Old soldiers never die

Powerful modern armies were born in the course of great wars, particularly during the terrible 30-year war, which devastated the countries of Central Europe and changed its history. Units using standardized weapon had to act automatically on the battlefield. Growing similarity of uniforms, mechanical way of action and often multilingualism of soldiers blurred individuality of soldiers. The former social class pride deriving from feudal times gradually changed into a pride of belonging to a regiment with its distinguished tradition. Regiments had their honorary owners and were often “gifts” presented by rulers to other crowned heads. From our contemporary point of view, it may seem strange that in military conflicts such a gift regiment would often fight against a kingdom or an empire whose representative was its honorary owner. Being part of a regiment with distinguished tradition obligated its members to cultivate this tradition however strange or peculiar it might be. It united the soldiers and officers and improved their morale and a sense of identity. In this way the modern “Esprit du Corps” – a spirit of friendship, solidarity and attachment to the unit was born.