Bearskin. A bearskin is a tall fur cap, usually worn as part of a ceremonial military uniform. Traditionally, the bearskin was the headgear of grenadiers, and it is still worn by grenadier and guards regiments in various armies. Origins[edit] The cloth caps worn by the original grenadiers in European armies during the 17th century were frequently trimmed with fur. The practice fell into disuse until the second half of the eighteenth century when grenadiers in the British, Spanish and French armies began wearing high fur hats with cloth tops and, sometimes, ornamental front plates.
The purpose appears to have been to add to the apparent height and impressive appearance of these troops both on the parade ground and the battlefield.[1] During the nineteenth century, the expense of bearskin caps and difficulty of maintaining them in good condition on active service led to this form of headdress becoming generally limited to guardsmen, bands or other units having a ceremonial role. Belgian Army[edit] Guards Division. The Guards Division is an administrative unit of the British Army responsible for the administration of the regiments of Foot Guards and the London Regiment.
Introduction[edit] No 2 Company, 2nd Bn Grenadier Guards (renamed Nijmegen Company)No 7 Company, 2nd Bn Coldstream GuardsF Company, 2nd Bn Scots Guards These three units were based permanently at Chelsea Barracks in London on public duties until Chelsea Barracks was sold off by the army. They represent the suspended battalions at significant events, such as Trooping the Colour, and receive the battalion's new colours whenever they are presented. As such, each company is an independent unit of their regiment, separate from the operational battalions.
The five regular battalions have the following roles: Grenadier Guards—Light InfantryColdstream Guards—Public DutiesScots Guards—Armoured InfantryIrish Guards—Light InfantryWelsh Guards—Public Duties Note: The two light role battalions and two public duties battalions periodically rotate. Public duties.
Public duties are performed by military personnel, and usually have a ceremonial or historic significance rather than an overtly operational role. Germany[edit] The Wachregiment Berlin was founded in early 1921. In addition to genuine security duties, the unit was used for ceremonial public duties in the capital. The regiment disbanded in June 1921 and shortly after was revived as Kommando der Wachtruppe (lit.
Headquarters Guard Troop). The Wachtruppe comprised seven companies, each drawn from one of the seven active army divisions. The Kommando was based at Moabit Barracks, and every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, performed a modest changing of the guard ceremony for the public. In 1934, the unit was renamed Wachtruppe Berlin and in 1936, a headquarters and administration company were added. In 1939, the unit was reorganized as the Infantry Regiment Großdeutschland. Like the British Brigade of Guards at that time, the Großdeutschland maintained a strict height requirement.[1]
Foot Guards. In some militaries, foot guards are senior infantry regiments. Australia[edit] The Federation Guard is a tri-service Australian ceremonial unit that performs similar functions to the five British and two Canadian regiments of foot guards. British Army[edit] Overview[edit] The Foot Guards are the Regular Infantry regiments of the Household Division of the British Army. There have been six active regiments of foot guards and one reserve regiment, five of which still exist. The five regiments of Foot Guards, lined up as they parade Foot Guards of the Irish Guards, wearing bearskins, march to the Cenotaph on 12 June 2005 for a service of remembrance for British troops.
[edit] The first three regiments each have a separate incremental company, which keep custody of the colours and traditions of the currently dormant 2nd Battalions. Changing the Guard, at Buckingham Palace, London The Guards Battalion stationed at Windsor generally provides the Windsor Castle Guard. [edit] Order of precedence[edit] No. II Squadron RAF Regiment. No. 2 Squadron RAF Regiment is based at RAF Honington in Suffolk. It is a parachute-trained Field Squadron in the RAF Regiment which is capable of inserting by parachute and securing forward airfields, although this capability has never been put to use in combat operations.
[citation needed] Early history[edit] The Company's second battle honour was won during the Palestine troubles in 1936-1939, assisting the Palestine Police Force in search operations, convoy escorts, recovering downed aircrew, strike breaking and road patrols. When employed for convoy escort and road patrol, members of the Company found they were frequently under ambush or sniper fire. The high road speed of the Rolls-Royce Armoured car was found to be invaluable in a theatre where communication lines were frequently the target of sabotage. World War II[edit] Throughout World War II the Company's expertise in desert operations, gained in the previous two decades, was put to good use. Iraq[edit] North Africa[edit] RAF Regiment. The Royal Air Force Regiment (RAF Regt) is part of the Royal Air Force and functions as a specialist airfield defence corps founded by Royal Warrant in 1942.
The RAF Regiment is trained in CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear) defence and equipped with advanced vehicles and detection measures. RAF Regiment instructors are responsible for training all Royal Air Force personnel in basic Force Protection, such as first aid, weapon handling, and CBRN skills. The regiment and its members are known within the RAF as 'The Regiment', 'Rock Apes' or 'Rocks'. After a 32 week trainee gunner course, its members are trained and equipped to prevent a successful enemy attack in the first instance; minimise the damage caused by a successful attack; and ensure that air operations can continue without delay in the aftermath of an attack. RAF Regiment squadrons use aggressive defence tactics whereby they actively seek out infiltrators in a large area surrounding airfields. History[edit] Special Boat Service. In times of armed conflict and war the Special Boat Service (SBS) and 22 Special Air Service Regiment (22 SAS) are required to operate in small parties in enemy controlled territory.
Operations of this nature require men of courage and high morale who are self-disciplined, intelligent, reliable, determined and physically fit, and who possess mental, moral and physical stamina. Principle roles of the SBS are Surveillance Reconnaissance (SR), including information reporting and target acquisition; Offensive Action (OA), including direction of air strikes, artillery and naval gunfire, designation for precision guided munitions, use of integral weapons and demolitions; and Support and Influence (SI), including overseas training tasks. The SBS also provide immediate response Military Counter Terrorism (CT) and Maritime Counter Terrorism (MCT) teams. The SBS can trace their origins to the Second World War, when they were formed as the Special Boat Section in 1940.
History[edit] Postwar[edit] 3 Commando Brigade. 3 Commando Brigade is a commando formation of the British Armed Forces and the main manoeuvre formation of the Royal Marines. Its personnel are predominantly Royal Marines, supported by units of Royal Engineers, Royal Artillery,and the Fleet Air Arm, together with other Commando Qualified Sailors, Soldiers and Airmen. History[edit] The 3rd Special Service Brigade was formed in 1943 and sailed for the Far East and saw action against the Japanese in the Burma Campaign. On 6 December 1944 the brigade was re named 3rd Commando Brigade, removing the hated title Special Service and its association with the German SS.[1] In January 1945 they were involved in the battles to secure the Myebon peninsula and Kangaw, holding a key position during the battle of Hill 170 against repeated Japanese attacks.
The brigade was then withdrawn to India to prepare for the amphibious assault on Malaya, but the dropping of the atom bombs on Japan ended the war before the planned invasion. Post World War II[edit] British Commandos. Reaching a wartime strength of over 30 individual units and four assault brigades, the Commandos served in all theatres of war from the Arctic Circle to Europe and from the Mediterranean and Middle East to South-East Asia. Their operations ranged from small groups of men landing from the sea or by parachute to a brigade of assault troops spearheading the Allied invasions of Europe and Asia.
Formation[edit] The British Commandos were a formation of the British Armed Forces organized for special service in June 1940. After the events leading to the Dunkirk evacuation, Winston Churchill, Britain's prime minister, called for a force to be assembled and equipped to inflict casualties on the Germans and bolster British morale. Churchill told the joint chiefs of staff to propose measures for an offensive against German-occupied Europe, and stated: "they must be prepared with specially trained troops of the hunter class who can develop a reign of terror down the enemy coast. Organisation[edit] Future of the British Army (Army 2020)
Army 2020, formerly known as Future Army Structure (Next Steps) or FAS (Next Steps), is the name given to an ongoing review of the structure of the British Army, and in particular its fighting brigades. The British Government gave an indication of its proposals for the future structure of the British Army in early 2008 in a press report stating that it was considering restructuring the Army into a force of three deployable divisional headquarters and eight 'homogenous or identical' brigades, each with a spread of heavy, medium and light capabilities.
This report indicated that the existing 16 Air Assault Brigade would be retained as a high-readiness rapid reaction force.[1] In 2010, the Strategic Defence and Security Review was published. On 7 June 2012, the Secretary of State for Defence set out some key considerations for the future of the British Army.[5] Also see Structure of the British Army#Army 2020 Structure of the British Army after the "Army 2020" reform (click to enlarge) 16 Air Assault Brigade. 16 Air Assault Brigade (16 Air Asslt Bde) is a formation of the British Army based in Colchester in the county of Essex. It is the Army's rapid response airborne formation and is the only Operational Brigade in the British Army capable of delivering Air Manoeuvre, Air Assault and Airborne operations. It was formed as part of the defence reforms implemented by the Strategic Defence Review on 1 September 1999 by the merging of 24 Airmobile Brigade and elements of 5th Airborne Brigade.
This grouping created a highly mobile brigade of parachute units and airmobile units which employ helicopters.[1] It is the only airborne brigade within the British Army, and in line with current Dress Regulations members of parachute regiment wear the maroon beret. Background[edit] The brigade is based in Colchester, Essex and the Brigade Headquarters has personnel from both the British Army and the Royal Air Force assigned, enabling it to carry out Air and Land operations.[2] Pathfinder Group[edit] Iraq[edit] United Kingdom Special Forces. Formation[edit] Roles and tasks[edit] UKSF' assets undertake a number of roles, with a degree of interaction and interoperability: Units[edit] See also[edit] External links[edit] References[edit]
1st Airborne Division (United Kingdom) The division was sent to North Africa at the end of 1942, and during the Allied invasion of Sicily undertook two brigade sized landings. The first, Operation Ladbroke, carried out by a glider brigade, and the second, Operation Fustian, by a parachute brigade, were far from successful. The division then took part in a mostly diversionary amphibious landing, Operation Slapstick, part of the Allied invasion of Italy.
In December 1943, the division returned to England, and prepared for the invasion of North-West Europe. It was not involved in the Normandy landings, being held in reserve. In September 1944 it took part in Operation Market Garden. The 1st Airborne Division never fully recovered from their losses at Arnhem. On 21 June 1940 the Central Landing Establishment was formed at Ringway airfield near Manchester. British paratroopers training in England, June 1941 The division took part in two brigade sized operations in Sicily, and an amphibious assault at Taranto in Italy. Coldstream Guards. The Coldstream Guards (COLDM GDS), is a part of the Guards Division,[1] Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. It is the oldest regiment in the Regular Army in continuous active service, originating in Coldstream, Scotland in 1650 when General George Monck founded the regiment.
It is one of two regiments of the Household Division that can trace its lineage to the New Model Army, the other being the Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons). Traditions and role[edit] The grouping of buttons on the tunic is a common way to distinguish between the regiments of Foot Guards. Coldstream buttons are arranged in pairs, and a Star of the Garter is marked on their brassware. The regiment is ranked second in the order of precedence, behind The Grenadier Guards. The regiment's nickname is 'Lilywhites'. Section Second in Command giving Quick Battle Orders during exercise. Operationally, The Coldstream Guards currently perform the role of light infantry. History[edit] Hougomont plaque. 4th Battalion, Parachute Regiment.
Under the Army 2020 plan, it will form as a reserve air assault infantry battalion of 16th Air Assault Brigade.[1] History[edit] The present day Battalion is the successor to several T.A. Parachute Battalions which were all raised in 1947, although it can trace its history back to units raised during the Second World War. The original 4th Parachute Battalion was formed in 1942 and saw service in; In 1943 Operation Avalanche (Invasion of Italy) was launched and the Battalion was in action at Taranto and Cassino. In August 1944, the battalion was part of Operation Rugby in Southern France. In October 1944 the Battalion seized by airborne assault (Operation Manna) the airfield at Megara near Athens in Greece.
The original 10th Parachute Battalion was a war-formed unit which as part of the British 1st Airborne Division fought at the Battle of Arnhem (Operation Market Garden). In 1945 as part of the 6th Airborne Division both battalions took part in Operation Varsity (the Rhine Crossing). Territorial Army. Parachute Regiment. P company. Military Sealift Command. United States Navy. Royal Fleet Auxiliary. United Kingdom Special Forces. Britannia Royal Naval College. Royal Air Force College Cranwell. Commando Training Centre Royal Marines. Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. 82nd Airborne Division. Brigade combat team. Marine expeditionary unit. 75th Ranger Regiment (United States) 3 Commando Brigade. 101st Airborne Division. 16 Air Assault Brigade. French Foreign Legion. Army Reserve - Territorial Force | Defence Careers.
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