96-705: The Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland ( 2 SCOTS ) is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland . Prior to 28 March 2006, the Royal Highland Fusiliers was an infantry regiment in its own right, created by the amalgamation of the Royal Scots Fusiliers with the Highland Light Infantry (City of Glasgow Regiment) in January 1959. The regiment
192-744: A sidearm or ancillary weapons . Infantry with ranged or polearms often carried a sword or dagger for possible hand-to-hand combat. The pilum was a javelin the Roman legionaries threw just before drawing their primary weapon, the gladius (short sword), and closing with the enemy line. Modern infantrymen now treat the bayonet as a backup weapon, but may also have handguns as sidearms . They may also deploy anti-personnel mines, booby traps, incendiary, or explosive devices defensively before combat. Infantry have employed many different methods of protection from enemy attacks, including various kinds of armour and other gear, and tactical procedures. The most basic
288-666: 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
384-649: 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
480-610: A few exceptions like the Mongol Empire , infantry has been the largest component of most armies in history. In the Western world , from Classical Antiquity through the Middle Ages ( c. 8th century BC to 15th century AD), infantry are categorised as either heavy infantry or light infantry . Heavy infantry, such as Greek hoplites , Macedonian phalangites , and Roman legionaries , specialised in dense, solid formations driving into
576-512: A full suit of attack-proof armour would be too heavy to wear in combat. As firearms improved, armour for ranged defence had to be made thicker and heavier, which hindered mobility. With the introduction of the heavy arquebus designed to pierce standard steel armour, it was proven easier to make heavier firearms than heavier armour; armour transitioned to be only for close combat purposes. Pikemen armour tended to be just steel helmets and breastplates, and gunners had very little or no armour at all. By
672-427: 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
768-417: A hundred meters wide and a dozen rows deep. Maintaining the advantages of heavy infantry meant maintaining formation; this became even more important when two forces with heavy infantry met in battle; the solidity of the formation became the deciding factor. Intense discipline and training became paramount. Empires formed around their military. The organization of military forces into regular military units
864-399: A problem. This can be avoided by having shield-armed soldiers stand close together, side-by-side, each protecting both themselves and their immediate comrades, presenting a solid shield wall to the enemy. The opponents for these first formations, the close-combat infantry of more tribal societies , or any military without regular infantry (so called " barbarians ") used arms that focused on
960-440: A return to body armour for infantry, though the extra weight is a notable burden. In modern times, infantrymen must also often carry protective measures against chemical and biological attack, including military gas masks , counter-agents, and protective suits. All of these protective measures add to the weight an infantryman must carry, and may decrease combat efficiency. Early crew-served weapons were siege weapons , like
1056-512: 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
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#17328453922061152-463: Is personal armour . This includes shields , helmets and many types of armour – padded linen , leather, lamellar , mail , plate , and kevlar . Initially, armour was used to defend both from ranged and close combat; even a fairly light shield could help defend against most slings and javelins, though high-strength bows and crossbows might penetrate common armour at very close range. Infantry armour had to compromise between protection and coverage, as
1248-592: 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
1344-621: Is 'Mackenzie', the blue and green 'government' tartan with added white and red lines. The regiment has been awarded over 200 battle honours, from Blenheim to the Gulf War , gained in every major and many minor conflicts, campaigns and theatres of war since the 21st Regiment's first engagement at the Battle of Walcourt in 1689, a number unsurpassed by any other unit in the British Army. The regiment's battle honours include: Blenheim (August 1704 – War of
1440-517: 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
1536-614: 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
1632-687: Is first noted in Egyptian records of the Battle of Kadesh ( c. 1274 BC ). Soldiers were grouped into units of 50, which were in turn grouped into larger units of 250, then 1,000, and finally into units of up to 5,000 – the largest independent command. Several of these Egyptian "divisions" made up an army, but operated independently, both on the march and tactically, demonstrating sufficient military command and control organisation for basic battlefield manoeuvres. Similar hierarchical organizations have been noted in other ancient armies, typically with approximately 10 to 100 to 1,000 ratios (even where base 10
1728-410: Is one man left to carry them, a regiment can never die; they can recruit it again around that one man, and 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
1824-580: Is operated by the Regimental Secretary and located near Charing Cross at Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow . The battalion's recruitment team is also based at Walcheren Barracks in the Maryhill district of Glasgow. A regimental magazine is also published, The Journal of the Royal Highland Fusiliers . There are also various old comrades groups and associations linked to the current and antecedent Regiments of
1920-688: Is superimposed on the saltire of St Andrew and the star of the Order of the Thistle . The Drum major wears Mackenzie tartan trews, fusilier officer's full dress pattern scarlet doublet and bearskin with a grenade cap badge and white hackle. Like all corps of drums and pipes and drums within the British Army , the pd are regular soldiers and pipers/drummers second. The corps currently operate as assault pioneers trained in explosives and entrances. The Charles Rennie Mackintosh designed regimental headquarters and museum
2016-563: 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
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#17328453922062112-767: The 4th Infantry Brigade and Headquarters North East . The regiment and current battalion has the distinction among British infantry regiments of carrying three Colours on parade. In addition to the Queen's and Regimental Colours, the third – the Assaye Colour, was originally awarded by the Governor General in Council in India on behalf of the British East India Company to the 74th Highland Regiment for distinguished service at
2208-584: The Afghan National Army . Following the Army 2020 Refine , the battalion was assigned to the 51st Infantry Brigade and Headquarters Scotland as a light infantry battalion. In addition the changes, the reserve 6th (52nd Lowland) Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland was paired with them. On 1 August 2019, the Field Army was re-organised, and the battalion along with the 6th battalion moved under command of
2304-493: The Battle of Assaye in India in 1803 while under the command of Sir Arthur Wellesley , the future Duke of Wellington . The regiment maintained the traditions of the long 'Attention' command being given on parade (rather than the modern abbreviated Army 'shun') and of referring to the Commanding Officer's orders (disciplinary parade) as 'haul up' from the days of the unit acting as escorts to prisoners being transported to
2400-634: The Delivering Security in a Changing World Review of the Armed Forces, the regiment was amalgamated with the other regiments of the Scottish Division to become the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland which was formed on 28 March 2006. The battalion moved to Glencorse Barracks in Penicuik at the same time. In Summer 2015 units of the battalion were deployed to Afghanistan to train
2496-898: The Gulf War in 1991, the regiment moved to St Barbara Barracks at Fallingbostel in 1993 from where it deployed units to Bosnia in 1994 and to Macedonia and Kosovo in 1999. The regiment moved back to Fort George in July 2000 and to Salamanca Barracks in Cyprus in September 2003. The battalion was involved in Operation TELIC IV in Iraq in Summer 2004 and then in Operation TELIC VI in Iraq in Spring 2006. As part of
2592-517: 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
2688-764: 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,
2784-628: 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
2880-1133: The Royal Dragoon Guards , Royal Lancers , and King's Royal Hussars . Similarly, motorised infantry have trucks and other unarmed vehicles for non-combat movement, but are still infantry since they leave their vehicles for any combat. Most modern infantry have vehicle transport, to the point where infantry being motorised is generally assumed, and the few exceptions might be identified as modern light infantry . Mechanised infantry go beyond motorised, having transport vehicles with combat abilities, armoured personnel carriers (APCs), providing at least some options for combat without leaving their vehicles. In modern infantry, some APCs have evolved to be infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs), which are transport vehicles with more substantial combat abilities, approaching those of light tanks . Some well-equipped mechanised infantry can be designated as armoured infantry . Given that infantry forces typically also have some tanks, and given that most armoured forces have more mechanised infantry units than tank units in their organisation,
2976-610: 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
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3072-442: The ballista , trebuchet , and battering ram . Modern versions include machine guns , anti-tank missiles , and infantry mortars . Beginning with the development the first regular military forces, close-combat regular infantry fought less as unorganised groups of individuals and more in coordinated units, maintaining a defined tactical formation during combat, for increased battlefield effectiveness; such infantry formations and
3168-469: The 1800s with the invention of more accurate and powerful weapons. In English, use of the term infantry began about the 1570s, describing soldiers who march and fight on foot. The word derives from Middle French infanterie , from older Italian (also Spanish) infanteria (foot soldiers too inexperienced for cavalry), from Latin īnfāns (without speech, newborn, foolish), from which English also gets infant . The individual-soldier term infantryman
3264-480: 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
3360-522: The American all-purpose lightweight individual carrying equipment (ALICE). Infantrymen are defined by their primary arms – the personal weapons and body armour for their own individual use. The available technology, resources, history, and society can produce quite different weapons for each military and era, but common infantry weapons can be distinguished in a few basic categories. Infantrymen often carry secondary or back-up weapons, sometimes called
3456-728: 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
3552-454: The Assaye Colour. Colonels of the regiment were: In the Royal Highland Fusiliers' Pipes and Drums band, pipers wear the all-blue Cameron pattern Glengarry with Dress Erskine tartan kilt, drummers also wear the kilt but retain the diced Glengarry as do buglers who wear Mackenzie tartan trews. The band members wear a different type of capbadge in which the Regimental 'flaming grenade' capbadge
3648-581: 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
3744-496: 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 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
3840-735: 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
3936-509: The RHF. Infantry Infantry is a specialization of military personnel who engage in warfare combat . Infantry generally consists of light infantry , irregular infantry , heavy infantry , mountain infantry , motorized infantry , mechanized infantry , airborne infantry , air assault infantry , and naval infantry . Other types of infantry, such as line infantry and mounted infantry , were once commonplace but fell out of favor in
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4032-456: 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
4128-579: The Spanish Succession), Assaye (September 1803 – Mahratta War), The Storming of Badajos (April 1812 – Peninsular War), Vitoria (June 1813 – Peninsular War), Waterloo (July 1815), Inkerman (November 1854 – Crimean War) and Gheluvelt (October 1914 – World War 1 – France). 44 battle honours are carried on the Regimental Colour, 29 on the Queens Colour and 2: Seringapatam and Assaye , on
4224-455: The Swiss, English, Aragonese and German, to men-at-arms who went into battle as well-armoured as knights, the latter of which at times also fought on foot. The creation of standing armies —permanently assembled for war or defence—saw increase in training and experience. The increased use of firearms and the need for drill to handle them efficiently. The introduction of national and mass armies saw an establishment of minimum requirements and
4320-450: 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
4416-426: The Troubles in the 1970s. It relocated to Kiwi Barracks at Bulford Camp in 1970. After a two-year posting to Malaysia, the regiment returned to Redford Barracks in 1973 moving on to Barrosa Barracks at Hemer in 1979. The regiment were at the Palace Barracks at Holywood in 1983, Berlin in 1985 and briefly back in Redford Barracks before going to Oakington Barracks at Cambridge in 1989. After taking part in
4512-415: 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
4608-443: The arms they used developed together, starting with the spear and the shield. A spear has decent attack abilities with the additional advantage keeping opponents at distance; this advantage can be increased by using longer spears, but this could allow the opponent to side-step the point of the spear and close for hand-to-hand combat where the longer spear is near useless. This can be avoided when each spearman stays side by side with
4704-411: The carrying burden is spread across several infantrymen. In all, this can reach 25–45 kg (60–100 lb) for each soldier on the march. Such heavy infantry burdens have changed little over centuries of warfare; in the late Roman Republic, legionaries were nicknamed " Marius' mules " as their main activity seemed to be carrying the weight of their legion around on their backs, a practice that predates
4800-407: 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
4896-490: The colonies. Officers wore red 'infantry' piping on the epaulettes of their greatcoats , a detail inherited from the Royal Scots Fusiliers and mentioned by Boris Pasternak in his book Doctor Zhivago , but long lost to other infantry regiments. The regiment's uniform included the blue Glengarry cap with red 'tourie', red, white and green dicing, black silk cockade and 'Flaming Grenade' cap badge, Mackenzie tartan trews and black highland brogue shoes worn with white spats. In
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#17328453922064992-414: 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. Sir Edward Hamly on seeing some old Colours of the 32nd Foot in Monmouth Church. So long as its colors remain, and there
5088-406: 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
5184-456: 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
5280-463: The distinction between mechanised infantry and armour forces has blurred. The first military forces in history were infantry. In antiquity , infantry were armed with early melee weapons such as a spear , axe , or sword , or an early ranged weapon like a javelin , sling , or bow , with a few infantrymen being expected to use both a melee and a ranged weapon. With the development of gunpowder , infantry began converting to primarily firearms . By
5376-455: The enemy to prepare for the main forces' battlefield attack, protecting them from flanking manoeuvers , and then afterwards either pursuing the fleeing enemy or covering their army's retreat. After the fall of Rome, the quality of heavy infantry declined, and warfare was dominated by heavy cavalry , such as knights , forming small elite units for decisive shock combat , supported by peasant infantry militias and assorted light infantry from
5472-442: The eponymous Gaius Marius . When combat is expected, infantry typically switch to "packing light", meaning reducing their equipment to weapons, ammunition, and other basic essentials, and leaving other items deemed unnecessary with their transport or baggage train , at camp or rally point, in temporary hidden caches, or even (in emergencies) simply discarding the items. Additional specialised equipment may be required, depending on
5568-400: The existence of any organised military, likely started essentially as loose groups without any organisation or formation. But this changed sometime before recorded history ; the first ancient empires (2500–1500 BC) are shown to have some soldiers with standardised military equipment, and the training and discipline required for battlefield formations and manoeuvres: regular infantry . Though
5664-434: The expected duration of time operating away from their unit's base, plus any special mission-specific equipment. One of the most valuable pieces of gear is the entrenching tool —basically a folding spade —which can be employed not only to dig important defences, but also in a variety of other daily tasks, and even sometimes as a weapon. Infantry typically have shared equipment on top of this, like tents or heavy weapons, where
5760-410: The field in combat dress, the Glengarry was replaced, when a helmet is not worn, by a khaki ' tam o'shanter ' bonnet with Mackenzie tartan patch and with a white hackle from the Royal Scots Fusiliers when appropriate. The Regimental capbadge was the 'grenade in flames' taken from the Royal Scots Fusiliers cap badge, on which is mounted the crowned HLI monogram from the Highland Light Infantry. The tartan
5856-405: 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
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#17328453922065952-451: 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 ,
6048-889: The individual – weapons using personal strength and force, such as larger swinging swords, axes, and clubs. These take more room and individual freedom to swing and wield, necessitating a more loose organisation. While this may allow for a fierce running attack (an initial shock advantage) the tighter formation of the heavy spear and shield infantry gave them a local manpower advantage where several might be able to fight each opponent. Thus tight formations heightened advantages of heavy arms, and gave greater local numbers in melee. To also increase their staying power, multiple rows of heavy infantrymen were added. This also increased their shock combat effect; individual opponents saw themselves literally lined-up against several heavy infantryman each, with seemingly no chance of defeating all of them. Heavy infantry developed into huge solid block formations, up to
6144-422: The introduction of special troops (first of them the engineers going back to medieval times, but also different kinds of infantry adopted to specific terrain, bicycle, motorcycle, motorised and mechanised troops) culminating with the introduction of highly trained special forces during the first and second World War. Naval infantry, commonly known as marines , are primarily a category of infantry that form part of
6240-401: 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 ,
6336-550: The lower classes. Towards the end of Middle Ages, this began to change, where more professional and better trained light infantry could be effective against knights, such as the English longbowmen in the Hundred Years' War . By the start of the Renaissance , the infantry began to return to a larger role, with Swiss pikemen and German Landsknechts filling the role of heavy infantry again, using dense formations of pikes to drive off any cavalry. Dense formations are vulnerable to ranged weapons. Technological developments allowed
6432-417: The main enemy lines, using weight of numbers to achieve a decisive victory , and were usually equipped with heavier weapons and armour to fit their role. Light infantry, such as Greek peltasts , Balearic slingers , and Roman velites , using open formations and greater manoeuvrability, took on most other combat roles: scouting , screening the army on the march, skirmishing to delay, disrupt, or weaken
6528-447: The main force of the army, these forces were usually kept small due to their cost of training and upkeep, and might be supplemented by local short-term mass-conscript forces using the older irregular infantry weapons and tactics; this remained a common practice almost up to modern times. Before the adoption of the chariot to create the first mobile fighting forces c. 2000 BC , all armies were pure infantry. Even after, with
6624-487: The mid 17th century began replacement of the pike with the infantry square replacing the pike square. To maximise their firepower, musketeer infantry were trained to fight in wide lines facing the enemy, creating line infantry . These fulfilled the central battlefield role of earlier heavy infantry, using ranged weapons instead of melee weapons. To support these lines, smaller infantry formations using dispersed skirmish lines were created, called light infantry, fulfilling
6720-595: The mission or to the particular terrain or environment, including satchel charges , demolition tools, mines , or barbed wire , carried by the infantry or attached specialists. Historically, infantry have suffered high casualty rates from disease , exposure, exhaustion and privation — often in excess of the casualties suffered from enemy attacks. Better infantry equipment to support their health, energy, and protect from environmental factors greatly reduces these rates of loss, and increase their level of effective action. Health, energy, and morale are greatly influenced by how
6816-441: 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
6912-643: The naval forces of states and perform roles on land and at sea, including amphibious operations , as well as other, naval roles. They also perform other tasks, including land warfare, separate from naval operations. Air force infantry and base defense forces are used primarily for ground-based defense of air bases and other air force facilities. They also have a number of other, specialist roles. These include, among others, Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) defence and training other airmen in basic ground defense tactics. Infentory Colours, standards and guidons In military organizations,
7008-400: The others in close formation, each covering the ones next to him, presenting a solid wall of spears to the enemy that they cannot get around. Similarly, a shield has decent defence abilities, but is literally hit-or-miss; an attack from an unexpected angle can bypass it completely. Larger shields can cover more, but are also heavier and less manoeuvrable, making unexpected attacks even more of
7104-503: The person of a reigning sovereign. Talbot Mundy , The Soul of a Regiment The colours of the infantry and standards of the cavalry are 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
7200-539: 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
7296-458: The raising of large numbers of light infantry units armed with ranged weapons, without the years of training expected for traditional high-skilled archers and slingers. This started slowly, first with crossbowmen , then hand cannoneers and arquebusiers , each with increasing effectiveness, marking the beginning of early modern warfare , when firearms rendered the use of heavy infantry obsolete. The introduction of musketeers using bayonets in
7392-468: 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
7488-462: 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
7584-618: 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
7680-1041: The same multiple roles as earlier light infantry. Their arms were no lighter than line infantry; they were distinguished by their skirmish formation and flexible tactics. The modern rifleman infantry became the primary force for taking and holding ground on battlefields as an element of combined arms . As firepower continued to increase, use of infantry lines diminished, until all infantry became light infantry in practice. Modern classifications of infantry have since expanded to reflect modern equipment and tactics, such as motorised infantry , mechanised or armoured infantry , mountain infantry , marine infantry , and airborne infantry . Beyond main arms and armour, an infantryman's "military kit" generally includes combat boots , battledress or combat uniform , camping gear , heavy weather gear, survival gear , secondary weapons and ammunition , weapon service and repair kits, health and hygiene items, mess kit , rations , filled water canteen , and all other consumables each infantryman needs for
7776-723: The soldier is fed, so militaries issue standardised field rations that provide palatable meals and enough calories to keep a soldier well-fed and combat-ready. Communications gear has become a necessity, as it allows effective command of infantry units over greater distances, and communication with artillery and other support units. Modern infantry can have GPS , encrypted individual communications equipment, surveillance and night vision equipment, advanced intelligence and other high-tech mission-unique aids. Armies have sought to improve and standardise infantry gear to reduce fatigue for extended carrying, increase freedom of movement, accessibility, and compatibility with other carried gear, such as
7872-458: 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
7968-399: 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
8064-464: The time of Napoleonic warfare , infantry, cavalry and artillery formed a basic triad of ground forces, though infantry usually remained the most numerous. With armoured warfare , armoured fighting vehicles have replaced the horses of cavalry, and airpower has added a new dimension to ground combat, but infantry remains pivotal to all modern combined arms operations. The first warriors, adopting hunting weapons or improvised melee weapons, before
8160-445: The time of the musket, the dominance of firepower shifted militaries away from any close combat, and use of armour decreased, until infantry typically went without wearing any armour. Helmets were added back during World War I as artillery began to dominate the battlefield, to protect against their fragmentation and other blast effects beyond a direct hit. Modern developments in bullet-proof composite materials like kevlar have started
8256-460: 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
8352-526: The tribal host assembled from farmers and hunters with only passing acquaintance with warfare and masses of lightly armed and ill-trained militia put up as a last ditch effort. Kushite king Taharqa enjoyed military success in the Near East as a result of his efforts to strengthen the army through daily training in long-distance running. In medieval times the foot soldiers varied from peasant levies to semi-permanent companies of mercenaries, foremost among them
8448-493: 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
8544-596: The weapon speciality; examples of infantry units that retained such names are the Royal Irish Fusiliers and the Grenadier Guards . Dragoons were created as mounted infantry , with horses for travel between battles; they were still considered infantry since they dismounted before combat. However, if light cavalry was lacking in an army, any available dragoons might be assigned their duties; this practice increased over time, and dragoons eventually received all
8640-452: The weapons and training as both infantry and cavalry, and could be classified as both. Conversely, starting about the mid-19th century, regular cavalry have been forced to spend more of their time dismounted in combat due to the ever-increasing effectiveness of enemy infantry firearms. Thus most cavalry transitioned to mounted infantry. As with grenadiers, the dragoon and cavalry designations can be retained long after their horses, such as in
8736-487: 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
8832-574: 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 ,
8928-684: Was formed as the Royal Highland Fusiliers (Princess Margaret's Own Glasgow and Ayrshire Regiment) on 20 January 1959 by the amalgamation of the Royal Scots Fusiliers with the Highland Light Infantry (City of Glasgow Regiment) . The Royal Highland Fusiliers, abbreviated as 'The RHF', were part of the Scottish Division . The regiment was initially based at Redford Barracks in Edinburgh before being deployed to Singapore Lines in Aden in 1960. The regimental band played at independence ceremonies in Hargeisa in 1960. It
9024-510: Was not coined until 1837. In modern usage, foot soldiers of any era are now considered infantry and infantrymen. From the mid-18th century until 1881, the British Army named its infantry as numbered regiments "of Foot" to distinguish them from cavalry and dragoon regiments (see List of Regiments of Foot ). Infantry equipped with special weapons were often named after that weapon, such as grenadiers for their grenades , or fusiliers for their fusils . These names can persist long after
9120-399: Was not common), similar to modern sections (squads) , companies , and regiments . The training of the infantry has differed drastically over time and from place to place. The cost of maintaining an army in fighting order and the seasonal nature of warfare precluded large permanent armies. The antiquity saw everything from the well-trained and motivated citizen armies of Greece and Rome,
9216-717: Was then posted to St. Patricks barracks in Malta in 1961, to Mons Barracks in Iserlohn in 1963, to Cyprus as part of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus for six months in 1965 and to Fort George in 1967. In 1968 the regiment was deployed to Gibraltar for six months on frontier duties after General Franco closed the frontier between Spain and Gibraltar and then undertook five tours in Northern Ireland during
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