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Line infantry
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In the United Kingdom, Infantry of the Line or Line Infantry refers to the soldiers forming the bulk of any dismounted force, as distinct from Guards, light infantry and more recently, special operations forces.
Infantry of the Line were so called because they fought in rigid formations, unlike light troops, who fought in loose order. The seventeenth and eighteenth centuries saw expansion of the roles of the infantry, specialist grenadiers appeared and the role of skirmishers expanded.
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In the United Kingdom, Infantry of the Line or Line Infantry refers to the soldiers forming the bulk of any dismounted force, as distinct from Guards, light infantry and more recently, special operations forces.
Infantry of the Line were so called because they fought in rigid formations, unlike light troops, who fought in loose order. The seventeenth and eighteenth centuries saw expansion of the roles of the infantry, specialist grenadiers appeared and the role of skirmishers expanded. The Line Infantry was the remaining body of musket-armed foot soldiers.
The tactical distinctions between infantry regiments disappeared in the late nineteenth century, but remain in tradition. Most infantry units in the British Army are regarded as line infantry, including the regiments historically classed as light infantry. However, recent reorganisation means that individual battalions of infantry regiments are now fixed in specific roles — Light, Mechanised, Armoured or Air Assault. To some extent, therefore, there has been a restoration of the old distinction between "Light" and "Heavy" or "Line Infantry": in High Intensity Warfare Mechanised/Armoured Infantry are likely to fight "in formation" as part of All Arms Battle Groups; Light role will be used to take or hold ground in areas less accessible to armour (e.g., urban areas, "close" wooded or hilly terrain), or conduct specialised operations - amphibious, air assault, mountain and arctic, etc.
Modern day British Line Infantry Regiment recruits undertake 26 weeks of training (CIC) at the School of Infantry Catterick.
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