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The Guard Hussar Regiment ( da, Gardehusarregimentet, GHR) is a
cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...
unit of the
Royal Danish Army The Royal Danish Army ( da, Hæren, fo, Herurin, kl, Sakkutuut) is the land-based branch of the Danish Defence, together with the Danish Home Guard. For the last decade, the Royal Danish Army has undergone a massive transformation of structures ...
, whose primary task is to train the Guard Hussars for various functions in the mobilisation force. The Guard Hussar Regiment is one of two active cavalry regiments of the
Danish Army The Royal Danish Army ( da, Hæren, fo, Herurin, kl, Sakkutuut) is the land-based branch of the Danish Defence, together with the Danish Home Guard. For the last decade, the Royal Danish Army has undergone a massive transformation of structures ...
, and was formed in 2001 through the amalgamation of the original Guard Hussars regiment,
Zealand Life Regiment The Zealand Life Regiment ( da, Sjællandske Livregiment) was a Royal Danish Army infantry regiment. On 1 January 2001 it was disbanded and amalgamated into the Guard Hussar Regiment, which was moved from Næstved to Slagelse. History The Sjæll ...
and
Danish Life Regiment The Danish Life Regiment ( da, Danske Livregiment) was an infantry regiment of the Royal Danish Army. On 1 January 2001 it was merged with Sjællandske Livregiment, into Gardehusarregimentet. History The Danish Life Regiment trace its history bac ...
.


History


Origins of the regiment

Although the Guard Hussars themselves date from 10 February 1762, the Danish Army takes the date of the founding of a regiment from its oldest part, in this case the
Zealand Life Regiment The Zealand Life Regiment ( da, Sjællandske Livregiment) was a Royal Danish Army infantry regiment. On 1 January 2001 it was disbanded and amalgamated into the Guard Hussar Regiment, which was moved from Næstved to Slagelse. History The Sjæll ...
, which was founded in 1614. This makes the Guard Hussars one of the oldest regiments of
hussar A hussar ( , ; hu, huszár, pl, husarz, sh, husar / ) was a member of a class of light cavalry, originating in Central Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen were subsequently widely ...
s in the world still operational, it is also the only hussars in mounted parade uniform to still wear the slung and braided
pelisse A pelisse was originally a short fur-trimmed jacket which hussar light-cavalry soldiers from the 17th century onwards usually wore hanging loose over the left shoulder, ostensibly to prevent sword cuts. The name also came to refer to a fashion ...
which was formerly characteristic of this class of cavalry. In addition to its operational role, the Guard Hussar Regiment is one of two regiments in the Danish Army (along with the
Den Kongelige Livgarde The Royal Life Guards ( da, Den Kongelige Livgarde) is a mechanized infantry regiment of the Danish Army, founded in 1658 by King Frederik III. The primary task is to provide a number of soldiers from the Guard Company to serve as a guard/cere ...
) to be classed as 'Guards'; in this case, the
Mounted Squadron Mount is often used as part of the name of specific mountains, e.g. Mount Everest. Mount or Mounts may also refer to: Places * Mount, Cornwall, a village in Warleggan parish, England * Mount, Perranzabuloe, a hamlet in Perranzabuloe parish, C ...
perform the same role as the
Household Cavalry The Household Cavalry (HCav) is made up of the two most senior regiments of the British Army, the Life Guards and the Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons). These regiments are divided between the Household Cavalry Regiment st ...
do in the
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 ...
. From 1961 to 1972 the regiment was responsible for two armoured battalions, one recon battalion. From 1972–2000 the regiment was responsible for one armoured, one mechanised infantry, one reconnaissance and one infantry battalions. From 2000–2004 the regiment was responsible for two armoured, two mechanised infantry, one reconnaissance and two infantry battalions. From 1992–2004 the regiment also had to form two light Reconnaissance Squadrons assigned to the
1st Zealand Brigade First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...
and
Danish International Brigade The Danish International Brigade (), short DIB (also sometimes known as the ''Danish Reaction Brigade'') was a Denmark, Danish military brigade. The political decision to form this brigade was conceived in the Danish Defence agreement 1992–1995 ...
.


2001 amalgamation

As part of the Defence Agreement 2000–04, it was decided to merge the Guard Hussar Regiment with the
Zealand Life Regiment The Zealand Life Regiment ( da, Sjællandske Livregiment) was a Royal Danish Army infantry regiment. On 1 January 2001 it was disbanded and amalgamated into the Guard Hussar Regiment, which was moved from Næstved to Slagelse. History The Sjæll ...
and the
Danish Life Regiment The Danish Life Regiment ( da, Danske Livregiment) was an infantry regiment of the Royal Danish Army. On 1 January 2001 it was merged with Sjællandske Livregiment, into Gardehusarregimentet. History The Danish Life Regiment trace its history bac ...
. With this amalgamation of the three infantry regiments, the name and history of the new regiment had to be decided. This led to what the media called "the Colonels' War" ( da, Oberstkrigen), with the three colonels fighting for their regiment’s name and history to survive. The Chief of Defence,
Christian Hvidt Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
, ordered the old insignia removed, which was not customary. The new armoured horse head was nicknamed the " biker patch". Furthermore, it was decided that a
colour Color (American English) or colour (British English) is the visual perceptual property deriving from the spectrum of light interacting with the photoreceptor cells of the eyes. Color categories and physical specifications of color are associ ...
be used alongside the standard.


Modern times

Following the amalgamation, the Guard Hussar Regiment has participated in a number of international missions, resulting in the loss of 16 soldiers.


Structure

Today the Gardehusarregiment is classed as a cavalry regiment, it is in fact a mixed armoured and infantry unit, with three battalions: * 1st Battalion – Armoured Infantry (part of 1st Brigade) ** Staff Company ** 1st Armoured Infantry Company (1/I/GHR) ** 2nd Mechanised Infantry Company (2/I/GHR) ** 4th Mechanised Infantry Company (4/I/GHR) (inactive) * 3rd Battalion – Reconnaissance (part of 2nd Brigade) motto:''Nec temere nec timide'' (Neither random nor timidly) ** Staff Platoon (Inactive) ** 1st Light Reconnaissance Squadron (1 LOPKESK) ** 2nd Light Reconnaissance Squadron (2 LOPKESK) ** 3rd Light Reconnaissance Squadron (inactive) ** Marine Squadron (4th Basic Training Squadron) * 5th Battalion – Basic Training (part of 2nd Brigade) motto:''Terror in Hostes – Vor fjender til frygt'' ** Staff Company (Inactive) ** 1st Basic Training Company motto:''Fremad på ny – hurtig og adræt'' (Forward again - fast and agile) ** 2nd Basic Training Company (Livkompagniet) motto:''Fremad på ny – lige på og hårdt'' (Forward again - head on) ** 4th Mechanised Infantry Company (4/V/GHR) *
Mounted Squadron Mount is often used as part of the name of specific mountains, e.g. Mount Everest. Mount or Mounts may also refer to: Places * Mount, Cornwall, a village in Warleggan parish, England * Mount, Perranzabuloe, a hamlet in Perranzabuloe parish, C ...
– Public duties/ceremonial ;Disbanded Units * II/GHR Armoured Battalion (1955−1976), Infantry Battalion (1977-2000), Armoured Infantry Battalion (2001-2018) * IV/GHR Infantry Battalion (1983−1996), Armoured Infantry Battalion (1997-2013). * VI/GHR Infantry Battalion (2000-2004). * VII/GHR Infantry Battalion (2000-2004).


Names of the regiment


References


External links

* {{Navboxes , list = {{Military of Denmark {{Regiments of Denmark Military units and formations established in 2001 Danish Army regiments Guards regiments Cavalry regiments of Denmark Military of Denmark