The 12th of the Line (Prince Leopold) – 13th of the Line Battalion (french: Bataillon 12e de Ligne Prince Léopold - 13e de Ligne, nl, Bataljon 12 Linie Prins Léopold - 13 Linie) is an

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

unit in the Land Component of the

Belgian Armed Forces The Belgian Defense Forces ( nl, Defensie; french: La Défense) is the national military of Belgium. The King of the Belgians is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. The Belgian Armed Forces was established after Belgium became independ ...

. It maintains the traditions of the 12th Regiment of the Line and 13th Regiment of the Line. From 2011 until 1 January 2017 the regiment was a part of the Light Brigade and on that date the regiment joined the Motorized Brigade.

History

12th Regiment of the Line

The 12th Regiment of the Line is the oldest active Belgian infantry regiment. It was created on 31 March 1831, and since 1984 has been authorised to bear the title " Prince Leopold" which was originally bestowed on it in 1915, during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The badge of the 12th Regiment of the Line was based on the coat of arms of the city of Liège where the regiment had its barracks. It depicted the city's perron column.

13th Regiment of the Line

The 13th of the Line was founded in 1874. It was disbanded in 1947, but in 1976 it reformed as an anti-tank regiment.

Amalgamation

In 1993, the 12th of the Line and the 13th of the Line were merged to form the 12th Battalion of the Line "Prince Leopold" – 13th of the Line.

Standard

The standards of the unit carry the following citations:
For the 12th Regiment of Line: * Liège * Anvers *Dixmude *

Yser The Yser ( , ; nl, IJzer ) is a river that rises in French Flanders (the north of France), enters the Belgian province of West Flanders and flows through the '' Ganzepoot'' and into the North Sea at the town of Nieuwpoort. The source of the Ys ...

* Merckem * La Lys * Campaign of 1914-1918 * La Lys 1940 For the 13th Regiment of Line: * Namur

914 __NOTOC__ Year 914 ( CMXIV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Spring – Empress Zoe Karbonopsina leads a palace coup at Constantino ...

*Termonde *

*Merckem *Zarren *Handzaeme * La Lys 1940 As well as a fourragère of the Order of Leopold.

Organisation

The 12/13th Battalion of the Line comprises: *HQ staff * 1st company * 2nd company * 3rd company * service company

Lineage

, -style="text-align: center; background: #F08080;" , align="center" colspan="20", Lineage , - , width="20%" colspan="15" align="center", 12th Regiment of the Line "Prince Leopold" , width="20%" colspan="5" rowspan="2" align="center" , 12th-13th Battalion of the Line , - , width="20%" colspan="1" align="center", , width="20%" colspan="14" align="center", 13th Regiment of the Line

References

Sources

* *{{cite web , url=http://www.mil.be/armycomp/units/index.asp?LAN=fr&ID=577 , title=Regiment 12th of the Line Prince Leopold - 13th of the Line , publisher= Defence Belgium , accessdate=2007-08-28 , language=French Prince Leopold Military units and formations established in 1993 1993 establishments in Belgium Organisations based in Belgium with royal patronage