What was the soldier called in a cavalry division who only carried light weapons
"remained strong in the cavalry arm of some other nations. As an example, the Imperial German army maintained a marked difference between the sizes and weights of the men and horses allocated to the hussar regiments that made up its light cavalry and those of the other two categories. The early weeks of World War I saw light cavalry attempting to continue its long established function of being the ""eyes and ears"" of the respective main armies. However, despite some early success, the advent of trench warfare and aircraft observation quickly rendered this role obsolete, except to an extent in"
"Light cavalry Light cavalry comprises lightly armed and lightly armoured troops mounted on horses, as opposed to heavy cavalry, where the riders (and sometimes the horses) are heavily armored. The missions of the light cavalry were primarily reconnaissance, screening, skirmishing, raiding, and most importantly, communications, and were usually armed with spears, swords, bows and later carbines. Light cavalry was used infrequently by the Greeks and Romans (though Roman auxiliaries were often mounted), but were popular among the armies of Central Asia and Southwest Asia. The Arabs, Hungarians, Huns, Mongols, Turks, Parthians, and Persians were all adept light cavalrymen and horse"
"Cavalry Cavalry (from the French ""cavalerie"", cf. ""cheval"" 'horse') or horsemen are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the most mobile of the combat arms. An individual soldier in the cavalry is known by a number of designations such as cavalryman, horseman, dragoon, or trooper. The designation of cavalry was not usually given to any military forces that used other animals, such as camels, mules or elephants. Infantry who moved on horseback, but dismounted to fight on foot, were known in the 17th and early 18th centuries as dragoons, a class of mounted infantry which"
"infantry has become indistinguishable from skirmishers, and the term has effectively lost military meaning. A battle with only light, relatively indecisive combat is often called a skirmish. In ancient warfare, skirmishers typically carried bows, javelins, slings, and sometimes light shields. Acting as light infantry with their light arms and minimal armour, they could run ahead of the main battle line, release a volley of arrows, sling stones, or javelins, and retreat behind their main battle line before the clash of the opposing main forces. The aims of skirmishing were to disrupt enemy formations by causing casualties before the main battle,"
"realised the kind of weapons and the sort of enemy that they were up against, and a wave of fear spread through their ranks."" The light infantry (""velites"") wore no armour over their tunics. They wore a light helmet, probably of leather, covered by an animal-skin such as a wolf-skin, according to Polybius, and a small round shield (""parma""). They carried light javelins and a sword. For set-piece battles, in contrast the single massed line of the Early Roman army phalanx, the heavy infantry were usually drawn up in three lines (""triplex acies""). However, the vast majority of the heavy"
"Chevau-léger The Chevau-légers (from French ""cheval""—horse—and ""léger""—light) was a generic French name for several units of light and medium cavalry. Their history began in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, when the heavy cavalry forces of the French ""Compagnies d'Ordonnance"" were undergoing a massive structural reorganization. Initially, the companies combined the ""gendarmes"" (fully armoured men-at-arms) along with lighter ""coutiliers"" and ""archers"" in the same mounted formation, with the better armoured men forming the foremost ranks. However, as time passed the lighter horsemen were increasingly separated into independent formations of ""medium"" cavalry, bearing lighter armour and much shorter lances than"
"armament was well prepared and of high quality except for the noble banners. This stands for proprietary arms, not the ones provided by the king. The traditional hussars were introduced by Matthias; henceforth, the light cavalry is called ""huszár"", a name derived from the word ""húsz"" (""twenty"" in English), which refers to the drafting scheme where for every twenty serfs a noble owned, he had to equip a mounted soldier. After the Diet of Temesvár (Timişoara) of 1397, the light cavalry was institutionalized as an army division. They were the second ranked in order within an army and generally considered"
"armored cavalry. The concept of a fast-moving, armored reconnaissance force has remained in modern armies, but these units are now smaller and make up a combined arms force used in modern Brigades and Divisions, and are no longer granted divisional status. Light Divisions were German horse cavalry divisions organized early in World War II which included motorized units. The development of the tank during World War I prompted some nations to experiment with forming them into division-size units. Many did this the same way as they did cavalry divisions, by merely replacing cavalry with AFVs (including tanks) and motorizing the"
"helicopter-borne force with the designation of Air Cavalry, while mechanized cavalry received the designation of Armored Cavalry. Today, cavalry designations and traditions continue with regiments of both armor and aviation units that perform the cavalry mission. The 1st Cavalry Division is the only active division in the United States Army with a cavalry designation. The division maintains a detachment of horse-mounted cavalry for ceremonial purposes. Washington saw the intimidating effect of the small force of British 17th Light Dragoons, which panicked his militia infantry at White Plains. Appreciating the ability of the 5th Regiment of Connecticut Light Horse Militia, under"
"light infantrymen, often armed with javelins, were known as in classical times as ""peltastoi"". The standard light infantry of the empire, in each chiliarchia they made up the last three lines. These soldiers, highly trained in the art of bow were formidable archers. Most of the Imperial archers came from Asia Minor, especially the region around Trebizond on the Black sea, where they were raised, trained and equipped. Their arms included: Although military manuals prescribed the use of light armour for archers, cost and mobility considerations would have prohibited wide-scale implementation of this. The Varangian Guard was a foreign mercenary"
"the Middle East in 1917, and in Eastern Europe where light cavalry mounted actions on a diminishing scale continued to occur until the revolution of 1917 took Russia out of the war. Light cavalry Light cavalry comprises lightly armed and lightly armoured troops mounted on horses, as opposed to heavy cavalry, where the riders (and sometimes the horses) are heavily armored. The missions of the light cavalry were primarily reconnaissance, screening, skirmishing, raiding, and most importantly, communications, and were usually armed with spears, swords, bows and later carbines. Light cavalry was used infrequently by the Greeks and Romans (though Roman"
"this can reach 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. When combat is expected, infantry typically switch to ""packing light"", meaning reducing their equipment to weapons, ammo, and bare essentials, and leaving the rest with their transport, at camp or rally point, in temporary hidden caches, or even (in emergencies) discarding whatever may slow them down. Additional specialised equipment may be required, depending"
"Roman cavalry was originally unarmoured, wearing only a tunic and armed with a light spear and ox-hide shield which were of low quality and quickly deteriorated in action. As hoplite warfare was the standard early in this era, cavalry might have not played a substantial role in battle except for chasing after routed enemies. As their name implies, the ""equites"" were liable to cavalry service in the Polybian legion. ""Equites"" originally provided a legion's entire cavalry contingent, although from an early stage, when ""equites"" numbers had become insufficient, large numbers of young men from the First Class of commoners were"
"Leves Leves (Singular: ""Levis"") were javelin-armed skirmishers in the army of the early Roman Republic. They were typically some of the youngest and poorest men in the legion, and could not afford much equipment. They were usually outfitted with just a number of light javelins and no other equipment. There were 300 leves in a legion, and unlike other infantry types they did not form their own units, but were assigned to units of ""hastati"" — heavier sword-armed troops. Their primary purpose on the battlefield was to harass the enemy with javelin fire and support the heavy infantry who fought"
"being light lancer cavalry. While the Austrian and many other German states retained ""Chevau-légers"" that were actually sword armed medium cavalry. Chevau-léger The Chevau-légers (from French ""cheval""—horse—and ""léger""—light) was a generic French name for several units of light and medium cavalry. Their history began in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, when the heavy cavalry forces of the French ""Compagnies d'Ordonnance"" were undergoing a massive structural reorganization. Initially, the companies combined the ""gendarmes"" (fully armoured men-at-arms) along with lighter ""coutiliers"" and ""archers"" in the same mounted formation, with the better armoured men forming the foremost ranks. However, as time"
"lower nobles, whereas the commoner knights were not noble but were wealthy enough to afford a horse. Uniquely in Europe, these horsemen comprised a militia cavalry force with no feudal links, being under the sole control of the king or the count of Castile because of ""fueros"" (charters) with the crown. Both noble and common knights wore padded armour and carried javelins, spears and round-tasselled shields (influenced by Moorish shields), as well as a sword. The ""peones"" were peasants who went to battle in service of their feudal lord. Poorly equipped, with bows and arrows, spears and short swords, they"
"to 1941, only cavalry divisions were specifically designated; infantry divisions were simply designated by ""Division"". Following the advent of the armored division, infantry divisions became officially designated by ""Infantry Division"" (with the 25th Infantry Division being the first constituted by the adjutant general as such). All of the 1917–1941 (non-cavalry) divisions, with the exceptions of the 10th through 20th and 101st Divisions, would be redesignated as Infantry Divisions at some point in the 1941–present era. Other than the aforementioned Armored, Cavalry, and Infantry, the only official Army division designations are Air Assault (one test division), Airborne, Light (three test divisions"
"Akinji Akinji or akindji (, ; literally, ""Warriors "", plural: ""akıncılar"") were irregular light cavalry, scout divisions (deli) and advance troops of the Ottoman Empire's military. When the pre-existing Turkish ghazis were incorporated into the Ottoman Empire's military they became known as ""akıncı."" They were one of the first divisions to face the opposing military and were known for their prowess in battle. Unpaid they lived and operated as raiders on the frontiers of the Ottoman Empire, subsisting totally on plunder. There is a distinction made between ""akıncı"" and ""deli"" cavalry. In battle their main role was to act as"
"the Charge of the Light Brigade in the Crimean War and Winston Churchill of the 4th Hussars joining the 21st Lancers for their charge during the Battle of Omdurman. Since 1880 British cavalrymen had been armed with only carbines and swords, although some carried a lance; it was not until 1903 that the cavalry were issued rifles, the same ones used by the rest of the army, although a version of the standard infantry rifle, the shorter-barreled LEC or ""Lee-Enfield Cavalry Carbine Mark I"" had been introduced in 1896. The normal peacetime British Army cavalry formation was the brigade, but"
"that performs only public duties, and does not employ armoured vehicles. When used without national qualification, however, the term generally refers to the Household Cavalry of the British Army. Household Cavalry The Household Cavalry (HCav) is made up of the two most senior regiments of the British Army, the Life Guards and the Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons). These regiments are divided between the Armoured Regiment stationed at Combermere Barracks in Windsor and the ceremonial mounted unit, the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, garrisoned at Hyde Park Barracks (Knightsbridge Barracks) in London. The Household Cavalry is part"
"their tactical use. From the Greek tactical manuals we learn that Tarantines is the collective name of the lightly armored cavalry, which was equipped with javelins and lance, that first skirmishes with the enemy and then charges. Cavalry that avoided using the charge, preferring to remain at a distance and skirmish, was called Tarantines proper. From these texts, we can safely deduce that, during Hellenistic times, the term ""Tarantines"" no longer bore a geographical significance and was used purely as a tactical term. War chariots were rarely used during the Hellenistic era. Their value against any opponent or commander of"
"He was armoured like his superior, but fought in the second or third line and was responsible for guarding his back and flanks in a battle. Poczet Poczet (, ""fellowship"" or ""retinue""; plural ""poczty"") was the smallest organized unit of soldiers in Kingdom of Poland and Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from the 15th until the 18th century. The name of a medium or heavy-cavalry soldiers in poczet was pocztowy. In the cavalry, each poczet was commanded by a ""towarzysz husarski"" or ""towarzysz pancerny"". Several Poczets were combined to form larger units such as the ""Chorągiew"" (Company, or more correctly, the equivalent of"
"of Lieutenant Colonel Percy Abbott. Upon establishment, the regiment had an authorised strength of 25 officers and 497 other ranks, who were organised into a regimental headquarters and three squadrons, each of which consisted of six troops. Armed usually with standard infantry weapons instead of swords or lances, and mounted on Australian Waler horses, the Australian light horse regiments performed several roles and were similar to both cavalry and mounted infantry. They mainly fought dismounted, using their horses to obtain mobility that foot soldiers did not possess, but they could also conduct certain cavalry roles, such as scouting and screening,"
"Velites Velites (singular: ) were a class of infantry in the Roman army of the mid-Republic from 211 to 107 BC. ""Velites"" were light infantry and skirmishers who were armed with a number of darts (), each with a 30-inch wooden shaft the diameter of a finger, with a 10-inch (25 cm) narrow metal point, to fling at the enemy. They also carried short thrusting swords, or ""gladii"", for use in melee. They rarely wore armour as they were the youngest and poorest soldiers in the legion and could not afford much equipment. They did carry small wooden shields called"
"Dragoon Dragoons originally were a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 18th century onward, dragoons were increasingly employed as conventional light or medium cavalry, or in the British army also heavy cavalry, trained for combat with swords from horseback. Dragoon regiments were established in most European armies during the late 17th and early 18th centuries. The name is derived from a type of firearm, called a ""dragon"", which was a handgun version of a blunderbuss, carried by dragoons of the French Army. The title has been retained in"
"Mounted Division consisting of three light horse brigades, each of three regiments consisting of a headquarters and three squadrons; 522 men and horses in each regiment, was armed with swords, Lee–Enfield rifles and bayonets, while the Anzac Mounted Division detached to Chaytor's Force, was, and remained throughout the war, only armed with rifles and bayonets. These divisions were supported by machine guns, three batteries from the Royal Horse Artillery or Honourable Artillery Company, and light armoured car units; two Light Armoured Motor Batteries, and two Light Car Patrols. By 17 September the Desert Mounted Corps's leading division, the 5th Cavalry"
"Hussar A hussar ( , ) was a member of a class of light cavalry, originating in Central Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen were subsequently widely adopted by light cavalry regiments in European armies in the late 17th and 18th centuries. A number of armored or ceremonial mounted units in modern armies retain the designation of hussars. Historically, the term derives from the cavalry of late medieval Hungary, under Matthias Corvinus. The origin of the word ""hussar"" remains uncertain and several alternative theories are summarised below. The first written mention"
"The heavy cavalryman's armour (of both knight and horse) was thicker, and heavier, but weapons remained the same. In the same time light cavalryman dropped out the armour at all (like first ""hussars"") or stayed with the mail (like ""pancerni""). The novelty was personal fire weapon of the soldier, as pistol and arquebuss, soon replaced by musket. The infantry of that times was formed of the mercenary regiments of ""foreign style"" (pol. ""cudzoziemskiego autoramentu""), or of the ""field infantry"" (pol. ""piechota łanowa"") recruited from peasants. The gunpowder domination of the battlefield became almost complete in Europe. Armour, of little use"
"(""Moorish or Numidian cavalry""). On Trajan's Column, Mauri horsemen, depicted with long hair in dreadlocks, are shown riding their small but resilient horses bare-back and unbridled, with a simple braided rope round their mount's neck for control. They wear no body or head armour, carrying only a small, round leather shield. Their weaponry cannot be discerned due to stone erosion, but is known from Livy to have consisted of several short javelins. Exceptionally fast and maneuverable, Numidian cavalry would harass the enemy by hit-and-run attacks, riding up and loosing volleys of javelins, then scattering faster than any opposing cavalry could"
"a ""Cavalry"" designation purely for purposes of lineage and heraldry. (True air cavalry organizations are/were helicopter-mounted reconnaissance units.) Light infantry-centric organizations (battalions, brigades, or divisions) that are trained, organized, and equipped to operate with organic (i.e., owned by the joint parent headquarters of both the light infantry organization and the supporting aviation organization) are classified as ""Air Assault,"" previously designated as ""Airmobile."" The Vietnam-era 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) was not an ""air cavalry"" division, per se, although it did contain air cavalry squadrons. The division was a new concept that probably was more akin to a modern version of ""mounted"
"each section, was nominated as a horse holder reducing the regiment's rifle strength by a quarter. The Camel Corps were all trained infantrymen, and some of them had previously served with the Australian Light Horse regiments, but all required a period of training in horsemanship. Once formed, the regiment was assigned to the 5th Light Horse Brigade, alongside a French regiment and the 14th Light Horse Regiment. All Australian Light Horse regiments used cavalry unit designations, but were mounted infantry armed with rifles, not swords or lances, and mounted exclusively on the Australian Waler horse. By the time the regiment"
"Sarissophoroi The sarissophoroi (, bearers; singular: ""sarissophoros"" ), also called ""prodromoi"", were a unit of light cavalry in the ancient Macedonian army. On the battlefield ""Sarissophoroi"" wielded a weapon given the same name as the infantryman's (""pezhetairos"") pike, the ""sarissa""; this was possibly in reality merely a longer version of the cavalry lance, the ""xyston"". However, for scouting duties they carried javelins. They were amongst the most versatile of the Macedonian cavalry. In the primary sources Arrian mentions that the Macedonian officer Aretes commanded the ""prodromoi"", in the same context Curtius says that Aretes commanded the ""sarissophoroi"". It would appear"
"mid-18th century, had Light Dragoons as light cavalry and Dragoons, Dragoon Guards and Household Cavalry as heavy cavalry. Only after the end of the Napoleonic wars were the Household Cavalry equipped with cuirasses, and some other regiments were converted to lancers. In the United States Army the cavalry were almost always dragoons. The Imperial Japanese Army had its cavalry uniformed as hussars, but they fought as dragoons. In the Crimean War, the Charge of the Light Brigade and the Thin Red Line at the Battle of Balaclava showed the vulnerability of cavalry, when deployed without effective support. In the early"