For the first time, rifle units as a branch of the military appear in British North America in 1756 with the formation of the 62nd American Royal Infantry Regiment (since 1757 the regiment's numbering was changed to 60th), recruited from local colonists and foreign officers to protect against French troops. The main task of the newly created regiment was to more effectively conduct hostilities in wooded areas.
Combining line battalions in an open forest area and the work of shooters in a closed forest space with salvo and change of fire gave its first results and thanks to such tactics, the effect was achieved in this natural area. After 1797, due to tactical tasks, the regiment was armed with only rifles, and it completely departed from linear tactics.
In 1800, a second British infantry formation, known as the Experimental Rifle Corps, appears, this time armed with new and improved Baker rifles. Shooting tactics were carried out in pairs (one kneeling, the other lying) and often from behind cover. In fact, these units can be compared to modern snipers. Other innovations also appeared, in particular, the transmission of commands did not take place with the help of drum rolls (as in linear shelves), but with the help of the sound of a horn (bugle). Another color of uniforms was also introduced: instead of the usual red, protective green appeared. In everyday life, soldiers could eat at the same table with officers, and corporal punishment practically disappeared (these innovations also affected the 60th regiment). A distinctive feature of the newly created formation from other infantry regiments was, first of all, in the fact that, in addition to line battalions, a unit of a new type appeared in it - shooters, whose battle tactics were based not on firing from a closed line formation on command, but on a chaotic formation and variable shooting. The armament of the shooters also differed from the line regiments: instead of the usual Brown Bess musket, German-style rifles with more accurate and long-range shooting were purchased (the action of the musket was more effective for a closed formation due to its powerful penetrating ability and fast reloading).
The first good results of the corps were shown during the amphibious assault of the British on the city of Ferrol in Spain, where the arrows accurately shot down the defenders of the city from its heights.
In 1803, the corps was transformed into the 95th Rifle (Infantry) Regiment, and on February 23, 1816, it was renamed the Rifle Brigade. Subsequently, the title of "Prince Consort's Own Rifle Brigade" (husband of Queen Victoria) was added to the unit. In 1815, the 60th Rifle Regiment also changed its name to the Duke of York's Own Rifle Corps, and in 1830 to the King's Royal Rifle Corps. In terms of their functions, the rifle units were close to the light infantry units (appeared in 1803), but were not formally included in them. Since 1859, other irregular rifle formations have appeared in large numbers, consisting of volunteers (volunteers), both on foot and on horseback (horse formations made up only one two hundredth of the total number of rifle units).
Soldier and Officer of the Royal Rifle Corps, 1895-1914
In 1860, a rifle battalion consisting of the militia was formed in Canada. In 1881, two more new rifle divisions appeared, belonging to the regular units: the foot regiment of the Cameron Rifles (Scottish Rifles) and the Royal Irish Rifles. Later, other rifle units were created, although after the end of World War II, this pace slowed down due to the decrease in the number of the British armed forces, which in turn was associated with the decolonization of the territory of the British Empire.
In 1948 the Rifle Brigade and the Royal Rifle Corps were merged into one unit called the Green Jackets. In 1958, the 1st Battalion of the Green Jacket Brigade was reorganized from the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry Regiments (abbreviated as Ox and Bucks) as the newly formed infantry unit of the British Army. The 2nd and 3rd Battalions on this list were occupied by the Rifle Brigade and the Royal Rifle Corps, respectively.
In 1966, the Green Jackets Brigade was reorganized into a regiment and received the royal prefix Royal (Royal Green Jackets). At the same time, two other new battalions (No. 4 and No. 5), reformed from the riflemen of the Territorial Army and its light infantry, entered the same place. In 1994, as a result of the merger of four Gurkha rifle regiments, one common rifle regiment of the British Army was formed with the prefix Royal (Royal Gurkha Rifles), which still exists today (but is not part of the Rifles regiment). In 2007, after lengthy reorganizations, the Royal Green Jackets regiment was merged with the three