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95-696: The Literary Battalion was a military company composed of students from the University of Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Although there were a number of different incarnations of the group, the most notable fought in the Spanish War of Independence (1808–1814). The Literary Battalion was first formed in 1663, in the face of the Portuguese attacks on the town of Monterrey , after the revolt of Portugal against Spain in 1640. It formed again in 1665, 1808 and in 1846 (during

190-598: A Marine Expeditionary Force headquarters (i.e., a corps -level command). The modern military company became popularized during the reorganization of the Swedish Army in 1631 under King Gustav II Adolph . For administrative purposes, the infantry was divided into companies consisting of 150 men, grouped into regiments of eight companies. Tactically, the infantry companies were organized into battalions and grouped with cavalry troops and artillery batteries to form brigades . From ancient times, some armies have commonly used

285-400: A battalion or regiment , the latter of which is sometimes formed by several battalions. Occasionally, independent or separate companies are organized for special purposes, such as the 1st Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company or the 3rd Force Reconnaissance Company . These companies are not organic to a battalion or regiment, but rather report directly to a higher level organization such as

380-410: A first sergeant . Any sergeant holding this position is referred to as "first sergeant" regardless of actual rank, though the non-commissioned officer assigned ordinarily has the rank of first sergeant. A master sergeant assigned to this position will be "laterally promoted" to the rank of first sergeant, unless the appointment is temporary. In some instances, a sergeant first class will be appointed to

475-447: A U.S. Army, Korean War-era infantry division and the divisional aviation company of a U.S. Army "Pentomic" infantry division . These companies were not organic to any intermediate headquarters (viz., battalion/group/regiment/brigade), but rather reported directly to the division headquarters. NATO defines a company as "larger than a platoon, but smaller than a battalion" while being a "unit consisting of two or more platoons, usually of

570-554: A base administrative and tactical unit of around 100 men. (Perhaps the best known is the Roman century , originally intended as a 100-man unit, but later ranging from about 60 to 80 men, depending on the time period.) An organization based on the decimal number system (i.e., by tens, hundreds, thousands, and ten-thousands) might seem intuitive. To the Romans, for example, a unit of 100 men seemed sufficiently large to efficiently facilitate organizing

665-666: A blue colour, now use a brown colour with the ROCMP arms. Units reporting to the Ministry of National Defence sport an orange colour with the coast arms of the Ministry in the centre. Garrison colours are in blue with the Kuomintang emblem, a wheat wreath and 3 interlocked circles in yellow, red and blue respectively. Reserve units carry a red colour while the Taiwan Reserve uses a green one. Only

760-431: A cohesive group numbering between 100 and 250 members, with 150 members being the common number (see Dunbar's number ). Again, a military unit on the order of no more than 100 members, and perhaps ideally fewer, would perhaps present the greatest efficiency as well as effectiveness of control, on a battlefield where the stress, danger, fear, noise, confusion, and the general condition known as the " fog of war " would present

855-421: A command element containing two tanks; support companies are typically divided into platoons of specialization that may contain additional special sections. A company is usually commanded by a captain , although in some cases they may be commanded by a first lieutenant or a major . Unlike its component platoons, a company typically has additional positions of supporting staff, such as an executive officer (XO),

950-649: A common design with the unit name in Hangul below the emblem (in the Navy, the unit/command name is on a white scroll below following US precedence). In addition, the traditional guard unit under the 3rd Infantry Division of the ROKA carries replica colours similar to those used during the Imperial era, that was used by Sumunjang or royal palace guards with its traditional military band, Daechwita . They are only brought out during state visits to

1045-603: A first sergeant, a readiness/training NCO, and other positions (e.g., supply sergeant, armorer). The corresponding unit of artillery is always called a battery . Similarly, the term troop is used for cavalry units, including both the horse-mounted units of history as well as modern armored cavalry and air cavalry units. Companies that are not separate from their parent battalion are identified by letter—for example, "Company A, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment". This would commonly be abbreviated as "A/1-15 INF" in writing, but not in speaking. The dash in "1–15" indicates that

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1140-562: A fourth platoon was added to the company, increasing its size to 256 officers and men, including six officers (a captain as commanding officer, a first lieutenant as executive officer, and two first lieutenants and two second lieutenants as platoon commanders). Enlisted strength became: three senior NCOs (first sergeant, supply sergeant, and mess sergeant), 12 sergeants, 33 corporals (one company clerk and 32 squad leaders with eight per platoon), eight specialists (four cooks and four mechanics), two buglers, 64 privates first class, and 128 privates. Of

1235-427: A head of state during a ceremony. They were therefore treated with respect as they represented the honour and traditions of the regiment. Colours may be inscribed with the names of battles or other symbols representing former achievements (see battle honours ). Regiments tended to adopt " colour guards ", composed of experienced or élite soldiers, to protect their colours. As a result, the capture of an enemy's standard

1330-689: A horse-mounted heritage, such as the Household Cavalry , Royal Armoured Corps , Royal Engineers , Royal Corps of Signals , Army Air Corps , Special Air Service , Honourable Artillery Company and Royal Logistic Corps , use the term squadron instead of company, and in the Royal Artillery they are called batteries . Until after the Second World War , the Royal Engineers and Royal Signals had both squadrons and companies depending on whether

1425-433: A large body of men numbering into the several thousands, yet small enough that one man could reasonably expect to command it as a cohesive unit by using his voice and physical presence, supplemented by musical notes (e.g., drum beats, bugle or trumpet blasts, etc.) and visual cues (e.g., colors, standards, guidons , etc.). Furthermore, recent studies have indicated that humans are best able to maintain stable relationships in

1520-466: A royal crown and an inscription. The soldiers also carried a scroll containing a brief poem: "To rescue Fernando ( King Fernando VII ) and to put an end to Bonaparte Minerva and Mars are united." On 18 July 1808 the battalion left to join the troops of General Joaquín Blake , where the Navarrese volunteers were joined by the vanguard. Among the multiple recorded exploits was that of entering incognito

1615-514: A separate table of organization and equipment (TO&E) are identified by a number, and are able to operate completely independently from any other unit's support. Company-sized units that are organized under a table of distribution and allowance (TDA) are identified with a name or number. Company-sized units usually consist of four to six platoons each led by a lieutenant , although there are examples of combat service and combat service support companies that have seven or more platoons. For example,

1710-594: A set of large flags, unique to each regiment, that the ordinary soldier would be able to identify straight away. The naval and air forces of all three of these countries also have similar colours based on their own ensigns. Rules stipulated by the Canadian Department of Defence state that the First, or Senior Colours symbolizes the unit's loyalty to the Crown ; authorization to possess a king's colour may only be granted, and

1805-611: A slightly smaller establishment, having 10 tanks and 30 personnel (40 with older tanks). Research companies (single. nauchnaya rota, научная рота) were established in 2013 to allow conscripts with higher education to serve doing scientific and research tasks. There are seven research companies: In the 1700s, British Army, American Colonial Militia , and Provincial Regulars (e.g., the Virginia Regiment ), and later American Army infantry, regiments were organized into companies of somewhat less than 100 officers and enlisted men, although

1900-642: A transportation terminal service company normally has two ship platoons, two shore platoons, one documentation platoon, one maintenance platoon, and the headquarters platoon. While companies are typically commanded by captains, some have a special operational capacity that requires them to be commanded by an officer with greater command authority and experience; such companies are commanded by majors, and have platoons commanded by captains. Examples of this arrangement include aviation platoons , military intelligence companies, military police companies, and special forces companies. A captain reports to his commander, usually

1995-556: A typical battery of six gun sections would consist of approximately 100 officers and enlisted men. In the United States Army , infantry companies are usually made up of three rifle platoons and a heavy weapons platoon ; mechanized infantry companies are usually made up of three rifle platoons consisting of four infantry fighting vehicles (IFV) each and a command element containing two IFVs; tank companies are usually made up of three tank platoons consisting of four tanks each and

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2090-512: A variation of the Army Flag as their own identifying Colour; this features a white strip next to the hoist, which has the unit's name in black characters, as well as a golden fringe (as is the case since 1961 for all units of the Republic of China Armed Forces , but since 1947 were limited only to Army units above the regimental level). The army honour guard colour is in gold with the unit coat of arms in

2185-591: Is The Royal Canadian Regiment , which names its companies sequentially throughout the regiment from the Duke of Edinburgh's Company (instead of A Company) in the 1st Battalion to T Company in the 4th Battalion. Many regiments name their companies after battle honours or former units that make up the current regiment, for example: The combat support company administratively contains the specialized platoons, such as reconnaissance, pioneer, headquarters and signals, anti-armour, and mortar. The administration support company contains

2280-592: Is "For the endless prosperity of the fatherland and the security of the people! ( 조국의 무궁한 번영과 인민의 안녕을 위하여 )". In 1993, as part of the 40th anniversary of the conclusion of the Korean War and the 45th since the founding of the DPRK, the old colour was replaced by the designs seen for over three decades in major holiday parades. All the colours shared the same reverse with the emblem of the Workers' Party of Korea in gold and, save for

2375-517: Is based on the national flag , but has instead of the four smaller gold stars the Chinese characters for the numerals '8' and '1', which stand for 1 August , the day in 1927 that the PLA was founded. When paraded, the flag is fringed in gold and mounted on a red-and-gold pole. Each branch of the PLA has its own flag, based on the Army Flag ( Banners of the PLA ): These, too, are not paraded publicly except with

2470-614: Is carried and escorted by a colour guard known as "Pataka", an abbreviation from Pasukan Tanda Kehormatan in Indonesian . During graduation and passing out parades, whenever the enlistment or commissioning pledge is taken, the flag of Indonesia is used as a national colour. Mostly seen in parades are the service colours of the Indonesian National Armed Forces or TNI, the Indonesian National Police and

2565-563: Is used by the Turkish Armed Forces as a National Colour, and thus has distinguishing features: Similar to Chinese practice, the Flag of Vietnam is used as a National Colour by all formations of battalion level above within the People's Army of Vietnam . It is fringed in gold, and when used in ceremonies, often has the gold motto Quyết thắng ("determination to win") at the top right corner of

2660-517: The King of Thailand . The colours are divided into four different designs, for: Royal Thai Army , Royal Thai Navy , Royal Thai Air Force and King's Guard units. Colours of the Navy carry no fringe, the rest have gold fringe. All carry the reigning monarch's cypher on the top right corner near the hoist. Before their presentation, the colours are ceremonially blessed in a religious ceremony attended by Buddhist monks and other high ranking dignitaries inside

2755-668: The London Regiment with its Somme , Messines and Cambrai companies. The foot guards regiments use traditional names for some of their companies, for example Queen's Company, Left Flank, Prince of Wales's Company etc. Royal Marines companies are designated by a letter that is unique across the corps, not just within their command . The Intelligence Corps , Royal Military Police and Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers all have companies uniquely numbered across their corps. The defunct Royal Army Service Corps , Royal Pioneer Corps and Royal Army Ordnance Corps had companies;

2850-819: The Municipal Police units (known as the Panji-Panji Kesatuan/Lambang-Lambang Kesatuan ). Within the TNI, service colours exist for all three service branches. Panji-panji means the military/service colours in Indonesian. Non-military: Tunggul and Pataka are terms used to identify colours below the command or service specialty level within the Armed Forces, National Police and Municipal Police. The former are for battalion/squadron level units and military territorial commands or equivalents,

2945-628: The People's Armed Police some years before the practice was adopted by the PLA Ground Forces on an experimental period. During the 1 October 2019 civil military parade marking the 70th anniversary of the People's Republic of China , a mobile colour guard unit debuted after many years the garrison colours awarded to every PLA formation and agency, which are red with the formation or agency name in Mandarin Chinese in white or gold lettering (but without

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3040-468: The Royal Corps of Transport had squadrons. British companies are usually commanded by a major , the officer commanding (OC), with a captain or senior lieutenant as second-in-command (2i/c). The company headquarters also includes a company sergeant major (CSM) normally holding the rank of WO2 and a company quartermaster sergeant (CQMS) of colour sergeant rank, the two most senior soldiers in

3135-490: The Solís Uprising ). However, the 1808 unit is by far the most famous. The unit was formed in 42 days, after a meeting held in the cloisters of the university presided over by Rafael Múzquiz, Archbishop of Compostela . In 1808, Juan Ignacio de Armada Caamaño Ibáñez de Mondragón y Salgado de Sotomayor (Marquis of Santa Cruz de Rivadulla) agreed to lead the unit and provide financial support. According to Alfonso Armada Comyn,

3230-610: The Temple of the Emerald Buddha in Bangkok . During the ceremony amidst the chanting of the monks, the King will personally hammer the brass nails into the staff of each colour using a silver hammer. Each colour contains about 32–35 nails, in which the cloth is attached to the wooden staff. Within the same ceremony, the King will also take a strand of his own hair and conceal it within a compartment at

3325-427: The "Triangular Division" reorganization begun in 1939), an ensign (an obsolete subaltern officer rank charged with carrying the regimental colors in rotation with the other ensigns of the battalion/regiment), four sergeants (section leaders/squad leaders with two to a platoon), four corporals (assistant section leaders/squad leaders with two to a platoon), two musicians (a drummer and a fifer), and 76 privates. The company

3420-503: The 12 sergeants, while eight of them continued to serve as section leaders (with two in each platoon), the four senior ranking sergeants were assigned to a new position in each platoon headquarters as "assistant to platoon commander". This was the forerunner of the modern platoon sergeant slot created in 1943 (originally known in 1940 as the "platoon leader", as the officer was styled as the "platoon commander" until 1943) to provide an experienced senior NCO as an advisor and second-in-command to

3515-480: The 1940s and early 1950s, the 1992 colours have a gold Guards Badge outline in the reverse to denote Guards status of the unit's colour while the colours only use the 1948 arms and motto instead of the current one. The traditions of military unit and branch colours of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces are mostly derived from the Western practice with the Flag of South Korea treated as a National Colour. Today each of

3610-779: The American ones, reflecting the long history of the military establishment here. These guidons are therefore not swallow tailed save for the PMA, the Philippine Army's Escort and Security Btn and some other units under the Philippine Army. The color facings of the Organizational Colours are: Each unit of the Royal Thai Armed Forces is given a colour called the " Thong Chai Chalermphol " ( Thai : ธงชัยเฉลิมพล ) or Victory Colours. These are presented to each unit personally by

3705-541: The BMP's heavier weaponry in their calculations. Prior to the late 1980s, a Soviet tank company within a Motorised Rifle Regiment consisted of a company headquarters and three tank platoons with T-64 , T-72 or T-80 tanks for a total of 39 personnel and 13 tanks; companies using the older T-54 , T-55 or T-62s tanks had 13 additional enlisted personnel. Companies within Tank Regiments or independent Tank Battalions had

3800-551: The British military. Only the Navy and Air Force sport President's Service Colours which are their respective naval ensign and air force flag which are gold fringed with modifications: President's Colours (Standard and Guidon for mounted units of the Army and Air Force flying units and Banners for service arms and the light infantry) are awarded to distinguished units of the Armed Forces by

3895-581: The Colours of the Military and other uniformed institutions follow British, US, and French practice. Until 2022, what was essentially a large version of the Flag of Cambodia with the unit name below in white in the bottom blue stripe was used as the King's Colour of RCAF formations before being reassigned as the National Colour for parades and ceremonies. In 2023, a new Chinese-derived design but also harking to

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3990-581: The Franco-Prussian model (with much influence beginning in 1777 from Continental European expatriates and future American generals the Marquis de Lafayette of France, Count Casimir Pulaski of Poland, and Baron von Steuben of Prussia). As a result, in 1776, a Continental Army Infantry company was authorized one captain, one first lieutenant, one second lieutenant (both lieutenants serving as platoon commanders – not designated as platoon leaders until 1943 under

4085-573: The Korean War, a slash separates the battalion/squadron number from the regimental number (i.e., B/2/75 Ranger, C/3/11 ACR, E/2/1 Marines). Although not official designations, the letters are often pronounced in "GI slang" using the NATO phonetic alphabet or, before that, the Joint Army/Navy Phonetic Alphabet , resulting in names such as "Bravo Company" and "Echo Company" (formerly "Baker" and " Easy " companies, respectively). Companies with

4180-735: The Philippines is the National Colour of the Armed Forces of the Philippines , but unlike the US colour has no markings on the flag. The Organizational Colours are the flags of the AFP's four Major Service Commands while the Unit Battle Colour differs per service arm and unit. Like the US, it also has 2nd order guidons for companies and troops, but these are also based on the Spanish military guidons and banners, not on

4275-456: The ROKAF's service branches have branch regimental colours, all gold fringed, which are carried by colour guards following a mix of Western traditions. The colours are as follows: In major holiday parades two additional colours are paraded as part of the national colour guard. Unit and specialty colours follow a mix of the Western models with influences from the Western model, sharing since the 1990s

4370-736: The Thai Armed Forces (จอมทัพไทย: Chomthap Thai). These colours are similar to the Flag of Thailand and therefore are treated like the State Colours of the Commonwealth, but are not lowered to the ground but kept above it to the tune of Sansoen Phra Barami (the Royal Anthem) when salutes are rendered by these Colours to the Thai Royal Family (most especially the King and Queen) in all military events that they attend. The Flag of Turkey

4465-533: The Worker-Peasant Red Guards, have identical gold letting in Hangul which states "Revolutionary armed forces of the Workers' Party of Korea, Korean People's Army [unit name] / No.425 unit (in ceremonies)" ( 조선로동당의 혁명적무장력인 조선인민군 제425 군부대 ), the 425 number honouring the date (25 April) of the 1932 foundation of the People's Anti-Japanese Guerrilla Army, whose lineage is continued by the current service, but with

4560-469: The actual totals widely varied. For example, in 1775, a typical British Army infantry company contained only 47 personnel (comprising 3 officers, 5 noncommissioned officers, a drummer, and 38 privates). However, by 1792, an American infantry company contained 98 personnel (comprising 3 officers, 9 noncommissioned officers, a drummer, a fifer, and 84 privates). Beginning in 1775, American forces began to develop their own organizational doctrine somewhat based on

4655-461: The army, several of these independent companies would be grouped together to form either a battalion or a regiment, depending upon the number of companies involved. (Usually two to five would form a battalion, while six to twelve would form a regiment.) More recent examples of separate companies would be the divisional support companies (i.e., signal, military police, ordinance maintenance, quartermaster, reconnaissance, and replacement companies) of

4750-444: The battalion commander (a lieutenant colonel ). However, there are some administrative and other duties at battalion level and larger ( brigade or division ) that are also handled by captains, for example the S-1, S-2, & S-4 officers of a battalion (S-3 is a major), or some assistant staff positions in the G shops at division. The senior non-commissioned officer of a company is called

4845-454: The centre. The Republic of China Navy 's colours were red but with the seal of the Navy in a dark blue canton in the centre until the 1980s, the honour guard company's colours only use both dark blue and the Navy seal, which are the same colours used today in other ROCN units. For the Republic of China Marine Corps , its unit battle colours, since 1960, mirrors that of the USMC but since the 1980s

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4940-586: The city of A Coruña , taken by French Marshal Michel Ney , to reconnoitre the batteries. In 1810 General Francisco Javier Castaños ordered the disbandment of the Literary Battalion, promoting the few survivors to the rank of officer in the military corps. A commemorative plaque in Quintana Plaza  [ es ] in the city of Santiago de Compostela bears the inscription: Company (military unit) Usually several companies are grouped as

5035-428: The colour near the hoist, with any decorations and/or medals attached to it. A moth-eaten rag on a worm-eaten pole, It does not look likely to stir a man's Soul, 'Tis the deeds that were done 'neath the moth-eaten rag, When the pole was a staff, and the rag was a flag. So long as its colors remain, and there is one man left to carry them, a regiment can never die; they can recruit it again around that one man, and

5130-567: The colour presented, by the monarch or his vice-regal representative. The design based on the flag of Canada reflects the custom established for infantry line regiments in the mid-18th century, when the sovereign's colour was based on the national flag, as was the practice in British and French units in Canada. Given its Commonwealth heritage as a former British colony, the Indian Armed Forces sports colours which are equivalent to those used in

5225-406: The commander's coat of arms . As armies became trained and adopted set formations, each regiment 's ability to keep its formation was potentially critical to its, and therefore its army's, success. In the chaos of battle, due to the amount of dust and smoke on a battlefield, soldiers needed to be able to determine where their regiment was. Regimental flags are generally awarded to a regiment by

5320-444: The commanding officer to relay orders by sound (i.e., musical notes and drumbeats). Sometimes, the regimental commander would group the musicians as a regimental band positioned behind the left center company in the line of battle, with the drummers forming a regimental drum-line for use by the regimental commander in giving orders to the several companies by drumbeats. As needed, the musicians also served as orderlies and guards at either

5415-546: The company or battalion/regimental headquarters and in combat served as messengers, water carriers, stretcher bearers, and temporarily guarded enemy prisoners of war until they were passed to the rear for processing and internment. In 1898, with the expansion of the rifle company to three platoons under mobilization for the Spanish–American War , the company gained two officers (an additional first lieutenant as executive officer and an additional second lieutenant to command

5510-470: The company was an administrative and tactical unit seldom employed in other than as a massed formation. The standard procedure, once the company had marched into its position in the line of battle, was for the company to form facing the enemy as two ranks, by platoon, one behind the other. The commanding officer (a captain), and the one to four lieutenants (depending upon the time period) serving as platoon commanders/assistant platoon commanders (1808 to 1821) and

5605-537: The company. The Honourable Artillery Company is in fact a regiment , not a company, in terms of organisation and size. In the Canadian Army , the company is the standard sub-unit organization for infantry and combat service support , as modelled after the British. A Canadian infantry battalion consists of three or four rifle companies identified by letter (A Company, B Company, etc.), a Combat Support Company, and an Administration Support Company. A notable exception

5700-624: The custom to assign a veteran sergeant to carry the national colors as only regiments and separate battalions were authorized to carry a "battle flag". A special group of NCOs, led by the "color sergeant", chosen for their experience and fighting skills, were detailed from the companies to the regimental headquarters to carry and defend the national colors (the United States flag) and the regimental colors (the regiment's unique standard bearing its branch and regiment designation as well as its battle honors and unit decorations). The musicians remained with

5795-504: The days of the old kingdoms on Cambodian territories, debuted - it's a unified design with the insignia of the unit or formation at the center and the unit name in Khmer below but with the colors differing per service: The People's Liberation Army is the overall body for the entire armed forces of the People's Republic of China , and is represented by a single flag, which serves as a ceremonial colour for all regiments and larger formations. This

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5890-510: The executive officer would direct the fighting, leading from the front in the attack and on the flanks in the defense. The executive officer, or more usually the junior lieutenant, and the first sergeant were normally positioned behind the battle line so as to assist the company commander in overseeing the company and managing the rear (company trains with the quartermaster sergeant and wagoner, casualties, enemy prisoners, non-combatants, deserters, etc.). The sergeants, acted as "file closers", working

5985-624: The following military academies sport their colours as the ROCAF colour is used by the Republic of China Air Force Academy : In all events whenever the ROCAF is involved, the ROC flag is used as the National colour. In Indonesia , the Colours of the Indonesian National Armed Forces , Indonesian National Police and other uniformed institutions are known as Panji-panji . The Panji-panji

6080-451: The foundation date. The reverse of these colours was updated with the graphic pattern consist of a silhouette of the KWP headquarter and a red shield bearing the emblem of KWP in the middle, and additional motto "Let us defend the Party's Central Committee headed by Dear Comrade Kim Jong Un with our lives!" ( 경애하는 김정은동지를 수반으로 하는 당중앙위원회를 목숨으로 사수하자! ) at the top. These colours are in gold fringe when brought out in public parades in Pyongyang ,

6175-514: The general range of 100–250 members, perhaps validating the premise that humans fight best (as well as live, work, socialize, play, etc.) in organizations of around 150 members, more or less. While historically companies were usually grouped into battalions or regiments, there were certain sub-units raised as independent companies that did not belong to a specific battalion or regiment, such as Confederate States of America state local militia companies. However, upon activation and assimilation into

6270-658: The greatest challenge to an officer to command a group of men engaged in mortal combat. Until the latter half of the 19th century, when infantry troops still routinely fought in close order, marching and firing shoulder-to-shoulder in lines facing the enemy, the company remained at around 100, or fewer, men. The advent of accurate, long-range rifle fire, repeating rifles , and machine guns necessitated highly dispersed combat formations. This, coupled with radio communication, permitted relatively small numbers of men to have much greater firepower and combat effectiveness than previously possible. Companies, however, continue to remain within

6365-468: The job in lieu of a rank-qualified first sergeant or master sergeant. Again, in such situations, the NCO holds the duty position and title of "First Sergeant", while retaining the rank of sergeant first class. A weapons company has in place of the three rifle platoons, an 81 mm mortar platoon, an anti-armor platoon, and a heavy machine gun platoon. USMC tank and LAR companies are organized similarly to US Army tank and mechanized infantry companies, with

6460-452: The junior officer in the company from 1775 until 1808 and nominally the "color bearer", usually either personally carried the regimental battle flag or supervised the detailed party of NCOs and privates drawn from the companies tasked with bearing and protecting the flag. The rank and position of ensign (as well as cornet in mounted units) was eliminated in the early 1800s when incumbents were converted to second lieutenants. It had already become

6555-529: The late 1980s. A BTR rifle company consisted of a company headquarters, three motorised rifle platoons and a machine gun/antitank platoon equipped with three PK machine guns and three AT-7 Saxhorn launchers for a total of 110 personnel and 12 BTRs. A BMP rifle company had the same number of personnel and carriers and consisted of a company headquarters, three motorised rifle platoons and a machine gun platoon equipped with six RPK-74s . While seemingly containing less firepower, US commanders were advised to include

6650-401: The latter for brigades/regiments, divisions/regional commands and service specialty and operational commands. They share a common design: the unit heraldic arms is featured in the obverse while the emblem of its reporting formation is featured in the reverse side. All colours are gold fringed and carry a Garuda finial based on the national arms. Within the TNI , Police and Municipal Police ,

6745-404: The line by putting men forward to replace casualties in the front rank, encouraging men to fire, reload, move forward, etc. and if need be, physically assisting or restraining men who refused to move forward or attempted to flee. The corporals physically led by example (much like modern fire team leaders) by taking their place in the line with their privates and fighting alongside them. The ensign,

6840-517: The marquis at the time, "In order to be able to lead the university students he was made a doctor in all the faculties". The unit's colours (which are today preserved in the Assembly Hall of the Faculty of Law of the university) were the blue and white of the Flag of Galicia and carried two shields: that of the ancient Kingdom of Galicia and the coat of arms of the university. This was surmounted by

6935-560: The national capital, and during state visits by the honour guards of the Supreme Guard Command , which is an inter-service formation unlike the rest of the command whose personnel are drawn from the Ground Forces. The 1948 and 1992 design colours, since the celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the conclusion of the Korean War in 2013, have been brought out only by guards units and KPA battalions sporting historical dress uniforms of

7030-495: The officer commanding the platoon. Cavalry companies (not officially re-designated as "troops" until 1883) had a similar organization to the infantry, but with fewer men, companies rarely exceeding around 70 men. In the Field Artillery, the company-equivalent unit is designated as a "battery" and historically consisted of a battery headquarters and two or three gun platoons, each with two gun sections. At full authorized strength,

7125-400: The plains Indians), and 1898–1899 (war with Spain) authorized company strength ranged from over 100 officers and men up to a high of 119. Also, in 1861 a company quartermaster sergeant was added to the authorized manning of an infantry company and a wagoner was reinstituted (previously authorized from 1796 to 1808) to drive the company supply wagon. During the 1700s and up until the late 1800s,

7220-512: The positions of company executive officer (second-in-command) and a third platoon commander were not authorized until 1898 when the army expanded under mobilization for the war with Spain. During the 1800s the authorized strength of infantry companies fell to a low of 54 officers and men during periods of relative peace from 1821 to 1838 and again from 1842 to 1846. In contrast, from 1812 to 1815 (second war with Great Britain), 1846 to 1848 (war with Mexico), 1861 to 1890 (American civil war and wars with

7315-539: The practice of carrying colours , standards , flags , or guidons , both to act as a rallying point for troops and to mark the location of the commander, is thought to have originated in Ancient Egypt some 5,000 years ago. The Roman Empire also made battle standards reading SPQR a part of their vast armies. It was formalized in the armies of Europe in the High Middle Ages , with standards being emblazoned with

7410-401: The regiment will continue on its road to future glory with the same old traditions behind it and the same atmosphere surrounding it that made brave men of its forbears. So although the colors are not exactly the soul of a regiment, they are the concrete embodiment of it, and are even more sacred than the person of a reigning sovereign. The colours of the infantry and standards of the cavalry are

7505-468: The republic and on major holidays. In Laos , the Colours of the Military and other uniformed institutions follow North Korean practice. It is basically a large version of the Laotian flag with the unit name below in white in the top and bottom red stripe. Philippine military colours are the Flag of the Philippines as the National Colour, the Organizational Colours, and the Unit Battle Colour. The Flag of

7600-462: The same colours as in the obverse, which also shows the 4.25 mark in gold numbering. The Guards units also had its badge beneath the 4.25 mark. In 2023, a new amended design based on the 1992-93 templates was adopted for the KPA with the motto kept, and the 4.25 mark was finally removed, with the date of the service branch or unit raising now replacing it. Guards formations retained their official emblem below

7695-571: The same gold fringe as the Army flag. Individual unit colours based on the PLA service colour would be introduced only from 2018 (and that, only on a test basis), when mobile contingents of units of the Northern Theater Command which took part in the joint military exercise "Vostok 2018" with the Russian Armed Forces carried red colours with the unit name on the white fringe nearest the flagpole. Test battle colours had been given to

7790-400: The same type, with a headquarters and a limited capacity for self-support." The standard NATO symbol for a company consists of a single vertical line placed above a framed unit icon. Member nations have stipulated the different names they will use for organizations of this size. Rifle companies consist of three platoons and a company headquarters. Company-sized organisations in units with

7885-458: The speciality colours are: The Korean People's Army is the overall body for the entire armed forces of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea . Until 1993 the KPA was represented by a single flag, which served as a ceremonial colour for all regiments, educational institutions and larger formations. The colour is on the basis of the national flag but with the national emblem replacing

7980-399: The star and on parades the colours were surrounded by gold fringe. The gold lettering in Hangul until 1992 was "For the unification and independence of the motherland and the people" ( 조국의 통일 독립과 인민을 위하여 ), then replaced by the second motto "For the unification and independence of the motherland, and the freedom and happiness of the people" ( 조국의 통일, 독립과 인민의 자유와 행복을 위하여 ). From 2023 the motto

8075-481: The support tradesmen that a battalion requires, such as cooks, vehicle technicians, supply, medics, etc. As in the British Army, company sized units with a mounted heritage use the term squadron, and in the artillery they are called batteries. A Soviet motorised rifle company could be mounted in either BTR armoured personnel carriers or BMP infantry fighting vehicles , with the former being more numerous into

8170-420: The third platoon). Additionally, there was an increase in the number of noncommissioned officers (NCOs) to serve as section leaders (sergeants) and squad leaders (corporals) to the point that in 1901 with the increase in privates to 127 (from 84 in 1898) that there were then authorized 18 corporals and six sergeants, along with two buglers (the bugle having replaced both the drum and the fife in infantry companies),

8265-661: The three line platoons consisting of four tanks or LAVs each, and the company command element containing two tanks or LAVs. AAV companies have three platoons containing four sections of three AAVs each, for a total of 12 AAVs per platoon, and a headquarters section of three AAVs. The company also includes both command and recovery variants of the AAV, giving the company a grand total of approximately 42–45 AAVs. Some companies were well enough known that they have been identified with their company letter. Examples include: Military colours, standards and guidons In military organizations,

8360-460: The top of the staff, which is closed by a round silver screw top. The King will also attach each colour with its own ceremonial Buddha image, and bless each colour with holy water. The ceremony is steeped in Buddhist and Brahmic heritage; it symbolizes and cements the King's role as Chief Kshatriya (กษัตริย์) or Warrior ruler of his realm. It also emphasizes his constitutional role as Head and Chief of

8455-446: The unit name is on the white stripe near the hoist (just as the rest of the armed forces, formerly it was on a scroll similar to the USMC's). The colours used by the Republic of China Air Force are in sky blue with the air force seal in the centre (formerly it was red with the sky blue canton featuring the coat of arms, the old design only used today by the honour guard). Units of the Republic of China Military Police , formerly using

8550-411: The unit's history stems from the 15th Infantry Regiment of the Army, in its lineage. Companies normally do not have their own overhead, but share the overhead of the parent organization. When the regimental headquarters exists as a separate echelon of command (e.g., the 75th Ranger Regiment, the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, and the 1st Marine Regiment), as virtually all U.S. Army regiments did until after

8645-406: The units were supporting mounted or foot formations. The British Army infantry normally identifies its rifle companies by letter (usually, but not always, A, B and C) within a battalion , usually with the addition of a headquarters company and a support/heavy weapons company. Some units name their companies after regimental battle honours; this is commonly the case for composite units, for example

8740-429: The wagoner, two senior NCOs (first sergeant and quartermaster sergeant), and five officers for a total of 161 officers and men. In 1905, a mess sergeant was added to the company's senior NCO staff and the company quartermaster sergeant was renamed supply sergeant. Due to mobilization for World War I, the army adopted its "square division" organization structure, significantly increasing unit sizes from platoon up. In 1917,

8835-487: The white fringe), with some colours bearing additional inscriptions bearing either battle honours or decorations awarded to the formation or agency concerned. The army of the Republic of China (Taiwan) also has a single flag that it uses, which is red, with a banner of the Blue Sky with a White Sun in the centre. It has a red flagpole with silver spearhead finial and red tassels immediately underneath. Individual units use

8930-574: Was considered as a great feat of arms. They are never capriciously destroyed – when too old to use they are replaced and then laid up in museums, religious buildings and other places of significance to their regiment. However, in most modern armies, standing orders now call for the colours to be intentionally destroyed if they are ever in jeopardy of being captured by the enemy. Due to the advent of modern weapons, and subsequent changes in tactics, colours are no longer carried into battle, but continue to be used at events of formal character. In Cambodia ,

9025-618: Was organized into two platoons, each consisting of two sections/squads (the terms were sometimes used interchangeably) consisting of one sergeant, one corporal, and 19 privates. (Wright, 1983) From the late 1700s up until the late 1800s, a US infantry company was commanded by a captain and assisted by a first sergeant (first authorized in 1781), and consisted of a small company headquarters and two identical platoons commanded by lieutenants. Even though from 1808 until 1821 companies were authorized two first lieutenants and two second lieutenants (and again from 1861 to 1866 for two second lieutenants),

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