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Cleaver: a weapon with a long history. Cleaver knife - a tactical assistant with a universal potential Cleaver: a general idea

Cleaver is one of the varieties of knives that are used both on the battlefield and in everyday life. With a huge size and impressive weight of the blade, by its mere appearance it will demoralize any enemy, which is befitting a military weapon. The name of the knife is associated with the verb "to hew", confirming its domestic use, mainly to hew wood.

Cleaver: general idea

This knife belongs to the blade chopping and piercing types of weapons and is distinguished by a very large size. Its blade forms can be straight or curved, the length of the blades is 20-70 cm, sometimes more, and the width is 4-5 cm.

This weapon is distinguished by a handle equipped with a hilt. The hilt is represented by an element consisting of a guard and a special pommel at the end of the hilt.

The hilts of this type of weapon are:

• open types;
• closed types.

The material for good cleavers is always high-quality steel tempered at high temperatures. Steel is made ductile, because the finished product is calculated for shock loads. Mostly used laminated or stainless steel, carbon.

Blades with laminated steel have perfect razor sharpness and long service life.

Cleavers made of carbon steel are distinguished by high sharpness and low price. However, without careful maintenance, the blade can rust. Stainless steel cleavers present high anti-corrosion properties, but not sharpness. Carbon is added to this steel for rigidity and chromium for corrosion resistance. Scabbards are considered a mandatory attribute for carrying cleavers.

The history of the appearance of cleavers

No one knows for sure the exact date of the appearance of the cleaver. Traces of the appearance of cleavers lead to the hoary antiquity of the first millennium BC. e. However, in the Iron Age, an analogy to the modern cleaver can be found in almost all nations.

In the Middle Ages, cleavers, especially fighting ones, were in many varieties. These were dusaks, swords of Malch, cords and others. In written references of that time, cleavers-knives were called small swords or large knives.

In the XIII century, all the versatility of cleavers was appreciated by shipbuilders and ship crews. Then they became sea knives and at the same time they received the name "pirate weapons". Further, these knives were only improved.

The tactics of using cleavers

Sapper cleaver

The modern army has many types of piercing and cutting weapons. Such weapons should be light, practical, small and with a well-sharpened blade. However, few people know that the modern soldier's bayonet-knife descended from old cleavers. They were considered conventional weapons in many of the world's armies. It is known that in the old days, warriors were armed with ancient Russian cleavers. They were called sling knives, the Europeans had falchions, and the Algerians had fleeces.

The tactics of using the Russian sapper cleaver

In Russia, in tsarist times, sapper hatchets were in service only in 1827-1834. It was a long (50-60 cm), wide (6.5-8.5 cm) blade with a handle, framed by a cross or bow. The blade was flat with a straight line or with a very conspicuous curved shape. It was sharpened on one or both sides. Cleavers were one of the parts in the uniforms of sappers and had the corresponding names.

One was outwardly like a short uneven sword with a copper handle. The other had a wide curved blade and a wooden handle, it was called a fascinated knife. On the butt, the blade had teeth for cutting down trees during the construction of military field facilities.

The second cleaver, with a heavy blade and teeth, was armed with sappers. Having a significant weight and not particularly outstanding combat or protective characteristics, the sapper soldier's cleaver was destined to remain as an important attribute of the full dress military uniform.

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The list of short-bladed edged weapons included daggers, cleavers and knives. Dagger- cold contact, bladed, piercing-cutting weapons with a short or medium straight or curved double-edged blade, sharpened on one or both sides. Most often, the dagger was used for close combat in a limited space. There were also varieties of dagger with a weighted blade, designed for throwing.

The first daggers were made from wood and bone. With the transition to the age of metals, daggers began to be made from copper. However, they were still very small - with blades of only 200-300 mm in length with a fairly soft blade. With the advent of iron, the first blades were used by the Assyrians, Greeks and Macedonians. Daggers often served as a backup weapon for situations where the main weapon was difficult to use due to its size. Daggers used as offensive weapons were longer than usual. During the Middle Ages, daggers passed into the category of self-defense weapons, although in close combat they could also be used as an offensive weapon.

The dagger was one of the most accessible types of weapons. In comparison with a sword, the manufacture of a dagger required less iron and less art, since the requirements for the strength of a piercing blade are significantly lower than for the strength of a chopping one. The ease of carrying and removing, the convenience of wearing and the ease of handling of the dagger made it an effective additional weapon. Daggers were most widely used in the Middle East and the Caucasus, where they were used not only as a weapon, but also as an accessory to military or civilian clothing.

The device of daggers is the same as that of swords, but their blade is much shorter - usually, about 350-400 mm. A typical dagger consisted of a shank, a head, a limiter, a blade, a golomen, an edge or a fuller, and a point. Daggers usually have iron blades and bronze hilts and scabbards. Their hilt was usually equipped with bows, which by their appearance divide daggers into two types: daggers with horns - when the bows diverge, and daggers with a key - when these bows converge into an oval ring.

Daggers of two main types have long been common: straight and curved. The dagger of the first type was a weapon with a straight double-edged blade, sharply tapering to the point, a short, peculiar handle. Wooden scabbard covered with leather, usually decorated with a metal device. The steel blades of these daggers have blades that are parallel to each other, which taper sharply towards the tip. To enhance the fighting qualities of the blades, they are forged with a protruding middle part or with stiffeners, and to lighten the weight, valleys are made along the ribs.

Daggers are also distinguished by the shape of the blades: wide triangular; narrow triangular; asymmetric; leaf-shaped; curved; double curved. According to the section, the blades are subdivided: with parallel planes; ribbed; trihedral, rhombic and awl-shaped. It should be noted that daggers are also classified according to nationality: Caucasian; Central Asian; Turkish; Syrian; Persian; Mongolian; Japanese; Indian; African.

The scabbards for daggers are also varied: Nepalese wooden scabbards covered with leather; wooden scabbard with openwork gilded copper lining; leather scabbard in a metal frame.

In World War II, daggers, being a full-fledged edged weapon, were used mainly as an element of ceremonial clothing.

Cleaver- chopping and piercing melee weapons with a wide medium single-edged, sometimes with a double-edged blade. As a rule, it is intended for applying mainly chopping blows. The cleaver blade could be either straight or curved, double-edged or single-edged. Its length was usually 640-720 mm, and its width was 40-50 mm. The cleaver, as a rule, had an open or closed hilt. The handle had a cross or bow. There was also a cleaver bayonet: a cleaver that was attached to a gun as a bayonet. The cleaver was worn in a sheath over the shoulder on the belts by privates and non-commissioned officers of naval artillery, non-commissioned officers of the fleet, and also by pirates. The cleaver was also part of the uniform of cadets of military educational institutions and the lower ranks of the police.

The cleaver was in service with many countries of Europe and the Middle East in the 18th-19th centuries. It was distinguished by its versatility in use, both in battles and in everyday life. Artillery, sapper and infantry cleavers are widely known. In World War II, cleavers were used by special forces soldiers, but more often they were a distinctive feature of the uniform, or award weapons.

Combat knife- contact blade piercing-cutting weapon with a short single-edged blade. It was intended to defeat enemy manpower during combat operations or special operations.

The knife consists of a blade and a handle. If the blade converges wedge-shaped to one point towards its end, then this point is called the edge of the blade. The sharpened side of the blade is called the blade or cutting edge. The blade is either smooth or sawtooth. The surfaces of the part of the blade tapering towards the blade are called descents. The side opposite the blade is called the butt of the blade. Sometimes grooves are made on the side surface (holomen) of the blade - valleys, which lighten the blade. The unsharpened part of the blade, adjacent to the handle, is called the fifth of the blade. Cheren - the main part of the handle, directly captured by the hand. Between the blade and the handle is a cross, which protects the hand. The part of the blade that is inside the hilt, and to which the hilt is attached, is called the blade tang. The main methods of mounting the handle of a clumsy knife: mounted, when the handle is mounted on the shank with a longitudinal hole, and lamellar, in which the handle is formed by overlays attached on both sides to the shank, repeating the shape of the handle. The part of the handle on the side of the palm and the butt of the blade is called the back, the opposite part on the side of the blade is called the belly of the handle. The part of the handle farthest from the blade is called the head. Sometimes a hole is made in the head of the handle, into which a lanyard is passed.

The following requirements were imposed on the combat knife:

- oval or ovoid (not round) section of the handle so that the hand feels the position of the blade;

- double-sided sharpening of the blade or at least partial reverse sharpening (one and a half);

— the width of the blade is not less than 30 mm, which ensures a decrease in the angle of sharpening due to the width of the descent of the blade;

- leaf-shaped blade or differentiated sharpening for effective cutting blows;

- the presence of a handle limiter or cross;

- the total length of the knife should be from 220 to 300 mm;

- the hardness of the blade must be at least HRC 50-55;

- the tip of the blade should be as close as possible to the axis of symmetry of the knife, which allows you to completely direct the force of impact along the vector of application of the impact;

- the center of gravity should be located as close to the handle as possible;

- the weight of the knife should be about 200-300 g;

- the scabbard for a combat knife must be without fasteners to hold the knife.

The sheath (knife case) is designed to provide: the possibility of carrying, storing and transporting a knife without the possibility of losing it; user safety when carrying a knife; protection of the knife from damage; the comfort of wearing a knife and the ability to quickly bring it into working position. The scabbard may include the following components: case, open on one side; a loop, hook, clip, cord or other part that provides suspension (fastening) of the sheath when carrying, storing or transporting a knife; sheath set, made, as a rule, of metal and including a clip and a tip; a solid insert that guides the blade when sheathing the knife, protecting the material of the sheath walls from being cut by the inserted blade, preventing the sheath from bending; clasp with a button, etc. fixing the knife in the sheath. The classic materials for scabbards are wood and leather, metal, fabric, cardboard, and plastics are also used.

The following main types of blades can be distinguished by shape: with a straight butt; with a lowering of the butt line; with an increase in the butt line; blade type "finca"; blade type "goat leg"; blade type "American tanto", spear-shaped blade. According to the shape of the section, the following main types can be distinguished: a straight wedge from the butt; blade with straight slopes; blade with concave descents; blade with convex descents; straight wedge with leads to the cutting edge.

By design, they distinguish: clumsy knives (knives in which the blade and handle are connected motionlessly); folding knives (knives in which the blade is hidden in the handle when not in use); knives with removable (replaceable) blades; poke knives (knives in which the handle is perpendicular to the blade, like a corkscrew); skeletal knives (clumsy knives of the simplest design, entirely stamped from a steel sheet; the handle can be wrapped with a cord for ease of holding).

By purpose, knives are divided into: bayonet knives, combat knives, self-defense knives, ballistic knives, cleavers and fascinated knives.

Knife blades were made most often from carbon or alloy steel, subjected to special thermomechanical processing. For blade steel, properties such as hardness, toughness, wear resistance and corrosion resistance are important. The handles used wood or bark (type-setting handles made of birch bark), stabilized wood, metal, leather, rubber, and many synthetic materials.

To use a knife in combat, there is a set of rules and methods for protecting and defeating the enemy, called knife fighting. In some cases, namely at distances up to three meters, the knife is more effective than firearms, losing in the speed of drawing and preparation for use. Another important advantage of the knife is its compactness and noiselessness. Soldiers for knife fighting use mainly special combat knives. In addition to people, animals can also act as opponents, for example, service dogs. Traditionally, knife fighting is divided into duel knife fighting, army, criminal and national styles. Knife fighting techniques include various thrusts, cuts, blocking and gripping with a blade, as well as throwing techniques. As auxiliary techniques, kicks and free hand strikes can be used. Knife fighting techniques in the army are usually aimed at imperceptible approach and silent destruction, excluding the knife fight itself, the goal is the sudden destruction of enemy manpower. The technique of quickly applying two or three stabbing blows to a vital organ (neck, heart, liver, kidney, spine) was used.

During the Second World War, knives of various designs took first place among all types of edged weapons. Almost every soldier who did not even participate in hostilities had a knife with him. Their total number is determined within 100 million units.

A cleaver is a knife that occupies a place among the military weapons of the army units of various countries, and is also used as the main tool in survival conditions. The universal characteristics of the knife make it possible to use it in domestic conditions, and as a hunting tool.

Basically, this type of edged weapons has found wide application as a combat cleaver. The impressive appearance of the blade is able to inflict a demoralizing effect on the enemy and end the conflict without bloodshed, which has been repeatedly proven by facts. One such case will be discussed in this article.

History of occurrence

In what era the cleaver knife appeared is not known for certain. The first mention of this weapon dates back to the first half of the 18th century, among the descriptions of the weapons of some armies in Europe and Asia. However, historians find the facts of the appearance of a cleaver in earlier times.

According to scientists, the cleaver has roots in the first millennium BC. And in the era of the Iron Age, with the widespread development of metallurgy, the prototype of the modern cleaver was found among many nationalities.

The average size of the blade made it possible to call this weapon, according to written references, as a small sword or a large knife.

The design of the combat cleaver was distinguished by the complete symmetry of the blade and handle. This appearance remained unchanged until the end of the 15th century. In the next century, the blades received an asymmetrical appearance, where the handle could be performed both one-handed and two-handed.

Varieties

In the XIII century, representatives of shipbuilding and members of ship crews paid attention to small swords. Thus, the knife found application in maritime affairs, and it was called a boarding cleaver, a favorite weapon of pirates. The blade easily cut ropes and anti-boarding nets. Instances of a cleaver with a hilt were considered the most popular and convenient among the naval representatives of that time.

The first structure of the hilt was closed. This reliably protected the brush in battle and prevented it from slipping onto the blade. In addition, the blade wielder could put more force into the strike for efficiency. It is worth noting that the hilt is often . Over time, the design of the brush protection has changed. Ephesus was transformed into a massive element resembling the shape of a deep bowl.

The popularization of the cleaver contributed to a wide study of the technique of owning this blade. Some schools of fencing have included training with this weapon in the mandatory program. This was mentioned in his educational treatises by the German fencing teacher Hans Talhoffer, who lived in the 15th century.

In China, cleavers appeared at the end of the 17th century and were used as weapons in pairs.

They were called - Batchamdou (sword-butterfly). The main use of small swords was found in the Chinese navy and in the police. This type of weapon was not accepted into service with the army.

At the same time, on the territory of the European continent, the cleaver received a kind of hunting knife. The weighty blade has earned a positive reputation among hunters and fishermen. It was easy for them to chop branches for a fire and stakes for traps. Hunters liked its functions in the construction of a hut and butchering the carcass of an animal. A hunting cleaver easily replaced an ax in some cases.

In Russia, a large knife was in service with the Tsarist army from the beginning of the 18th to the end of the 19th century and was called the Russian infantry cleaver. It was used by infantry, artillery and engineering troops. For sappers, the infantry cleaver was slightly modified and was called the sapper cleaver.

He had a slightly curved blade and in addition to the main sharpening, the second side of the blade had a serrated blade in the form of a saw. The handle was made of wood or bronze. In the first case, a copper heel was installed on the handle.

Device and material of manufacture

The original form of the cleaver was similar to a shortened saber. Its distinguishing feature was a wide and curved blade at the end. The handle of the weapon could be cast from a copper alloy at the same time as the cup and limiter.

The blade could have a different design: straight, curved, with one-sided or two-sided sharpening.

Its standard width was from 4 to 6 cm, and the length was from 60 to 70 cm. As a rule, the cleaver was equipped with a hilt. Later samples had a cross or a shackle. The blade was made of steel.

Worldwide distribution

In the 21st century, the cleaver knife belongs to a tactical type of edged weapon with a universal potential. In addition to combat use, individual models of a cleaver can be found in domestic use, for example, in the kitchen when cutting a large carcass of an animal or fish.

The tactical characteristics of the cleaver allow it to surpass the no less formidable competitor, which is the combat dagger. But the fact is that the dagger has the function of a weapon for killing the enemy, and is not intended for universal use, giving primacy in this area to a large knife.

The cleaver has found its niche and is widely used by military professionals and police officers in many states. In emergency situations where it is not possible to use firearms, law enforcement officers can use a combat cleaver. These situations include:

Cleaver is a blade cutting and piercing weapon with a wide straight or curved blade of medium length. Basically, cleavers were made with a single-edged blade, but there are also double-edged options. The hilt of military cleavers is either open (with a cross) or closed (with a shackle that is connected to the pommel).

This description refers primarily to military cleavers adopted in the late 18th and early 19th centuries by the armies of many countries in Europe and the Middle East. But mentions of cleavers are found in various written sources long before the 18th century.

The appearance of such weapons is attributed to the 1st millennium BC. Varieties of the cleaver are known among almost all peoples of the beginning of the Iron Age. Its popularity is due, first of all, to its versatility, since the cleaver was widely used not only in battles, but also in everyday life. The word "cleaver" comes from the verb "to hew", which indicates that cleavers were widely used for processing wood.
In medieval Europe, there were quite a few varieties of military cleavers. It is quite possible to include such blades as: scramasax, "sword of Malch", falchion, cord, dusak and others. In some written sources of antiquity, "cleaver", "big knife" and "small sword" are used as synonyms. There were both one-handed and two-handed versions of such blades.

The handle of medieval cleavers was usually made symmetrical in the likeness of the hilt of swords, but at the end of the 15th century, cleavers with an asymmetrical handle appeared. This variety of bladed weapons was not ignored in fencing schools either. So, the technique of owning a cleaver is described in the famous fencing manual of the 15th century, written by Hans Talhoffer.

Since the 13th century, the number of fully sailing ships has been growing rapidly in Europe, the crews of which immediately appreciated all the advantages of cleavers over other types of bladed weapons. Not surprisingly, the cleaver became the favorite weapon of pirates. In the very limited space of the ship's premises, as well as on the upper deck, surrounded by ropes, rigging and ship structures, light blades of medium length were out of competition. With a cleaver, it was possible to quickly and easily cut the rope of an enemy boarding cat or cut through an anti-boarding net. The closed hilt not only protected the fingers from enemy blades, but also made it possible to strike more safely and effectively with the handle, using a shackle like brass knuckles. Constantly improving, by the end of the 16th century, the sea cleaver received a developed hilt with a more complex and massive guard (often having a cup), reinforced with a large number of ring and spiral elements, and began to be referred to as a "boarding saber" or "cutlass" (cutlass).
Chinese paired cleavers Batchamdou (Hudedao) appeared in the 16th century, clearly under the influence of cleavers available to European sailors (apparently Portuguese), who visited the ports of the Celestial Empire at that time. This is confirmed by the hilt with bow, never before used in China, but very common in Europe.
There are several very famous blades of the original form and without a hilt at all, but they have the right to be called cleavers. These include, of course, the machete, Turkish scimitar, Nepalese kukri and others.
Cleavers gained immense popularity among European hunters, who, with their help, could chop brushwood or branches for a hut for a fire, as well as butcher a carcass. It was the hunting cleaver that became the model for the first artillery cleavers, which were put into service in the 60s of the 17th century in Austria, and then in other countries. This blade was supposed to take on the functions of not only edged weapons, but also an ax, and sometimes a saw. They cut branches and small trees for the manufacture of fascines, which were bundles of long thick rods used in paving a road through a swamp (gatit), erecting fortifications and hydraulic structures.
The cleaver, sometimes called the "fascinary knife", was armed with artillery, sapper, engineering units, as well as ship crews and infantry.

In the middle of the 18th century in Prussia, and then in other countries, the cleaver began to be massively used as a bayonet, equipping rifled guns with cleaver bayonets.
In Russia, the first cleavers were put into service in the 40s of the 18th century. They became the characteristic weapon of the guard, as well as the lower ranks of the infantry, navy, foot artillery, engineering and sapper troops. The cleaver was also part of the uniform of cadets of military educational institutions and the lower ranks of the police. They wore it in a sheath on a belt or shoulder strap.
The suspension (blade) of the cleaver was always selected in the same color as the waist belt and was white or black. The sheath made of wood was covered with leather and had a metal tip and a mouth with a hook for fastening.

The handles of many examples of cleavers with an open hilt have holes for a lanyard made of white braid. In handles with a closed hilt, a shackle was used to fasten the lanyard. For example, an infantry soldier's cleaver of the 1817 model was worn with a lanyard for all ranks.
The lanyard had a slider, a stem, a crown and a white tassel. The colors of the slider with a crown (always the same color) and the stem served as a distinctive sign that the owner of the cleaver belonged to one or another company, and sometimes even a platoon.

The chronology of the adoption of cleavers by the Russian army can be presented as follows:

1740s - front of the Life Guards.
L total - 870 mm., L blade - 700 mm., S (width) of the blade - 40 mm.

1750 - infantry guards soldier.
L overall - 925 mm., L blade - 775 mm., S blade - 40 mm.

1756 - infantry soldier (early and late versions).
L total - 870 mm., L blade - 700 mm., S blade - 44 mm.

1797 - sapper soldier (the saw has up to 49 teeth).
L total - 70 mm., L blade - 500 mm., S blade - 85 mm., m - 1.9 kg.

1798 - infantry soldier (two options).
L total - 745 mm., L blade - 600 mm., S blade - 30 mm., m - 1.1 kg.

1807 - infantry soldier.
L total - 780 mm., L blade - 610 mm., S blade - 32 mm., m - 1.2 kg.

1810 - sea.
L total - 685 mm., L blade -535 mm., S blade -35 mm., m -1.35 kg.

1817 - infantry soldier (early and main versions).
L total - 830 mm., L blade - 690 mm., S blade - 35 mm., m - 1.25 kg.

1827 - a sapper soldier (a saw has up to 25 teeth).
L total - 670 mm., L blade - 500 mm., S blade - 59 mm., m - 1.9 kg.

1834 - sapper soldier (the saw has up to 63 teeth).
L total - 640 mm., L blade - 490 mm., S blade - 40 mm., m - 1.3 kg.

1848 - infantry soldier (the most common of Russian cleavers).
L total - 640 mm., L blade - 490 mm., S blade - 40 mm., m - 1.4 kg.

In 1880, by order No. 70 of the Military Department, cleavers in the troops were abolished, with the exception of musicians and drummers who wore them until 1917. For wearing by the lower ranks in peacetime, they remained only in the guards infantry. Since 1890, the infantry cleaver of the 1848 model was also worn out of service by the sword-junkers of infantry schools, and since 1907 - pages (cadets of noble origin) of the combatant company of His Imperial Majesty's Corps of Pages (during outfits, on duty and upon dismissal), which was an elite military educational institution.
All types of military cleavers in Russia were completely withdrawn from service in 1917.

From the beginning of the 19th century, in the armies of different countries, the bayonet and small axes began to displace military hatchets, which were gradually removed from service.
After the First World War, they were used very rarely - as a rule, by special forces soldiers. Nevertheless, cleavers periodically remind of themselves. For example, "Smatchet" (Smatchet), depicted on a poster from the Second World War in the hands of an English commando, according to the authors, was supposed to terrify enemies. Recently, the military cleaver is in a number of countries a distinctive feature of the uniform of representatives of various organizations or educational institutions, as well as ceremonial and award weapons.

Infantry cleavers of the 19th century

Throughout the XVIII century. not all European powers armed their foot soldiers with bladed weapons, believing that a musket with an attached bayonet was enough for close combat. At the beginning of the XIX century. most European armies are adopting new models of bladed weapons for infantry. In domestic literature, they are usually called cleavers. As a rule, this is a chopping-piercing weapon, with a blade wider and shorter than a sword, about 70 cm long and a simple hilt, with or without a side bow.

Infantry cleavers began to fall out of use in Europe in the last quarter of the 19th century, when bayonet cleavers began to replace them.

294. Infantry cleaver, Austria, 1765

295. Infantry cleaver, Prussia, 1787

296. Infantry cleaver, Russia, 1762

297. Infantry cleaver - experimental model, Russia, 1817

298. Infantry cleaver, France, the era of the Napoleonic wars

299. Artillery cleaver kup-shu (cabbage cutter), France, 1831

300. Sea cleaver, USA

Private grenadier regiment, Russia, 1812

Grenadiers (from French grenade - grenade) - soldiers throwing hand grenades - appeared in Europe in the first half of the 17th century. in the form of separate teams, three to four people per infantry company. A hand grenade was a hollow metal ball filled with gunpowder with an attached fuse that was ignited by hand. The handling of such weapons required from the soldier remarkable composure, courage and skill. Grenadiers were intended to throw grenades at enemy fortifications and support their attacking infantry. At the end of the XVII century. separate grenadier companies were formed, one for each regiment. At the beginning of the XVIII century. entire grenadier regiments are formed, which are used, as a rule, in the direction of the main attack.

But by the middle of the XVIII century. hand grenades have virtually disappeared from the arsenals of European armies. Grenadiers began to be called selected infantrymen, from whom shock detachments were formed. Grenadiers were classified as heavy infantry, used for a decisive offensive or breaking through enemy positions. The grenadier units were considered privileged, they recruited recruits with good physical data and high growth. As a rule, they underwent more serious military training than line infantry. As a reward for distinction in battle, a soldier from a line regiment could be transferred to a grenadier one. There was a practice when an entire regiment, for military merit, was awarded the title of grenadier.

A standard set of offensive weapons for a European infantryman of the early 19th century. consisted of a smoothbore musket with a bayonet and a cleaver. The soldier's equipment, as a rule, included a knapsack worn on leather straps that crossed over the chest. A cartridge bag hung on a separate belt. To prevent the belt from moving off the shoulder, such an element of the uniform as epaulettes was invented. Subsequently, there were two shoulder straps, and insignia began to be applied to them. The new headdress, which gradually replaced the triangular hat, in the European armies of the 19th century. became a shako. Grenadiers, as privileged units, usually had uniforms that distinguished them from other infantry. For example, in France during the Napoleonic Wars, grenadiers wore tall bearskin hats. In Russia, the grenadier was distinguished by a tall sultan on a shako and a sign of a flaming grenade on a cartridge bag.

Russian army in the XVIII - first half of the XIX century. was completed by soldiers on the principle of recruitment service. From 100-120 peasants, one person aged 17-35 was called up for service. A recruit who entered the service ceased to be a serf and became a member of a separate class - a soldier. The soldier's service was originally life-long, then its term was reduced to 25 years. Before the introduction of universal military duty in Russia, the term of soldier's service was 7 years.

This text is an introductory piece.