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A loaded march is a relatively fast march over distance carrying a load and is a common military exercise.
A loaded march is known as a forced foot march in the
US Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
. Less formally, it is a
ruck Ruck may refer to:
* Ruck (rugby union), a contesting for the ball in Rugby Union from a grounded player
* Ruck (Australian rules football), an aerial contest in Australian rules football between rival ruckmen
* Ruck (rugby league), the area sur ...
march in the
Canadian Armed Forces
}
The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force.
...
and the US Army, a tab (Tactical Advance to Battle) in
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
slang, a
yomp
Yomp is Royal Marines slang describing a long-distance loaded march carrying full kit. It was popularised by journalistic coverage in 1982 during the Falklands War. The origin of the word is unclear, and there is no evidence to suggest that it ...
in
Royal Marines
The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marine ...
slang
Slang is vocabulary (words, phrases, and linguistic usages) of an informal register, common in spoken conversation but avoided in formal writing. It also sometimes refers to the language generally exclusive to the members of particular in-gro ...
, stomping in
Australian Army
The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (Austral ...
slang, and a hump in the slang of the
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
.
As a civilian exercise, loaded marching comes under the category of '
hiking
Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...
', although this includes activities not vigorous enough to be compared to loaded marching. Civilian activities analogous to loaded marches are quite popular in New Zealand, where they are organised by "
tramping clubs".
In many countries, the ability to complete loaded marches is a core military skill, especially for infantry and special forces. Loaded marching is particularly important in Britain, where all soldiers must complete annual loaded march tests.
In certain climates, the use of loaded marches is limited, since they would result in high casualty rates through
heat exhaustion Heat exhaustion is a severe form of heat illness. It is a medical emergency. Heat exhaustion is caused by the loss of water and electrolytes through sweating.
The United States Department of Labor makes the following recommendation, "Heat illness ...
.
In the Roman Army
According to
Vegetius
Publius (or Flavius) Vegetius Renatus, known as Vegetius (), was a writer of the Later Roman Empire (late 4th century). Nothing is known of his life or station beyond what is contained in his two surviving works: ''Epitoma rei militaris'' (also r ...
, during the four-month initial training of a
Roman legionary
The Roman legionary (in Latin ''legionarius'', plural ''legionarii'') was a professional heavy infantryman of the Roman army after the Marian reforms. These soldiers would conquer and defend the territories of ancient Rome during the late Republi ...
, loaded marches were taught before recruits ever handled a weapon; since any formation would be split up by stragglers at the back or soldiers trundling along at differing speeds. Standards varied over time, but normally recruits were first required to complete 20 Roman miles (29.62 km or 18.405 modern miles) with 20.5 kg in five summer hours, which was known as "the regular step" or "military pace". (The Romans divided daylight time into twelve equal hours. Depending on the exact day of the year and the latitude, the length of a "summer hour" would vary. Five summer hours is therefore not exact, but could indicate a time of approximately six modern hours.) They then progressed to the "faster step" or "full pace" and were required to complete 24 Roman miles (35.544 km or 22.086 modern miles) in five summer hours loaded with . Training also included some forced marches of 20–30 miles, often followed by the construction of basic defences for an overnight position.
In some cases, each member of a Roman unit marched with a
sudis, to aid the construction of defences.
In the British Armed Forces
In the British Army, loaded marching is considered a core skill and is tested annually in a
Annual Fitness Test
In the British Army, the Annual Fitness Test is designed to assess soldiers' lower and upper body strength and endurance. The test was formerly known as the Combat Fitness Test – and is still colloquially known by soldiers as the CFT. The test in ...
(formerly known as a Combat Fitness Test) carrying 15–25 kg depending on the arm (25 kg for infantry, 20 kg for artillery, armour/cavalry, and engineers/sappers; 15 kg for other arms and services). However, infantry soldiers are additionally expected to complete advanced tests, typically a first day of 20 km (12.43 miles) with in three and a half hours, followed by a similar march with the next day. Within each arm, more demanding units exist (such as close support, commandos and parachutists) and have their own internal standards and tests. Special forces also use their own tests.
During the current selection process, Army recruits are usually made to tab as an introduction. This is because injuries to the legs are common during basic training tabbing.
Loaded marches have been particularly important in the British Army since the 1982
Falklands War
The Falklands War ( es, link=no, Guerra de las Malvinas) was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and its territorial de ...
. Many British commanders felt that British success in the war was linked to the British soldiers' ability to march across the difficult Falklands terrain with their kit. British infantry soldiers in Afghanistan conducted four-hour patrols carrying an average of of equipment, going into battle with that weight if they encountered enemy fighters. There is some debate as to whether this makes them better equipped for battle or weighs them down too much.
Just as with its Royal Marine equivalent
yomp
Yomp is Royal Marines slang describing a long-distance loaded march carrying full kit. It was popularised by journalistic coverage in 1982 during the Falklands War. The origin of the word is unclear, and there is no evidence to suggest that it ...
, the origin of the word is entirely obscure,
with various unproven definitions in circulation including that tab is an obsolete slang word for feet, or that it derives from the
acronym
An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...
for ''Tactical Advance to Battle''.
In the French Foreign Legion
To complete training and as part of an annual test of their fitness,
legionnaires must complete the ''8 kilometres TAP'' ("Paratroopers 8 kilometer") of loaded with rifle, helmet and a pack in under 40 minutes, and a night march of in three hours with a load of . Various marches of much longer distances are also a part of training such as the "Kepi march" of in full combat gear carrying a rifle, helmet and load and the "Raid march" of 100 km in full combat gear carrying a rifle, helmet and load simulating the navigation to and raiding of different checkpoints over a 3 day period. As part of the pre-selection for the Foreign Legion's GCP section, legionnaires must complete a speed march in under 4 hours in full combat gear, including boots, carrying assault rifle, helmet, two full canteens of water and load. The fastest time was recorded in 1995 by CCH G. Pelham in 2 hours 28 minutes. Up until the 1990s legionnaires were made to place extra rocks in their backpacks and shoulder straps were replaced with wire as punishment.
In the United States Armed Forces
Loaded marches in the United States Army are known as ruck marches and are part of basic recruit training. In order to gain the
Expert Infantryman Badge
The Expert Infantryman Badge, or EIB, is a special skills badge of the United States Army.
The EIB was created with the CIB by executive order in November 1943 during World War II. Currently, it is awarded to U.S. Army personnel who hold infan ...
(a further qualification for existing infantry personnel) candidates must complete a ruck march of within three hours, carrying a rifle and load. The total load (including the rifle) may be up to . The march is individual rather than in a squad, so an individual may achieve a better time than the three-hour requirement.
See also
*
Rucksack palsy
References
{{reflist
Physical exercise
Military education and training
Military marching
da:Yomp