Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/03/03

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Subject: RE: [Leica] MOVIE LEICA SIGHTING - 'We Were Soldiers"
From: "Tim Atherton" <tim@KairosPhoto.com>
Date: Sun, 3 Mar 2002 13:22:59 -0700

Of course Marc, even you must admit that a lack of understanding of military
pedantry regarding unit designations is entirely understandable! You
illustrate it excellently when you say :

> And, to be really picky, the unit in question might have been the second
> SQUADRON of the 7th Cavalry Regiment -- normally, cavalry units have
> "squadrons", the same unit as a battalion, but the name is different.  But
> I recall that the 1st AirCav used "battalion" as the troops were infantry
> despite the fancy cavalry titles.

Depending on whose army you are talking about, and even within the same army
one term can mean at least two different things... depending on what Corps
or Arm you are talking about (there's a good one to start of with - Corps -
at least two very different meanings in the British Army). Then you can have
Regiments (usually a historic designation) made up of Battalions; and
Regiments (merely a numeric designation) made up of Companies. You can have
Companies with have both a Regimental AND a Company Sergeant Major. You can
have special forces units made up of (Sabre) Squadrons (of course, from an
army where Squadron =  Company for the cavalry), when historically they have
never come near a horse, unless you count Willis Jeeps in the N. African
desert.... and so on.

My point being, unless you have studied this esoterica, it sure can be
confusing.

tim a


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