Battle cry

For other uses, seeBattle cry (disambiguation)andWar cry (disambiguation).

"War chant" redirects here. For the stallion with the same name, seeWar Chant.For other uses, seewar song.

AMāoriperformer giving aHakaat a folk festival in Poland

Soldiers performing a battle cry

All Blacksperforming aHaka,1:39 min

Abattle cryorwar cryis a yell or chant taken up inbattle,usually by members of the same combatant group. Battle cries are not necessarily articulate (e.g. "Eulaliaaaa!", "Alala"..), although they often aim to invoke patriotic or religious sentiment. Their purpose is a combination of arousing aggression andesprit de corpson one's own side and causing intimidation on the hostile side. Battle cries are a universal form ofdisplay behaviour(i.e.,threat display) aiming atcompetitive advantage,ideally by overstating one's own aggressive potential to a point where the enemy prefers to avoid confrontation altogether and opts to flee. In order to overstate one's potential for aggression, battle cries need to be as loud as possible, and have historically often been amplified by acoustic devices such ashorns,drums,conches,carnyxes,bagpipes,bugles,etc. (see alsomartial music).

Battle cries are closely related to other behavioral patterns ofhuman aggression,such aswar dancesand taunting, performed during the "warming up" phase preceding the escalation of physical violence. From theMiddle Ages,many cries appeared onspeech scrollsinstandardsorcoat of armsas slogans (seeslogan (heraldry)) and were adopted asmottoes,an example being the motto "Dieu et mon droit"(" God and my right ") of the English kings. It is said that this wasEdward III's rallying cry during theBattle of Crécy.The word "slogan"originally derives fromsluagh-gairmorsluagh-ghairm(sluagh= "people", "army", andgairm= "call", "proclamation" ), theScottish Gaelicword for "gathering-cry" and in times of war for "battle-cry". The Gaelic word was borrowed into English asslughorn,sluggorne,"slogum", andslogan.

History

Antiquity

• The war cry is an aspect of epic battle inHomer:in theIliad,Diomedesis conventionally called "Diomedes of the loud war cry."HellenesandAkkadiansalike uttered theonomatopoeiccry"alala"in battle.
• The troops of ancientAthens,during theMedic Warsand thePeloponnesian Warwere noted for going into battle shouting "Alala! "or"Alale!",which was supposed to emulate the cry of the owl, the bird of their patron goddessAthena.
• TheWestern Hunsattacked with terrifying battle cries.
• One of the commonHinduwar cry was "Hara Hara Mahadeva"meaning,"Hail to Mahadeva! "(Shiva).
• Another common war cry inIndiawas "Jai Bhavani" meaning, "Hail goddessBhavani!”
• A common war cry used in ancientTamilakamwas "Vetrivel, Veeravel", meaning, "Victorious vel, courageous vel."Velis the spear ofMurugan,the regional form ofKartikeya,the Hindu war deity. In the contemporary period, the battle cry "Vetrivel, Veeravel" is being used in the 191 Field Regiment of theIndian Armybased inMadukkarai,Coimbatore.

Middle Ages

• During the Scottish wars of independence, Scottish soldiers usedAlba gu bràthas a battle-cry, a phrase that means 'Scotland for ever' (literally, 'Scotland until judgement'.) This was depicted in the filmBraveheartduring whichMel Gibson,playingWilliam Wallace,shouts the phrase to rally his soldiers just before a battle commenced.
• Each Turkic tribe and tribal union had its distincttamga(seal), totemicongonbird, and distincturan(battle cry) (hence the Slavicurah"battle cry" ).While tamgas andongonscould be distinct down to individuals, the hue of horses anduranbattle cries belonged to each tribe, were passed down from generation to generation, and some modern battle cries were recorded in antiquity. On split of the tribe, their unique distinction passed to a new political entity, endowing different modern states with the sameuranbattle cries of the split tribes, for exampleKipchakbattle cry amongKazakhs,Kirgizes,Turkmens,andUzbeks.Some larger tribes'uranbattle cries:
  • Kipchak – "ay-bas" ( "lunar head").
  • Kangly (Kangars) – "bai-terek" ( "sacred tree").
  • Oguzes – "teke" ( "mount")
• Desperta ferro!( "Awake iron!" in Catalan) was the most characteristic cry of theAlmogavarwarriors during theCrown of Aragonmilitary campaigns across theMediterraneanfrom the 12th through to the 14th centuries.
• Deus vult!( "God wills it!" in Latin) was the battle cry of the Crusaders.
• Montjoie Saint Denis!:battle cry of theKings of Francesince the 12th century.
• Santiago y cierra, España!was a war cry of Spanish troops during theReconquista,and of theSpanish Empire.
• On 14 August 1431, the wholeArmy of the Holy Roman Empire(of the4th anti-Hussite crusade) was defeated by theHussitesin theBattle of Domažlice.Attacking imperial units started to retreat after hearingKtož jsú boží bojovníci( "Ye Who Are Warriors of God") choral and were annihilated shortly after.
• Allāhu Akbar(الله أكبر, "Godis [the] Greatest ") andAllāhu Allāh(الله الله, "God! God!" ) were used by Muslim armies throughout history.Al-naṣr aw al-shahāda(النصر أو الشهادة, "Victory or martyrdom" ) was also a common battle cry; theAt-Tawbah9:52 says that God has promised to the righteous Muslim warrior one of these two glorious ideals.
• Óðinn á yðr alla(Odinowns you all) – A reference to Odin's self sacrifice at Yggdrasil. Attributed toEric the Victorious.

Pre-modern

• When suppressing peasants' rebellions in Germany and Scandinavia around 1500, such as in theBattle of Hemmingstedt,the Dutch mercenaries of theBlack GuardyelledWahr di buer, die garde kumt( "Beware, peasants, the guards are coming" ). When the peasants counterattacked, they responded withWahr di, Garr, de Buer de kumt( "Beware, Guard, of the peasant, [who is] coming" ).
• The Spanish criedSantiago( "Saint James" ) both when reconquering Spain from theMoorsand during conquest in early colonial America.
• Polish "Winged Hussars"used to shoutJezus Maria( "Jesus,Mary") orMatka Boska( "Mother of God") during their charges.
• KingHenry IV of France(1553–1610), a pleasure-loving and cynical military leader, was famed for wearing a striking white plume in his helmet and for hiswar cry:Ralliez-vous à mon panache blanc!( "Follow my white plume!" ).
• Burmese soldiers of theKonbaung DynastyunderAlaungpayawere recorded to shoutShwebo-Thar(Sons of Shwebo) during theKonbaung-Hanthawady War.
• Most of the Jaikaras were popularized byGuru Gobind Singh.TheSikhshave a number of battle cries or jaikara: the most popular ones are as follows:
  • Bolnaji(Respectfully Utter) –Waheguru(Wondrous Enlightener)
  • Deg Teg Fateh(Victory to Charity and Arms) –Birdh ki PaijPanth ki jit(Routof the Enemy Victory of the SikhPath)
  • Bole So Nihal...Sat Sri Akaal( "Shout Aloud in Ecstasy... True is the GreatTimeless One"),
  • Nanak naamcharhdi kalaa(MayThyname be exalted ONanak) –Terebhaanae sarbatt daa bhalaa(and all people prosper by Thy grace)
  • Waheguru ji ka Khalsa(the Community of thePurebelongs to the Wondrous Enlightener) –Waheguru ji ki Fateh(Victory belongs to the Wondrous Enlightener)
  • Raj Karega Khalsa– (The Khalsa will rule) Aaakki Rahe Na Koye (And no opponent will remain)
  • Gaj ke jaikara gajaave fateh paave nihaal ho jaavae, Sat Sri Akaal gurbaar akaal hee akaal|| (excerpt fromardasofBuddha Dalprayerbook (gutka) praising the blessing of uttering jaikara proclaiming supreme truth).
• ThePashtunsoldiers' war cry against theMughalswasHu, Hu.
• TheGurkha(Gorkha) soldiers' battle cry was, and still is,"Jai Mahakali, Ayo Gorkhali!"( "Victory to GoddessMahakali,the Gurkhas are coming! ")
• The "rebel yell"was a battle cry used byConfederatesoldiers during theAmerican Civil War.
• Finnish light cavalry troops in theSwedish Armyin the 17th and 18th centuries would use the battle cry"Hakkaa päälle!"( "Cut them down!" in Finnish), lending them the nameHackapell.
• Irish regiments of various armies used and continue to use Gaelic War cries,"Faugh a Ballagh"( "Clear the way!" ) or "Erin go Bragh" ( "Ireland Forever" )
• TheSwedish armyin the 18th and 19th centuries would be issued with the command to attack with "För Fäderneslandet, gå på, Hurra!" ( "For the Fatherland, onwards, Hurrah!" )
• ArgentinegeneralJosé de San Martínis known inSouth Americafor hiswar cry:"Seamos libres, que lo demás no importa nada!"(" Let's be free, nothing else matters! ").
• In theTexas Revolution,following theBattle of Goliadand theBattle of the Alamo,Texan soldiers would use the battle cry "Remember Goliad! Remember the Alamo!"
• In theBattle of Dybbølin 1864, both Danish and German forces used "Hurrah" as a war cry.
• DuringWorld War Iin theItalian Frontof 1915. Before battle, Italian soldiers would yell "Savoia" or "Avanti Savoia", which is "Come onSavoy!"or" Onwards Savoy! "in Italian (compare" For the king! "among British soldiers of the same era).

Modern

• DuringWorld War II,Tennōheika Banzai( thiên hoàng bệ hạ vạn tuế,May the Emperor live forten thousand years) served as a battle cry of sorts for Japanese soldiers, particularly in a "banzai charge".The most popular battle cry is "Ei ei oh" (エイエイオー), which is usually used at the start of battle.
• "Avanti Savoia!" (English: GoSavoy!) was the patriotic battle cry of theItalian Royal ArmyduringWorld War Iand to a lesser extent, World War II. Infantrymen would scream this motto when launching an offensive attack, namely against theAustro-Hungarians.
• During theGreco-Italian War(in WWII), the Greeks would shout "Αέρα!" (wind) as their battle cry.
• During theKorean War,theKorean People's Armyused the phrase "김일성 수령님 만세" (transliteratedgim-ilseong sulyeongnim manse,translated as "Long live the Great LeaderKim Il Sung").
• "Hooah"is the war cry of theUnited States Army,theUnited States Air Force,and theUnited States Space Force."Oorah"is the war cry used byUnited States Marine Corps."Hooyah"is the war cry of theUnited States Navyand theUnited States Coast Guard.
• The Slavic version, "Ura!" (not to be mistaken with the "Hooah", noting in common) has been used by theImperial Russian Army,theRed Army,Russian Ground Forces,alongside many more Eastern European armed forces. It was also used byYugoslav Partisansas Juriš/Јуриш.
• "Merdeka atau mati!" (English: Freedom or death!) Used by Indonesian national army and freedom fighters (Indonesian: Pedjoeang/pejuang) during theIndonesian National Revolution.
• In Afghanistan, Norwegian troops of theTelemark Battalionwould sometimes use the battle cry "Til Valhall!" (ToValhalla!) followed byOorah.
• Mujahideenandjihadistsin the Middle East and North Africa shout "Allahu Akbar"(God is the Greatest).
• During theBangladesh Liberation WartheMukti Bahiniwould shout "Joy Bangla"(" Victory toBengal"/" Long live Bengal ") during their battles against the Pakistani military.
• During theIndochina WarinVietnam,theViet Minhsoldiers usually used "Xung phong" (English: Charge) whenever attacking the enemy. The same battle cry would be used later byPAVNandNLFforces during theVietnam War.
• Each individual regiment of theIndian Armyhas a unique war cry. These chants are sonorous with the beliefs of individual castes and religions from which the troops belong to.
• Croatian armed forces during theCroatian War of Independencewould use "Za dom spremni".One would start by saying" Za dom! "and the rest would follow with" Spremni! ". It translates loosely to" For home – ready! "or" For homeland – ready! ".
• Leeroy Jenkinsis aninternet meme,which has often served the purpose of an ironic or fatalistic parody of a battle cry, originating from a famous video of aWorld of Warcraftclan creating an intricate battle plan, before being party-wiped as a result of Leeroy Jenkins, who had beenAFKat the time, charging in head-first. This gave rise to the phrase infirst-person shootergames, where players will shout "LEEROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOY JEEEEEENKIIIIIIIIIINS!" as they charge at the enemy. The phrase has gained notoriety, making appearances in various non-World of Warcraft media.
• Sangh Parivarand otherHindu nationalistorganizations use theHindureligious sloganJai Shri Ram(Victory toLordRama) as a war cry duringcommunal violence.
• VariousKurdish groupssuch asPKK,YPGandPeshmergause the following phrases "Bijî Kurdistan!" short for "Her Bijî Kurdistan" (English: Long Live Kurdistan), which is usually accompanied with "Her Bijî!" (English: Long live) "Yan Kurdistan Yan Neman" (English: Either Kurdistan or Extinction!)
• During the2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine,"Slava Ukraini" (Слава Україні!English: Glory to Ukraine!), often accompanied by a reply of "Heroiam Slava" (Героям слава!English: Glory to the heroes!), became an internationally-known battle cry not only among domestic forces, but also amongWestern,mostlyNATO allies.

See also

• Grito(Mexican shout)
• Alala
• Alarm call
• Battle Cry of Freedom
• Catchphrase
• Demoralization (warfare)
• Huzzah
• Kiai
• Military slang
• Mobbing call
• Slogan (heraldry)
• War dance

References

• Guilhem Pepin, ‘Les cris de guerre "Guyenne!" et "Saint George!". L’expression d’une identité politique du duché d’Aquitaine anglo-gascon’,Le Moyen Age,cxii (2006) pp 263–281

External links

• Philip Rance,'War Cry' inThe Encyclopedia of the Roman Army– Roman battle cries
• Ross Cowan,The Clashing of Weapons and Silent Advances in Roman Battles– battle cries and the drumming of weapons in Roman warfare