The armored knights were the elite fighting men of medieval Europe. With their horses, armor, lances, and swords, they were both costly warriors and a figure with high cultural and social prestige. Although warfare rarely lived up to the ideal of mounted nobles clashing in chivalrous combat, knights were highly skilled soldiers who adapted well [...]

The garishly dressed, swaggering mercenary bands known as the Landsknecht were founded in 1486 by the German Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I, who wanted his own infantry force to match the Swiss pikemen who had been victorious at the battles of Murten and Nancy in 1476–77. Officially, the Landsknecht were bound to serve the emperor, [...]

The Roman legionary was a professional soldier engaged for 20 years active service plus five years lighter duties as a veteran. Legionaries were recruited from Roman citizens, mostly volunteers from the poorer classes. They were organized into centuries of 100 men, led by a centurion. Six centuries made a cohort and ten cohorts a legion. [...]

The 40 Commando RM is a light infantry unit of the British Royal Marines that operate in a wide range of theaters, such as desert, tropical jungle, and mountains. This battalion-sized, highly-trained unit was created during World War II, participating in Allied invasion of Sicily in July 1943 and the Battle of Anzio in 1944. [...]

The Special Boat Service, SBS, is a British Royal Navy élite unit created in 1940 by Commando officer Roger Courtney as the Folboat Troop, so named after the type of folding canoe employed in raiding operations; in January 1941, the Folboat Troop was renamed No1 Special Boat Section, and in December 1943, when the second [...]

The French Foreign Legion is a French Army elite unit composed of eleven regiments, totaling 8,000 men, the majority of whom are foreign nationals. Created in 1831 by Louis Philippe I, the Foreign Legion was originally based in Algeria, North Africa. Perhaps the purpose behind the formation of this unit was to rid France of [...]