Grenadier
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A grenadier (
Certain countries such as France (
In
Origins
The concept of troops being equipped with
The infantry of the Dutch States Army, influenced by their French invaders, adopted grenadiers in 1672. By 1678 six men in each company were trained to throw hand grenades, developed by the Dutch master fireworker Johan van Haren.[3]
In May 1677, the English Army ordered that two soldiers of every Guards Regiment were to be trained as grenadiers; in April 1678 it was ordered that a company of grenadiers be added to the senior eight regiments of foot of the army.[4] On 29 June of that year the diarist John Evelyn saw them drilling at an encampment at Hounslow, near London:
Now were brought into service a new sort of soldier called Grenadiers, who were dexterous in flinging hand grenadoes, every one having a pouch full; they had furred caps with coped crowns like
Grenades
The first grenades were small iron spheres filled with gunpowder fused with a length of slow-match, and roughly the size of a tennis ball. The grenadiers had to be tall and strong enough to hurl these heavy objects far enough so as not to harm themselves or their comrades, and disciplined enough to stand at the forefront of the fight, light the fuse and throw at the appropriate moment to minimize the ability of an enemy to throw the grenade back. Understandably, such requirements led to grenadiers being regarded as an elite fighting force.
Early distinctions of dress and equipment
The wide hats with broad brims characteristic of infantry during the late 17th century were in some armies discarded and replaced with caps. This was originally to allow the grenadier to sling his musket over his back with greater ease while throwing grenades[7] (initially, only these troops were provided with slings). It has been suggested that a brimless hat also permitted the grenadier greater ease in throwing the grenade overhand.[8] Preben Kannik, former Curator of the Danish Army Museum, however, definitely states that grenades were thrown underhand and that it was the slinging of firearms that required the special headdresses typical of early grenadiers. [9]
The grenadiers of the French infantry were by the 1690s distinguished from their musketeer colleagues by special issues of equipment. These included slings for their flintlocks, curved sabres instead of straight swords, large leather pouches for grenades and hatchets.[10]
By 1700, grenadiers in the English and other armies had adopted a cap in the shape of a bishop's
Elite status in the 18th century
Grenade usage declined in the 18th century, a fact that can be attributed to the improved effectiveness of
By contrast, French grenadier companies of the 18th century appear to have selected their new recruits according to the classic criteria of height. However with the outbreak of the Revolutionary Wars the urgency of mass mobilisation meant that the selection of grenadier and other special sub-units was done according to the preferences of individual officers.[13]
Transferral to a grenadier company generally meant both enhanced status and an increase in pay.[14]
Whether for reasons of appearance or reputation, grenadiers tended to be the showpiece troops of their respective armies. In the Spanish Army of the early 19th century, for example, grenadier companies were excused routine duties such as town patrols but were expected to provide guards at the headquarters and residences of senior officers. When a regiment was in line formation the grenadier company always formed on the right flank. In the British Army, when Trooping the Colour, "The British Grenadiers" march is played no matter which regiment is on the parade ground, as the colour party stands at the right-hand end of the line, as every regiment formerly had a company of grenadiers at the right of their formation.[citation needed]
Headgear
As noted above, grenadiers were distinguished by their headgear from the ordinary musketeers (or Hatmen) in each regiment of foot. While there were some exceptions, the most typical grenadier headdress was either the mitre cap or the bearskin. Both began to appear in various armies during the second half of the 17th century because grenadiers were impeded by the wide brimmed infantry hats of the period when slinging their firearms while throwing grenades.[15]
The cloth caps worn by the original grenadiers in European armies during the 17th century were frequently trimmed with fur.[16] This fell out of fashion in many armies until the mid-18th century when grenadiers in the British, Spanish and French armies began wearing high fur-trimmed caps with crowns of coloured cloth and, in some cases, ornamental front plates. This added to the apparent height and impressive appearance of these troops both on the parade ground and the battlefield.[17]
The mitre cap, whether in stiffened cloth or metal, had become the distinguishing feature of the grenadier in the armies of Britain, Russia, Prussia and most German states during the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Spanish and Austrian
While Northern European armies such as Britain, Russia, Sweden, and various German states wore the mitre cap, southern countries such as France, Spain, Austria, Portugal, and various Italian states preferred the bearskin. By 1768, Britain had adopted the bearskin.[21]
The shape and appearance of fur caps differed according to period and country. While France used smaller bearskins, [22][23] Spain preferred towering caps with long flowing bags. Britain initially favoured tall cloth mitres with lacing and braiding, while Russia would sport equally tall leather helmets with brass front-plates. The first grenadier headdresses were fairly low, and in the case of Spain and Austria sometimes contained elements from both mitres and bearskins. Until the mid-18th century, French grenadiers wore tricorne hats, rather than either the mitre or fur cap. Grenadier caps gradually increased in size and decoration, with added devices such as pompoms, cords, badges, front-plates, plumes, and braiding, as well as various national heraldic emblems.
During the Napoleonic Wars, both mitres and fur caps fell out of use in favour of the shako. Two notable exceptions were the grenadier companies[24] and Imperial Guard regiments[25] of the French Grande Armée, plus those of the Austrian Army. After the Battle of Friedland in 1807, because of their distinguished performance, Russia's Pavlovsk Regiment were allowed to keep their mitre caps and were admitted to the Imperial Guard.
During the Napoleonic Wars, British grenadiers had usually worn the bearskin cap only for full dress when on home service, since the fur was found to deteriorate rapidly during campaigning overseas.[26] Following their role in the defeat of the French Imperial Guard at the Battle of Waterloo, the 1st Foot Guards was renamed the 1st (or Grenadier) Regiment of Foot Guards and all companies of the regiment adopted the bearskin. In 1831, it was ordered that all three Foot Guards should wear the bearskin cap, by then resembling the modern headdress in shape and size. The grenadier companies of line infantry regiments meanwhile retained the bearskin cap for parade dress until it was abolished in 1842. During the Crimean War, the Foot Guard regiments wore their bearskins in the field, the only time the celebrated Guards' headdress was worn in action.
Grenadier companies
From the 17th Century
On occasion the grenadier and light companies could be "brigaded" together into separate grenadier and light infantry battalions for assaults or
Each of the line infantry regiments of the Austrian Army of this period included a grenadier division of two companies, separate from the fusilier companies that made up the bulk of the unit. The grenadier companies were frequently detached from the parent regiment and grouped into composite grenadier battalions for a particular campaign or purpose.[31]
The
With the standardisation of training and tactics, the need for separate grenadier companies at regimental level had passed by the mid-19th century and the British, French and Austrian armies phased out these sub-units between 1850 and 1862.
-
A representative panel of the Grenadier Paintings, depicting privates of the48thReg'ts. of Foot in route march order, by David Morier
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Trooper of the 2nd Reg't. of Horse Grenadiers, by David Morier
Grenadier regiments
The term grenadier was retained or adopted by various elite infantry units, including the Prussian
During the American Revolution of 1775–1783, the Connecticut 1st Company Governor's Guards[35] and the 11th Regiment of Connecticut Militia had grenadier companies.[36][37] New York City also had a Grenadier unit,[38] as did South Carolina – the elite 1st South Carolina Regiment, raised and commanded by Charles Cotesworth Pinckney.
In Mexico Antonio López de Santa Anna created the Grenadier Guards of the Supreme Power on 7 December 1841. The formation remained in service until 1847.[39]
A
World War I and beyond
In 1914, the Imperial German and Russian Armies still included a number of grenadier regiments. In the Russian Army, these comprised the Grenadier Guards Regiment (L-G Grenadierski Polk) as well as the Grenadier Corps of sixteen regiments[40] (plus an independent reinforced company of Palace Grenadiers, guarding the St. Petersburg Imperial residences). Five regiments of the Prussian Guard were designated as Garde-Grenadiers and there were an additional fourteen regiment of grenadiers amongst the line infantry of the German Empire. In both the Russian and German armies, the grenadier regiments were considered as a historic elite; distinguished by features such as plumed helmets in full dress, distinctive facings (yellow for all Russian grenadiers) or special braiding. Their role and training, however, no longer differed from that of the rest of the infantry.
Today, regiments using the name grenadiers are effectively indistinguishable from other infantry, especially when
During World War I, German troops referred to as
The term Panzergrenadier was adopted in the German Wehrmacht to describe mechanized heavy infantry elements whose greater protection and mobility allowed them to keep pace with (and provide intimate protection to) armoured units and formations. This designation reflects the traditional role of grenadiers as shock troops. The term in today's Bundeswehr refer to mechanized infantry.
When parachute units were first created in the United States Army, the Air Corps desired them to be under their control and to be designated "air grenadiers".[42]
The last known unit to serve as grenadiers, and employing grenades as their weapons, was a special "Grenadier brigade" formed by the Red Army within the 4th Army during the Tikhvin defensive operation in October 1941. It was a measure taken because of lack of firearms, and the commander of the brigade was appropriately General Major G.T. Timofeyev who had served in one of the Russian Imperial Army's grenadier regiments during the First World War.[43]
In the Vietnam War, U.S. squads usually had at least one soldier whose role was that of a grenadier. Grenadiers were armed with an M79 grenade launcher, although towards the end of the war it was replaced with an XM148 grenade launcher attached to an M16 rifle, issued in very small numbers. In infantry squads the grenadier was dedicated to their weapon, meaning that they usually carried only the M79 and an M1911 pistol, though in some cases grenadiers were not even issued this sidearm. The M79 was designed to bridge the gap between the maximum throwing range of a grenade and the minimum distance of mortar fire. The "upgrade" to the M79, the XM148, was first issued in December 1966, but was beset by problems: the cocking mechanism was difficult to squeeze, the sight was hard to use, and the complicated trigger design required constant maintenance. By May 1967, it was deemed unsuitable for use in the field, and was eventually replaced by the M203 grenade launcher.[44]
Argentina
The
Unlike most other units that carried the title of "grenadiers", the Argentine Grenadiers are a cavalry unit, and continue to mount horses for ceremonial purposes, as well as carrying lances and cavalry sabers.
Belgium
The Belgian Land Component retains two regiments of grenadiers based in Brussels. First raised in 1837 from companies drawn from the line infantry of the newly independent kingdom, these troops served with distinction in both World Wars. In peacetime they had a ceremonial role that corresponded to that of royal guards in other armies. In 1960 the historic blue and red full dress worn prior to World War I was reintroduced for limited wear, although the tall bearskin headdress is now made of synthetic material.
Canada
The Canadian Grenadier Guards is one of the longest serving units in the Canadian Army's Primary Reserve. It still continues today, both in its reserve role and as a ceremonial guard at the National War Memorial, Rideau Hall, and other places of symbolic importance.
The 10th Royal Grenadiers (later
The Winnipeg Grenadiers was one of the 2 Canadian infantry regiments of C Force that took part in the Battle of Hong Kong in December 1941. The regiment is currently on the Supplementary Order of Battle.
Chile
The Presidential Horse Guards Cavalry Regiment "Grenadiers" (Regimiento Escolta Presidencial n.1 "Granaderos") of the Chilean Army is active since 1827, has fought in every major battle of the Chilean Army in the 19th century and since 1840 and 1907 has served as the Escort Regiment to the President of Chile on important national occasions. This regiment is named after General Manuel Bulnes Prieto, the founding patron of the regiment, who led the Chilean Army and the anti-confederation North Peruvian dissidents to victory in the War of the Peru-Bolivia Confederation in the crucial Battle of Yungay in 1839, which signaled the confederation's demise.
The Chilean Grenadiers' uniforms, until 2011, were similar to the full Feldgrau uniforms of the Chilean Army, but adapted for the cavalry and like their Argentine counterparts, carry lances but not cavalry sabers, which are reserved for officers and the mounted colors guard escort. Starting in 2011, the regiment now wears a cavalry light blue full dress uniform with Pickelhaubes for all ranks.
Ecuador
The "Tarqui Grenadiers" serve as the Presidential Escort Squadron for the
France
While the French army has not included any grenadiers since 1870, the grenade badge is still a distinctive mark of the
Germany
- Grenadier is the lowest rank (OR-1[45]) in the Heeresteil (en: army part) of the Bundeswehr Wachbataillon (en: Bundeswehr guard battalion).
- Furthermore, in the German Heer Panzergrenadier (en: armoured grenadier) is the lowest rank (OR-1) of the Panzergrenadieretruppe (en: mechanized infantry).
India
The oldest grenadier regiment of the armies in the Commonwealth belongs to the Indian Army. The concept of 'Grenadiers' evolved from the practice of selecting the bravest and strongest men for the most dangerous tasks in combat. The Grenadiers have the longest unbroken record of existence in the Indian Army.[46]
Italy
The
Mexico
In Mexico, Grenadiers (Granaderos) are armored specialist police units used for anti-riot duties and other security roles. The National Guard maintains regional grenadier companies for public security duties, while performing law enforcement and wearing NG uniforms.
Netherlands
The Royal Netherlands Army maintains a regiment of Guard Grenadiers who retain the bearskin headdress of the early 19th century. This regiment has been amalgamated with the Jager Guards to form the "Garderegiment Grenadiers en Jagers" Two of its companies are Jagers (riflemen), the other two are grenadiers; it wears the maroon beret and is an air assault and airborne forces trained unit.
Norway
In the
Spain
There is one company of the
Sweden
The Grenadier Company is the
Switzerland
In the
United Kingdom
The Grenadier Guards are the most senior of the five prestigious regiments of Foot Guards, each of which retains the bearskin headdress originally associated with grenadiers.
Although the Coldstream Guards can trace their origins to an earlier date (1650) than that of the Grenadier Guards (1656), they are officially recognized as second in seniority since having been formed initially to serve the Commonwealth, their service to the Crown only dates from the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660.[49]
United States
The
The United States Marine Corps rifle squad consists of three four-man fireteams including a team leader who also works as the M203 grenadier. During the Vietnam War there was one grenadier in the squad armed with an M79 grenade launcher.
Yugoslavia
References
- ^ "grenadier". Retrieved 30 March 2018 – via The Free Dictionary.
- ISBN 0850458501
- ISBN 978-1-911628-59-0.
- ISBN 978-1-85532-381-0.
- ^ Evelyn. The Diary of John Evelyn From 1641 to 1705/6. page 400
- ^ "David Morier (1705?-70) - Grenadiers, Infantry Regiments Hirzel, Constant(?) and Stuerler(?)". www.rct.uk. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
- ISBN 0-684-15130-8.
- ISBN 0-85045-284-8.
- ^ Preben Kannil, page 154 "Military Uniforms of the World", SBN 71370482 9
- ISBN 0850458501
- ISBN 1-85532-554-3
- ISBN 978-1-84908-846-6.
- ISBN 1-84176-552-X.
- ISBN 1-85532-554-3.
- ISBN 0-684-15130-8.
- ^ W.Y. Carman, page 35, "British Military Uniforms from Contemporary Pictures", Hamlyn Publishing 1968
- ^ Military Uniforms of the World: Preben Kannil SBN 71370482 9
- ISBN 978-1-907417-52-8.
- ISBN 0-85368-310-7.
- ISBN 2-7025-0141-9.
- ISBN 2-203-14315-0
- ISBN 978-1-85532-625-5.
- ISBN 2-203-14315-0
- ISBN 978-284048-565-0.
- ISBN 2-913-903-24X.
- ^ W.Y. Carman, page 112 "British Military Uniforms from Contemporary Pictures", Hamlyn Publishing Group 1968
- ISBN 978-0-85045-284-6.
- ^ p.39 Logusz, Michael O. With Musket and Tomahawk: The Saratoga Campaign and the Wilderness War of 1777 Casemate Publishers, 19/05/2010
- ^ p.xxxv Miller, A.E. printer The Militia System of South-Carolina: ..., 1835
- ^ p.143 Kirke, Charles Red Coat, Green Machine: Continuity in Change in the British Army 1700 to 2000 Continuum International Publishing Group, 28/12/2009
- ISBN 0-85045-689-4
- ISBN 1 85532 585 3
- ^ Velichko et al. 1912, p. 485.
- ISBN 0-7137-0920-0
- ^ "First Company Governor's Foot Guard".
- ^ "The Connecticut Society of the Sons of the American Revolution - Color Guard Putnam's Regiment". Archived from the original on 2006-02-21.
- ^ "The Company of Grenadiers in the Eleventh Regiment of Connecticut Militia Raised 1774". Archived from the original on 2007-03-12.
- ^ http://www.military-historians.org/company/plates/images/562.htm.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ Chartrand, René (25 March 2004). Santa Anna's Mexican Army 1821-48. Osprey Publishing. p. 42.
- ISBN 978-0713719390.
- ^ p.36, Gudmundsson, Hyland
- ^ p.5 Rottman, Gordon US Army Airborne 1940-90 Osprey Publishing, 18/09/2012
- ^ Alexei Valeriyevich Isayev, Cauldrons of 41': History of the Great Patriotic War which we didn't know, Yauza, Moscow, 2005 (in Russian)[1]
- ^ "Bad Weapon of the Week: XM-148, Vietnam Grenade Launcher". Veterans Breakfast Club. 18 April 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
- ^ The abbreviation "OR" stands for "Other Ranks / fr: sous-officiers et militaires du rang / ru:другие ранги, кроме офицероф"
- ISBN 81-7023-140-X.
- ISBN 1-84176-398-5
- ^ http://www.kungahuset.se: The Wedding - The Guards Battalion
- ^ Major R.M. Barnes, page 26 "A History of the Regiments & Uniforms of the British Army", First Sphere Books 1971,
- ^ US Army Field Manual 3-21.8 Archived 2012-09-16 at the Wayback Machine (Infantry Rifle Platoon and Squad, formerly FM 7-8)
Sources
- Gudmundsson, Bruce I., Hyland, William, Stormtroop Tactics: Innovation in the German Army, 1914-1918, Greenwood Publishing Group, Incorporated, 1995
- Velichko, Konstantin; Novitsky, Vasily; Schwartz, Alexey von; Apushkin, Vladimir; Schoultz, Gustav von (1912). "Гренадеры" [Grenadiers]. Sytin Military Encyclopedia (in Russian). Vol. VIII: Гимры – Двигатели судовые. Moscow: Типография Т-ва И. Д. Сытина. Retrieved 30 September 2023.