Rifleman

For other uses, seeRifleman (disambiguation).

Green jacketedBritish Armyrifleman aiming aBaker rifle,c. 1803

Ariflemanis aninfantrysoldierarmed with arifledlong gun.Although the rifleman role had its origin with 16th centuryhand cannoneersand 17th centurymusketeers,the term originated in the 18th century with the introduction of therifled musket.By the mid-19th century, entireregiments of riflemenwere formed and became the mainstay of all standard infantry, andriflemanbecame a generic term for any common infantryman.

History

Units of musketeers were originally developed to support units ofpikemen.As firearms became more effective and widely used, the composition of these pike-and-musket units changed, with pikemen eventually becoming support units to the musketeers, particularly againstcavalry.The last pike regiments were dissolved by the 1720s, as pikes were superseded by the invention of thebayonet.This converted the musket into a pike for those situations where it might still be useful, such as following up volleys with a charge, crowd control, or defensive formations.

Smooth-bore weapons, such as themusket,had always been recognized as relatively inaccurate, especially at longer ranges, and required massed volleys to be combat-effective. Although the smoothbore barrels impeded the accuracy of a musket, it was an advantage when loading because the looser fitting musket ball slid down the barrel quickly and easily with the ramrod being used mainly to compress the powder charge at the base of the barrel. Rifles required a tighter fit and thus more work to get the ball to be rammed all the way down the barrel. This meant that the soldiers chosen for this role needed to begood shots,resilient, brave, and resourceful. Riflemen were trained to act in isolation and were dispersed in teams of two, defending each other while they re-loaded. They were still vulnerable, especially to cavalry, as they could not present the solid wall of bayonets a larger mass of soldiers could. These factors: the time and expense required in training, the limited number of suitable recruits, and the specialized roles and situations where they were most effective meant they were highly prized, given special privileges, and used sparingly rather than squandered.

Such rifle units reached their heyday in the period shortly before and during theNapoleonic Wars,with the British riflemen partially derived from units of colonialmilitia(seeRogers' Rangersor theRoyal Americans) — truly excelling in theAmerican War of Independence.Regular units of rifles formed in theBritish Armyin 1800 were the60th Regiment of Footand the95th Regiment of Foot.These units were often given the name "light infantry",emphasizing their specialized roles.

Starting in the 1840s, with the advent of theMinié balland the first militarybreech-loadingrifles, the rifles entered the age ofindustrialized warfare.It was mass-produced and accessible to all infantrymen. The high level of training and specialized roles gave way to generality: the rifles were much faster and simpler to load, able to be reloaded while prone, and impossible to be double-loaded after a misfire. The term 'rifleman', once used solely as a mark of distinction and pride, became a commonplace description of all infantry, no matter what their actual status was. Nevertheless, the term retained a certainélanthat is still found today.

Rank

In many (particularly Commonwealth) armies, "rifleman" is arankequivalent toprivate,abbreviated Rfn.

Modern tactics

Afghan National Armyriflemen performing safety checks on theirM16 riflesat afiring range,2010

Modern riflemen are armed withselect-fireassault rifles,which are considered technically distinct from older forms of rifle. However, the grouping of infantry according to their function as linemen is the structure which early modern militaries emerged from. Riflemen are the basic modern soldiers from which all other soldierly functions stem. Though by tradition certain infantry units are based on the rifleman, they employ a variety of other specialised soldiers in conjunction with the rifleman.

In the context of the modernfire team,rifleman can be used to indicate a basic position such asscout,team leader, ordesignated marksman.In the same context, the terms "designated automatic rifleman" and "assistant automatic rifleman" are used to describe a soldier who carries either alight support weaponor its ammunition.

The term "long-rifleman" is often used bypolice tactical units,counterterroristunits, and small-scale team-based military forces worldwide. It is an assignment rather than a rank, and refers to amarksmanorsharpshooter(not asniper,who is additionally an expert infieldcraft) who is meant to expand the team's effective range with a long, scoped rifle.

Rifleman in different countries

Australia

Riflemen are employed by theAustralian Armyin both the Regular Army and the Army Reserve. Riflemen in the Australian Army are members of theRoyal Australian Infantry Corps.Riflemen in the Regular Army are organised into seven battalions of theRoyal Australian Regiment.

The 7 battalions are composed of:

• 1st Battalion(1 RAR)
• 2nd Battalion(2 RAR)
• 3rd Battalion(3 RAR)
• 5th Battalion(5 RAR)
• 6th Battalion(6 RAR)
• 7th Battalion(7 RAR)
• 8th/9th Battalion(8/9 RAR).

Riflemen of the Army Reserve are organised into individual state and university regiments with reserve depots being found in many places throughout rural and metropolitan Australia.

Israel

In theIsrael Defense Forcesevery soldier goes through some basic infantry training calledTironut.However, the level of training changes according to the role and unit to which the soldier belongs. The Rifleman profession (inHebrew:רובאי) includes basic military skills, physical training, military discipline, and use of theassault rifle.More infantry skills (such as operating diverse weapons) are added as the level of training increases.

Basic training (Tironut):

• Non-combat soldiers are trained as Rifleman 02.
• Combat-support troops are trained as Rifleman 03.
• Combat Engineeringsoldiers,Field Intelligence Corpssoldiers, Border Guard policemen andinfantrysoldiers are trained as Rifleman 05.

Advanced training (Imun Mitkadem):

• Combat soldiers of Artillery Corps are trained as Rifleman 03.
• Specialized Combat Soldiers of the Artillery corps are trained as Rifleman 04.
• Combat soldiers of Armor corps are trained as Rifleman 04.
• mountedField Intelligence Corpssoldiers are trained as Recon Rifleman 05.
• infantry Field Intelligence Corpssoldiers are trained as Recon Rifleman 07.
• Combat Engineeringsappersare trained as Rifleman 07.
• Infantrysoldiers are trained as Rifleman 07.

Additional training for combat soldiers:

• Combat squadcommandersare trained as Rifleman 08.
• Combat Senior Sergeants are trained as Rifleman 10.
• Combatofficersare trained as Rifleman 12.

Rhodesia

TheRhodesia Regimenthad an affiliation with theKing's Royal Rifle Corpssince World War I. The regiment's badge was theMaltese Cross,the colours were red, black and rifle green and rifle green berets were worn. A private soldier had the title of Rifleman.

United Kingdom

A historical reenactment with the British95th Rifles regiment.

Uniform of the Robin Hood Rifles depicted on a 1939 cigarette card

John Fitzgerald Kennedy,escorted by aBermuda Militia Artilleryofficer inRoyal Artilleryblue No. 1 Dress, inspects green-uniformed riflemen of theBermuda Riflesin 1961

From their inception British Rifle Regiments were distinguished by a dark green dress with blackened buttons, black leather equipment, and sombre facing colours designed for concealment. This has been retained to the present day for those British units that still carry on the traditions of the riflemen. Their most famous weapon was theBaker rifle(officially known as the Pattern 1800 Infantry Rifle), which in the hands of the elite 95th regiment and the light companies of the 60th regiment and theKings German Legiongained fame in thePeninsular WaragainstNapoleonic France.

• 60th rifles/King's Royal Rifle Corps
• 95th Rifles/The Rifle Brigade
• Royal Ulster Rifles
• Royal Green Jackets
• The Rifles
• Royal Gurkha Rifles
• Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)

During theSiege of Delhithe8th (Sirmoor) Local Battalionalong with the60th RiflesdefendedHindu Rao's Houseduring which a strong bond developed. After the rebellion, the 60th Rifles pressed for the Sirmoor Battalion to become a rifle regiment. This honour was granted to them the following year (1858) when the Battalion was renamed theSirmoor Rifle Regiment.Later all British Army Gurkha regiments were designated rifle regiments a nomenclature maintained to this day with theRoyal Gurkha Rifles.

The rank of Rifleman instead ofPrivatewas officially introduced in 1923.

The British military had, from the union of theKingdom of Englandand theKingdom of Scotlandto form theKingdom of Great Britainin 1707 until the end of the Napoleonic Wars, included a standing army (the "Regular Army" ) and theBoard of Ordnance,a more ancient part-time, conscriptedMilitia,the part-timeYeomanrycavalry, and various short-lived volunteer and fencible units formed for the duration of emergencies. In the 1850s, the Militia was re-organised into a voluntarily-recruited force that, like the army, enlisted recruits for fixed terms of service.

Concerns over the vulnerability of Britain to attack by a continental power, especially with much of the Regular Army garrisoning the Empire, also led to the creation of a permanentVolunteer Force.Although this would include various types of units, the majority were company-sized Volunteer Rifle Corps, dressed in rifle-green or grey uniforms and trained as skirmishers to support the line infantry of the regular army or to act independently to harry enemy forces.

Successive reforms saw the smaller corps grouped into battalions with neighbouring corps, then most lost their identities when they became volunteer battalions of new county regiments 1881. These regiments typically contained two regular battalions, which had previously been separate single battalion regiments, as the first and second battalions, sharing a depot, with militia and volunteer units in the same county becoming additionally numbered battalions. As the majority of these new regiments were formed from regular line infantry and most of the volunteer rifle corps linked with them would lose their identity as rifle units. Examples included theRobin Hood Rifles,which was to become the 7th (Robin Hood) Battalion,Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment).The rifles identity was not always lost despite becoming part of a line infantry regiment.

The5th Lancashire Rifle Volunteer Corps,became part of the 2nd Administrative Battalion Lancashire Rifle Volunteers, which became the 5th (Liverpool Rifle Brigade) Rifle Volunteer Corps, the 2nd Volunteer Battalion of the King's Regiment (Liverpool), and then the 6th Battalion (Rifles) King's Regiment (Liverpool). In 1936, the battalion was retrained to operate searchlights and redesignated the 38th (The King's Regiment) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, Royal Engineers (Territorial Army), and in 1940 it was renamed the 38th (The Kings Regiment) Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery (Territorial Army). Despite the change of parent corps, the battalion wore 'Liverpool Rifles' shoulder titles with red lettering on a Rifle green backgrounds.

Other volunteer rifle corps retained their independence and their identities through the various re-organisations of the latter 19th and earlier 20th Centuries, such as theArtists Rifles.Twenty-six former volunteer rifle corps in London on the formation of the Territorial Force (merging Militia, Yeomanry and Volunteer Force) in 1908 became battalions of the newLondon Regiment,with each retaining its own distinctive rifle green or grey uniform. Colonial military establishments often lagged behind re-organisations in Britain or followed different paths of re-organisation. Examples include theBermuda Volunteer Rifle Corps,which was not re-organised as a territorial until 1921, but remained an independent corps and retained the same name until being re-designated theBermuda Riflesin 1949 (it lost its rifles identity when amalgamated into theRoyal Bermuda Regimentin 1965) and theHong Kong Artillery and Rifle Volunteer Corps,re-named the Hong Kong Defence Corps by 1917.

United States

Riflemen of the War of 1812 in green fringed hunting shirts. Officer and sergeant in regulation gray. A general staff officer stands in the left foreground; behind him a mounted general officer.

In 1808, theUnited States Armycreated its firstRegiment of Riflemen.During theWar of 1812three more Rifle Regiments were raised but disbanded after the war. The Rifle Regiment was disbanded in 1821.

In theMexican–American WarColonelJefferson Daviscreated and led theMississippi Rifles.

Riflemen were listed as separate to infantry up to theAmerican Civil War.

During the Civil War, Sharpshooter regiments were raised in the North with several companies being raised by individual states for their own regiments.

In theUnited States Marine Corps,theMilitary Occupational Specialty(MOS)0311is for Rifleman. It is the primary infantry MOS for the Marine Corps, equivalent to theU.S. ArmyMOS 11BforInfantryman.Training for Marine Corps Riflemen is conducted at theU.S. Marine Corps School of Infantryand training for U.S. Army Riflemen is conducted atU.S. Army Infantry School.

See also

Rifles associated with riflemen

• Service rifle
• Assault rifle
• Battle rifle
• Baker rifle
• Sharps Rifle

Similar types of infantry

• Light Infantry
• Jaeger
• Sniper
• Sharpshooter
• Chasseur
• Fusilier
• Grenadier
• Skirmisher