CARABINIERS, originally 16th century light cavalry armed with "large pistols called carabins having barrels aft. long." English carabiniers are mentioned as early as 1S97 at the battle of Turnhout under Sir Francis Vere. The early practice in England and France was to attach a proportion of men armed with carabins to each regiment and it was not until the 17th century that regi ments of carabiniers were formed. The original duties of cara biniers were analogous to those of grenadiers of the infantry, in fact they were mounted infantry. In 166o the life guards were equipped with carabins (or carbines) whilst the other cavalry regiments had swords and pistols until 2678. As a reward for its services in Ireland in 1692 William III. designated the Ninth Horse "The Carabiniers" (later the 6th Dragoon Guards, or The Carabiniers), and although the term "carabiniers" was more com mon in France than in England it was not until 1693 that Louis XIV. constituted his companies of carabiniers into a corps with the distinct title of Royal Carabiniers. He had, however, regi mented them for tactical purposes at Neerwinden in that year. In the old German army there was one Carabinier regiment, viz., the 2nd Saxon Reiter Regiment, but since the inauguration of the reichswehr in 1921 this regiment is "traditionally represented" by a squadron of the present 12th (Saxon) cavalry regiment. In Italy the gendarmerie are called carabinieri.