Evening star., 1943-05-14

~~-~~--~~~H~NOoS
The two are not to be confused, al
though both go through much the
same training. But the KRR to-
day is a light motorized corps de-
signed to accomplish, under condi-
tions of modern warfare, much what
the scouts accomplished in the days
of Indian warfare. Its job is the
surprise sortie, the clearing of the
way.
The position Of the corps may be
said to have become somewhat crys-
tallized In 1897 when its famous
Fifth Battalion was raised in Eng
land. Its duties were scouting and
protection, for which purpose it
was dressed in green to afford con-
cealment, and adopted special drill
and training quite deterrent from
that of other infantry. Later the
whole regiment, going back to its
American tradition, was dressed in
this color. At such it served under
the command of Sir John Moore,
whose burial after the battle of Cor
runa is the subject of one of the
best-known war poems in the Eng
lish language.
Stored Up Honors.
Years and generations of almost
constant fighting passed. The
KRR, as the corps, had been re-
named after the severance of its
relations with America. fought the
Sikhs in India, the Kaffirs in Africa,
the Afghans, the Zulus. Part of it
formed part of the besieged garri-
son of Ladysmith. Then came the
First World War. Seventy-one bat
tie honors were added to the regi-
mental list, from Mons in 1914 to
the occupation of Cologne after the
Armistice. Eight Victoria crosses
were awarded to its members. More
than $4,000 of its officers and men
were killed. More than any other
group In the service, these men
were the Commands" of the first
great clash with Germany.
From Corruna to Cologne, the
land OF Its origin became very far
away to the men of the KRR. From
the time of the wars of Napoleon,
all Americans, as such, had dropped
from its muster rolls. 1t was, to
all appearances. a purely British
regiment. The link was not even re-
called before the United States en-
tered the last war, when many hun
dreds of Americans. impelled by
idealism or the spirit of adventure
enlisted in the British service.
Only in 1910 was the old associa-
tion revived and the KRR was
pushed as the service best suited
for American volunteers. A small
group was recruited in the United
States and since then, even after
the entry Of the United States into
the present war. there has been a
constant trickle of enlistments. Two
young American officers now are
training under Col. Campbell and
his brother, Capt. Sir Guy Campbell
This was the service, by the way
of Anthony Eden before he turned
from soldering to craftsmanship.
Almost unconsciously, the Amer
lean tradition has been preserved
through the generations in the uni
form OF the corps. Officers still wear
red cherry insignia on their caps
and the side of the forage cap is
dark green, relic of the forest green
camoufage uniforms once worn.
Anything approaching this would, OF
course, be highly unsuitable at pres
ent. Both officers and men wear the
regular battle dress of the British
army.
They are especially designated as
a reconnaissance corps, going for
ward in light armored cars and Bren
gun carriers-their biggest job to
break up anti-tank positions and
clear the way for the main advance
AS is the case with American recon-
naissance outfits, this requires a
training second only in severity, If
even that, to the training of the
commandos.
Discipline in the KRR is severe,
but 1t Is not the same kind of dis
cipline, and never has been, as that
OF most military organizations both
IN Great Britain and the United
States. This is due, in some degree,
to the continuing tradition OF the
frontier in which the corps was Or
ganized. This survived the memory
of its origin. There is minimum of
ceremony. Social distinctions per Sc
between officers and men are hard to
discern, and this has been the case
ever since the days of Braddock's S
defeat.
There has been another reason
for this, stemming less directly from