|
하시고자 하는 번호 댓글로 남겨주시면 감사하겠습니다.
46번
\n\nGrenadiers are elite troops, the tallest and strongest men, taking the position of honour on the right of the line during battle. Grenadier Guards have the ability to inspire their fellow soldiers just by their presence. They are incredibly disciplined and can reload their weapons with breathtaking speed and discharge them with high accuracy. Their extensive training makes them more expensive than line infantry.\n\nThe Grenadier Guards have a prestigious history that dates back to the time of Oliver Cromwell and the exile of King Charles II. Charles gathered troops around him in the hope of reclaiming his throne; one of the first of these units was Lord Wentworth’s Regiment of guards. These men remained in France following Charles’ restoration to the English throne, and another regiment was created to protect him, John Russell’s Regiment. Russell’s and Wentworth’s were eventually combined and became known as the 1st Regiment of Foot Guards. Their renown reached a peak at the battle of Waterloo where they were renamed, by royal proclamation, to the 1st or Grenadier Regiment of Foot Guards, because it was believed they had repulsed the Napoleon’s Grenadiers of the Guard.
47번
\n\nGrenadiers see themselves as elite soldiers, and occupy the place of honour at the right of the line on parade. They have good reason: only large, brave men become grenadiers, this size and strength makes them an impressive sight in a charge. It also gives them an advantage in melee combat. Grenadiers are a proud group and this pride makes for dedicated soldiers who will follow orders to the letter. Like other infantry, they must exercise caution when facing heavy cavalry, but they are also vulnerable to attack from skirmishers.\n\nHistorically, grenadier regiments and battalions began as ad-hoc assault groups. All line infantry regiments had grenadier companies; collecting these sub-units gave commanders a useful group of heavily armed, aggressive and skilful soldiers. Grenadier companies remained in line infantry regiments after the creation of grenadier regiments, but they largely abandoned using grenades: instead, each grenadier company became a “heavy mob” of the biggest and strongest soldiers in a regiment!
48번
\n\nGuerrillas are not a recognised military organisation, but bands of comrades and neighbours who have adapted banditry into a way of making war. They fight hard, working in spread out formations that make them difficult for missile troops to hit effectively. They are best when employed in ambush, or as harassing skirmishers. Their “local knowledge” means they are able to hide and appear at will, using their homeland’s hidden places to help fight against invaders. They cannot be expected to fight in carefully dressed lines like disciplined soldiers, and as such are at a disadvantage against well-trained cavalry and infantry.\n\nHistorically, the Spanish people had an enormous capacity for carrying on wars against foreign occupiers long after their rulers had made their peace with an invader. Guerrillas often arose as part of a rebellion; the name is Spanish, and means “little war”. When his men were bogged down, Napoleon described Spain as an “ulcer”, thanks in part to the constant partisan warfare carried on by the guerrillas. They gave the French no peace or safety, even far from the front line.
49번
\n\nHard-working and hard-drinking, these hard men are hardened to every conceivable hardship; they are tough, and loyal soldiers to their superior officers. The jägers remain in the Russian army until the day they die, almost as military serfs; most of them were serfs anyway. They have a lifetime of experience of living off the land, and a fearsome reputation for being rather barbaric. Despite this, they are not well suited to the discipline of close combat, and are much more use when peppering an enemy with musket balls.\n\nStrangely, the Tsar’s troops were assigned regiments depending on their physical size. The tallest always became grenadiers, and the smallest were destined for the jäger battalions. But physique is no guarantee of soldierly qualities and in 1811 Field Marshal Barclay de Tolly changed the system so that personal merit and worth determined a man’s assignment. Even more strangely, this practice of “sizing” soldiers went on in the Russian Soviet army as well, but for the practical reason that tall or bulky men simply would not fit into tanks: the design philosophy of Russian tanks was to make them as low as possible, hence the lack of space inside.
50번
\n\nHighly disciplined and calm in the face of the enemy, these men are well trained in line infantry tactics. They can be relied upon to perform their duties with stolid determination rather than with dash and “fire in their bellies”. Their close ranks can make them vulnerable to artillery bombardment and skirmishers, and they will be ripped apart by heavy cavalry charges if they are in line. To counter this last threat, the unit can be ordered to form square. As long as discipline holds, an infantry unit in square should be able to see off enemy cavalrymen.\n\nThe weapon of the British line infantryman was the famous ‘Brown Bess’; a flintlock musket used, in various guises, from 1730 to 1830. Other nations had their own standard pattern of musket. The Brown Bess used a large heavy ball that would not fit into French muskets, meaning that British ammunition captured on the battlefield was useless. It could be melted down and recast, but not immediately fired at its former owners. The British discovered that, in times of crisis, it was possible to “tap load” a musket by banging the butt on the ground. The bullet was jogged down the barrel, and could then be fired.
51번
\n\nHis presence alone is enough to inspire battle-weary troops to fight on, even in the bleakest of situations: a general who carries the respect of his troops (if not his fellow officers) is a valuable asset. Although cavalrymen lead from the front, it is advisable to keep this man away from particularly dangerous fights, for his protection if nothing else.\n\nHenry Paget, the Earl of Uxbridge, later Marquis of Anglesey, was Wellington’s cavalry commander during the 1815 Waterloo campaign. This was not a comfortable arrangement for either of them, as Paget had proved himself to be something less than a gentleman by seducing, and running off with, the wife of Wellington’s youngest brother. This social gaffe put a bit of a crimp on what had been a distinguished military career as a cavalry leader. Nobody denied that Paget was courageous and skilful, but he was a cad and a bounder. He is also the man who had his leg shot off at Waterloo in the middle of a conversation with Wellington. It is not recorded whether their dry exchange of remarks: “By God, sir, I've lost my leg!” and “By God, sir, so you have!” was accompanied by an excusable smirk on Wellington’s behalf.
52번
\n\nHorses cannot stand the smell of camels, and this gives all camel riders the advantage in melee. However, these soldiers are most effective when using their firepower to harass enemies, whittling down their numbers to the point where a charge will break them. They are also swift and very manoeuvrable, and this can be used to keep them out of trouble as well as send them to a critical point in battle. They will not, however, survive for long if they are sent against a disciplined and well-handled line infantry unit.\n\nHistorically, the Bedouin people talked before resorting to the feud, although they were very adept at defending themselves when needed. Life in the desert was harsh and unforgiving, and unnecessary squabbles or attempts to save face through violence did nothing for a man’s survival. The Bedouin were raiders on other folk but that was a matter of survival, and directed, as often as not, against outsiders.
53번
\n\nHowitzers fall somewhere between guns and mortars, the other main artillery types. Like guns, they can be moved, if slowly. They do not fire straight at the target, but lob shots high into the air to plunge down on a target. The charge of powder and the barrel angle can be varied, which means a howitzer can lob missiles over a wall or intervening woods. In close action, they can fire canister rounds directly into enemy formations, blasting them with hundreds of musket balls. These experimental batteries can also fire carcass shells and quicklime rounds, setting fire to enemy structures or poisoning enemy troops with caustic chemicals.\n\nHistorically, ballistics was not an imperfectly-understood science and, apart from inaccurate targeting, a shell did not necessarily do any damage when it arrived. Erratic winds could send shells off course. Shell fuses had to be lit while still in the barrel, and the length of fuse judged to match the flight time. If the fuse was too short, the shell could explode in mid air; too long and the enemy might be able to put it out before it exploded!
54번
\n\nHowitzers fall somewhere between guns and mortars, the other main artillery types. Like guns, they have limited mobility and are slow moving, but are they not as accurate as cannons. They do not fire straight at the target, but lob shots high into the air to plunge down on a target. The charge of powder and the barrel angle can be varied, which means a howitzer can send an almost-vertical shot over a wall. Given such an ability, they are best employed to bombard areas where enemies are concentrated. In close action, they can fire canister rounds directly into enemy formations, blasting them with hundreds of musket balls.\n\nHistorically, howitzers were not easy to use. Ballistics was not a perfectly understood science and, apart from inaccurate targeting, a shell did not necessarily do any damage when it arrived. Erratic winds could send shells flying off course. Shell fuses had to be lit while still in the barrel, and the length of fuse judged to match the flight time. If the fuse was too short, the shell could explode in mid air; too long and the enemy might be able to put it out before the shell exploded!
55번
\n\nIn effect, a small ship of the line is sawn in two, horizontally, and the top deck removed completely. The resulting ship has a hull that was originally constructed to withstand the recoil of heavy guns and, as a result, it is far stronger than an ordinary, purpose-built frigate. The loss of a deck and guns improves the ship’s handling too, and a razee is manoeuvrable and speedy. The overall result is a very strong, powerful vessel that is better than its donor battleship or a frigate.\n\nHistorically, few razees were actually made, as sacrificing a ship-of-the-line to make a weaker vessel was not an action that many admiralties could get their political masters to approve. However, one of the most successful examples was HMS Indefatigable, under Edward Pellew. In the company of another frigate, Pellew took on, and defeated, the Droits de l'Homme, a French 74 ship-of-the-line, in 1797. This victory was rightly considered a stunning feat of seamanship and command. During the next year or so, Pellew and the Indefatigable went on to take a further nine vessels.
56번
\n\nIn horse artillery units everyone in the gun crews rides into battle: drivers ride the lead horses in teams, while gun crews sit on the gun limbers. The Artillerie à Cheval represent a good balance between speed of movement and firepower. The crews are highly experienced and disciplined, and their intimate knowledge of the guns enables them to deliver accurate, devastating shots at long range.\n\nHistorically, these men and their cannons were part of Napoleon’s Imperial Guard, and held in the highest regard by the emperor. Admittance to the Imperial Guard was extremely tough and, because only the very experienced or very good gained entry, the Guard could boast of the very best gunners in Europe. The horse artillery division was the elite within the elite, and got the best of everything. When the supply of suitable horses ran low in 1815, Napoleon ordered his Horse Grenadiers to give up their mounts to be draft animals for his beloved horse artillery.
57번
\n\nIn the hands of a good master, a brig is a handy little ship, and can almost turn in its own length. The square-rigged sails allow precise control. A good helmsman can swiftly bob in and out of range of larger, deadlier ships whose cannons could demolish the brig’s weak hull. This manoeuvrability makes up for the light armament, which consists of only 6-pounder cannons, which have little real firepower in naval terms.\n\nHistorically, the United States Navy favoured brigs, particularly on the Great Lakes. Brigs, like the USS Argus, also gave a brave account of themselves against the Barbary Pirates along the North African coast. United States traders had suffered at the hands of the pirates after the Revolution; the Barbary Pirates had an agreement to leave British and British colonial ships alone, but after the successful rebellion, they considered the newly-flagged American ships to be fair game. Today, a brig is more commonly understood to be a ship’s prison cells, a usage that is probably due to the US Navy’s use of brigs as prison hulks.
58번
\n\nIt is also heavily-armed, with 42-pounder cannons giving it a formidable weight of shot for each volley. It can also move directly into the wind, and even turn on the spot if the rowers on one side of the ship back water while their companions continue to row normally. These handy sailing qualities come at a price, though: the large crew of rowers are vulnerable to grapeshot; the hull and oars are weak compared to a ship of the line.\n\nGalleys tended to be employed in relatively sheltered waters, and close to a friendly port, the second due to the large crew of rowers. The life of a rower can be brutal and short. Some countries use criminals at the oars, and these men are chained to the ship to prevent escape. If the ship goes down, however, the rowers perish with it. They are always confined below the fighting platform of the ship, and are in danger from grapeshot and broken oars. Indeed, a good raking with grapeshot will cripple a galley as surely as firing chainshot into the masts of a sailing vessel.
59번
\n\nIt is the task of the heavy cavalry to break the enemy by shock and impact. Simply put, the Horse Guards are expected to charge home and smash enemy ranks through weight and speed. They are not for chasing down enemies: that is the work of faster, lighter cavalry forces. Instead, they are a battering ram, hurled over short distances against close-formed enemies in the hope of producing a breakthrough and utter consternation. Thanks to being part of the royal household guard, these cavalrymen also lend a touch of class to the brutal business of a cavalry charge!\n\nHistorically, the Horse Guards Parade in London was the setting for “Trooping of the Colour”, a practice that dates back to the 17th Century. A regiment’s colours were a rallying point on the battlefield and so they were shown to the soldiers beforehand, in order that they would be recognised in battle. Today, the ceremony is used to celebrate the official birthday of the ruling monarch; at the time of writing Queen Elizabeth attends every year and takes the salute at the end of the parade.
60번
\n\nLife Guards are an elite court regiment where appearance is as important as fighting ability. This doesn’t diminish their skills as soldiers: their powerful charge is capable of breaking the most stoic of enemy lines and their skill in a fight is almost unrivalled. However, their pride can lead some to be a little hot headed: they lack the discipline of other cavalry units and, like all cavalry, they may prove ineffective against infantry in square.\n\nHistorically, perhaps the oddest sounding of the various royal guard cavalry regiments were the curiously named “horse grenadier guards”. Common sense would seem to indicate that these men would only ever get to throw their grenades once, before their horses took off at speed towards all points of the compass! In British service, the Household Cavalry regiments, including the horse grenadiers did not, and do not, have sergeants: they have “corporals of horse”. The word “sergeant” has the same origins as “servant”, and no gentleman, even a private trooper, is ever a servant.
|
첫댓글 제가 하겠습니다~