra ( Ionic μίτρη, mítrē )

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2882-527: Is evidence that morale remained good throughout. According to author Stephen de Chappedelaine, General Frédéric Henri Walther managed to bring his horse grenadiers out of Russia with few losses. The regiment took some time to reform during 1813 and would only go back to action in April. Napoleon reviewed them at Erfurt on April 27; only three days later the Grenadiers-à-Cheval received news of

3013-636: Is one of the longest serving units in the Canadian Army 's Primary Reserve . It still continues today, both in its reserve role and as a ceremonial guard at the National War Memorial , Rideau Hall , and other places of symbolic importance. The 10th Royal Grenadiers (later The Royal Grenadiers ) of Toronto later became the Royal Regiment of Canada with tradition surviving in a grenadier company. The Winnipeg Grenadiers

3144-675: The Granatieri di Sardegna (Grenadiers of Sardinia) in Italy; France's Foot Grenadiers, Fusilier-Grenadiers, Tirailleur-Grenadiers and Grenadiers à Cheval de la Garde Impériale ; the Russian Empire 's Imperial Guard ; Britain's Grenadier Guards and the 101st Grenadiers . The latter was part of the British Indian Army and claimed to be the first and oldest grenadier regiment (as opposed to grenadier companies) in

3275-546: The Battle of Vauchamps . They were then involved in several actions, including major ones at Reims and Craonne , where they routed several enemy squares. During this battle, the commander ( major ) of the Grenadiers, General Lévesque de Laferrière was wounded by a bullet and had a leg torn off and also lost one of its best officers, Captain Kister. Their last action of the campaign was fought at Méry-sur-Seine , where they captured

3406-674: The British Empire . In 1747 the grenadier companies of a number of disbanded French infantry regiments were brought together to form a single permanent unit - the Grenadiers de France . During the American Revolution of 1775–1783, the Connecticut 1st Company Governor's Guards and the 11th Regiment of Connecticut Militia had grenadier companies. New York City also had a Grenadier unit, as did South Carolina –

3537-676: The Constitution of the Year III , which provided for the organisation of a guard for the French Directory . Within this guard, a cavalry regiment was formed and most cavalrymen were drawn from the 9th dragoons. However, the horse guards would only take service in 1796 and a 1797 regulation stated that the guards were to be called 'grenadiers'. The next major reorganisation came with the French Consulate , just days after

3668-472: The Coup of 18 Brumaire . This reorganisation reshuffled the general staff of the regiment and gave its command to chef de brigade (colonel) Michel Ordener , assisted by three chefs d'escadron (squadron commanders). Further reorganisations in 1801 and 1802 were conducted under the supervision of General Jean-Baptiste Bessières , bringing the regiment to four squadrons of two companies each and integrating it in

3799-484: The Cross ), which the bishop may kiss before he puts it on. Eastern mitres are usually gold, but other liturgical colours may be used. The mitre is topped by a cross, either made out of metal and standing upright, or embroidered in cloth and lying flat on the top. In Greek practice , the mitres of all bishops are topped with a standing cross. The same is true in the Russian tradition . Mitres awarded to priests will have

3930-526: The Duke of Cumberland ordered that grenadier companies were "to be completed out of the best men of their respective Regiments, and to be constantly kept so". By contrast, French grenadier companies of the 18th century appear to have selected their new recruits according to the classic criteria of height. However with the outbreak of the Revolutionary Wars the urgency of mass mobilisation meant that

4061-584: The Dutch States Army , influenced by their French invaders, adopted grenadiers in 1672. By 1678 six men in each company were trained to throw hand grenades, developed by the Dutch master fireworker Johan van Haren. In May 1677, the English Army ordered that two soldiers of every Guards Regiment were to be trained as grenadiers; in April 1678 it was ordered that a company of grenadiers be added to

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4192-710: The French Customs , which was a military unit until 1940. The oldest grenadier regiment of the armies in the Commonwealth belongs to the Indian Army . The concept of 'Grenadiers' evolved from the practice of selecting the bravest and strongest men for the most dangerous tasks in combat. The Grenadiers have the longest unbroken record of existence in the Indian Army. Grenadiers %C3%A0 Cheval de la Garde Imp%C3%A9riale The Mounted Grenadiers of

4323-409: The Grenadiers-à-Cheval recalled from Spain. A part of the 3rd brigade of the Guard cavalry, they numbered 1166 men, spread between five squadrons (squadron commanders were: 1st sq. - Perrot, 2nd sq. - Mesmer, 3rd sq. - Rémy, 4th sq. - Hardy, 5th sq. - Morin). The first part of the campaign, from June to September, was nothing more than a long march for the Guard, which was never committed to battle and

4454-602: The Napoleonic Wars , both mitres and fur caps fell out of use in favour of the shako . Two notable exceptions were the grenadier companies and Imperial Guard regiments of the French Grande Armée , plus those of the Austrian Army. After the Battle of Friedland in 1807, because of their distinguished performance, Russia's Pavlovsk Regiment were allowed to keep their mitre caps and were admitted to

4585-547: The Ottoman Empire . The mitre is removed at certain solemn moments during the Divine Liturgy and other services, usually being removed and replaced by the protodeacon . The use of the mitre is a prerogative of bishops, but it may be awarded to archpriests , protopresbyters and archimandrites . The priestly mitre is not surmounted by a cross, and is awarded at the discretion of a synod of bishops. During

4716-799: The Oudinot Grenadier Division and the Russian army had grenadier divisions such as the Caucasus Grenadier Division . During World War II, the Polish army had the 1st Grenadier Division , and the German military had several grenadier and panzergrenadier divisions. In 1914, the Imperial German and Russian Armies still included a number of grenadier regiments. In the Russian Army, these comprised

4847-597: The bearskin or had been replaced by the standard infantry tricorn or bicorn . The British Army made this change in 1765 and the Prussian Army in 1790. All Russian grenadiers continued however to wear mitre caps until 1805, even when on active service. The mitre in its classic metal-fronted 18th-century form survived as an item of ceremonial parade dress in the Prussian Leib-Grenadier No 1 and 1. Garde-Regiment zu Fuß regiments; plus

4978-488: The colonel major of the regiment, general Louis-Marie Lévesque received six sabre cuts to the shoulder and arm and captain adjutant-major Guindey, famous for killing Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia at the Battle of Saalfeld seven years earlier, was killed in action. Another blow was dealt to the morale of the regiment on November 24 of that year, when the regiment's commander-in-chief, General of Division Frédéric Henri Walther died suddenly from exhaustion and illness. He

5109-895: The early modern era in the Austrian and Spanish armies. References to grenade-throwing troops also appear in England during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms , and it was during the reign of King Louis XIV that companies of soldiers serving as grenadiers were first introduced into the French Royal Army . According to René Chartrand, Jean Martinet formed a grenadier company in the Régiment du Roi in 1667. By 1670 27 French infantry regiments were authorised to include elite companies trained to carry and hurl grenades The infantry of

5240-467: The 16th or 17th century, but the date of adoption is disputed. The use of headgear of any kind by the Byzantine church was a late development, and before the 1500s they wore no headgear. Theodore Balsamon , Patriarch of Antioch (ca. 1130–1140) stated that the patriarch of Alexandria was the only Orthodox prelate to wear a hat during the liturgy. This claim was repeated by Symeon of Thessalonica in

5371-448: The 18th century (and in a few cases the 19th), soldiers designated as grenadiers in various northern European armies wore a mitre (usually called a "mitre cap") similar in outline to those worn by western bishops. As first adopted in the 1680s this cap had been worn instead of the usual broad-brimmed hat to avoid the headdress being knocked off when the soldier threw a grenade . The hand grenade in its primitive form had become obsolete by

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5502-450: The 18th century, a fact that can be attributed to the improved effectiveness of infantry line tactics and flintlock technology. The need for elite assault troops remained, however, and the existing grenadier companies were used for this purpose. As noted, above average physical size had been considered important for the original grenadiers and, in principle, height and strength remained the basis of selection for these picked companies. In

5633-736: The 19th century and since 1840 and 1907 has served as the Escort Regiment to the President of Chile on important national occasions. This regiment is named after General Manuel Bulnes Prieto, the founding patron of the regiment, who led the Chilean Army and the anti-confederation North Peruvian dissidents to victory in the War of the Peru-Bolivia Confederation in the crucial Battle of Yungay in 1839, which signaled

5764-565: The Anglo-Portuguese, but Bessières brought only symbolic reinforcements: a few squadrons of horse dragoons and grenadiers, 800 men in all, under the command of General Louis Lepic. Despite this setback, Masséna brilliantly exploited a weakness in Wellington's line and it soon seemed like the Anglo-Portuguese would be crushed. Time was at the essence and Masséna promptly sent his young aide-de-camp, Charles Oudinot , to find Lepic and

5895-463: The Austrian left Bessières organised a massive charge with the whole Consular Guard cavalry and increased the panic and rout of the enemy troops. Following the battle, Bessières received high praise for his actions from the First Consul, who said to the general: "Under your command, the Guard covered itself with glory; it could not have performed better under the given circumstances." Little over

6026-457: The British regiments of foot during the 18th century the preference was, however, to draw on steady veterans for appointment to individual vacancies in a grenadier company (one of the ten companies comprising each regiment). The traditional criterion of size was only resorted to when newly raised regiments required a quick sorting of a mass of new recruits. Prior to the Battle of Culloden in 1745

6157-490: The Danish Army Museum, however, definitely states that grenades were thrown underhand and that it was the slinging of firearms that required the special headdresses typical of early grenadiers. The grenadiers of the French infantry were by the 1690s distinguished from their musketeer colleagues by special issues of equipment. These included slings for their flintlocks, curved sabres instead of straight swords, large leather pouches for grenades and hatchets. By 1700, grenadiers in

6288-446: The Danube again, this time managing to bring out a considerable force, attacking the Austrians on the Marchfeld plain. The ensuing Battle of Wagram would see the Grenadiers à Cheval in reserve during the first day of battle. However, on the second day, July 6, 1809, the grenadiers, with the rest of the Guard cavalry, were assigned to support general Jacques MacDonald 's massive attack column. After an initial success, MacDonald saw

6419-405: The Emperor, during the most significant battles. When sent into action, such as during the battles of Marengo , Austerlitz , Eylau , Hanau or Waterloo , as well as during a number of actions of 1814, results were usually impressive. The regiment was disbanded in 1815, after Napoleon's downfall and the second restoration of the Bourbons . The origins of the Guard Horse Grenadiers dated back to

6550-435: The Emperor, had given any orders for a charge and that the Guard could not act without direct orders from one of the two. MacDonald's attempts to explain that a charge would have been decisive fell on deaf ears, as Walther at once saluted and left. During the two years that followed, only a few companies of the regiment would see active service, campaigning in Spain, where they accompanied Bessières in northwestern Spain, where

6681-425: The English and other armies had adopted a cap in the shape of a bishop's mitre , usually decorated with the regimental insignia in embroidered cloth. In addition to grenades, they were equipped with Flintlock muskets . Attached to the shoulder belt was a brass 'match case' that housed the slow match used to ignite the grenade fuse, a feature that was retained in later grenadier uniforms. Grenade usage declined in

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6812-409: The French from Vandamme 's division around Stary Vinohrady ('the old vineyards'). At first, one battalion of the French 4th Line regiment was caught in an awkward position and broken by the Russian Guard cavalry supported by artillery, with the French battalion losing its eagle and over 400 men. Then, the 24th Light regiment, which was coming up in support of the 4th, was also thrown back in disarray. It

6943-442: The French to clear opposing trenches of troops. The more effective of the two was the so-called "potato masher" Stielhandgranate , which were stick grenades. The term Panzergrenadier was adopted in the German Wehrmacht to describe mechanized heavy infantry elements whose greater protection and mobility allowed them to keep pace with (and provide intimate protection to) armoured units and formations. This designation reflects

7074-432: The German model was subsequently adopted. The British style—usually simply called a "grenadier cap" instead of a mitre—had a tall cloth front with elaborate regimental embroidery forward of a sloping red back, lined in white. Some German and Russian fusilier regiments also wore a mitre with a smaller brass front-plate. By the end of the 18th century, due to changes in military fashion, the mitre had generally given way to

7205-409: The Graeco-Roman world. In the 10th century the tiara was pictured on papal coins." Other sources claim the tiara developed the other way around, from the mitre. In the late Empire it developed into the closed type of Imperial crown used by Byzantine Emperors (see illustration of Michael III , 842–867). Worn by a bishop, the mitre is depicted for the first time in two miniatures of the beginning of

7336-411: The Grenadier Guards Regiment ( L-G Grenadierski Polk ) as well as the Grenadier Corps of sixteen regiments (plus an independent reinforced company of Palace Grenadiers, guarding the St. Petersburg Imperial residences). Five regiments of the Prussian Guard were designated as Garde-Grenadiers and there were an additional fourteen regiment of grenadiers amongst the line infantry of the German Empire. In both

7467-428: The Grenadiers became the senior "Old Guard" heavy cavalry regiment when the Imperial Guard was founded, in 1804. Their maximum official complement was just over 1100 officers and troopers, commanded by a general of division or a seasoned general of brigade, with some of the most famous cavalrymen of the time as commander. Rarely committed to battle during the Napoleonic Wars , they were usually kept in reserve, alongside

7598-458: The Grenadiers regained their former organisation and rank among the army. With the outbreak of the War of the Seventh Coalition , the Grenadiers were included in a Guard heavy cavalry division, alongside the Imperial Guard Dragoons. Their only engagement took place at the Battle of Waterloo . The charges of the Grenadiers were impetuous but losses were heavy: they lost major Jean-Baptiste-Auguste-Marie Jamin , killed by British canister shot near

7729-425: The Guard cavalry, with orders to charge immediately, but Oudinot was soon back to his commander, saying that he was not able to fetch the Guard cavalry, because Lepic only recognized Bessières as commander and that he would not draw his sword without his order. Bessières was nowhere to be found, and after further futile attacks Masséna was forced to retreat. By 1812, the imminent eruption of the Russian campaign saw

7860-428: The Guards, the Grenadiers fought against overwhelming enemy numbers at La Rothière and nine days later broke several Russian infantry squares from General Zakhar Olsufiev 's force. At the Battle of Montmirail , the Grenadiers annihilated two Russian brigades and at the Battle of Château-Thierry successfully charged Coalition artillery batteries and two days later helped rout Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher 's army at

7991-415: The Imperial Guard ( French : Grenadiers à Cheval de La Garde Impériale ) was a heavy cavalry regiment in the Consular, then Imperial Guard during the French Consulate and First French Empire respectively. They were the senior Old Guard cavalry regiment of the Imperial Guard and from 1806 were brigaded together with the Dragoons of the Imperial Guard . A part of the Republican Consular Guard ,

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8122-415: The Imperial Guard. During the Napoleonic Wars, British grenadiers had usually worn the bearskin cap only for full dress when on home service, since the fur was found to deteriorate rapidly during campaigning overseas. Following their role in the defeat of the French Imperial Guard at the Battle of Waterloo , the 1st Foot Guards was renamed the 1st (or Grenadier) Regiment of Foot Guards and all companies of

8253-406: The Patriarch (also granted to the metropolitan of Kiev starting in 1686). The Eastern mitre is made in the shape of a bulbous crown, completely enclosed, and the material is of brocade , damask or cloth of gold . It may also be embroidered , and is often richly decorated with jewels. There are normally four icons attached to the mitre (often of Christ, the Theotokos , John the Baptist and

8384-402: The Presidential Escort Squadron for the President of Ecuador . The unit stands guard at Quito 's Carondelet Palace and retains the uniform worn during the Battle of Tarqui of 1829, reporting as part of the Ecuadorian Army . While the French army has not included any grenadiers since 1870, the grenade badge is still a distinctive mark of the Foreign Legion , the National Gendarmerie and

8515-403: The Red Army within the 4th Army during the Tikhvin defensive operation in October 1941. It was a measure taken because of lack of firearms, and the commander of the brigade was appropriately General Major G.T. Timofeyev who had served in one of the Russian Imperial Army's grenadier regiments during the First World War. In the Vietnam War , U.S. squads usually had at least one soldier whose role

8646-406: The Roman Catholic Church, the use of the mitre above the shield on the personal arms of clergy was suppressed in 1969, and is now found only on some corporate arms, like those of dioceses. Previously, the mitre was often included under the hat, and even in the arms of a cardinal, the mitre was not entirely displaced. In heraldry the mitre is always shown in gold , and the lappets ( infulae ) are of

8777-446: The Russian Pavlovskii Regiment , until World War I. The bishop in the board game chess is represented by a stylised Western mitre having Unicode codes U+2657 (white) and U+265D (black): ♗♝ . The crowns of the Austrian Empire and Imperial Russia incorporated a mitre of precious metal and jewels into their design. The Austrian Imperial Crown was originally the personal crown of Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II and has

8908-578: The Russian and German armies, the grenadier regiments were considered as a historic elite; distinguished by features such as plumed helmets in full dress, distinctive facings (yellow for all Russian grenadiers) or special braiding. Their role and training, however, no longer differed from that of the rest of the infantry. Today, regiments using the name grenadiers are effectively indistinguishable from other infantry, especially when hand grenades , RPGs , and other types of explosive arms have become standard-issue weaponry; however, such regiments retain at least

9039-450: The Russian disaster, the regiment was once again reorganised, with the addition of a fifth and then a sixth squadron of 2 companies each. These two squadrons were both considered Young Guard and were also known as the 2nd Grenadiers à Cheval regiment. Throughout the War of the Sixth Coalition the regiment would fight in this format, with each of the four Old Guard squadrons being formed of 2 companies, 124 officers and men each. Following

9170-412: The Russian line and carried on beyond, only to find themselves behind enemy lines and in serious danger of being surrounded. As a result, the Emperor ordered Marshal Bessières to help the stranded reserve cavalry and thus a second cavalry charge ensued, spearheaded by the Chasseurs à Cheval and followed by the heavy cavalry of the 5th cuirassiers and Grenadiers à Cheval . Commanding the horse grenadiers

9301-592: The United States, the first Presiding Bishop, Samuel Seabury wore a mitre as early as 1786. The mitre is also worn by bishops in a number of Lutheran churches, for example the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia , the Church of Sweden , and the Lutheran Church in Great Britain . In the Catholic Church , ecclesial law gives the right to use the mitre and other pontifical insignia (crosier, pectoral cross, and ring) to bishops , abbots , cardinals, and those canonically equivalent to diocesan bishops who do not receive episcopal ordination. The principal celebrant presents

9432-564: The abdication of the Emperor Napoleon I in 1814, the restored Bourbons planned to erase the identity of this regiment by asking Marshal Michel Ney to disband and then reorganise the men into a new regiment called cuirassiers de France (cuirassiers of France), which included 4 squadrons. The men that had formed the original 6th Young Guard squadron were apparently all transferred to the Carabiniers-à-Cheval . With

9563-439: The apparent height and impressive appearance of these troops both on the parade ground and the battlefield. The mitre cap, whether in stiffened cloth or metal, had become the distinguishing feature of the grenadier in the armies of Britain, Russia, Prussia and most German states during the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Spanish and Austrian grenadiers favoured high fur hats with long coloured cloth 'hoods' (" bags "). The mitre

9694-400: The case of Spain and Austria sometimes contained elements from both mitres and bearskins. Until the mid-18th century, French grenadiers wore tricorne hats, rather than either the mitre or fur cap. Grenadier caps gradually increased in size and decoration, with added devices such as pompoms, cords, badges, front-plates, plumes, and braiding, as well as various national heraldic emblems. During

9825-598: The celebrated Guards' headdress was worn in action. From the 17th Century to the mid 19th centuries the "Foot" or infantry regiments of the British and several other armies comprised ten companies; eight of them "Battalion" or "Centre" companies, and two " Flank Companies " consisting of one Grenadier and one Light or Light Infantry Company. In the United States, an Act of Congress made on 8 May 1792 directed that for every infantry battalion there should be one company of grenadiers, riflemen, or light infantry. On occasion

9956-583: The cold temperatures in Russia. The mitre was first appeared in Russia with Patriarch Nikon , who adopted it from the tradition of the Patriarch of Constantinople. Initially, it was only worn by the Patriarch of Moscow, but it was soon adopted by the rest of the bishops, and a council in 1675 mandated the mitre for all bishops, following the Greek custom. Mitres were also given to some archimandrites , by

10087-609: The comeback of Napoleon during the Hundred Days , the regiment was once again transformed into the Horse Grenadiers of the Imperial Guard and after the fall of Napoleon, the regiment was permanently disbanded on November 25, 1815. The Grenadiers à Cheval regiment was commanded by a general of division , who had the title of colonel commandant (colonel commander), assisted by a brigadier general , who had

10218-467: The confederation's demise. The Chilean Grenadiers' uniforms, until 2011, were similar to the full Feldgrau uniforms of the Chilean Army, but adapted for the cavalry and like their Argentine counterparts, carry lances but not cavalry sabers, which are reserved for officers and the mounted colors guard escort. Starting in 2011, the regiment now wears a cavalry light blue full dress uniform with Pickelhaubes for all ranks. The "Tarqui Grenadiers" serve as

10349-426: The constitution he made provision for his successor to receive a coronation. Pope John Paul I, however, declined to follow Paul VI's constitution and opted for a simpler papal inauguration , a precedent followed by his three successors. Pope John Paul II's 1996 Apostolic Constitution left open several options by not specifying what sort of ceremony was to be used, other than that some ceremony would be held to inaugurate

10480-579: The cross lying flat. Sometimes, instead of the flat cross, the mitre may have an icon on the top. As an item of Imperial regalia , along with other such items as the sakkos (Imperial dalmatic ) and epigonation , the mitre came to signify the temporal authority of bishops (especially that of the Patriarch of Constantinople ) within the administration of the Rum millet (i.e., the Christian community) of

10611-400: The death of their beloved leader, Marshal Jean-Baptiste Bessières , who had been killed in action by a stray Russian cannonball, next to the village of Rippach . The regiment saw brief action at the Battle of Dresden and was involved in supporting the foot Guards take the village of Reudnitz, during the Battle of Leipzig in late October. The only major engagement of the year would come at

10742-575: The decree of Peter the Great in 1705; in 1786 Catherine the Great awarded a mitre to her spiritual father, Archpriest John Pamphilov. In 1797 the decree of Paul I allowed the mitre to be awarded to archpriests as mark of special distinction. In 1988, the Holy Synod of the Russian Church decided that the mitres of all bishops would be topped with a cross, which until then was reserved for

10873-689: The eleventh century. The first written mention of it is found in a Bull of Pope Leo IX in the year 1049. By 1150 the use had spread to bishops throughout the West. In the Church of England , the mitre fell out of use after the Reformation, but was restored in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as a result of the Oxford Movement , and is now worn by most bishops of the Anglican Communion on at least some occasions. In The Episcopal Church of

11004-549: The elite 1st South Carolina Regiment, raised and commanded by Charles Cotesworth Pinckney . In Mexico Antonio López de Santa Anna created the Grenadier Guards of the Supreme Power on 7 December 1841. The formation remained in service until 1847. A Toronto militia unit was renamed the 10th Royal Grenadiers in 1881, then later became the Royal Regiment of Canada . In the nineteenth century, France had

11135-571: The end of October, at the Battle of Hanau . As the Bavarians under Karl Philipp von Wrede were trying to block the retreat of the Grande Armée towards France, Napoleon was forced to commit his élite troops, personally haranguing the Grenadiers-à-Cheval as they were preparing to go into action. The entire Guard cavalry charged by squadron, in column and broke a numerous enemy cavalry, pursuing it for several hundred metres. During this battle,

11266-694: The entire Grande Armée began to move out of the ruined city and the retreat towards the Duchy of Warsaw would offer only secondary actions to the Grenadiers-à-Cheval , with the mission of ensuring the protection of the Imperial Headquarters. The skirmishes, the cold and the deprivations during the retreat took their toll on the regiment and by the time of the Battle of Berezina the combined Grenadiers-à-Cheval and Chasseurs-à-Cheval were able to field no more than 500 combat-worthy men on horseback, with several hundred dismounted. Despite this, there

11397-519: The fifteenth century, who in his Concerning the Holy Temple, wrote that all Eastern hierarchs and priests, with the exception of the patriarch of Alexandria conduct sacred service with uncovered heads. Another evidence pointing to the lack of headgear among the Orthodox bishops was the complaint against John XI of Constantinople who was accused of copying the Catholic pope in wearing

11528-494: The first major battle occurred at Eylau . Here, the Grande Armée gave battle, despite being seriously outnumbered and with the expected reinforcements failing to materialise, Napoleon's position was looking increasingly perilous. The Emperor thus ordered Marshal Murat to launch the entire reserve cavalry into a massive charge. At first, Murat led forward two dragoons and one cuirassiers divisions and these men pierced

11659-753: The following year, and the Grenadiers à Cheval , together with two newly created Young Guard infantry regiments and some Guard artillery, were a part of Bessières ' 2nd Corps of the Army of Spain, and were present in Madrid during the May uprising , where their first surgeon, Gauthier, was wounded. They then campaigned in the north-west of the country. On July 14, at the Battle of Medina de Rioseco , Bessières, with around 14,000 men, faced two massed Spanish corps of about 22,000 men, not far from Valladolid . A few squadrons of

11790-593: The form proper to that of a Holy Roman Emperor . At the Roman rite of their Coronation , the Pope placed a mitre on their heads before placing the crown over it. Their empress consorts also received both a mitre and crown on their heads from a cardinal bishop at the same ceremony. The form of the Russian Imperial Crown dates back to the time of Peter the Great ’s early attempts to westernise Russia and

11921-695: The games", a headband and a badge of rank at the Ptolemaic court , an oriental headdress, perhaps a kind of turban, worn "as a mark of effeminacy", a diadem , the headdress of the priest of Heracles , or the headdress of the Jewish high priest referenced in the Septuagint (Greek) text of Exodus 29 :6. In its modern form in Western Christianity , the mitre is a tall folding cap , consisting of two similar parts (the front and back) rising to

12052-410: The grenadier and light companies could be "brigaded" together into separate grenadier and light infantry battalions for assaults or skirmishing respectively. Each of the line infantry regiments of the Austrian Army of this period included a grenadier division of two companies, separate from the fusilier companies that made up the bulk of the unit. The grenadier companies were frequently detached from

12183-460: The headquarters and residences of senior officers. When a regiment was in line formation the grenadier company always formed on the right flank. In the British Army, when Trooping the Colour , " The British Grenadiers " march is played no matter which regiment is on the parade ground, as the colour party stands at the right-hand end of the line, as every regiment formerly had a company of grenadiers at

12314-458: The horse grenadier regiment, a command which the latter would keep until May 20, 1806, when he retired from active service. In 1806, with the creation of a second heavy cavalry regiment in the Guard, the 'Dragoons of the Empress', a heavy cavalry brigade was formed and put under the command of a general of division. The command would be given to a senior cavalryman, General Frédéric Henri Walther ,

12445-542: The infantry regiments and all regiments were ordered to consist of a 3-battalion structure, with 3 grenadier companies of 200 grenadiers in each. In 1756 each of the grenadier companies was brought together in four permanent grenadier regiments. This policy of maintaining a separate corps of grenadiers continued until the Russian Revolution of 1917. The Palace Grenadiers was a ceremonial company selected from distinguished veterans, in existence from 1827 to 1917 with

12576-403: The late 17th century were in some armies discarded and replaced with caps. This was originally to allow the grenadier to sling his musket over his back with greater ease while throwing grenades (initially, only these troops were provided with slings). It has been suggested that a brimless hat also permitted the grenadier greater ease in throwing the grenade overhand. Preben Kannik, former Curator of

12707-492: The latter was supposed to support André Masséna 's Army of Portugal. Masséna had been busy besieging general Wellington in Lisbon , but he was not able to pierce the fortified Lines of Torres Vedras and subsequently retreated to Almeida . Wellington followed him and on May 5, 1811 found himself in an awkward position at the Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro . Masséna needed Bessières' entire Army Corps, if he wanted to thoroughly beat

12838-418: The line infantry of the newly independent kingdom, these troops served with distinction in both World Wars. In peacetime they had a ceremonial role that corresponded to that of royal guards in other armies. In 1960 the historic blue and red full dress worn prior to World War I was reintroduced for limited wear, although the tall bearskin headdress is now made of synthetic material. The Canadian Grenadier Guards

12969-414: The mid-18th century but grenadiers continued as elite troops in most European armies, usually retaining the mitre cap as a distinction. Militarily, this headdress came in different styles. The Prussian style had a cone-shaped brass or white metal front with a cloth rear having lace braiding; the Russian style initially consisted of a tall brass plate atop of a leather cap with a peak at the rear, although

13100-607: The mitre and other pontifical insignia to a newly ordained bishop during the Rite of Ordination of a Bishop and to a new abbot during the Rite of Blessing of an Abbot. In the case of a person who is canonically equivalent to a diocesan bishop but does not receive episcopal ordination, this presentation normally occurs during a public installation as the ordinary of his jurisdiction. Catholic ecclesial law also permits former Anglican bishops received into full communion and subsequently ordained to

13231-547: The mitre cap, southern countries such as France, Spain, Austria, Portugal, and various Italian states preferred the bearskin. By 1768, Britain had adopted the bearskin. The shape and appearance of fur caps differed according to period and country. While France used smaller bearskins, Spain preferred towering caps with long flowing bags. Britain initially favoured tall cloth mitres with lacing and braiding, while Russia would sport equally tall leather helmets with brass front-plates. The first grenadier headdresses were fairly low, and in

13362-492: The mitre started being used after the fall of Constantinople (1453). There are some examples of Orthodox religious headgear (and possibly mitres) as early as the 14th century, such as a fresco of Metropolitan Kalevit in the Kremikovtsi Monastery or the mitre donated to the patriarch of Belgrade by Katarina Branković . Some have hypothesized that shape of the mitres adopted after the fall of Constantinople

13493-445: The newly created Consular Guard, with the general staff of the regiment also expanded. On May 18, 1804, with the creation of the Imperial Guard , the horse grenadier regiment was integrated in this newly created unit. A decree from July of that year stated that the general staff of the regiment was to be extended to 32 men and that the regiment would be organised in four squadrons of two companies each, with 123 men in each company, for

13624-434: The opponent, inflicting heavy casualties and capturing over 200 men, their commander - Prince Repnin - with his general staff, as well as 27 pieces of artillery, with the loss of just 2 killed and 22 wounded (among which 6 officers wounded). In May 1806, General Walther replaced Ordener. Due to his seniority, Walther was also second-in-command of the entire Guard cavalry and exercised this command whenever Marshal Bessières

13755-505: The order of presbyter in the Catholic Church to obtain permission to use pontifical insignia as a mark of recognition of their previous ministry (they also may be admitted to the national or regional episcopal conference with status equivalent to that of retired Catholic bishops), but former Anglican bishops typically have not requested permission to use pontifical insignia under this provision. Three types of mitres are worn by Roman Catholic clergy for different occasions: The proper colour of

13886-497: The parent regiment and grouped into composite grenadier battalions for a particular campaign or purpose. The Russian Imperial Army of the 18th century followed a different line of development. Prior to 1731 grenadiers made up five separate regiments. These were disbanded prior to the outbreak of war with Turkey and picked infantrymen were transferred to one of two grenadier companies incorporated in each (two-battalion) line infantry regiment. In 1753, 2 grenadier companies were added to

14017-440: The period when slinging their firearms while throwing grenades. The cloth caps worn by the original grenadiers in European armies during the 17th century were frequently trimmed with fur. This fell out of fashion in many armies until the mid-18th century when grenadiers in the British, Spanish and French armies began wearing high fur-trimmed caps with crowns of coloured cloth and, in some cases, ornamental front plates. This added to

14148-558: The primary role of guarding the Winter Palace . With the standardisation of training and tactics, the need for separate grenadier companies at regimental level had passed by the mid-19th century and the British, French and Austrian armies phased out these sub-units between 1850 and 1862. The term grenadier was retained or adopted by various elite infantry units, including the Prussian Potsdam Grenadiers ;

14279-528: The regiment adopted the bearskin. In 1831, it was ordered that all three Foot Guards should wear the bearskin cap, by then resembling the modern headdress in shape and size. The grenadier companies of line infantry regiments meanwhile retained the bearskin cap for parade dress until it was abolished in 1842. During the Crimean War , the Foot Guard regiments wore their bearskins in the field, the only time

14410-594: The regiment saw brief but decisive action as they came up in support of general Merle 's infantry attack, which repulsed the Spaniards onto Medina and beyond, winning the battle. At the beginning of 1809, the Emperor recalled his Guard to central Germany for the War of the Fifth Coalition . They were present at the Battle of Aspern-Essling , under the intense fire of the numerous Austrian artillery, and saw

14541-430: The right of their formation. As noted above, grenadiers were distinguished by their headgear from the ordinary musketeers (or Hatmen ) in each regiment of foot. While there were some exceptions, the most typical grenadier headdress was either the mitre cap or the bearskin . Both began to appear in various armies during the second half of the 17th century because grenadiers were impeded by the wide brimmed infantry hats of

14672-424: The same colour. It has been asserted that before the reformation, a distinction was used to be drawn between the mitre of a bishop and an abbot by the omission of the infulae in the abbot's arms. In England and France it was usual to place the mitre of an abbot slightly in profile. With his inauguration as pope , Benedict XVI broke with tradition and replaced the papal tiara even on his papal coat of arms with

14803-569: The selection of grenadier and other special sub-units was done according to the preferences of individual officers. Transferral to a grenadier company generally meant both enhanced status and an increase in pay. Whether for reasons of appearance or reputation, grenadiers tended to be the showpiece troops of their respective armies. In the Spanish Army of the early 19th century, for example, grenadier companies were excused routine duties such as town patrols but were expected to provide guards at

14934-605: The senior eight regiments of foot of the army. On 29 June of that year the diarist John Evelyn saw them drilling at an encampment at Hounslow, near London: Now were brought into service a new sort of soldier called Grenadiers, who were dexterous in flinging hand grenadoes, every one having a pouch full; they had furred caps with coped crowns like Janizaries , which made them look very fierce, and some had long hoods hanging down behind, as we picture fools . Their clothing being likewise piebald , yellow and red. The first grenades were small iron spheres filled with gunpowder fused with

15065-507: The struggle of their army to contain a vastly superior opponent. When Napoleon himself had his boot torn by a canister ball, general Frédéric Henri Walther , commander of the Guard cavalry, threatened the Emperor that he would have his grenadiers take him behind the lines by force if he refused to do so willingly. The latter complied but had to order a general retreat of the army to the Danube island of Lobau . Six weeks later, Napoleon crossed

15196-701: The surrender of Ulm . They would see their only major action during this campaign on December 2, on the Pratzen plateau , at the Battle of Austerlitz . During this battle, Napoleon had planned to break the Austro-Russian centre and thus split their forces. The plan was well under way towards mid morning but a potentially dangerous situation for the French occurred when the Russian Imperial Guard under Grand Duke Constantine arrived and attacked

15327-399: The title of colonel-major (colonel major), also called major en premier (first major), himself assisted by a general or colonel, with the title of major en second (second major). Pigeard offers a complete table of the regiment's commanders: On July 18, 1800, as Bessières was called to take overall command of the entire Consular Guard Cavalry, the seasoned Colonel Ordener took command of

15458-681: The tradition of their elite past. Grenadier can also refer to soldiers using grenade launchers , including those mounted on rifles. During World War I a proposal to designate specialist grenade launching units in the British Army as grenadiers was vetoed by the Grenadier Guards , who considered that they now had exclusive rights to the ancient distinction, and the term "bomber" was substituted. During World War I, German troops referred to as assault pioneers , who were early combat engineers or sappers and stormtroopers began using two types of hand grenades in trench warfare operations against

15589-535: The traditional role of grenadiers as shock troops. The term in today's Bundeswehr refer to mechanized infantry. When parachute units were first created in the United States Army, the Air Corps desired them to be under their control and to be designated "air grenadiers". The last known unit to serve as grenadiers, and employing grenades as their weapons, was a special "Grenadier brigade" formed by

15720-593: The unit took place in dramatic circumstances during the War of the Second Coalition , at Marengo . As First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte was losing the battle against the Austrians , Louis Desaix 's French division appeared on the field of battle. As Desaix's men charged, two separate cavalry charges helped change the course of the battle: Kellermann 's brigade deployed skillfully on the Austrian right, before charging and breaking everything in its way, and on

15851-524: Was Colonel Lepic who superbly led two squadrons of the regiment, as they stormed through the first and second Russian lines, stopping only in front of the enemy reserves. As the handful of horse grenadiers arrived in front of this third enemy line, they were all but surrounded and the Russians at once demanded that they surrender. Lepic defiantly retorted: "Have a look at my men and tell me if they look like ones who want to surrender!" and he immediately ordered

15982-411: Was able to arrive on the field of battle at Borodino at full strength. Despite the various insistent demands of the French field commanders during this epic battle, Napoleon refused to commit the Guard to battle so far away from France. During the great fire of Moscow , the Grenadiers-à-Cheval were used to police the city, due to their reputation of discipline and high moral standards. By mid-October,

16113-563: Was at this moment that Napoleon sent in his Guard cavalry: 4 squadrons, 423 men, of the Mounted Chasseurs of the Imperial Guard and Mameluke regiment and 4 squadrons, 706 men, of the Grenadiers à Cheval regiment, with a battery of Guard horse artillery in support. The grenadiers charged vigorously and clashed with the Russian Chevalier Guard Regiment . After a short mêlée, the horse grenadiers broke

16244-595: Was beset by problems: the cocking mechanism was difficult to squeeze, the sight was hard to use, and the complicated trigger design required constant maintenance. By May 1967, it was deemed unsuitable for use in the field, and was eventually replaced by the M203 grenade launcher . Though the M203 was later replaced by the M320 Grenade Launcher Module in U.S. Army service starting in 2009, the M203 remains

16375-816: Was gradually replaced by bearskin caps in other armies, and by 1914 it only survived in the 1st Foot Guards and the 1st (Emperor Alexander) Guards Grenadiers of the Prussian Imperial Guard, plus the Russian Pavlovsky Guard . Russian grenadiers had worn their brass fronted mitre hats on active service until 1807 and some of these preserved for parade wear by the Pavlovsky Guards until 1914 still had dents or holes from musket balls. Some have survived for display in museums and collections. While Northern European armies such as Britain, Russia, Sweden, and various German states wore

16506-517: Was likely derived by the stemma , the Byzantine imperial crown. Together with other imperial-derived vestements like the sakkos, the crown-like mitre embodied the regality and richness of the defunct empire, of which the bishops inherited the legacy. In medieval Russia bishops wore hats with a fringe, but not a mitre. This is in contrast to Constantinople and most other Orthodox clergy who did not wear any headgear, and might be accounted for by

16637-526: Was not available for service. The blitz 1806 campaign against Prussia went on without the regiment seeing any action. Nonetheless, war continued the next year in Poland, with the French in pursuit of the Russian army. The rigors of the Polish winter, the bad roads and the extreme poverty of certain regions brought about considerable misery for both sides and rendered proper reconnaissance virtually impossible. After some initial maneuvering and minor engagements,

16768-586: Was one of the 2 Canadian infantry regiments of C Force that took part in the Battle of Hong Kong in December 1941. The regiment is currently on the Supplementary Order of Battle . The Presidential Horse Guards Cavalry Regiment "Grenadiers" ( Regimiento Escolta Presidencial n.1 "Granaderos" ) of the Chilean Army is active since 1827, has fought in every major battle of the Chilean Army in

16899-491: Was probably inspired by the crowns worn by Habsburg emperors of the Holy Roman Empire and possibly also the Orthodox mitre. Abbesses of certain very ancient abbeys in the West also wore mitres, but of a very different form than that worn by male prelates. The mitral valve of the human heart, which is located between the left atrium and the left ventricle , is named so because of its similarity in shape to

17030-636: Was replaced on December 1 by the 45-year-old General of Division Claude Étienne Guyot, with the senior general of division Étienne Marie Antoine Champion de Nansouty taking overall command of the entire Guard cavalry. The following year, war continued on French soil and began very badly, with the French army outnumbered and in very bad shape. The Guard cavalry, under Nansouty, was thus called into action more often than ever, combating valiantly and often playing an instrumental role in Napoleon's attempts to frustrate Coalition plans. Together with other regiments of

17161-515: Was that of a grenadier, armed with just an M79 grenade launcher and an M1911 pistol , though in some cases grenadiers were not even issued this sidearm. The M79 was designed to bridge the gap between the maximum throwing range of a grenade and the minimum distance of mortar fire. The XM148 grenade launcher , the M79's replacement designed to be mounted to the M16 rifle , was first issued in December 1966, but

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