Heavy Infantry?

[Blunt Object]

I know we have light Inf. but what makes a battalion/regiment/platoon ect... heavy, other than more gear??

 

[geo]

Light fighters would be airportable (Para or Air Cav)
the heavies would be Mech Infantry.... working out of armoured personel carriers like the M113 or the LAV III

 

[McG]

There are several threads describing what light infantry is (it is not always airmobile of parachute).  I do not think I have ever crossed the term "heavy infantry," but I have seen mounted, mechanized, motorized, mountain, parachute, armoured, airmobile, and others.  Any of these can be found through the site's search function.

 

[geo]

unless he's refering to some who hav BMI problems

 

[Blunt Object]

ALright, so if they use armor or vehicles regularly in combat/training they're "Heavy" infantry?

 

[geo]

heavy isn't usually used when talking about infantry
you're either "light" or you're not.... in which case you're probably "mech"

 

[reccecrewman]

Not sure if you're referring to the Patricias, but the PPCLI is not by definition a true light infantry battalion.  The Regiments founder, Hamilton Gault had initially considered naming the Regiment "Princess Patricias Canadian Infantry" but it was decided that "Princess Patricias Canadian Light Infantry" had a better flair to it and so it was named just that in 1914.  The PPCLI is organized just like the RCR & Re22eR

 

[Sh0rtbUs]

From the words of a single soldier amoungst a section of infantry marching through tent city at meaford, in Full FFO, rifle and ruck with sandbags.

"Light infantry my @ss"

;D

 

[geo]

Some years ago, the 3rd Battalion of all three Infantry Regiments were designated ''LIGHT''
Within the light Bn you are supposed to find: 1 Para Coy, 1 Airmobile Coy and a coy that is supposed to specialise in Mountain / arctic Ops.....
They would also be ummm... motorized - as required ..........

at least that`s how it was intended.

However, with more and more emphasis the Three Block War and  Fighting in built up/urban areas, the point is rather ''moot''

 

[COBRA-6]

ALright, so if they use armor or vehicles regularly in combat/training they're "Heavy" infantry?

Are you thinking of armoured infantry? Units that use tracked IFV's like M2's, Warriors, CV90's etc... some might call that a "heavy" unit...

 

[GO!!!]

I would refer to units such as the LdSH as "heavy" units.... ;D

 

[geo]

the Lord Strathconas are armoured - heavy (tanks)..........  nothing to do with infantry.

 

[GO!!!]

the Lord Strathconas are armoured - heavy (tanks)..........   nothing to do with infantry.

I am well aware of the nature of the Strats tasking, and you will notice in my post that I referred to them as a "heavy" unit - no reference to infantry.

The "heavy" remark was a facetious reference to the often larger members of that particular unit.

I will be sure to clarify my attempts at humour in the future.

 

[geo]

LOL 

Chimo!

 

[patt]

since we talkin strats..what about the infantry coy that was just in for TOW? that consider heavy inf?

 

[George Wallace]

NO!

They are TOW.  More Mech Inf than anything else.  Now they are in the Strats - not Heavy Infantry.

By the tone of this discusion so far, there is no such thing as Heavy Infantry.

 

[geo]

Ayup.....

 

[a_majoor]

"Heavy infantry" was a historical term for the fully armoured men at arms, ranging back to the Greek Hoplites, Roman Legionaires, Saxon and Frankish foot soldiers and so on. They were distinguished by their ability to fight in close ranks as well as their ability to advance against almost any sort of opposition. The Swiss pikemen and Spanish Tercios were the high point of this sort of organization, but the increasing effectiveness of firearms made close order fighting in densly packed phalenxes suicidal.

Heavy Infantry may be making a comeback however. I saw a prototype exoskeleton at the AUSA show which allowed the wearer to carry @75kg without expending his own muscular effort, and much R&D effort is being spent on providing armour protection for the individual soldier vs small arms, IEDs etc. Combine the two trends and you have the Robert Heinlein "Starship Trooper"

 

[geo]

heheh..... something to look forward to

 

[mover1]

Combine the two trends and you have the Robert Heinlein "Starship Trooper"

Excellent book, Horrible movie.
Ever read The Forever War by Joe Haldeman