Elitism depends on opinions and the standards and metrics you judge a unit by. In the case of the Guards, ceremonially they have no peers, but as infantry, are they any better than other line regiments? Considering their training is the same, you be the judge. As for their role in WW2, there were more Guards battalions than were needed and a dearth of armoured regiments, so it was decided to re-role some Guards into armoured units. Again, their training would have been the same as the Royal Tank Regiment or any of the cavalry regiments. Did they perform outstandingly better than other armoured units? No, is the short answer. In my mind, their history and ceremonial function makes them stand out, but doesn't necessarily make them elite. The name Guards, has a certain punchiness to it, but again, doesn't make them elite. What does make them good is the pride in the name and the cap badge, but that can be said of any British unit. The cap badge is everything. The name Guards in itself doesn't make elite soldiers. Look at Saddam's Republican Guard. They fled the battlefield with barely any resistance but the media had bigged them up as elite troops, probably because of the fancy name. I would suspect Iran's Revolutionary Guard would fold in the same manner against British, American, or Israeli forces because their quality of training isn't there, and a fancy name doesn't make you a good, let alone an elite soldier.
@@thomashynd2291 I get you, I always wondered especially today because they’re the ones that guard the Monarchy I guess I assumed that they where considered more elite troops to hold that honour
@@franklorenzo6048 their role gives that impression and they themselves believe it, but that's not a bad thing, because the way we think in the British Army is that our cap badge means everything and we will give everything for that cap badge and it's honour. Our regimental system, even though a regiment in the British Army isn't a field formation, is what binds us. Most people don't realise, as the media very rarely show it, but other cap badges on special anniversaries take over the ceremonial duties from the Guards. REME have done it on special formation anniversaries.
Thanks to the REME Museum in Lyneham - www.rememuseum.org.uk/
Your dad's lucky to get into the archives. I bet there's some interesting stuff
RIP those men
Where the guards divisions considered elite?
Elitism depends on opinions and the standards and metrics you judge a unit by.
In the case of the Guards, ceremonially they have no peers, but as infantry, are they any better than other line regiments? Considering their training is the same, you be the judge. As for their role in WW2, there were more Guards battalions than were needed and a dearth of armoured regiments, so it was decided to re-role some Guards into armoured units. Again, their training would have been the same as the Royal Tank Regiment or any of the cavalry regiments. Did they perform outstandingly better than other armoured units? No, is the short answer. In my mind, their history and ceremonial function makes them stand out, but doesn't necessarily make them elite. The name Guards, has a certain punchiness to it, but again, doesn't make them elite. What does make them good is the pride in the name and the cap badge, but that can be said of any British unit. The cap badge is everything. The name Guards in itself doesn't make elite soldiers. Look at Saddam's Republican Guard. They fled the battlefield with barely any resistance but the media had bigged them up as elite troops, probably because of the fancy name. I would suspect Iran's Revolutionary Guard would fold in the same manner against British, American, or Israeli forces because their quality of training isn't there, and a fancy name doesn't make you a good, let alone an elite soldier.
@@thomashynd2291 I get you, I always wondered especially today because they’re the ones that guard the Monarchy I guess I assumed that they where considered more elite troops to hold that honour
@@franklorenzo6048 their role gives that impression and they themselves believe it, but that's not a bad thing, because the way we think in the British Army is that our cap badge means everything and we will give everything for that cap badge and it's honour. Our regimental system, even though a regiment in the British Army isn't a field formation, is what binds us. Most people don't realise, as the media very rarely show it, but other cap badges on special anniversaries take over the ceremonial duties from the Guards. REME have done it on special formation anniversaries.
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