84-802: Krugersdorp Commando or Kommando was a light infantry regiment from Krugersdorp district of the South African Army . It was active as a part of the South African Army Infantry Formation as well as the South African Territorial Reserve . The Krugersdorp Commando, was formed in 1898 as part of the Boer Commando . Commanders from Krugersdorp were Sarel Oosthuizen (1862 – 1900), Frederik Jacobus Potgieter (1858 – 1924) and Sarel Francois Alberts (1872 – 1954). During
168-426: A light company as an integral part of its composition. Its members were often smaller, more agile men with high shooting ability and capability of using initiative. They did not usually fight in disciplined ranks as did the ordinary infantry but often in widely dispersed groups, necessitating an understanding of skirmish warfare. They were expected to avoid melee engagements unless necessary and would fight ahead of
252-1009: A beret in a darker shade of green than other regiments. Two paramilitary forces—the Assam Rifles and the Eastern Frontier Rifles —also follow the traditions of a rifle regiment. The Irish famously employed "Cethernacht" or Kern as light infantry. These usually made up the bulk of Gaelic and even later Anglo Norman Irish armies during the Middle Ages to renaissance era's. Traditionally armed with javelins and swords while wearing no armour, in later periods they were equipped with caliver muskets while still using little to no armour. They were notably effective while employed in tandem with heavily armed "Galloglaich" or anglicised Gallowglass. They could provide effective support to heavily armed troops as well as endlessly harassing enemies in difficult terrain. Today, all infantry battalions of
336-626: A corps of light infantry, under the command of General Lafayette . The light infantry participated in several major battles of the southern states in 1781, including the Battle of Yorktown . The entire Continental Army was dismissed after the war, with all regiments disbanded in 1784. In 1808, the United States Army created its first Regiment of Riflemen . During the War of 1812 three more Rifle Regiments were raised but disbanded after
420-412: A grand scale, there is no one to carry out guerilla missions but regulars." He also emphasizes the importance for the use of regular units permanently attached to guerilla warfare activities, stating that they can play key roles in severing enemy supply routes. While the morale, training and equipment of the individual irregular soldier can vary from very poor to excellent, irregulars are usually lacking
504-469: A legacy of a Finnish volunteer Jäger battalion formed in Germany during World War I to fight for the liberation of Finland from Russia. The Chasseur designation was given to certain regiments of French light infantry ( Chasseurs à pied ) or light cavalry ( Chasseurs à cheval ). The Chasseurs à pied (light infantry) were originally recruited from hunters or woodsmen . The Chasseurs à Pied , as
588-455: A more mobile or fluid function than other types of infantry, such as heavy infantry or line infantry . Historically, light infantry often fought as scouts , raiders , and skirmishers . These are loose formations that fight ahead of the main army to harass, delay, disrupt supply lines, engage the enemy's own skirmishing forces, and generally "soften up" an enemy before the main battle. Light infantrymen were also often responsible for screening
672-722: A parade drill which involved carrying rifles parallel to the ground ("at the trail") and dark green cloth helmets instead of dark blue. Light infantry badges always incorporated bugle horns as a central feature. In the Second World War , the use of light infantry was revived in what became the British Commandos and the Parachute Regiment . Because of the nature of their role and deployment, they were more lightly equipped than most infantry battalions. The Parachute Regiment has survived to this day, while
756-427: A peasant guerilla force which in time transformed itself into a large regular force. This transformation was foreseen in the doctrine of " people's war ", in which irregular forces were seen as being able to engage the enemy and to win the support of the populace but as being incapable of taking and holding ground against regular military forces. Modern conflicts in post-invasion Iraq , the renewed Taliban insurgency in
840-495: A reduced vehicle footprint. Light infantry units lack the greater firepower, operational mobility and protection of mechanized or armored units, but possess greater tactical mobility and the ability to execute missions in severely restrictive terrain and in areas where weather makes vehicular mobility difficult. Light infantry forces typically rely on their ability to operate under restrictive conditions, surprise, violence of action, training, stealth, field craft, and fitness levels of
924-565: A true "light infantry" unit, (they were assigned their own artillery, carried double load of everything, and had a slower marching pace of 45 steps per minute), the Alpini were trained as jagers and skirmishers, introducing the use of skis and climbing training for all of their recruits. Those two corps still exist today, but in recent years the Bersaglieri have become a mechanised infantry unit, working closely with armoured units, and up until
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#17327914672081008-403: A unit recruited from the people" were all examples of ways in which regular military units could be involved in irregular warfare. Mao argues that regular army units temporarily detailed for irregular warfare are essential because "First, in mobile-warfare situations, the coordination of guerilla activities with regular operations is necessary. Second, until guerilla hostilities can be developed on
1092-570: Is a very old one and was already well-established in Ancient Greece and Roman times in the form, for example, of the Greek peltast and psiloi , and the Roman velites . As with the so-called "light infantry" of later periods, the term more adequately describes the role of such infantry rather than the actual weight of their equipment. Peltast equipment, for example, grew steadily heavier at
1176-614: Is composed of units capable of rapidly engaging in combat anywhere in Brazil. Each of the three regular army regiments ( Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry , Royal Canadian Regiment and Royal 22 Régiment ) maintains their third battalion as light infantry capable in airborne, mountain, and amphibious operations, with varying degrees of capability. All reserve infantry units are classed as light infantry, all with varying degrees of capability. Finnish infantry units are also known as Jäger (Finnish pl. Jääkärit , Swedish pl. Jägarna ),
1260-533: Is often cited as proof of concept. Almost 30,000 U.S. Forces, mostly light, deployed to Panama within a 48-hour period to execute combat operations. On 30 September 1985, the 29th Infantry Division (Maryland and Virginia Army National Guard) was reactivated at Fort Belvoir, Virginia as the only light Infantry Division in the US Army's reserve components. During the Falklands War in 1982, both Argentina and
1344-497: Is one which is not part of the regular army organization. Without standard military unit organization , various more general names are often used; such organizations may be called a troop , group , unit , column , band , or force . Irregulars are soldiers or warriors that are members of these organizations, or are members of special military units that employ irregular military tactics. This also applies to irregular infantry and irregular cavalry units. Irregular warfare
1428-446: Is to be used to refer to a specific group. Using one term over another can strongly imply strong support or opposition for the cause. It is possible for a military to cross the line between regular and irregular. Isolated regular army units that are forced to operate without regular support for long periods of time can degrade into irregulars. As an irregular military becomes more successful, it may transition away from irregular, even to
1512-519: Is warfare employing the tactics commonly used by irregular military organizations. This involves avoiding large-scale combat, and focusing on small, stealthy, hit-and-run engagements. The words "regular" and "irregular" have been used to describe combat forces for hundreds of years, usually with little ambiguity. The requirements of a government's chain of command cause the regular army to be very well defined, and anybody fighting outside it, other than official paramilitary forces, are irregular. In case
1596-732: The 2001 war in Afghanistan , the Darfur conflict , the rebellion in the North of Uganda by the Lord's Resistance Army , and the Second Chechen War are fought almost entirely by irregular forces on one or both sides. The CIA 's Special Activities Center (SAC) is the premiere American paramilitary clandestine unit for creating or combating irregular military forces. SAD paramilitary officers created and led successful units from
1680-525: The 60th Royal Americans (later the King's Royal Rifle Corps ) was raised in 1797, and an "Experimental Corps of Riflemen" (later the 95th Rifles and then the Rifle Brigade ) in 1800. Both were equipped with green jackets and Baker rifles . Some extant regiments began to be designated "Light Infantry" at this point, receiving skirmishing training but generally still equipped with red coats and muskets. In
1764-574: The 80th Regiment of Light-Armed Foot ), though most if not all had been disbanded by the middle of the 1760s. From 1770, all regular battalions were required to designate one of their ten companies a "Light Company", though their training in skirmishing was poor and inconsistent. Dedicated rifle and light infantry regiments began to be formed or converted in the Napoleonic Wars , to counter the French Chasseurs . A new battalion of
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#17327914672081848-657: The Ancien Régime' s Chasseur battalions were merged with volunteer battalions in new units called Light Infantry half-brigades ( demi-brigades d’infanterie légère ). In 1803, the half-brigades were renamed regiments. These units had three battalions of three regular Chasseurs companies, one elite Carabiniers company and one reconnaissance voltigeurs company. In Napoléon's Imperial Guard , many units used names linked to light infantry: In Bourbon royalist The Napoleonic light infantry regiments existed until 1854, but there were very few differences between them and
1932-560: The British Army . Prior to 1857 Britain's East India Company maintained large numbers of cavalry and infantry regiments officially designated as "irregulars", although they were permanently established units. The end of Muslim rule saw a large number of unemployed Indian Muslim horsemen, who were employed in the army of the EIC . British officers such as Skinner , Gardner and Hearsay had become leaders of irregular cavalry that preserved
2016-618: The CIA 's Special Activities Center . However at times, such as out of desperation, conventional militaries will resort to guerilla tactics, usually to buy breathing space and time for themselves by tying up enemy forces to threaten their line of communications and rear areas, such as the 43rd Battalion Virginia Cavalry and the Chindits . Although they are part of a regular army, United States Special Forces are trained in missions such as implementing irregular military tactics . However, outside
2100-621: The Confederate States of America . One could attribute the disastrous defeat of the Romans at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest to the lack of supporting irregular forces; only a few squadrons of irregular light cavalry accompanied the invasion of Germany when normally the number of foederati and auxiliaries would equal the regular legions. During this campaign the majority of locally recruited irregulars defected to
2184-903: The Hmong tribe during the Laotian Civil War in the 1960s and 1970s. They also organized and led the Mujaheddin as an irregular force against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan in the 1980s, as well as the Northern Alliance as an irregular insurgency force against the Taliban with US Army Special Forces during the war in Afghanistan in 2001 and organized and led the Kurdish Peshmerga with US Army Special Forces as an irregular counter-insurgency force against
2268-460: The Napoleonic Wars , light infantry were called voltigeurs and chasseurs and the sharpshooters tirailleurs . The Austrian army had Grenzer regiments from the middle of the 18th century, who originally served as irregular militia skirmishers recruited from frontier areas. They were gradually absorbed into the line infantry becoming a hybrid type that proved successful against the French, to
2352-592: The OSS operators of World War II, which were tasked with inspiring, training, arming and leading resistance movements in German-occupied Europe and Japanese occupied Asia. In Finland, well-trained light infantry Sissi troops use irregular tactics such as reconnaissance, sabotage and guerrilla warfare behind enemy lines. The founder of the People's Republic of China , Mao Zedong actively advocated for
2436-554: The Peninsular War led by Spaniards against the French invaders in 1808 provided the first modern example of guerrilla warfare . Indeed, the term of guerrilla itself was coined during this time. As the Industrial Revolution dried up the traditional source of irregulars, nations were forced take over the duties of the irregulars using specially trained regular army units. Examples are the light infantry in
2520-476: The Peninsular War , a Light Brigade and later a Light Division were formed, at some points incorporating Portuguese Caçadores . By the Crimean War , rifles had become universal and tactics had substantially changed. This meant that the distinctions between light and line infantry were effectively limited to details such as name, a rapid march of 140 steps per minute, buglers instead of drummers and fifers,
2604-615: The Royal Marine Commandos are directly descended from those units formed in the Second World War. Most of the old light infantry and rifle regiments were administratively grouped in a new Light Division in 1968. The British Army ordered regimental amalgamations in 1957 , 1966 , 1990 and 2003 . The Rifles (the largest infantry regiment in the British Army) was formed in 2007 from the amalgamation of
Krugersdorp Commando - Misplaced Pages Continue
2688-939: The Three Kingdoms period, the American Revolution , the Irish War of Independence and Irish Civil War , the Franco-Prussian War , the Russian Civil War , the Second Boer War , Liberation war of Bangladesh, Vietnam War , the Syrian Civil War and especially the Eastern Front of World War II where hundreds of thousands of partisans fought on both sides. The Chinese People's Liberation Army began as
2772-528: The line infantry regiments, so the 25 remaining light infantry regiments were transformed to line infantry in 1854. Although the traditions of these different branches of the French Army are very different, there is still a tendency to confuse one with the other. For example, when World War I veteran Léon Weil died, the AFP press agency stated that he was a member of the 5th "Regiment de Chasseurs Alpins". It
2856-415: The marksmen of the French army, were considered an elite. The first unit raised was Jean Chrétien Fischer 's Free Hunter Company in 1743. Early units were often a mix of cavalry and infantry. In 1776, all Chasseurs units were re-organized into six battalions, each linked to a cavalry regiment ( Chasseurs à cheval ). In 1788, the link between infantry battalions and cavalry regiments was broken. In 1793,
2940-550: The 1980s, the United States Army increased light forces to address contingencies and increased threats requiring a more deployable force able to operate in restrictive environments for limited periods. At its height, this included the 6th Infantry Division (light), 7th Infantry Division (light), 10th Mountain Division (light infantry), 25th Infantry Division , and the 75th Ranger Regiment . Operation Just Cause
3024-632: The 1990s, the concept of purely light forces in the US military came under scrutiny due to their decreased lethality and survivability. This scrutiny has resulted in the Stryker Brigade Combat Team , a greater focus on task organized units (such as Marine Expeditionary Units ) and a reduction of purely light forces. Despite their reduction, light forces have proven successful in Afghanistan ( Operation Enduring Freedom ), underlining
3108-825: The Anglo Boer War, this commando was involved in the following engagements: During the guerilla phase of the war in the Western Transvaal, this commando was also involved in: The battle of Nooitgedacht in the Krugersdorp area could have been a complete rout had the Boers not stopped to plunder the British camp. By 1902 all Commando remnants were under British military control and disarmed. By 1912, however previous Commando members could join shooting associations. By 1940, such commandos were under control of
3192-552: The Army reorganization of 1911, but were recreated in 1926 as high readiness units, responsible for defending the border and other strategic points of the Country until the line units could be mobilized. In the 1950s, the designation caçadores started to be also given to the expeditionary provisional light infantry battalions and independent companies responsible for reinforcing the overseas territories garrisons. These units constituted
3276-584: The Germanic tribesmen led by the former auxiliary officer Arminius . During the decline of the Roman Empire , irregulars made up an ever-increasing proportion of the Roman military. At the end of the Western Empire, there was little difference between the Roman military and the barbarians across the borders. Following Napoleon 's modernisation of warfare with the invention of conscription ,
3360-759: The Irish Army are light infantry soldiers. Most of the states of the Italian peninsula had their own units of skirmishers before Italian unification . One of the few that survived it were the Sardinian Bersaglieri , who were formed in 1836. They became some of the most iconic soldiers in Italian Army and were its "quick reaction force". The Alpini are the Italian Army's elite mountain troops, founded in 1875. Although they may not seem
3444-623: The National Reserve of Volunteers. These commandos were formally reactivated by 1948. During this era, the unit was mainly engaged in area force protection, search and cordones and stock theft control assistance to the rural police. The unit resorted under the command of the SADF's Group 17. Krugersdorp Commando along with all other Commando units was disbanded in the 1990s after a decision by South African President Thabo Mbeki to disband all existing Commando Units. The Commando system
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3528-672: The United Kingdom made heavy use of light infantry and its doctrines during the campaign, most notably the Argentine 5th Naval Infantry Battalion (Argentina) and 25th Infantry Regiment (Argentina) and the British Parachute Regiment and Royal Marines of 3 Commando Brigade . Due to the rocky and mountainous terrain of the Falkland Islands , operations on the ground were only made possible with
3612-631: The United States, the term special forces does not generally imply a force that is trained to fight as guerillas and insurgents. Originally, the United States Special Forces were created to serve as a cadre around which stay-behind resistance forces could be built in the event of a communist victory in Europe or elsewhere. The United States Special Forces and the CIA's Special Activities Center can trace their lineage to
3696-664: The basic training of irregulars. The regulars would only provide the core military in the major battles; irregulars would provide all other combat duties. Notable examples of regulars relying on irregulars include Bashi-bazouk units in the Ottoman Empire , auxiliary cohorts of Germanic peoples in the Roman Empire , Cossacks in the Russian Empire , and Native American forces in the American frontier of
3780-542: The beginning of the 1960s, Portuguese Army raised special forces companies of that were named caçadores especiais (special huntsmen). The caçadores especiais wore a brown beret in the colour of the uniforms of the caçadores of the Peninsular War. These units were later abolished and the brown beret started to be used by most of the units of the Portuguese Army. In 1975, the designation " caçadores "
3864-510: The bulk of the Portuguese forces engaged in the several theatres of the Portuguese Overseas War , from 1961 to 1975. Colonial troops with this title also existed, being recruited among both Portuguese European settlers and from indigenous populations. In the 1950s, the Portuguese Air Force formed a unit of paratroopers called caçadores paraquedistas ("parachutist hunters"). Additional battalions of caçadores paraquedistas were later created in Angola , Mozambique and Portuguese Guinea . At
3948-889: The command structure, LIDs are directly answerable to the Commander in Chief of Army whereas MOCs are subordinate to their respective Regional Military Command. As for unit patches, LIDs have their own division patches where MOCs do not have distinctive patches and wear RMC's patch instead. LIDs in Burmese are called ခြေမြန်တပ်မဌာနချုပ် (တမခ) whereas MOCs are called စစ်ဆင်ရေးကွပ်ကဲမှုဌာနချုပ် (စကခ). Both Light Infantry Divisions and MOCs are have an officer ranked Brigadier General as their General Officer Commanding, Colonel as Second in Command and Lieutenant Colonel as Division Chief of Staff (informally Division G/A/Q). Units designated as " Light Infantry Divisions " are Military Operation Commands: Units designated as " Military Operation Commands " are Since No. (11) Light Infantry Division has already been reformed, No. (11) Military Operation Command
4032-429: The continued need for light infantry. There are three light infantry brigades, (4ª Brigada de Infantaria Leve de Montanha, 11ª Brigada de Infantaria Leve and 12ª Brigada de Infantaria Leve Aeromóvel), and an airborne infantry brigade (Brigada de Infantaria Paraquedista). The 12º Light Infantry Brigade and the Airborne Infantry Brigade both belong to the Força de Ação Rápida Estratégica (Quick Strategic Action Force), which
4116-400: The count of enemy troops, making the odds seem much worse than they were. This may be accidental; counts of friendly troops often came from official regular army rolls that exclude unofficial forces, while enemy strength often came from visual estimates, where the distinction between regular and irregular were lost. If irregular forces overwhelm regulars, records of the defeat are often lost in
4200-421: The early 1930s. Until 2006 the modern Spanish Army maintained a Brigada de Cazadores de Montaña "Aragón I" (Mountain Huntsmen Brigade "Aragón I") The British Army first experimented with light infantry in the French and Indian War , to counter the tactics used by the French-allied Native Americans . Along with secondment of regular infantry, several specialised units were raised (including Rogers' Rangers and
4284-436: The eve of World War I, the British Army included seven light infantry regiments. These differed from other infantry only in maintaining such traditional distinctions as badges that included a bugle-horn, dark green home service helmets for full dress , and a fast-stepping parade ground march. Today the term "light" denotes, in the United States table of organization and equipment , units lacking heavy weapons and armor or with
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#17327914672084368-612: The extent that Napoleon recruited several units of Austrian army Grenzer to his own army after victory over Austria in 1809 compelled the Austrians to cede territories from which they were traditionally recruited. In Portugal, 1797, companies of Caçadores (Hunters) were created in the Portuguese Army, and in 1808 led to the formation of independent "Caçador" battalions that became known for their ability to perform precision shooting at long distances. Light infantry officers sometimes carried muskets or rifles , rather than pistols , and their swords were light curved sabres ; as opposed to
4452-628: The following criteria: By extension, combat forces that do not satisfy these criteria are termed "irregular forces". The term "irregular military" describes the "how" and "what", but it is more common to focus on the "why" as just about all irregular units were created to provide a tactical advantage to an existing military, whether it was privateer forces harassing shipping lanes against assorted New World colonies on behalf of their European contractors, or Auxiliaries, levies, civilian and other standing irregular troops that are used as more expendable supplements to assist costly trained soldiers. Bypassing
4536-493: The heavy, straighter swords of other infantry officers. Orders were sent by bugle or whistle instead of drums (since the sound of a bugle carries further and it is difficult to move fast when carrying a drum). Some armies, including the British and French , recruited whole regiments (or converted existing ones) of light infantry. These were considered elite units , since they required specialised training with emphasis on self-discipline , manoeuvre and initiative to carry out
4620-586: The higher-level organizational training and equipment that is part of regular army. This usually makes irregulars ineffective in direct, main-line combat, the typical focus of more standard armed forces. Other things being equal, major battles between regulars and irregulars heavily favor the regulars. However, irregulars can excel at many other combat duties besides main-line combat, such as scouting , skirmishing , harassing , pursuing, rear-guard actions, cutting supply, sabotage , raids , ambushes and underground resistance . Experienced irregulars often surpass
4704-425: The historic Light Infantry regiments now survive as separate entities within the modern British Army. Today, "Light role infantry" is a designation that can be applied to an infantry battalion of any regiment. Light role infantry are not (by default) equipped with armoured vehicles (unlike Armoured Infantry or Mechanised Infantry ). In 1780, General George Washington published an order of battle which included
4788-468: The individual soldiers to compensate for their reduced lethality. Despite the usage of the term "light", forces in a light unit will normally carry heavier individual loads vis-à-vis other forces; they must carry everything they require to fight, survive and win due to lack of vehicles. Although units like the 101st Airborne (Air Assault) and the 82nd Airborne Division are categorized as Air Assault Infantry and Airborne Infantry respectively, they fall under
4872-438: The legitimacy of the army or its opponents is questioned, some legal definitions have been created. In international humanitarian law , the term "irregular forces" refers to a category of combatants that consists of individuals forming part of the armed forces of a party to an armed conflict, international or domestic, but not belonging to that party's regular forces and operating inside or outside of their own territory, even if
4956-409: The legitimate military and taking up arms is an extreme measure. The motivation for doing so is often used as the basis of the primary label for any irregular military. Different terms come into and out of fashion, based on political and emotional associations that develop. Here is a list of such terms, which is organized more or less from oldest to latest: Intense debates can build up over which term
5040-411: The main body of a military formation. Post- World War II , the term "light infantry" evolved to include rapid-deployment units (including commando and airborne units) that emphasized speed and mobility over armor and firepower. Some units or battalions that historically held a skirmishing role have kept their designation "light infantry" for the sake of tradition. The concept of a skirmishing screen
5124-555: The main difference in term of organisational structure is that LIDs' 10 battalions are all Light Infantry whereas for MOC, it's 7 Infantry Battalions (Motorised) and 3 Infantry Battalions (Mechanised). Both have an intermediate layer between the Battalions and Division HQ called Tactical Operation Command . A TOC is a unit that commands up to 3 battalions. Essentially, LIDs are made up of 3 TOC and 1 battalion under HQ as reserve whereas MOCs are made up of 2 TOC (Motorised) and 1 TOC (Mechanised) with an IB (Motorised) under HQ as reserve. As for
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#17327914672085208-662: The mainline to harass the enemy before falling back to the main position. During the period 1777–1781, the Continental Army of the United States adopted the British Army practice of seasonally drafting light infantry regiments as temporary units during active field operations, by combining existing light infantry companies detached from their parent regiments. Light infantry sometimes carried lighter muskets than ordinary infantrymen while others carried rifles and wore rifle green uniforms. These became designated as rifle regiments in Britain and Jäger and Schützen (sharpshooter) regiments in German-speaking Europe. In France, during
5292-543: The mid-1990s had their own tank and artillery units. Other units that can be classified as light infantry are: As of current, it's reported that Myanmar Army has total of 10 units designated as a "Light Infantry Division" and 20 units designated as "Military Operation Command". Two units are mostly similar in term of organisational structure. One of the main differences is that LIDs are mostly numbered in double digits like 11, 22, 33, 44 whereas MOCs are numbered sequelly. Both commands 10 battalions . While not that obvious, one of
5376-478: The new Indian Army that was organized following the great Indian Rebellion of 1857. Before 1867, military units in Canada consisted of British units of volunteers. During French rule, small local volunteer militia units or colonial militias were used to provide defence needs. During British control of various local militias, the Provincial Marine were used to support British regular forces in Canada. Use of large irregular forces featured heavily in wars such as
5460-448: The overall concept of light infantry. They are typically infantry intended for difficult terrain such as mountains or arctic conditions (US Marines) ( Royal Marines , United States Army 10th Mountain Division , United States Army 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Mountain) , Italian Army Alpini , French Army 27ème bataillon de chasseurs alpins ) or jungle (1st Scout Ranger Regiment, Brazilian Army Jungle Infantry Brigades). In
5544-403: The point of becoming the new regular army if it wins. Most conventional military officers and militaries are wary of using irregular military forces and see them as unreliable, of doubtful military usefulness, and prone to committing atrocities leading to retaliation in kind. Usually, such forces are raised outside the regular military like the British SOE during World War II and, more recently,
5628-446: The regiments of the Light Division. The Rifles maintain the traditional quick parade march of all British light infantry, the Rifle Brigade 's " rifle green " No 1 dress with blackened buttons and black leather belts, and many other traditions and "golden threads" of its parent regiments. The only rifle regiment not to become part of the Rifles was the Royal Gurkha Rifles . Following a series of amalgamations and one disbandment, none of
5712-455: The regular army in these functions. By avoiding formal battles, irregulars have sometimes harassed high quality armies to destruction. The total effect of irregulars is often underestimated. Since the military actions of irregulars are often small and unofficial, they are underreported or even overlooked. Even when engaged by regular armies, some military histories exclude all irregulars when counting friendly troops, but include irregulars in
5796-535: The resulting chaos. By definition, "irregular" is understood in contrast to "regular armies", which grew slowly from personal bodyguards or elite militia. In Ancient warfare , most civilized nations relied heavily on irregulars to augment their small regular army. Even in advanced civilizations, the irregulars commonly outnumbered the regular army. Sometimes entire tribal armies of irregulars were brought in from internal native or neighboring cultures, especially ones that still had an active hunting tradition to provide
5880-462: The roles of light infantry as well as those of ordinary infantry. By the late 19th century, the concept of fighting in formation was on the wane due to advancements in weaponry and the distinctions between light and heavy infantry began to disappear. Essentially, all infantry became light infantry in operational practice. Some regiments retained the name and customs, but there was in effect little difference between them and other infantry regiments. On
5964-416: The rough country until a permanent corps of Mountain Fusiliers ( Fusiliers des Montagnes ) was raised in the 1740s. In the 17th century, dragoons were sometimes employed as the skirmishers of their day, as mounted infantrymen who rode into battle but dismounted to fight, giving them a mobility lacking to regular foot soldiers. In the 18th and 19th centuries most infantry regiments or battalions had
6048-483: The same time as hoplite equipment grew lighter. It was the fact that peltasts fought in open order as skirmishers that made them light infantry and that hoplites fought in the battle line in a phalanx formation that made them heavy infantry. Early regular armies of the modern era frequently relied on irregulars to perform the duties of light infantry skirmishers. In particular, the French Army employed detachments of German and Balkan mercenaries to serve as patrols in
6132-481: The same training; including skirmishing. At the same time strelkovyi [стрелковый] battalions were introduced. These undertook light infantry functions when the skirmishing skills of line infantry were insufficient. Historically the Spanish infantry included several battalions of light infantry that were designated as Cazadores . These units were incorporated into the ordinary infantry following army reorganization in
6216-790: The territory is under occupation. The Third Geneva Convention of 1949 uses "regular armed forces " as a critical distinction. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is a non-governmental organization primarily responsible for and most closely associated with the drafting and successful completion of the Third Geneva Convention Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War ("GPW"). The ICRC provided commentary saying that "regular armed forces" satisfy four Hague Conventions (1899 and 1907) (Hague IV) conditions. In other words, "regular forces" must satisfy
6300-533: The traditions of Mughal cavalry, which had a political purpose because it absorbed pockets of cavalrymen who might otherwise become disaffected plunderers. These were less formally drilled and had fewer British officers (sometimes only three or four per regiment) than the "regular" sepoys in British service. This system enabled the Indian officers to achieve greater responsibility than their counterparts in regular regiments. Promotion for both Indian and British officers
6384-404: The use of irregular military tactics by regular military units. In his book On Guerrilla Warfare , Mao described seven types of Guerilla units, and argues that "regular army units temporarily detailed for the purpose (of guerilla warfare)," "regular army units permanently detailed (for the purpose of guerilla warfare)," and bands of guerillas created "through a combination of a regular army unit and
6468-484: The use of light infantry because the use of mechanized infantry or armour was severely limited by of the terrain, leading to the " Yomp " across the Falklands, in which Royal Marines and Paras yomped (and tabbed) with their equipment across the islands, covering 56 miles (90 km) in three days carrying 80-pound (36 kg) loads after disembarking from ships at San Carlos on East Falkland , on 21 May 1982. During
6552-407: The war. The Rifle Regiment was disbanded in 1821. Irregular military Irregular military is any non-standard military component that is distinct from a country's national armed forces. Being defined by exclusion, there is significant variance in what comes under the term. It can refer to the type of military organization, or to the type of tactics used. An irregular military organization
6636-683: Was a regular regiment of the Rhodesian Army, unique in having the traditions of light infantry while serving as a modern Commando regiment. The Imperial Russian Army , which was heavily influenced by the Prussian and Austrian military systems, included fifty Jäger or yegerskii [егерский] regiments in its organisation by 1812, including the Egersky Guards Regiment . They were mostly united with line infantry regiments in 1833, when almost all Russian infantry began to receive
6720-607: Was discontinued in the Portuguese Armed Forces . All former units of caçadores were redesigned as "infantry". Currently, every infantry soldier of the Portuguese Army is known as atirador . Today, the Portuguese Army uses the designation "light infantry" as a generic collective classification of the Paratroopers, Commandos and Special Operations troops, while the remaining infantry is classified as "motorized/mechanized infantry". The Rhodesian Light Infantry
6804-460: Was for efficiency and energy, rather than by seniority as elsewhere in the EIC's armies. In irregular cavalry the Indian troopers provided their horses under the silladar system. The result was a loose collection of regiments which in general were more effective in the field than their regular counterparts. These irregular units were also cheaper to raise and maintain and as a result many survived into
6888-686: Was in fact the 5th Bataillon. The Indian Army of 1914 included ten regiments with "Light Infantry" in their titles. These were the: Most of these regiments lost their separate identity as a result of extensive amalgamations in 1922. The modern Indian Army retains the Maratha Light Infantry and the Sikh Light Infantry . Of the 28 infantry regiments of the modern Indian Army, the following ten are designated as "Rifles". They are distinguished by their black rank badges, black buttons on their service and ceremonial uniforms and
6972-653: Was not formed Portuguese light infantry soldiers were known as caçadores (literally "huntsmen"). Initially organized as a light company in each of the line infantry regiments, the caçadores were later organized as independent battalions. They constituted the elite light infantry of the Portuguese Army during the Peninsular War , being considered by the Duke of Wellington as the " fighting cocks of his army". They wore distinctive brown uniforms as an early form of camouflage . The caçadores units were disbanded by
7056-468: Was phased out between 2003 and 2008 "because of the role it played in the apartheid era", according to the Minister of Safety and Security Charles Nqakula . 11 Field Postal Unit This South African military article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Light infantry Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have
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