Grenadier

A grenadier (/ˌɡrɛnəˈdɪər/ GREN-ə-DEER, French: [ɡʁənadje] ^ⓘ; derived from the word grenade) was historically an explosives engineering assault-specialist soldier who threw hand grenades in siege operation battles. The distinct combat function of the grenadier was established in the mid-17th century, when grenadiers were recruited from among the strongest and largest soldiers. By the 18th century, the grenadier dedicated to throwing hand grenades had become a less necessary specialist, yet in battle, the grenadiers were the physically robust soldiers who led vanguard assaults, such as storming fortifications in the course of siege warfare.

Certain countries such as France (Grenadiers à Cheval de la Garde Impériale) and Argentina (Regiment of Mounted Grenadiers) established units of Horse Grenadiers, and for a time the British Army had Horse Grenadier Guards. Like their infantry grenadier counterparts, these horse-mounted soldiers were chosen for their size and strength (heavy cavalry).

In modern warfare, the term is used to describe a MOS specialist soldier operating as part of a fireteam, trained and proficient in the application of providing limited high-angle indirect fire over "dead zones". These soldiers are armed with the grenade launcher, a man-portable, shoulder-fired, indirect-fire explosive weapon that fires a specially designed large-caliber projectile unitary grenade cartridge, often with an explosive, smoke, or gas warhead.