Grenadier (soldier)

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"Grenadier" redirects here. For other uses, see Grenadier (disambiguation).

A Grenadier (French for "Grenademan") was originally a specialized assault soldier for siege operations, first established as a distinct role in the mid to late 17th century. Grenadiers were soldiers who would throw grenades and storm breaches, leading the forefront of such a breakthrough.

The earliest references to these grenade-throwing soldiers in Western armies come from Austria and Spain. References also appear in England during the English Civil War. However, it was King Louis XIV of France who made the grenadier an official type of soldier and company during his army reforms late in the 17th century. According to Rene Chartrand, Lt. Col. Jean Martinet introduced the idea of having men detailed to throw grenades in the Régiment du Roi in 1667. The concept of throwing grenades may however go back to a much earlier date, as Chinese warriors on the Great Wall are reported as using this weapon during the Ming Dynasty.

The first grenades were small iron spheres filled with gunpowder fused with a length of slow-match, roughly the size of a cricket ball or a baseball. 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, wait, and throw at the appropriate moment to minimize the opportunity for the enemy to throw the grenade back. Understandably, such requirements led to grenadiers being regarded as an elite.

The wide hats with broad brims characteristic of infantry during the late 17th century were 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 (initially, only these troops were provided with slings). Additionally, a brimless hat permitted the grenadier greater ease in throwing the grenade overhand. By 1700, grenadiers in the English and other armies had adopted a cap in the shape of a bishop's mitre, usually decorated with the regimental insignia in embroidered cloth . In addition to grenades, they were equipped with contemporary longarms. The uniform included a belt tube that held the match for lighting the fuse; this feature was retained in later grenadier uniforms.

Grenade usage declined significantly in the early 18th century, a fact that can be attributed to the improved effectiveness of massive infantry line tactics and firelock technology. However, the need for elite assault troops remained, and the existing grenadier companies were used for this purpose. As noted above physical size had been considered important for the original grenadiers and, in principle, height and strength remained the basis of selection for these elite companies. In the English regiments of foot during the 18th century the preference was however to draw on steady veterans for appointment to individual vacancies in a grenadier company (one of the eight companies comprising each regiment). Only when a newly raised regiment required a quick sorting out of a mass of new recruits was the traditional criteria of size resorted to. Whether for reasons of appearance or reputation grenadiers tended to be the show piece troops of their respective armies. In the Spanish Army of the early 1800s 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.

The mitre cap, whether in stiffened cloth or metal became the distinguishing feature of the grenadier in the armies of Britain, Russia, Prussia and most German states during the 18th century. French grenadiers had other distinctions such as fringed epaulettes and dyed feathers in their tricorn hats. Austrian and Spanish grenadiers favoured high fur hats with long coloured cloth backs to them. The mitre was gradually replaced by bearskin hats in other armies and by 1914 it only survived in three regiments of the Prussian and Russian Imperial Guards. Russian grenadiers had worn their brass fronted mitre hats on active service until 1809 and some of these preserved for parade wear by the Pavlovski Guards until 1914 still had dents or holes from musket balls. Some have survived for display in modern museums and collections.

In addition to the mitre (later bearskin) headdress, grenadiers of the British Army were distinguished by flaming grenade insignia on belt-plates, pouches, coat-tails and collars plus shoulder wings. These distinctions disappeared when the "flank companies" (grenadiers and light infantry) of each regiment of line infantry were discontinued shortly after the Crimean War.

The term grenadier was retained or adopted by various elite infantry units, including Potsdam Grenadiers, Napoleon's Imperial Guard, the Imperial Russian Grenadier Leib Guards Regiment, Grenadier Guards and the 101st Grenadiers. The latter was part of the British Indian Army and claimed to be the first and oldest grenadier regiment (as opposed to grenadier companies) in the British Empire. During the American Revolution of 1775-1783, the Connecticut 1st Company Governor's Foot Guards [1] and the 11th Regiment of Connecticut Milita had grenadier companies. [2] [3]. New York City had a Grenadier unit {[For reference only]}.

With the standardisation of training and tactics, the need for separate grenadier companies at regimental level had passed by the mid nineteenth century and the British, French and Austrian armies phased out these sub-units between 1850 and 1860. However as late as 1914 the Imperial German and Russian Armies included a number of grenadier regiments. In the Russian Army these comprised the Grenadier Guards Regiment as well as the Grenadier Corps of sixteen regiments. 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 Russian and German armies the grenadier regiments were considered a historic elite, distinguished by distinctions such as plumed helmets in full dress or special braiding. Their role and training however no longer differed from that of the rest of the infantry.

In modern times, regiments using the name grenadiers are effectively indistinguishable from other infantry, especially when hand grenades, RPGs, and other types of explosive arms have become standard-issue weaponry; however, such regiments retain at least the tradition of their elite past. Grenadier can also refer to soldiers utilizing grenade launchers, including those mounted on rifles. During World War I a proposal to designate specialist grenade launching units in the British Army as grenadiers was vetoed by the Grenadier Guards who considered that they now had exclusive rights to the ancient distinction.

In the Swiss Army, the Grenadiers form the elite Special Forces. They are used for especially challenging operations and are initially trained in Isone, a secluded, mountainous region in the South of Switzerland. The Swiss Grenadiers specialize in urban warfare, guerrilla warfare, anti-terrorist operations, commando tactics, sniper missions, hand to hand combat, and other special operations.

The Argentine Army, still maintains a unit known as the Horse Grenadiers Regiment (Regimiento de Granaderos a Caballo) - actually a battalion-strength formation - which serves as the Presidential ceremonial escort and guard unit. The Regiment's founder and first commanding officer was General José de San Martín. Unlike other units which carried the title of "grenadiers", the Argentine Grenadiers are a cavalry unit, and continue to mount horses for ceremonial purposes.

The Belgian Army 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 which corresponded to that of Royal Guards in other armies. In 1999 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.

In the Norwegian Army, grenadier is used as a rank to distinguish the professional soldiers from the conscripts.