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The term Shock troops is applied to troops intended to lead an attack.
The term is a translation of the German word stosstruppen (http://www.bartleby.com/61/53/S0355300.html).
Shock troops are chosen because they are thought to have high enough morale to take high casualties during the brief time of an attack. They might be chosen because they were specially trained, or specially armed. Or the perception that they were willing to take large losses might be based on political or religious indoctrination or because they had some special motivation, such as reclaiming their homes.
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