Fusilier

thumb|225px|A member of the [[French Army's , armed with a flintlock, ]]

Fusilier is a name given to various kinds of soldiers; its meaning depends on the historical context. While fusilier is derived from the 17th-century French word – meaning a type of flintlock musket – the term has been used in contrasting ways in different countries and at different times, including soldiers guarding artillery, various elite units, ordinary line infantry and other uses.

Derivation of the word

The word fusil, which was the name of the type of musket carried by a fusilier, is itself derived from the Old French and Latin , meaning a piece of flint.

History

thumb|[[historical reenactment|Reenactors in the uniform of the Royal Welch Fusiliers (23rd Regiment of Foot), one of the first British fusilier units]]

Flintlock small arms were first used militarily during the early 17th century. Flintlocks, at the time, were more reliable and safer to use than matchlock muskets, which required a match to be lit near the breech before the weapon could be triggered. By contrast, flintlocks were fired using a piece of flint. By the time of the English Civil War (1642–1652), one flintlock musket, the snaphance, was in common use in Britain.

The term fusiliers was first used officially by the French Army in 1670, when four fusiliers were distributed among each company of infantry. The following year the ("King's Fusiliers"), the first regiment composed primarily of soldiers with flintlocks, was formed Hence the term fusilier became strongly associated with the role of guarding artillery in Britain and the English-speaking world,

During the 18th century, as flintlocks became the main weapon used by infantry, the term fusilier gradually ceased to have this meaning and was applied to various units. By 1737, low-quality infantry raised from garrison companies also were named fusiliers. These latter units were dressed in blue with low mitre caps. Between 1740 and 1743 Frederick the Great raised 14 separate fusilier regiments (numbers 33–40, 41–43 and 45–48). Except for the mitre caps, these new regiments were identical in appearance, training and role to the existing line infantry (musketeers).

Subsequently, Prussia and several other German states used the designation to denote a type of light infantry, usually dressed in green and acting as skirmishers. In the Prussian Army, they had been formed in 1787 as independent battalions, with many of the officers having had experience in the American Revolutionary War. The Prussian reforms of 1808 absorbed the fusiliers into the third battalion of each line infantry regiment. Now wearing the same Prussian blue uniforms as standard musketeers, they were distinguished by black leather belts, and a slightly different arrangement of cartridge pouches.

In the Prussian Army of 1870, Infantry Regiments 33 to 40 plus Regiments 73 (Hanover), 80 (Hesse-Kassel) and 86 (Schleswig-Holstein) were all designated as fusiliers, as was the Guard Fusilier Regiment. In addition, the third battalions of all guard, grenadier and line infantry regiments retained the designation fusilier battalion. They were armed with a slightly shorter version of the Dreyse rifle (), that took a sword bayonet () rather than the standard socket bayonet. Although still theoretically skirmishers, in practice they differed little from their compatriots, as all Prussian infantry fought in a style that formed a dense 'firing' or 'skirmish' line.

By the 1880s, the title was honorific and, while implying 'specialist' or 'elite', did not have any tactical significance. In a sense, all infantry were becoming fusiliers, as weapons, tactics and equipment took on the fusilier characteristics, that is: skirmish line, shorter rifles, sword bayonets, black leather equipment, and the use of bugles (rather than drums) to relay commands. Nonetheless, these titular units remained in existence until the end of the German Imperial Army in 1918, as follows:

Guard Fusilier Regiment
Fusilier Regiment Count Roon (East Prussian) No. 33
Fusilier Regiment Queen Victoria of Sweden (Pomeranian) No. 34
Fusilier Regiment Prince Henry of Prussia (Brandenburg) No. 35
Fusilier Regiment General Field Marshal Count Blumenthal (Magdeburg) No. 36
Fusilier Regiment von Steinmetz (West Prussian) No. 37
Fusilier Regiment Field Marshal Count Moltke (Silesian) No. 38
Lower Rhineland Fusilier Regiment No. 39
Fusilier Regiment Prince Charles Anton of Hohenzollern No. 40
Fusilier Regiment Field Marshal Prince Albert of Prussia (Hanoverian) No. 73
Fusilier Regiment von Gerdsdorff (Electoral Hessian) No. 80
Fusilier Regiment Queen (Schleswig-Holstein) No. 86
Grand-Ducal Mecklenburg Fusilier Regiment No. 90
Fusilier Regiment Emperor Francis Joseph of Austria King of Hungary (4th Royal) Württemberg No. 122

In addition, there was the following regiment:

Royal Saxon (Fusilier) Regiment Prince George No. 108

This was a special case, as it was also classed as (sharpshooter): this designation originally signified a type of (rifleman, literally 'hunter'), and thus the regiment wore the -style dark green uniform.

The various fusilier regiments and battalions in the German Imperial Army of 1914 did not have any distinctive dress or equipment to distinguish them as fusiliers. Individual regiments did, however, have special features worn with the dark blue full dress. Some of these features were maintained on the field grey dress of the trenches right up to 1918. As examples in full dress, the Guard Fusiliers had nickel buttons and yellow shoulder straps, and the 80th Fusiliers special braiding on collars and cuffs (deriving from their origin as the Elector of Hesse's Guards). When a regiment was permitted the distinction of a horse-hair plume on the pickelhaube, for fusiliers it was always black. This included the third (fusilier) battalion of those regiments normally distinguished by a white horse-hair plume.

In World War II, the elite contained a regiment titled ('Armoured Fusiliers'), to maintain the old German traditions. This was again titular, as in organisation, appearance and tactical use they were essentially . The modern German Army has no fusiliers.

Mexico

On 1 January 1969, the Mexican Army created the Parachute Fusilier Brigade () with two infantry battalions and a training battalion. The brigade's role is that of a strategic reserve, based in Mexico City.

Netherlands

In the Royal Netherlands Army, one of the two foot guards regiments, the , is a regiment of fusiliers.

Portugal

thumb|Portuguese Navy Fusiliers on parade

From the 18th to the 19th centuries, the term (fusiliers) was used in the Portuguese Army, to designate the regular line infantry, as opposed to the grenadiers () and the light infantry ( and ). The Portuguese Army discontinued the use of the term in the 1860s.

The term (fusilier sailors) has been used in the Portuguese Navy, since the late 18th century, to designate the naval infantry. The modern Portuguese Marine Corps is called (Naval Fusiliers).

Switzerland

thumb|right|upright|Gorget patch of Swiss Füsilier

Line infantry soldiers of the lowest rank in the Swiss Army have historically been designated as fusiliers. Because the modern Swiss infantry soldier is trained in a much broader variety of tasks than his earlier counterpart, and because of some supposedly negative connotations attached to the term , modern infantry battalions of the Swiss army have been renamed or "Inf Bat". The individual soldiers are officially called , not , but colloquially they are still referred to as or . This meaning is retained in the name of the 1938 Swiss film .

United Kingdom

The original fusiliers in the British Army were the 7th Foot, Royal Regiment of Fuzileers raised in 1685. This subsequently became The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment). The original purpose of this unit was to act as escort to artillery guns, as well as keeping discipline amongst the civilian drivers. Originally a sealskin cap for other ranks, this was replaced by a black raccoon skin cap of in height, according to the 1874 Dress Regulations. However, fusilier officers wore a taller bearskin like their counterparts in the foot guards. The badge for each regiment was placed at the front of the bear or raccoon skin headdress, and consisted of a stylized flaming grenade, with different emblems placed on the ball of the grenade. These continue to be worn to the present day by the band of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, and also by colour parties, pioneers and drum majors in the Royal Welsh.

upright=1.25|thumb|An example of an officer's bearskin cap worn by an Irish fusilier regiment, c. 1878.

Attached to the various types of fusilier headdress, including the modern beret, is the hackle. This is a short cut feather plume, the colours of which vary according to the regiment. Initially, the only regiment authorised to wear a plume or hackle were the 5th of Foot (Northumberland Fusiliers). The regiment had originally worn a white feather distinction, authorised in 1824 to commemorate the victory of St Lucia in 1778 when men of the Fifth Regiment were supposed to have taken white feathers from the hats of dead French soldiers. When, in 1829, a white plume was ordered for all line infantry regiments, to preserve the Fifth (Northumberland) Regiment's emblem, they were authorised to wear a white plume with a red tip, allegedly to indicate a distinction won in battle. The Fifth were designated fusiliers in 1836.

Following the Second Boer War, plumes were added to the headgear of all fusilier regiments in recognition of their service in South Africa.

The following fusilier regiments existed prior to the outbreak of World War I:

{| class="wikitable"

! Regiment || Pre-1881 title || Year of designation as fusiliers || Badge (on flaming grenade)

|Lancashire Fusiliers

|20th (East Devonshire) Regiment of Foot

|1881

|The sphinx superscribed Egypt within a laurel wreath

|Primrose yellow (1901). The 20th Foot wore yellow facings until 1881.

|Royal Scots Fusiliers

|21st (Royal Scots Fusiliers) Regiment of Foot

|Between 1686 and 1691 (exact date unknown)

|Royal Welsh Fusiliers

|23rd (Royal Welch Fusiliers) Regiment of Foot

|1702

|The Prince of Wales's plumes, coronet and motto ()

|White

|Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers

|27th (Inniskilling) Regiment of Foot|108th (Madras Infantry) Regiment of Foot

|1881

|The Castle of Inniskilling

|Grey (1903). The colour commemorated the original uniform of the "Grey Inniskillings" of 1689.

|Royal Irish Fusiliers (Princess Victoria's)

|87th (Royal Irish Fusiliers) Regiment of Foot|89th (Princess Victoria's) Regiment of Foot

|1827 (87th Foot)

|A French Imperial Eagle upon a plinth inscribed "8" within a laurel wreath

|Emerald green

|Royal Munster Fusiliers

|101st (Royal Bengal Fusiliers) Regiment of Foot|104th (Bengal Fusiliers) Regiment of Foot

|1846 (101st as 1st Bengal European Fusiliers)|1850 (104th as 2nd Bengal European Fusiliers)

|The arms of the Province of Munster within a laurel wreath bearing 10 battle honours. A scroll at the base inscribed Royal Munster.

|White over green

|Royal Dublin Fusiliers

|102nd (Royal Madras Fusiliers) Regiment of Foot|103rd (Royal Bombay Fusilers) Regiment of Foot

|1843: 102nd as 1st Madras (European) Fusiliers|1844: 103rd as 1st Bombay (European) Fusiliers

|The arms of the City of Dublin within a wreath of shamrock, at the base an elephant on a tablet inscribed Mysore and a tiger on a tablet inscribed Plassey, all over a scroll inscribed .

|Blue over green

The nine regiments of fusiliers that existed in 1914 have since been reduced to one by a series of disbandments and mergers:

In 1920, the Royal Welsh Fusiliers was renamed as the "Royal Welch Fusiliers".
Due to the creation of the Irish Free State, the Royal Munster Fusiliers and Royal Dublin Fusiliers were disbanded on 31 July 1922.
In 1935, the Northumberland Fusiliers was awarded the title "Royal".
Under the Defence Review of 1957, the number of infantry regiments was reduced. The Royal Scots Fusiliers was amalgamated with the Highland Light Infantry on 20 January 1959 to form the Royal Highland Fusiliers. The new regiment wore the white hackle of the RSF, with a flaming grenade badge bearing the monogram of the HLI.
On 28 March 2006, the Scottish infantry regiments were merged into the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The individual battalions of the regiment retain the titles of the predecessor units, and The Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland continues to wear the white hackle of the Royal Scots Fusiliers.

In addition, the Scots Guards were known as the Scots Fusilier Guards from 1831 to 1877.

References and notes

External links

French Infantry of the Napoleonic Wars