Regiment is a military unit responsible for housing and organizing a group of soldiers and their equipment. Many regiments are made up of a number of small groups, such as battalions, squadrons, or batteries. Infantry regiments vary in size and may have as few as two battalions in peacetime or many in war. The first regiments were formed in Spain in the 1500’s when commanders began to group their soldiers under a centralized command. Modern armies do not fight as regiments. Instead, they combine battalions, squadrons, and batteries from several different regiments into brigades of between 3,000 and 5,000 troops. Battalions within a regiment do not necessarily serve together, and it is common for them to be attached to different brigades.
Many of the titles of modern regiments indicate their roles when originally formed. For example, dragoon guards were heavy cavalry, hussars and lancers were light cavalry, and fusiliers were infantry armed with guns called fusils (flintlock muskets). Other regiments commemorate earlier national heroes. An example is the United States 75th (Ranger) Regiment, which perpetuates the history of Rogers’s Rangers (see Rogers’s Rangers ). Some regiments have titles that clearly indicate their specialist role, such as the British Parachute Regiment, the French 2eme REP (Regiment Etranger de Parachutistes), and the Australian SASR (Special Air Service Regiment).
