for: Infantry (computer game)

right|thumb|250px|Infantry of the Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme in World War I.

An Infantry soldier is known as infantryman.

Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically bore the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of the Combat Arms they are the backbone of armies. Infantry units have more physically demanding training than other branches of armies, and place a greater emphasis on discipline, fitness, physical strength and aggression.

Infantrymen are distinguished from soldiers trained to fight in other roles: For instance, on horseback, in tanks, or in technical roles such as armourers or signallers, but basic infantry skills are fundamental to the training of any soldier, and soldiers of any branch of an army are expected to serve as auxiliary infantry (eg. patrolling and security) when necessary. Infantry can access and maneuver terrain inaccessible to cavalry vehicles or armour's tanks, and employ infantry support weapons that can provide heavier firepower in the absence of artillery.

Since the end of the Second World War the infantry has become a small minority in armies of the Western world, constituting typically between 10% and 30% of an army's personnel. In the United States Army, there are only approximately 49,000 infantrymen out of the millions of soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen . This reflects the greatly increased requirement for technical and logistical specialists in Western armies, resulting from the increasing complexity of military technology and equipment and an increased recognition of the importance of logistics in warfare. In third world armies, infantry still accounts for a majority of soldiers, but they are often lacking adequet training in infantry tactics and maneuver resources to be as effective western infantry.

History

Although the term infantry dates from the 15th century, the foot troops of the previous eras in history who fought with a variety of weapons before the introduction of the firearms are also referred to as infantry. During the Ancient and Middle Ages Infantry were categorized by the types of weapons and armour they used, such as heavy, medium, and light infantry. Since the introduction of firearms classifications have changed initially to reflect their formations on the battlefield as line infantry, and later to reflect modes of transport and type of tactics used by specific units as Mechanized infantry or airborne infantry.

The word infantry was borrowed into other Romance languages from the Latin infantem, originally "a youth" who as an infante "foot soldier" served in groups composed of those who were too inexperienced or low in rank for cavalry. As a meaning for an organised type of combat troops the word dates to 1579 in the French infantrie and Spanish infanteria. However, in military history it has become a common English term to apply to troops from earlier historical periods.