Arditi was the name adopted by a Royal Italian Army elite special force of World War I. They and the opposing German Stormtroopers were the first modern shock troops, and they have been called "the most feared corps by opposing armies".
Members of the Arditi corps, 1918, wielding daggers
Italian soldier wearing Farina helmet and body armour, often used by the Compagnie della morte, considered as precursors of the Arditi
Arditi propaganda poster
Brigata Bologna's Arditi at the command of Lieutenant Arturo Avolio
Special forces or special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equipped forces using unconventional techniques and modes of employment".
An American special forces team moves together out of an U.S. Air Force CV-22 Osprey aircraft on February 26, 2018
Japanese drawing of the archetypical ninja, from a series of sketches (Hokusai manga) by Hokusai.
British Army scouts in South Africa (1893): Frederick Russell Burnham (middle); Hon. Maurice Gifford (right)
General Antonio Luna of the Philippine Revolutionary Army, the founder of Tiradores dela Muerte
