Red beret
Encyclopedia
The red beret is a military beret
worn by many military police
, paramilitary
, commando
and police
forces around the world. The maroon beret
has become a symbol of airborne forces, though this is often known as a "red beret", particularly when referring to the British Parachute Regiment.
and later became an emblem of Carlists in general, often with a yellow pom pom or tassel
.
Red berets were worn by the 1st and 2nd Canadian Infantry Battalions of the 27th Canadian Infantry Brigade
in West Germany, The Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment
of Canada, the Vietnamese Airborne Division
(Mũ Đỏ Nhảy Dù), the Serbia
n Special Operations Unit (called "Red Berets", 'Crvene beretke') and 40. Fallschirmjägerbataillon Willi Sänger
of the former German Democratic Republic's Nationale Volksarmee.
militaries.
Military beret
Berets have been a component of the uniforms of many armed forces throughout the world since the mid-20th century. Military berets are usually pushed to the right to free the shoulder that bears the rifle on most soldiers, but the armies of some European countries have influenced the push to the...
worn by many military police
Military police
Military police are police organisations connected with, or part of, the military of a state. The word can have different meanings in different countries, and may refer to:...
, paramilitary
Paramilitary
A paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military, but which is not considered part of a state's formal armed forces....
, commando
Commando
In English, the term commando means a specific kind of individual soldier or military unit. In contemporary usage, commando usually means elite light infantry and/or special operations forces units, specializing in amphibious landings, parachuting, rappelling and similar techniques, to conduct and...
and police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
forces around the world. The maroon beret
Maroon beret
The maroon beret is a military beret and has been an international symbol of elite airborne forces since it was chosen for British airborne forces in World War II. This distinctive head dress was officially introduced in 1942, at the direction of General Frederick Browning, commander of the British...
has become a symbol of airborne forces, though this is often known as a "red beret", particularly when referring to the British Parachute Regiment.
Carlists
The red beret was worn as a distinguishing device by Carlists soldiers in the First Carlist WarFirst Carlist War
The First Carlist War was a civil war in Spain from 1833-1839.-Historical background:At the beginning of the 18th century, Philip V, the first Bourbon king of Spain, promulgated the Salic Law, which declared illegal the inheritance of the Spanish crown by women...
and later became an emblem of Carlists in general, often with a yellow pom pom or tassel
Tassel
A tassel is a finishing feature in fabric decoration. It is a universal ornament that is seen in varying versions in many cultures around the globe.-Etymology:...
.
Military Units
The following military units wear red berets:- The 4th Parachute Brigade (Argentina)
- Portuguese Army Commandos
- The Singapore Armed Forces Commando FormationSingapore Armed Forces Commando FormationThe Singapore Armed Forces Commando Formation is an elite branch of the Singapore Armed Forces . An offensive unit, it specialises in pre-emptive operations involving small groups of specially trained soldiers in enemy territory...
- The French Colonial ForcesFrench Colonial ForcesThe French Colonial Forces , commonly called La Coloniale, was a general designation for the military forces that garrisoned in the French colonial empire from the late 17th century until 1960. They were recruited from mainland France or from the French settler and indigenous populations of the...
Parachutistes Coloniaux ("Colonial Paratroopers"), later renamed Troupes Parachutistes d'Infanterie de Marine ("Marine Paratroopers") after independence of the colonies. Their branch cap badge combines the silver-metal Airborne Troops' winged fist grasping a sword ("St Michael's arm") over a gold-metal Marine Troops fouled anchor. - The Venezuelan 42 Brigada de Infantería Paracaidista - 42 paratroopers infantry brigade (Venezuela)
- 35th Paratroopers Brigade of the Israeli Defense Forces
- KopassusKopassusKopassus is an Indonesian Army special forces group that conducts special operations missions for the Indonesian government, such as direct action, unconventional warfare, sabotage, counter-insurgency, counter-terrorism, and intelligence gathering.Kopassus was founded on April 16, 1952...
, Indonesian Army special forces - The Special Services GroupSpecial Services GroupThe Special Service Group , also known as Black Storks, because of their distinctive headgear, the unit is also known as Maroon Beret, are a special operations military unit of the Pakistan Army mandated with fourteen primary and special missions: Asymmetric warfare,Anti piracy,Special...
of the Pakistan ArmyPakistan ArmyThe Pakistan Army is the branch of the Pakistani Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The Pakistan Army came into existence after the Partition of India and the resulting independence of Pakistan in 1947. It is currently headed by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The Pakistan...
. - Support troops in the German BundeswehrBundeswehrThe Bundeswehr consists of the unified armed forces of Germany and their civil administration and procurement authorities...
- The Austrian Guard battalion
- The Dutch Army's Air Mobile Force, 11 Luchtmobiele Brigade
- United States Air Force Combat Control Team
Red berets were worn by the 1st and 2nd Canadian Infantry Battalions of the 27th Canadian Infantry Brigade
27th Canadian Infantry Brigade
The 27th Canadian Infantry Brigade was an Active Force Infantry Brigade created on May 4, 1951 for service in West Germany sailing to Rotterdam in November and December of that year. The Brigade was posted near Hanover and provided contingents for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth...
in West Germany, The Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment
The Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment
The Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Forces. The regiment is headquartered in Belleville, Ontario, with companies in Peterborough and Cobourg....
of Canada, the Vietnamese Airborne Division
Vietnamese Airborne Division
The Vietnamese Airborne Division was one of the earliest components of the State of Vietnam's military forces . The Vietnamese Airborne Division began as companies organised in 1948, prior to any agreement over armed forces in Vietnam...
(Mũ Đỏ Nhảy Dù), the Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n Special Operations Unit (called "Red Berets", 'Crvene beretke') and 40. Fallschirmjägerbataillon Willi Sänger
40. Fallschirmjägerbataillon Willi Sänger
40. Fallschirmjägerbataillon Willi Sänger was the only airborne infantry formation of the East German National People’s Army . The battalion was based in Prora on Rügen island and later near Potsdam...
of the former German Democratic Republic's Nationale Volksarmee.
Military Police
Red berets are worn by the military police of many NATO and Commonwealth of NationsCommonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
militaries.
- Royal Military PoliceRoyal Military PoliceThe Royal Military Police is the corps of the British Army responsible for the policing of service personnel, and for providing a military police presence both in the UK, and whilst service personnel are deployed overseas on operations and exercises.Members of the RMP are generally known as...
- Provost branch of the British Army - Royal Australian Corps of Military PoliceRoyal Australian Corps of Military PoliceThe Royal Australian Corps of Military Police is a corps within the Australian Army. Previously known as the Australian Army Provost Corps, it was formed on 3 April 1916 as the ANZAC Provost Corps...
- Corps of Military PoliceCorps of Military PoliceThe Corps of Military Police is the military police of the Indian Army. In addition, the CMP is trained to handle prisoners of war and to regulate traffic, as well as to handle basic telecommunication equipment such as telephone exchanges...
India - Sri Lanka Corps of Military PoliceSri Lanka Corps of Military PoliceThe Sri Lanka Corps of Military Police is the branch of the Sri Lanka Army responsible for the policing of service personnel and providing a military police presence on service property, operations and exercises. It is made up of three regular regiments and with headquartered at Regiment Center...
- Canadian Forces Military PoliceCanadian Forces Military PoliceThe Canadian Forces Military Police provide military police services to the Canadian Forces.Canadian Military Police are unusual in that they are classified as Peace Officers in the Criminal Code of Canada, which gives them the same powers as civilian law enforcement personnel to enforce Acts of...
- FeldjägerFeldjägerFor the German Military Police in WWII see: Feldjaegerkorps and FeldgendarmerieIn presence Feldjäger is the name of military police of the Bundeswehr, Germany's armed forces. The term Feldjäger, literally meaning field huntsmen or field Jäger, has a long tradition and dates back to the mid-17th...
- Military Police of the GermanGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
BundeswehrBundeswehrThe Bundeswehr consists of the unified armed forces of Germany and their civil administration and procurement authorities... - Royal Military PoliceKor Polis Tentera DiRajaKor Polis Tentera DiRaja is the Military Police branch of the Malaysian Army. Called "Redcaps" like their British cousins, Kor Polis Tentera DiRaja, more popularly called just "MPs", keep discipline within the Army ranks and ensure security at Malaysian Army Installations.- History :At the end of...
- Malaysian MP - Póilíní AirmPóilíní AirmThe Póilíní Airm is the corps of the Irish Army responsible for the provision of policing service personnel and providing a military police presence to forces while on exercise and deployment. Its tasks increase during wartime to include traffic control organisation and POW and refugee control...
- Irish Defence Forces Military Police (Ireland) - Danish Military Police
- Military PoliceMilitary policeMilitary police are police organisations connected with, or part of, the military of a state. The word can have different meanings in different countries, and may refer to:...
- Kuwait Army
Paramilitary Forces
- Internal TroopsInternal TroopsThe Internal Troops, full name Internal Troops of the Ministry for Internal Affairs ; alternatively translated as "Interior " is a paramilitary gendarmerie-like force in the now-defunct Soviet Union and its successor countries, particularly, in Russia, Ukraine, Georgia and Azerbaijan...
of the Russian MVD - JSO (Special Operations Unit) of Serbia
- Rhodesian Ministry of Internal Affairs (IntafINTAFINTAF is an abbreviation for the paramilitary wing of the Rhodesian Ministry of Internal Affairs, predominantly used during the Rhodesian Bush War.-Early history:...
) Rhodesian Bush WarRhodesian Bush WarThe Rhodesian Bush War – also known as the Second Chimurenga or the Zimbabwe War of Liberation – was a civil war which took place between July 1964 and December 1979 in the unrecognised country of Rhodesia... - General Service UnitGeneral Service UnitThe General Service Unit is a paramilitary wing of the Kenyan Military and Kenyan Police, consisting of highly trained police officers and special forces soldiers, transported by 7 dedicated Cessnas and...
of Kenya - Ulster ResistanceUlster ResistanceUlster Resistance was a paramilitary movement established by unionists in Northern Ireland on 10 November 1986 in opposition to the Anglo-Irish Agreement.-Origins:The group was launched at a three thousand-strong invitation-only meeting at the Ulster Hall...
of Northern Ireland
Commando Forces
- KopassusKopassusKopassus is an Indonesian Army special forces group that conducts special operations missions for the Indonesian government, such as direct action, unconventional warfare, sabotage, counter-insurgency, counter-terrorism, and intelligence gathering.Kopassus was founded on April 16, 1952...
- Indonesia's Special Commando Force - 911 Special Forces911 Special ForcesThe 911 Para-Commando Battalion is a Royal Cambodian Army special forces unit based west of Phnom Penh. Most of the battalion graduated from the Indonesian army's special force's Commando Training, Kopassus, so the 911 is very similar to the Kopassus; even they also wear the same red beret,...
- The Royal Cambodian Special Commando Force - Singapore Army CommandosSingapore Armed Forces Commando FormationThe Singapore Armed Forces Commando Formation is an elite branch of the Singapore Armed Forces . An offensive unit, it specialises in pre-emptive operations involving small groups of specially trained soldiers in enemy territory...
- Special BrigadeSpecial BrigadeThe Special Brigade is the main and the most elite special forces unit of the Serbian Land Forces. It consist from counter-terrorist, recon units, commando units, paratroopers and diving units....
- ellite special force of Serbia
Police Forces
- Ertzaina-Police force of the Basque CountryBasque Country (autonomous community)The Basque Country is an autonomous community of northern Spain. It includes the Basque provinces of Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa, also called Historical Territories....
, SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula... - Policía ForalPolicía ForalThe Chartered Police of Navarre is the regional police force for the chartered autonomous community of Navarre in Spain. It operates across the region, and was founded from a traffic police unit set up by the Provincial Council of Navarre in 1929....
-Police force of Navarre, SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula... - Senoi PraaqSenoi PraaqThe Senoi Praaq is a unit of the Royal Malaysian Police made up almost entirely of the tribal people of Peninsular Malaysia known as the Orang Asli . The name Senoi Praaq means “war people” or “those who fight” in the Semai language...
- Royal Malaysian Police - CarabinieriCarabinieriThe Carabinieri is the national gendarmerie of Italy, policing both military and civilian populations, and is a branch of the armed forces.-Early history:...
Cacciatori - In english "Hunters", Italian GendarmerieGendarmerieA gendarmerie or gendarmery is a military force charged with police duties among civilian populations. Members of such a force are typically called "gendarmes". The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary describes a gendarme as "a soldier who is employed on police duties" and a "gendarmery, -erie" as...
. Special unit operating in greenwoods
Non Military
- Guardian AngelsGuardian AngelsThe Guardian Angels is a non-profit international volunteer organization of unarmed citizen crime patrollers. The Guardian Angels organization was founded February 13, 1979 in New York City by Curtis Sliwa and has chapters in 15 countries and 144 cities around the world.Sliwa originally created the...
USA - Boy Scouts of AmericaBoy Scouts of AmericaThe Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
- ORB, a group within Doctor SteelDoctor SteelDoctor Steel , is a self-published American musician located in Southern California, prominent in the Steampunk, Goth, and Rivethead scenes. He has performed on rare occasions with a "backup band", claiming that a fictitious robot band had malfunctioned...
's Army of Toy Soldiers fan club - Soldier of Fortune magazineSoldier of Fortune (magazine)Soldier of Fortune , The Journal of Professional Adventurers, is a periodical monthly magazine devoted to world-wide reporting of wars, including conventional warfare, low-intensity warfare, counter insurgency, and counter-terrorism...
uses a red beret as their logo.
Films
- The Devil's BrigadeThe Devil's Brigade (film)The Devil's Brigade is a 1968 American war film based on the 1966 book of the same name co-written by American novelist and historian Robert H. Adleman and Col...
(1968) - The Red Berets (1968)
See also
- Maroon (color)Maroon (color)Maroon is a dark red color.-Etymology:Maroon is derived from French marron .The first recorded use of maroon as a color name in English was in 1789.-Maroon :...
- BeretBeretA beret is a soft, round, flat-crowned hat, designated a "cap", usually of woven, hand-knitted wool, crocheted cotton, or wool felt, or acrylic fiber....
- Black beretBlack beretThe black beret is a type of headgear commonly worn by armoured forces around the world including the British Army's Royal Tank Regiment , The Canadian Forces's Royal Canadian Armoured Corps , and The Australian Army's Royal Australian Armoured Corps among others...
- Green beretGreen beretThe green beret was the official headdress of the British Commandos of World War II. It is still worn with pride by members of the Royal Marines after passing the Commando Course and any member of the British Military who has passed the All Arms Commando Course.There are certain other military...
- Maroon beretMaroon beretThe maroon beret is a military beret and has been an international symbol of elite airborne forces since it was chosen for British airborne forces in World War II. This distinctive head dress was officially introduced in 1942, at the direction of General Frederick Browning, commander of the British...
- Military beretMilitary beretBerets have been a component of the uniforms of many armed forces throughout the world since the mid-20th century. Military berets are usually pushed to the right to free the shoulder that bears the rifle on most soldiers, but the armies of some European countries have influenced the push to the...
- Tan beretTan beretThe tan beret has been adopted as official headdress by several special operations forces as a symbol of their unique capabilities.-British Army:...