Cavalry is defined as soldiers who go into battle mounted on horses. Using bows and arrows, swords, or eventually even guns, Cavalry were intended to attack infantry and break up strong groupings of troops. Using the power of a horse, a group of cavalry could break up the most concentrated army, and scatter them.
Cavalry have been present throughout much of the recorded history of warfare. From Egypt to Rome, Rome to the Renaissance, Cavalry were a vital part of any army.
With the introduction of guns though, the supremacy of Cavalry was disrupted. Guns allowed infantry to defeat Cavalry at a distance, completely negating the shock value of a charge. By the time of the Revolutionary War, Cavalry only came into use to chase away defeated enemy armies, and keep them from reforming. While important, they were no longer the mainstay of an army.
World War 1 saw most industrialized nations still having large squadrons of Cavalry present in there armies. The idea of the Infantry defeating an army, and having the cavalry sweep away the survivors persisted in the minds of most generals. The brutal realities of war shattered this idealistic picture. Machine guns and artillery killed most Cavalrymen before they could be anywhere the front, and horses suffered greatly during this time. By 1916, most Cavalry squadrons had either been turned into supply train units, or re-deployed using a newer, more modern mode of transportation. We'll get to that later however.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1hhivcs4xg
(This video shows what the Belgian Military went through during the war, and specific mention is payed to the Cavalry.
This is not to say, however that cavalry were not used to some advantage. In 1917, in Palestine, the English would execute what would be the last large scale Cavalry action in history.
The Egyptian Expeditionary Force in Palestine had been created in Egypt by the British to fight the Ottoman Empire. Commanded by Edmund Allenby, they met the Ottomans just outside the town of Beersheba.
The town had been surrounded by the EEF, and was being attacked from all sides. The Ottomans were putting up an effective defense of the town, but due to the constant attacks, a gap soon appeared in their lines. The Cavalry were ordered into that gap. Jumping trenches, dodging machine gun fire and shelling, they charged into the heart of the town, and were able to take control. The Ottoman army was routed, and Cavalry had won the day.
As a closing note, the final Cavalry charge of the War:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJUzPatn0eE
No comments:
Post a Comment