History Wars Weapons » Elite Military Units

Medieval Knights

Thor — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 17:25:34 +0000

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 to the constantly evolving challenges of the medieval battlefield. In the 12th century, knights of the Christian kingdoms in Palestine formed military monastic orders such as the Knights Templar. Obeying austere religious rules, these fighting monks became elite forces dedicated to the struggle against the invading Islam. Named after the Temple in Jerusalem where they had their headquarters, the Templars accumulated wealth that attracted the envy of kings. The order was condemned for alleged heresy and suppressed in 1312.

Medieval society expected any young male of social standing to seek glory in war. Training was taken very seriously. Boys served first as pages and then as squires in the household of a knight who ensured their education in horsemanship and the use of the sword and lance. After graduation to knighthood, training continued through tournaments that honed fighting skills, and through more or less constant warfare. If there was no fighting to be had close to home, knights would seek it out, traveling to the edges of the Christian world to fight the “infidels.” The classic form of knightly combat was the charge with couched lance on horseback. But knights were also effective on foot, wielding swords, maces, or battle-axes. The code of chivalry to which knights subscribed expressed a Christian ethic of warfare, but in practice the plundering, skirmishing, and sieges of medieval warfare left little place for idealism. In the relatively rare pitched battles, knights were sometimes routed by disciplined foot soldiers or bowmen, but they remained a dominant force into the 16th century. Fought in August 1346, the Battle of Crécy was one of the encounters that questioned knights’ dominance on the battlefield. Although French and English knights did engage with lance and sword, the flower of French chivalry was mown down by Welsh longbow men.

Landsknecht

Thor — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 16:58:58 +0000

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, but the lure of pay and plunder soon led many of them to seek alternative employers. Feared and admired, they were a ubiquitous presence on European battlefields in the first half of the 16th century. Together with the Spanish Tercio, these German fighters were the fiercest warriors in Europe.

The core of the Landsknecht battlefield formation was a phalanx of pikemen, supported by skirmishers armed with crossbows and harquebuses and, in the van, the regiment’s best soldiers armed with two-handed swords. On the battlefield, the Landsknecht were disciplined and courageous but, when their wages were not paid, they gained a reputation for mutiny and plundering. Individual mercenary captains were contracted to recruit, train, and organize regiments about 4,000 strong. The majority of recruits came from German-speaking areas, although some hailed from as far afield as Scotland. They were tempted by pay of four guilders a month, a good income for the time, but they had to supply their own equipment. Only the better off could afford full armor or an harquebus. The weapon of the majority was the pike, 15 or 20 ft (5 or 6 m) long, and costing around one guilder.

In 1525, at the Battle of Pavia, during the Italian Wars, the Landsknecht Black Band, employed by French King Francis I, fought to the last man, being defeated by the Spanish Tercio Infantry of Charles V (I of Spain), while the rest of the French forces fled the field. However, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, hired their services after this war, and, in 1527, during a conflict between the Emperor and the Pope, the Landsknecht and Spanish forces occupied and looted Rome, wreaking havoc as they went. The occupation lasted nine months, with the mercenaries refusing to leave until they had been paid.

Roman Legionary

Thor — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 18:49:27 +0000

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 system encouraged group loyalty at every level. Rigorous training and daily drill made the Roman legionary a disciplined, hardened fighting man. He was trained to march 20 miles (322 km) in eight hours and to fight with absolute ruthlessness. Drawn up for battle, legionaries waited until the enemy was almost upon them before throwing their pilum (spear), then attacking with the gladius (short sword). Punishments for lapses of discipline were brutal—a man who slept on guard was clubbed to death by his colleagues. On retirement, the legionary received a plot of land or a lump-sum payment in recognition of his service.

The roman army of the 1st century AD held together an empire stretching from Britain to North Africa, and from Spain to the Middle East. The majority of the soldiers of the Roman legions were armored infantry. Stationed in fortresses, forts, and camps around the empire, the legionaries acted as police, administrators, construction workers, and engineers, and carried out duties that ranged from patrols to full-scale wars. Roman legionaries could be classified as combat engineers, for construction work was as much a part of their duties as fighting. Hadrian’s Wall, which stretches across 73 miles (118 km) of northern England, was built by legionaries in the early 2nd century. Marking the northern limit of the Empire, the wall and its forts were manned by the legions for over 250 years.

When the Roman Empire was at its height, legionaries wore simple bronze helmets and segmented armor (lorica segmentata). Under the armor, they had a belted tunic and, on their feet, sturdy metal-studded sandals. The ability of the Roman state to equip all its soldiers with armor and helmets contrasted with the Empire’s "barbarian" enemies. As weapons, the legionary carried the gladius and the pilum and were protected by a rectangular infantry shield called scutum.

40 Commando RM

Thor — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 17:38:09 +0000

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. In May 1982, during the Falklands War, the 40 Commando RM secured the beachhead at San Carlos (Blue Beach). During the 1991 Gulf War it was deployed in northern Iraq to protect the Kurdish people from Saddam Hussein’s troops. During the Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, the troops of the 40 Commando RM, commanded by Lt Col Gordon Kenneth Messenger, seized and secured important oil infrastructure and captured a large chunk of enemy territory, defeating several Iraqi units deployed on the outskirts of Basra. This fierce and effective attack carried out by the men of the 40 Commando killed 200 Iraqi soldiers as more than 400 prisoners were taken. The unit was also deployed in Afghanistan where it conducted several operations against the Taliban.

The 40 Commando Royal Marines is composed of skillful professional soldiers, who has been highly and extensively trained to successfully their missions in a wide range of geographical environments. After basic training, their recruits take the Commando course, which include: 1) a 9-mile speed march, carrying full fighting gear, to be completed in one and a half hour; 2) the endurance course, which is a six-mile course across rough moorland and woodland terrain with water-filled tunnel, pipes, wading pools, and underwater culvert; 3) the Tarzan assault course (zip-line, climbing rope, etc.); 4) the thirty miler, which is a 30-mile (48-km) march across upland Dartmoor, carrying full fighting equipment. Completing the Commando course successfully entitles the recruit to wear the green beret. However, the officer will keep training in military exercises in his career. Some marines are trained in military parachuting to allow flexibility of insertion methods for all force elements.

40 Commando RM in Action in Afghanistan (Operation Herrick 12)

Special Boat Service (SBS)

Thor — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 17:35:35 +0000

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 section of this special forces was formed, it was renamed the Special Boat Squadron (SBS). So, during World War II, there were Nº1 SBS and Nº2 SBS, which worked with the 1st Submarine Flotilla based at Alexandria, carrying out beach reconnaissance of Rhodes, evacuating troops left behind on Crete and a number of small-scale raids and other operations in the Mediterranean area. In March 1943, the Special Boat Squadron conducted beach reconnaissance operations for the Salerno landings and a raid on Crete, before moving to Ceylon to work with the Special Operations Executives, Force 136 and later with Special Operations Australia.

In 1961, during the Indonesian Confrontation, SBS teams carried out reconnaissance missions. In 1982, they were deployed to South Georgia after the Argentina had invaded the Falkland Islands; also during this conflict, in May 1982, a 25-men team conducted a night raid on Fanning Head, successfully clearing this high rocky ridge of Argentinian mortar and machine gun nests which threatened the British San Carlos Bay landing operations. In 1987, the Special Boat Squadron was renamed Special Boat Service, becoming part of the United Kingdom Special Forces group alongside the Special Air Service and 14 Intelligence Company. In 1991, during Gulf War, the SBS carried out several operations in Kuwait and Iraq. This élite navy unit also saw combat action in Operation Enduring Freem from December 2001, and in Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003.

The British Navy Special Boat Service is composed of five squadrons: 1) C-Squadron, which conducts swimmer and canoe operations; 2) M-Squadron, counter-terrorism operations and ship-boarding; 3) S-Squadron, water borne craft and mini-sub operations; 4) X-Squadron, which is a new squadron formed from volunteers from the SAS and the SBS; and 5) SBS Reserve, which consists of reservists to serve with the regular SBS squadrons, rather than forming independent teams. Only candidates with military experience are eligible to enlist in the SBS Reserve.

Special Boat Service (Video)

French Foreign Legion

Thor — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 16:27:35 +0000

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 dissatisfied and riotous elements by drafting them into a French Army special unit to fight for France outside France. These new recruits included French troublemakers who called themselves revolutionaries, professional soldiers from disbanded foreign military units, run-away criminals, and any one who wanted to change his past life. The French Foreign Legion had its baptism of fire in what would become their home base: Algeria, during the French conquest of this African territory, which took place from 1830 to 1847. It also participated in the Spanish Carlist War (1833-1839), a civil war in Spain, where the 4,000-men regiment sent there to fight for Isabella claim to the Spanish throne was depleted, surviving only 450 men. Next, the Legion saw action in the Crimean War, participating in the Battle of Alma (1854) and the Siege of Sevastopol (1854-1855). During the French intervention in Mexico (1863-1867), the unit lost a whole regiment fighting against overwhelming number of Mexican revolutionaries.

The first time in which the French Foreign Legion fought for France in France was in the Franco-Prussian War (1870–1871) against the Prussian Army. They were sent to lift the Siege of Paris by breaking through the German lines. Although they succeeded in re-taking the city of Orleans, they failed to break the siege and France lost the war since the French Imperial Army had already surrendered. The next theater of operation in which the Foreign Legion took part was Indochina during the Sino-French War (1883-1888), with their men being deployed in every major campaign. With the outbreak of World War I, the Foreign Legion came back to the continent to fight for France in France once more time, participating in the Battle of Aisne, the Battle of the Somme, and the Battle of Verdun. But the participation of the Foreign Legion in World War II was not important or decisive; after the German invasion of France in 1940, loyalties were divided among their men as a part of the Foreign Legion joined the Free French movement while another part served with the Vichy government army. At the battle in the Syria-Lebanon campaign of June 1941, legionnaire fought against legionnaire, when the 13th Demi-Brigade clashed with the 6th Régiment Etranger d’Infanterie at Damas in Syria.

After World War II, with many former Waffen-SS soldiers among their troops, the Foreign Legion was shipped to Asia to fight in the French-Indochina War (1946-1954) against the Viet Minh, led by Ho Chi Minh. In this armed conflict, the Legion kept its tradition of fighting tenaciously, with whole units being depleted or wiped out, especially during the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954. From 1991 to 2011, aside from their sporadic incursions in African countries, the French Foreign Legion saw action in the Gulf War (1991), Sarajevo (1993), Kosovo (1999), and Afghanistan in Operation Enduring Freedom (2001-2011).

French Foreign Legion Documentary I (Video)

French Foreign Legion Training (Video)

KSK Kommando Spezialkräfte

Thor — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 04:29:54 +0000

The KSK Kommando Spezialkräfte is a German special forces unit of the Wundeswehr (Geman Army), created in 1996 by the Federal Government. The KSK is made up of four commando companies consisting of one hundred men each. A commando company of this German elite unit is in turn composed of five specialized platoons plus a command platoon: 1st Platoon, specialized in land insertions; 2nd Platoon, airborne operations; 3rd Platoon, amphibious operations; 4th Platoons, operating in mountains and polar regions; 5th Platoon, sniper/counter-sniper operation and reconnaissance. Each platoon is divided into four five-men squads, composed of skilled members that have been hand-picked from the German Army into the platoon that best suits their abilities.

The KSK Kommando Spezialkräfte has taken part in secret military operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Russia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Specific operational details of the KSK, such as success and casualty rates, are deemed top secret and held back even from the highest-ranking members of the Bundestag (German Parliament). It is believed that the Kommando Spezialkräfte fought in the Battle of Tora Bora, Afghanistan, in December 2001. The German unit also took part in Operation Anaconda in March 2002, fighting alongside the Australian SAS Regiment, to give support to conventional army units in the Shahi-Kot Valley and Arma Mountains, Afghanistan.

KSK Kommando Spezialkräfte Training (Video)

75th Ranger Regiment

Thor — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 16:35:45 +0000

The 75th Ranger Regiment is a highly-trained, elite US Army unit which consists of 3 rapidly-deployable light infantry special operations battalions and 1 Special Troops Battalion. Although Ranger battalions had been created during World War II, fighting fiercely in North Africa, Normandy, Korea, and Vietnam, the 75th Ranger Regiment was officially formed in 1986 with the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Ranger Battalions, which had been reorganized as new units from 1974 and 1984; being highly-trained and airborne capable, these battalions could quickly be deployed anywhere the military situation demanded.

Since its creation, the 75th Ranger Regiment has taken part in almost every military conflict that arose in the world. Their men participated in Operation Urgent Fury in Grenada (1983); Operation Just Cause, the US military operation that ousted Manuel Noriega of Panama (1989); Operation Desert Storm (1991), which liberated Kwait from Iraqi troops; Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan (2001); Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003); etc. As part of the global war on terrorism, on October 19, 2001, the 3rd Battalion spearheaded ground forces by conducting an airborne assault to seize "Objective Rhino" (Taliban targets in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom). On March 28, 2003, the 3rd Battalion employed the first airborne assault in Iraq to seize "Objective Serpent" in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

75th Ranger Regiment Training (Video)

British Royal Marines

Thor — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 16:36:41 +0000

The Royal Marines are the amphibious infantry of the British Royal Navy. The complete name of this branch of the Royal Navy is the Corps of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines. Created in 1664, it is the second oldest marines corps in naval history, the Spanish Navy Marines being the first. It is an 8,000-men armed force, composed of 8 units: 40 Commando RM, 42 Commando RM, 45 Commando RM, 1st Assault Group RM, Special Boat Service (SBS), 30 Commando Information Exploitation Group, Commando Logistic Regiment, Fleet Protection Group RM. The Royal Marines are an amphibious, highly trained infantry unit, optimized for expeditionary warfare to be deployed any where in the world, specializing in amphibious landings, arctic warfare, and mountain warfare.

Training

Aside from the much time spent on the parade ground and on the rifle ranges, the Royal Marines physical training gives prominence to all-round physical strength, endurance and flexibility in order to develop the muscles necessary to carry the heavy equipment a marine will use in an operational unit. Key milestones include a gym passout at week 9, a battle swimming test, and learning to do a "regain", which is a climb back onto a rope suspended over a water tank. Most of these tests are completed wearing fighting order of 32 lb (14.5 kg) of Personal Load Carrying Equipment. During this basic stage of training, the future Royal Marines are also taught fieldcraft skills, which are the basic military skills required to operate stealthily and the methods used to do so.

When the basic training is completed, they must take the Commando course, which is an intense physical and mental training, at the end of which there is a series of tests that include: 1) a nine mile (14.5 km) speed march with full fighting equipment and which has be completed in 90 minutes; 2) the endurance course, which is a six mile (9.65 km) course across rough and woodland terrain at Woodbury Common near Lympstone, including tunnels, pipes, wading pools, and an underwater culvert and ending with a four mile (6 km) run back to CTCRM, followed by a marksmanship test, where the recruit must hit 6 out of 10 shots at a 25m target simulating 200 m; 3) the tarzan assault Course, which is an assault course combined with an aerial confidence test, beginning with the Commando Slide and ending with a rope climb up a thirty foot near-vertical wall; 4) the 30 miler, which is a 30-mile (48-km) march across upland Dartmoor, wearing full fighting equipment, and additional safety equipment carried by the recruit in a daysack, to be completed in eight hours.

Royal Marines Documentary (Video)

Australian SAS

Thor — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 16:14:17 +0000

The Australian SAS (Special Air Service) is an elite regiment of the Royal Australian Army. Based on the British SAS, it was created first as company in 1957: the 1st Special Air Service Company. On August 20, 1964, it became the Australian Special Air Service Regiment (SASR). It is composed of three squadrons: 1, 2, and 3 squadron, which permanently rotate in roles; while one squadron plays the counter terrorism role, the other two squadrons carry out surveillance, reconnaissance, and offensive and assault operations.

Considered by experts as the best special forces unit in the world, the Australian SAS engaged in combat for the first time in 1965, in north Borneo, during the Indonesian Confrontation (1962-1966), an undeclared war which led to the independence of Malaysia from Indonesia. From April 1966, the Australian SAS began taking part in the Vietnam War, as part of the 1st Australian Task Force, until 1971. During this conflict, the Australians killed more than 500 enemy soldiers, while losing only two. Aside from their participation in peacekeeping missions and VIP protection, the Australian SAS also fought in the 1991 Gulf War, in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan from 2002, and in Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003.

Weapons used by the Australian SAS Regiment

The types of weapons they use are similar to the weaponry used by their British counter-part. The following are some of the weapons used by the Australian SAS: the 9mm Heckler & Koch MP5 sub-machine gun; the Colt Canada C7 rifle, which is a service rifle variation of the M16 rifle; the M4 Carbine, which is also a variation of the M16 assault rifle; the Italian Beretta 1201FP shotgun; Heckler & Koch PSG1 sniper rifle or the US M40 sniper rifle; the US Barrett M82A1 anti-tank rifle. But the best weapon that they have is their psychological traits: calmness, coolness, and self-control; perhaps this is natural for the Australians, since they have a culture that promotes this type of personality.

Australian SAS Regiment in Action in Afghanistan (video)