Infantry is made up of soldiers who fight on foot. It has been the largest combat branch of most armies for hundreds of years.
Divisions.
In the United States Army, infantry divisions are made up of varying numbers and types of battalions and support groups. A typical mechanized infantry division is divided into five mechanized battalions and five armored battalions and has about 16,000 soldiers. A typical light infantry division consists of nine infantry battalions and has about 10,000 soldiers. The battalions within a division are organized into three brigades. United States Marine infantry divisions are called Marine divisions. Each Marine division has about 19,000 Marines grouped into three infantry regiments, an artillery regiment, and five battalions.
The infantry divisions of other countries are organized according to their own methods of warfare. In some countries, infantry soldiers may serve in motorized rifle divisions or may be assigned to tank divisions, where they travel in armored fighting vehicles.
Equipment.
Infantry divisions are equipped with rifles, machine guns, grenades, antiarmor missiles, mortars, recoilless rifles, artillery, and armored fighting vehicles. These units are also equipped and trained for transportation by air. With field telephones and radios, infantry units can call for artillery or air support.
Formations.
Before the invention of gunpowder, infantry fought in dense masses, such as the Greek phalanx and the Roman legion. After firearms were developed, soldiers fought in long lines, so that they could fire as many weapons as possible. Up until the 1800’s, European infantries clustered in tight squares to fight off calvary attacks.
Around the time of the American Civil War (1861-1865), firearms became more effective. Because of this development, infantry had to spread out to make itself harder to hit. Modern armies often fight against small, irregular forces. As a result, infantry may operate in units of only 30 troops.
History.
Large masses of foot soldiers fought in ancient wars. But the importance of infantry declined during the A.D. 500’s as cavalry began to dominate the battlefield. In the 1300’s, the development of the English longbow, the Swiss pike and halberd, and firearms led to the renewed importance of infantry fighting. In World War I (1914-1918), World War II (1939-1945), and the Korean War (1950-1953), infantry divisions did most of the fighting.
