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War Tactics - Cavalry
| The next important factor influencing the cavalry efficiency was locality. No combat arm was so much locality dependent as cavalry.
Mellow soil can turn tantivy into trot and the horses get quickly exhausted. Small obstacle, easily jumped by a single horseman, can break the cavalry
formation, cause horses fall and finally can lead to defeat. Cavalry charged in different formations. The charge was carried out en Murielle, when there
were no spaces between the assault squadrons; with intervals when the squadrons were separated by intervals of 10-20 yards; en echelon when the
squadrons charged the enemy consecutively, and not simultaneously. Horsemen approached the enemy at a slow pace gradually turning it into trot. The
attack started at a distance of 300 - 150 yards, and the cavalry turned to canter. At 23 - 30 yards the horses were at full speed, the squadrons
breaking into the heart of enemy's army. To have the most effective blow the horsemen were considered to go not only in tight formations, stirrup to
stirrup, knee to knee, but also leaving no intervals between the squadrons. The popular military leader von Zeidlitz used to say that the cavalry wins
battles not by saber, but by whip, underlining the importance of preserving formation during the attack. Light cavalry is more fit for one-man fight. It
charged mainly in loose formations, inflicting crafty strokes in the enemy's rear, carrying out bold diversion raids. The speed and maneuvers
overweighed the lack of strength. Light horsemen were also used for their army and unit transport protection. |
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