Fähnlein

A troop is a lower formation of a Landsknecht regiment. Each troop consisted of several Rotten.

• The unit comprised the pennon about 400 mercenaries. At the top stood the captain or captain. The term was gradually replaced by the company in military affairs.
• A Rotte consisted of eight to twelve mercenaries or six double mercenaries; the rout was led by a corporal. It corresponds to the present troop or group.

Word origin and usage

The term troop since the Middle Ages describes a smaller number of people grouped together who gathered around a flag composting comes from the medieval Latin rupta " scattered flock " to rumpere " tear ".

In the 17th century the replaced throughout Europe used word Compagnia, Company, Company the word " troop " in the German language area. It takes place later in the Boy Scouts and migratory birds use (see scout clan ) and the time of National Socialism, the German young people. Rottenberg was later also used in the organizational structure of the SS and was also preserved in the rotting of the commencement order in the Bundeswehr.

History

The troop was already in the Middle Ages, the administrative unit in troops, especially in the infantry. It initially counted 400 to 600 man, sometimes up to 1,000, France 300 men, with Georg von Frundsberg 380 mercenaries. However, these data were the target thickness, which was almost never reached. Thus, the actual strength of the French troop for a long time was not more than 100 to 200 men.

The regiments of the various armies had very different numbers of troop:

The troop consisted of shooters, pikemen and halberdiers.

At the beginning of the 17th century, ie before the Thirty Years' War, a troop in Germany should have the following thickness:

Under Charles V, the framework for a German troop counted:

This framework was also prima plana (from Latin prima plana, first sheet ), because these people standing on the first sheet of the muster rolls.