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The Cold Steel R1 Military Classic is an American fighting knife comprising a modern copy of the Randall Model 1 fighting knife. The R1 Military Classic has a seven inch, Randall-style straight-clip Bowie blade of stainless steel and has a bevel-ground edge.
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A rabinet (rabanet) was a kind of small ordnance formerly in use.
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In military terminology, a racer is one of the circular iron or steel rails on which the chassis of a heavy gun is turned.
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In fortifications a ram's horn is a low semi-circular work situated in and commanding a ditch.
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In fortification the ramparts are the broad embankment of earth round a place, upon which the parapet is raised. They form the substratum of every permanent fortification.
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Originally a ramrod was a rod for ramming in the charge of a muzzle-loading firearm. Later, the term was adopted for a rod for cleaning the barrel of a rifle or other small firearms.
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Randing is a kind of basket work used formerly used in gabions.
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A rank is a line of soldiers arranged side by side.
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Rank and file is a military expression describing the whole body of common soldiers, including corporals. In a more extended sense, it includes sergeants as well, except the non-commissioned staff.
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A rapier is a light slender sword for thrusting only. It usually has a cylindrical blade with a sharp point, but no edge. It was used by duellists and at court ceremonies.
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Rapiscan is a range of British conveyorised X-ray baggage inspection systems widely used in airports and other secure installations for the detection of concealed weapons and explosives in luggage.
Rapiscan can detect an item as small as 38-gauge wire, and can detect through 17 mm of steel plate. A multi-energy system permits the display of different materials in different colours, according to their atomic weight, with explosives being displayed in a consistent orange colour to quickly alert the operator.
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A rapparee was a 17th century Irish irregular soldier.
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A rappel is the beat of the drum to call soldiers to arms.
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Rasante is a term applied to a style of fortification in which the command of the works over each other, and over the country, is kept very low, in order that the shot may more effectually sweep or graze the ground before them.
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Rasit is a French long-range ground surveillance radar for the detection of moving targets on or close to the ground. It is a pulse Doppler radar, operating in the I/J band and works in all weather conditions with a range of 40 km. In operation, the radar can be set to report only targets within a specified range, for example between 5000 and 7500 meters away, or within a specified sector, say between 10 and 40 degrees. In practice, Rasit can detect a walking man at a a range of 23 km, a car at 32 km, a 3-tonne truck at 40 km and a helicopter at 30 km.
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In fortifications a ravelin is a detached work with two embankments which make a salient angle. It is raised before the curtain on the counter-scarp of the place.
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Raymond was the codename of the OGPU agent Ignace Reiss.
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The RDG-1 is a Soviet smoke stick grenade. The RDG-1 was developed in 1948 and produces a 460 square meter cloud of smoke, emitting smoke for about 80 seconds. The RDG-1 was produced in both white and black smoke, and could float on water, being used for providing cover for water crossings.
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The RDG-2 is a Soviet smoke grenade in use since the 1950s to provide cover and concealment to small bodies of infantry and engineers. The RDG-2 comprises a cardboard tube containing the filling which produces a cloud of dense white smoke about 20 meters long and 8 meters wide for about 90 seconds.
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The RDG-5 is a Soviet hand grenade comprising a 110 gram high-explosive charge in a serrated fragmentation liner enclosed in a thin steel case. The RDG-5 has a three to four second delay fuse and an effective fragmentation radius of 25 meters.
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Reactive Armour is a type of add-on armour which is comprised of boxes which explode outwards when hit by a warhead. It is most effective against HEAT ammunition.
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Ready is a military word of command, or a position, in the manual of arms, at which the piece is cocked and held in position to execute promptly the next command, which is, aim.
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The rear front is the rear rank of a body of troops when faced about and standing in that position.
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A rear guard is the division of an army that marches in the rear of the main body to protect it.
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A rear line is the line in the rear of an army.
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A rear rank is the rank or line of a body of troops which is in the rear, or last in order.
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The rear sight is the sight of a firearm nearest to the breech.
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In a firearm, the receiver or body is the housing for a firearm's bolt or breech and firing mechanism. The barrel is fixed to one end of the receiver, the magazine to one side, the trigger mechanism underneath and the butt is fixed to the end opposite the barrel.
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In firearms, recoilless refers to a gun which has recoil force eliminated by balancing the momentum of the projectile with the mass of gas fired to the rear. Recoilless guns are generally short-range anti-tank weapons.
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The Cold Steel Recon Tanto is an American fighting knife with a 7 inch, chisel tip, single-edged blade of black powder coated Carbon V steel.
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A reconnaissance is an examination of a territory, or of an enemy's position, for the purpose of obtaining information necessary for directing military operations.
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A reconnaissance in force is a demonstration or attack by a large force of troops for the purpose of discovering the position and strength of an enemy.
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Recover arms is a command whereby the piece is brought from the position of aim to that of ready.
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In fortifications, a redan is a work with two parapets whose faces unite so as to form a salient angle towards the enemy.
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In military defences a redoubt is a defensive work entirely enclosed by a parapet of earth; they have a greater resisting power against an infantry attack than a group of trenches.
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A regiment of the line is a regiment organized for general service. In distinction from those (such as the Life Guards) whose duties are usually special.
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A regular is a soldier belonging to a permanent or standing army.
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A reserve is a body of troops in the rear of an army drawn up for battle,
reserved to support the other lines as occasion may require.
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A retire is a call sounded on a bugle, announcing to skirmishers that they are to retire, or fall back.
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A reveille is a beat of a drum, or bugle blast, about the break of day, to give notice that it is time for the soldiers to rise, and for the sentinels to forbear challenging.
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Reverse arms is a position of a soldier in which the piece passes between the right elbow and the body at an angle of 45 degrees.
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The RG-42 is a Soviet blast grenade comprising a 118 gram high-explosive charge enclosed in a light serrated liner within a steel drum. The RG-42 has a three to four second delay fuse and an effective fragmentation radius of 20 meters. RG-42 grenades were used during the Second World War and adopted by the Chinese as the Type 42 Hand Grenade.
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The RG34 was a Soviet blast hand grenade. The RG34 comprised a cylindrical steel tube slightly longer than it was broad, packed with 100 grams of TNT and fitted with an impact fuse. The RG34 had an effective radius of 13 meters and a typical hand thrown range of 35 meters. A fragmentation sleeve could be fitted which provided an effective radius of 25 meters from the point of detonation.
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The RG4 is a Soviet blast hand grenade. The RG4 comprised a cylindrical steel tube slightly longer than it was broad, packed with 105 grams of TNT and fitted with an impact fuse. The RG4 had an effective radius of 13 meters and a typical hand thrown range of 35 meters. A fragmentation sleeve could be fitted which provided an effective radius of 25 meters from the point of detonation. RG4 grenades were also used by South African guerrilla forces during the 1970's.
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The RGD-33 was a Soviet dual-purpose hand grenade used during the Vietnam War. The RGD-33 consisted of a cylindrical metal grenade containing 85 grams of TNT with a screw thread to allow the fitting of a throwing handle. The RGD-33 had a killing zone of five meters as a blast grenade, and when fitted with a fragmentation jacket a killing zone of 25 meters around the point of detonation. The RGD-33 was fitted with a 3.5 second delay fuse.
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The RGD-5 is a Soviet fragmentation hand grenade. The RGD-5 consists of an egg-shaped two-piece steel body lined by a serrated fragmentation interior. The RGD-5 contains 110 grams of TNT and has an effective radius of between 15 and 20 meters from the point of detonation. The RGD-5 is fitted with a 3.2 to 4.2 second delay fuse.
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Ricochet firing is the firing of guns or howitzers, usually with small charges, at an elevation of only a few degrees, so as to cause the balls or shells to bound or skip (ricochet) along the ground.
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The Rifle Brigade (also known as the Prince Consort's Own) was a British infantry regiment raised in 1800. As part of the Light Division during the Peninsular War it gained a distinguished redord, which subsequent campaigns enhanced. The Rifle Brigade saw action during the Kafir Wars of 1846 to 1847 and 1851 to 1853, the Crimean War, the Indian Mutiny, the Ashanti War of 1874, the Afghan War of 1878 to 1879 and was at Waterloo.
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In firearms, rifling is the name given to the spiral grooves cut in the face of the bore of the barrel of some weapons. Rifling imparts spin to the projectile, which provides gyroscopic stability to the projectile in flight, and thus improves accuracy.
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Rimfire is a rimmed or flanged cartridge with the priming mixture located inside the rim of the case. The most famous example is the .22 rimfire.
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Ring-mail was a form of defensive armour worn during the 13th and 14th centuries. It was composed of small rings of steel sewn edgeways upon a strong garment of leather or quilted cloth. It differed from chain-mail in that the rings were not interlaced.
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The RKG-3 is a Soviet anti-tank grenade. The RKG-3 consists of a cylindrical case containing 567 grams of high explosive, connected to a handle which contains a four panelled fabric drogue which is pulled out when the grenade is thrown and provides stability in flight. The RKG-3 is fitted with an impact fuse and can penetrate 125 mm of armour.
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The RKG-3M is a Soviet anti-tank grenade. The RKG-3M consists of a cylindrical case containing 567 grams of high explosive, connected to a handle which contains a four panelled fabric drogue which is pulled out when the grenade is thrown and provides stability in flight. The RKG-3M is fitted with an impact fuse and can penetrate 165 mm of armour.
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A robinet was a mediaeval siege engine used for throwing stones.
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Rolling fire is a discharge of firearms by soldiers in line, in quick succession, and in the order in which they stand.
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Formerly, a roughrider was a non-commissioned officer in the British cavalry, whose duty was to assist the riding master.
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In military terms, a round is a complete item of ammunition comprising primer, cartridge and projectile.
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A Round Tower was a form of military defensive architecture dating in Britain from the 8th century. They were a round tower with walls sloping inwards from the base to the apex and with three or four one roomed stories, accessible only by a ladder which was pulled up during defence. Round towers were equipped with arrow slits for the defenders to shoot out of.
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The Royal Army Medical Corps was formed in 1898 by a royal warrant which abolished the former designation of the 'Medical Staff Corps' and formed the new corps comprising all officers below the rank of surgeon-major-general and others formerly serving with the Medical Staff Corps. The ranks were changed in line with other British army corps.
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The Royal Ayr Militia was a special reserve battalion of the Royal Scots Fusiliers during the early part of the 20th century.
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The Royal Berkshire Regiment is a British army regiment formed in 1881 from a union of the 49th (Hertfordshire) and 66th (Berkshire) regiments. The 49th had been raised in 1714 as Trelawny's, also known as the Jamaica Volunteers. The 66th was formed in 1758 from the 2nd Batallion of the 19th Regiment. They took part as marines in the bombardment of Copenhagen and fought in the Crimea. The royal title was awarded for services at Tofrek in Egypt in 1885.
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The Royal Dragoons were a British army regiment raised in 1661 under the name of the 'Royals' for the defence of Tangier. They were transferred to England and renamed the Royal Regiment of Dragoons in 1684 and were numbered the 1st (Royal) Dragoons in 1751. During the Great War they formed part of the 6th Cavalry Brigade, 3rd Cavalry Division.
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The Royal Dublin Fusiliers were a British army regiment formed from the 102nd foot and 103rd foot, and disbanded on July 31st 1922 on the establishment of the Irish Free State.
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The Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers (REME) is a British army unit which was formed in 1942 following a Cabinet committee, under the chairmanship of Sir William Beveridge, was set up to investigate the use of manpower in the three services.
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The Royal Engineers are a British army regiment. They had some kind of existence as far back as 1683 but were made part of the ordnance by an Order of Council in 1717. The regiment was reorganised in 1788 and renamed the Corps of Royal Engineers. The Royal Engineers are concerned with mining and building work, but are also called upon to fight as infantry.
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The Royal Fusiliers are a British army regiment raised in 1685 by James II under the name of the City of London Regiment to suppress the Monmouth rising. They were an ordnance corps with a special duty of protecting the guns of the royal army. In 1689 the regiment was renamed the 7th (Royal Fusilier) Regiment and in 1881 it was redesignated the Royal Fusiliers.
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The Royal Green Jackets is a British infantry regiment formed as a large Regiment on the 1st of January 1966 by the amalgamation of the 1st Green Jackets (The 43rd & 52nd), the 2nd Green Jackets (The King's Royal Rifle Corps), and the 3rd Green Jackets (The Rifle Brigade). These three Regiments had come together to form the Green Jackets Brigade on the 6th of November 1958, before which date their titles had been: The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry (43rd and 52nd), The Kings Royal Rifle Corps, The Rifle Brigade. This was a logical amalgamation because the Regiments have served alongside each other since the Peninsular War in 1808. The Kings Royal Rifle Corps and Rifle Brigade were the first British Regiments to wear green uniforms as camouflage, and to be armed with the rifle, and these two Regiments shared the rifle Depot at Winchester from 1858. The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry was the first Light Infantry Regiment.
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The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers were formed in 1861 from the merger of the 27th Regiment of Foot and the 108th Regiment of Foot.
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The Royal Irish Fusiliers (Princess Victoria's) were formed of the amalgamation of the 87th Regiment of Foot and the 89th Regiment of Foot.
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The Royal Irish Militia was a special reserve battalion of the Royal Fusiliers during the Great War.
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The Royal Irish regiment is a British infantry regiment first formed in 1684 from the remnants of the Commonwealth army serving in Ireland, and known then as the 18th Royal Irish Foot. It received its royal title in 1751 from William III and incorporated into the English army. The present regiment was formed in 1992 from the merger of the Royal Irish Rangers and The Ulster Defence Regiment.
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The Royal Irish Rifles was a British infantry regiment formed from the amalgamation of the 83rd Regiment of Foot and the 86th Regiment of Foot in 1793. In 1921 its name was changed to the Royal Ulster Rifles. The regiment served in the war in San Domingo in 1794, was at the capture of Cairo in 1801 and served in the Maratha War in India. In 1806 it assisted in the capture of the Cape of Good Hope.
During the Great War the 2nd Battalion was at Mons in 1914, and in the attack on Bellewaarde Lake in 1915. The 1st Battalion fought at Neuve Chapelle in 1915.
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The Royal London Militia was a special reserve battalion of the Royal Fusiliers during the Great War.
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The Royal Regiment of Artillery is a British artillery regiment was formed after the Jacobite rebellion of 1715 to replace the old haphazard system of raising artillery trains for each campaign and disbanding them at its conclusion. By a royal warrant of May 29th 1899, the mounted and dismounted branches of the Royal Regiment of Artillery were separated into two corps: The Royal Horse Artillery and the Royal Field Artillery, and the Royal Garrison Artillery.
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On 11 June, 1969, the Royal Regiment of Wales was formed from the South Wales Borderers (24th Foot) and the Welch Regiment (41st/69th Foot) and The Prince of Wales was appointed Colonel in Chief. During the Great War the Welch Regiment provided 34 battalions and in the Second World War produced a further 11. In 1951 the Regiment saw active service in Korea. Since 1969 the 1st Battalion has served in Osnabruck, Belfast, Berlin, Aldershot, Belize, Lemgo, Warminster, Hong Kong and Tern Hill, and in 1994 it moved to Ballykelly for a two-year tour in the Province. The 2nd (Volunteer) Battalion, with its headquarters in Cardiff, was formed in November 1994 by the amalgamation of the 3rd and 4th (Volunteer) Battalions of the Regiment. The Regiment is privileged to have been the first to be permitted to use the term '2nd' Battalion, a number usually retained for use in case a 2nd regular battalion should ever need to be raised.
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The Royal Scots Regiment (Lothian Regiment) is the oldest in the British Army and as such is the senior Infantry Regiment of the Line. It was raised in 1633 when Sir John Hepburn, under a Royal Warrant from King Charles I, recruited 1200 men in Scotland. The first battle honour awarded to the Regiment was Tangier 1680, since when a further 148 have been gained in a history which has involved them in almost every campaign in which the British Army has fought; the last being the Gulf 1991. The Royal Scots moved to Colchester in August 1996 to become part of 24 Airmobile Brigade, a key component of the British contribution to NATO's multi-national Division which represents the capability to deploy troops at short notice anywhere in the world, where they are needed.
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The Royal Scots Fusiliers are a British army regiment first formed in Scotland in 1678 by the Earl Of Mar, and originally known as the Earl Of Mar's Fusiliers - and by the nickname of the Earl of Mar's Grey Breeks on account of their grey breeches - and later called the 21st Regiment Of Foot. They were transferred to an English establishment in 1689 under the name of the 21st Royal North British Fusiliers and received the title of Royal Scots Fusiliers in 1877.
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The Royal Scots Greys (2nd Dragoons) are a British army regiment. They saw their first action in the campaigns of William IV and were known under several names including the Grey Dragoons and Scots Regiment of White Horses. In 1681 they were made up to six troops and in 1866 were renamed the 2nd Royal North British Dragoons, and in 1877 the Royal Scots Greys. One of their most famous actions was their charge at the battle of Waterloo.
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The Royal Sussex Regiment is a British army unit. It was formed as the Sussex Regiment from the amalgamation of the 35th Foot and the 107th Bengal Light Infantry in 1804. The Sussex Regiment served in Italy and Egypt before helping to seize the Ionian islands in 1809. The regiment was in India at the time of the Indian Mutiny, and was engaged in the Egyptian campaign of 1882 and in the Nile Expedition of 1884 to 1885, before serving on the Indian frontier from 1897 to 1898. In 1882 the regiment had added the term 'Royal' to its name.
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The Royal Warwickshire Regiment was one of the five English regiments that suffered terribly at Almanza in 1707. It was raised as the 6th Regiment of Foot under the Dutch Government in late Stewart times, and returned to England with William of Orange in 1688. The regiment saw action at Echalar, Namur, Martinique, Rolica, Vimiera, Corunna, Vittoria, South Africa, Khartoum and during the Great War the 1st and 2nd Battalions were part of the original British Expeditionary Force. The Royal Warwickshire title was conferred in 1832.
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The Royal Welch Fusiliers was raised at Ludlow, in the Welsh Marches, on the 16th of March 1689. Since that date, it has seen continuous service to crown and country. It first saw service at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 and since then has been in nearly every campaign involving the British Army. The Regiment fought with distinction in Marlborough's battles from Blenheim in 1704 to Malplaquet in 1709. In 1743 it fought at Dettingen and, in 1759, was one of the six British infantry regiments that defeated the French cavalry at the Battle of Minden. After taking part in the American War of Independence from 1775 to 1782, the Regiment was involved in the Napoleonic Wars and saw action in Egypt in 1801, Martinique in 1809, the Peninsula from 1810 to 1814 (where in 1811 it fought with outstanding discipline and courage at Albuhera) and finally at Waterloo in 1815. During the Crimean War at the Alma in 1854 Sergeant Luke O'Connor won the Regiment's first Victoria Cross later becoming a Major General and Colonel of the Regiment.
The Royal Welch Fusiliers were later present at the relief of Lucknow in 1857 and participated in many colonial wars before going to South Africa in 1899 and to China to raise the siege of the legations in Peking in 1900. For the Great War the Regiment is credited with 42 battalions which served in France, Flanders, Gallipoli, Palestine, Mesopotamia and Italy. In the Second World War the Regiment had thirteen battalions, five of which fought in North West Europe, Madagascar, and Burma. Since 1945 the Regiment has been stationed in Japan, the West Indies, Malaya, Cyprus, Singapore, Hong Kong, Germany, the Falkland Islands, Northern Ireland, Bosnia and throughout Great Britain as well as travelling extensively throughout the world on training exercises.
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The Royal Westminster Militia was a special reserve battalion of the Royal Fusiliers during the Great War.
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The RPG-40 is a Soviet anti-tank grenade. The RPG-40 contains 794 grams of TNT and is fitted with a percussion fuse. The RPG-40 is effective against soft target to a radius of 20 meters from the point of detonation.
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The RPG-43 was a Soviet anti-tank grenade. The RPG-43 was designed for use at very close range, and consists of a cylindrical metal case containing 612 grams of TNT connected to a metal sleeve containing two fabric strips which provide stability in flight. The RPG-43 was used by Egyptian forces during the war in 1973 against Israel.
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The RPG-6 was a Soviet anti-tank hand grenade used during the Second World War. The RPG-6 was a conical casing enclosing a shaped charge and containing 562 grams of TNT. The RPG-6 was fitted with a percussion fuse and four cloth ribbons to provide stability in flight after throwing. The RPG-6 had a fragmentation radius of 20 meters from the point of detonation proving useful against infantry as well as tanks.
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RPV (remotely piloted vehicle) are crewless mini-aircraft used for military surveillance and to select targets in battle. RPVs barely show up on radar, enabling them to fly over a battlefield without being shot down, and they are equipped to transmit TV images to an operator on the ground.
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The RTE Type 803 is a French light-weight self-contained illuminating rocket system designed for use by night fighting infantry for the illumination of detected targets, and to allow anti-tank fire at ranges up to 400 meters. The RTE Type 803 is comprised of a parachute flare contained within a fin-stabilised metal body which is launched from a combined container-launcher. The RTE Type 803 burns with an intensity of 180,000 candela.
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The Smith and Wesson Rubber Ball Grenade No 15 is an American riot control grenade comprising a rubber spherical container which may contain CS gas, CN gas or smoke, fitted with a 1 to 2 second delay fuse. The Rubber Ball Grenade No 15 discharges its contents over a period of 15 to 20 seconds and is designed to detonate too quickly to be thrown back, and to be made of rubber to prevent causing serious injury when projected into a crowd of people. The Rubber Ball Grenade No 15 can be hand thrown or fired from a shotgun launcher.
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Ruger is an American small arms manufacturer. They started making single-action Western hand guns in the 1950s to satisfy the American craze for 'quick-draw'.
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The Ruggieri Type 241 is a French blinding grenade designed for temporarily incapacitating a number of persons without inflicting any harm. The Ruggieri Type 241 produces a violent flash temporarily blinding anyone in the vicinity, without incendiary or explosive effects.
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Abbreviations
Warfare
