Biggest thing is that, cavalries could still be used for utility purposes, like scouting and logistic transportation, and no one, especially those who study military history, can look down on those 2 aspects of war
Any recon cavalry was capable of would be worthless in trench warfare. They could tell you were the trenches were, but anyone could do that and the locations barely changed. Faced with static defenses about the only actionable intelligence would be the size and composition of the forces in the trenches, which cavalry would be unable to ascertain.
@@MahiMahi-oiasdfwhile that may seem true, it doesn’t actually line up with experience during the war. Most notably that of the Canadian Light Horse who conducted Reconnaissance as a part of Vimy Ridge. The intelligence they gathered was highly prized and deemed as important. Stephanie Potter’s PhD dissertation “Smile and Carry On” has an excellent section on that.
@@MahiMahi-oiasdf "Any recon armored cars were capable of would be worthless in trench warfare." "Any recon jeeps were capable of would be worthless in trench warfare." WWI had fronts OTHER then german-french border, you know?😅
@@TheArklyte Equating armored cars to unarmored horses and men is hilarious. As is completely missing the part where "in trench warfare" was specified despite quoting it twice.
I feel a future video on the cavalry of the Eastern Front is needed, as there is so much there to cover. The battle of Jaroslavice at the start of the war could almost have an episode to itself!
Google Stepan Barbovich. At Yaroslavits, he led his regiment in clearing the Austrian guns and during the civil war, he participated in some of the largest cavalry battles in Russian history… against machine guns!
The same coud be said about Haelen in Belgien on 12 August 1914, there is a particularly informative book about that day. The last great great cavalry Charge The battle of the Silver Helmets Halen 12 August 1914 I have the book : Die Letzte Reiterschlacht der Weltgeschichte Jaroslawice 1914 Max von Hoen-Egon Freiherr von Waldstätten.
One of my relatives was in the Irish Royal Dragoon Guards, and took part in the battle of Audregnies or Elouges in late August 1914. It was the cavalry charge by this regiment together with the 9th Lancers which stopped the German advance long enough for the Great Retreat from Mons to allow the British to have their victory at the Marne. Even though the units involved were virtually destroyed, it effectively turned the tide.
The 9th Lancers suffered 15 killed or died of wounds (1 officer, 14 ORs), 22 wounded (4 officers, 22 ORs), 4th Dragoon Guards suffered 9 ORs killed, and the 18th Hussars had 19 killed (1 officer, 18 ORs). That’s a total of 43 killed between the 3 regiments. The vast, vast majority of casualties they took were actually as prisoners: 9th Lancers had 57 PoWs and the 4th Dragoon Guards had 65 PoW. While high in terms of PoWs, 2nd Cavalry Brigade was able to continue in its duties during the rest of the retreat + the marne.
That's really interesting. I've got their records written down at home, including that particular regiment. I could give you more info on him, depending on what his name was.
They're the same people that think spears and pikes are dumb because they are unwieldly in close quarters. Some people are just born without a Context Gland.
@@alanpenniewell actually, fun fact, one of the many reasons the last German offensive failled was due to the lack of cavalry and mounted infantry to keep up with the storm troopers.
Yes, cavalry mattered very much. I am doing some humble tries to reconstruct a WW1 Hussar, including the riding skills. Still a way to go, but yeah, I am getting there.
Would you look at that. Not long ago I had an argument about the matter where the other person insisted cavalry was completely obsolete by the time of WW1. Great to have a video from you on the topic.
He didn’t mention the battle of Halen where a larger German by the book mounted cavalry met Belgian dismounted cavalry, no British involved. But yes obsolete is correct, where horses are a must, mounted cavalry is death And on paper cyclists are better, longer range, superior dismount
@@2adamastThe German failure at Haelen was because of poor intelligence, not some intrinsic obsolesce of Cavalry. The Germans had little idea of the terrain and attacked over unsuitable ground, avoided what was only a small creek because their maps called it a river, etc… In the end, of course, the German HHK (Höhere Kavallerie-Kommando) took the town. Examining the casualties as well, German and Belgian casualties were remarkably similar. I don’t have the figures on hand but would be happy to get them for you if you’d like.
@@Edax_Royeaux This is a misconception. The Battle of Brandy Station is the BIGGEST cavalry battle post Napoleon no caps in both men involved and casualties.
My grandfather was a horse whisperer, so at the outbreak of war he enlisted in the Australian Army Veterinary Corps, (AAVC) eventually being promoted to Sergeant, (you had to have a veterinary degree to be an officer in the AAVC).
I had an uncle that served in the U.S. Cavalry in 1918. I only met him once or twice in the 80's. He was STILL suffered coughing fits from lung damage due to a German gas attack. War stinks...great show though.
@hankw69 if you can get his name maybe it could be tracked down? I'd guess the 2nd US Cavalry, but it's hard to find much information on US Cavalry in WWI.
Tbh I wouldn't be surprised if they'd still be useful today, it's just that I don't recall there being many places where troops can be trained in their use and the equipment of specifically horse cavalry wasn't updated in over a century. In combat by deploying as dragoons nowadays they're potentially the deadliest they could have ever been with widespread availability of MANPADs, GPMGs, light mortars, grenade launchers, hadheld ATGMs to be used on foot and even carbines and PDWs that can be used on the horse. In role of actual cavalry scouts they're slightly worse then they would have been around 1980's. By that I mean that electronic equipment like radios, night vision devices, portable reconnaissance radars and now thermals and drones was all at first too cumbersome for individual soldiers, but can be carried around by the horse and used by the rider more easily. Nowadays minituarization led to there not being a clear benefit a cavalrymen would have in this over infantrymen. Unless a horse can carry an active Starlink terminal while on the move, I guess? Then recon potential of horse cavalry is still ahead of its infantry. Might even also add helmet with HUD for drone control since rider isn't as encumbered by personal equipment as soldier on foot. But then again, I don't recall seeing modern kit for horses being designed or produced anywhere in the world. Do MOLLE standard saddles exist? Are there kevlar vests for horses?😅
I believe there are still a limited number of muleskinners in the military, specifically to transport large loads to inaccessible locations. It may be my memory is out of date and they were disbanded in the 90s, but I have no information.
There is armor and camo for horses. Horses are just individually low-level logistical units, as far as logistics is concerned the horse will never die, it always has a use.
They probably would still be useful, but until someone figures out how to make horses run on diesel there's alternatives with a logistical tail that's more compatible with modern armies such as quads and bikes. Edit: didn't mean to imply that they aren't used, because they are, just that they'd be more of a specialist thing rather than part of the regular army doctrine like quads and bikes are.
Horse mounted infantry was used in 2001 during the initial SF insertion into Afghanistan. US Army Delta operators and Navy SEAL team members literally rode horses around northern Afghanistan. They weren’t cavalry though. The horses were used solely for getting around. After that they replaced them with locally sourced Toyota Hilux trucks.
The cavalry were probably the most important arm in the 1920 soviet polish war. All about terrain and tactics. If the war is in a movement phase with unavoidable gaps in army's defenses the cavalry could be decisive in their traditional roles of encirclement and flank attacks. cavalry in that war and the russian civil war could be ridiculously well armed-common for a cavalryman to carry lance, sword, carbine rifle and two revolvers.
I recently discovered my great grandfather was a batman to a colonel in ww1, with his role mostly looking after horses as he used them in civilian life as a farmhand. I cant find any info if he fought in any capacity sadly but still proud of his brief contribution.
I remember reading that the US cavalry staged a successful raid across Nomansland and into the German supply areas. The sight of the Rough Riders apparently unnerved the German rear area personnel. The cavalry got back across to the American lines pretty much intact, but it was decided that this was a fluke and it was never attempted again.
Thank you for reinforcing the fact that dressage is not a stupid Olympic event. A soldier who's horse is an extension of their body is something not to be trifled with and still has uses even today.
It's not a pointless occupation, but it has no place at the olympics as the "athlete" is doing nothing and the horse does all the work. Even a luge is more involved for the human. We don't put car racing on the olympics' calendar for the same reason or Red Bull Race Day style flying.
Meggido proved that it could be, even with traditional sword and lance. The problem is that in trench-dominated theathers mobility was totally absent (no scouting, flanking, charges, fast movements for dismounted action, long marches over vast terrains etc.), and to get it it was necessary to crack the deadlock with the same breaking unit, or at least exploit the breakthrough instantly with cavalry. The combination of tanks and horsemen could achieve that, but the complex trenches of Europe were too much i think.
Something to keep in mind, and that due to space constraints we didn’t get to cover, is that Cavalry saw A LOT of use on the Western Front by the Allies. The 1917 and 1918 French examples were used to showcase even a bit of that. But, for example, the Canadian Light Horse conducted successful and important mounted reconnaissance during Vimy Ridge in 1917, or the success of British Cavalry strategically at the Battle of Amiens in 1918. :)
Very interesting lecture. As an old cavalryman, Danish Guard Husar Regiment, the fine praise honors me as you always hear that the horse was not of great importance in the First World War. Old weapons can still do something if they are used correctly.👍👍👍
An interesting fact not many people know is that Australians also fought while mounted on camels as part of the Imperial Camel Corps. Many of them were drawn from Australian light horse regiments and distinguished themselves in many battles throughout the Sinai and Palestine campaign. @@Marveryn
My Great-Grandfather on my fathers side was a Dragoon in the 1. Badische Leibdragoner Regiment Nr.20 From the letters he wrote and the few pictures that exist they were sent into battle as true cavalry, with sabers and carbines at the beginning of the war and later transitioned away from sabers into pure rifles, they went to the eastern front afterwards and were mainly used as border patrols during the last year of the war. He had a background as a stable boy and was used to working with horses which is why they sent him to the dragoons in 1914.
I can see the usefulness of horses in modern war. Transportation of troops in rough terrain, scouting, gathering resources (in desperation) and occasionally cover open ground, (possibly support vehicles) although the last one would be more for desperation. Soviet Afghan War was the last time cavalry was used in combat.
My Grandfather was in the US calvary during WWI. I'm drawing on my age 16 memory, but he told me that they chased the Germans through the Arden, only catching them when the war was over. He also said they were a light machine gun company, and that challenged my conception of calvary, which admittedly had been formed from cowboys and indians movies.
Excellent video Cavalry was useful, but commanders had to use them carefully. Earlier in the War, many elite cavalry units were decimated by machine gun emplacements, absolutely.
I find WWI set in a most interesting time. Availability of military equipment outpaced the training for it. By that I mean, the industrial revolution provided types of battlefield, and naval, equipment that had not been used as weapons prior to WWI. The generals and major staff officers had been trained in schools run by former cavalry officers. The horse soldiers of WWI probably took up the slack when newer equipment failed or was not well understood strategically. In my opinion, the cavalry was a necessary asset.
9:30 - Harry Flashman described "Rake" Hodson as a wild animal even by the standards of irregular cavalry. He was killed in the Mutiny, reportedly while looting. Sikh cavalry was particularly prized by the British after their performance in the two Sikh wars.
We picked a few examples to illustrate the points, not every country could be included. I am Canadian, and we didn't focus on a late-war Canadian cavalry charge where a VC was won either.
I know it's a quote, but there's no "rigor mortis before dying". "Mortis" is Latin for "of death", so the term refers to the muscle paralysis that happens due to death. It takes dead cell calcium + a lack of oxygen stopping ATP production for the muscle to be unable to relax.
14:17 I suspect they are referencing what some horseman call “tying up”. “Typing up is sever stiffness, muscles cramping or contractions… which is more accurately the condition… “rhabdomyolysis”, caused by excessive over work, poor nutrition, and poor hydration.
Interestingly, similar opinions about the French cavalry and their lack of respect for the condition of horses can be found already in reference to the Napoleonic Wars. For a century, they proved resistant to necessary changes.
Horses may have been a fact of life but many people had no actual experience of them. Just like cars are a fact of life today, but is everyone a mechanic?
Glad to see the Great War again. I just finished reading “The First World War” by Martin Gilbert. Excellent book. Started reading “The First World War” by John Keegan. Does a great job explaining why Germany used the Schiffen (can’t spell it, German is hard for us poor ol gringo’s) plan, why it didn’t work, and why things were the way they were. Great reads. Highly recommend.
You have forgotten the French cavalry of the Eastern Army, General François Léon Jouinot-Gambetta. Probably the most unknwon and important cavalry battle. You can have a funny sum up at: The Little Theater of Operations - The cavalry charge that precipitated the armistice. It's in french but the "cc" button works.
🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:00 🐎 Cavalry played a significant role in World War I, despite common belief that it was useless in modern warfare. 00:29 🏇 Cavalry regiments adapted to new technology and tactics, including machine guns, skirmished formations, and mobile horse artillery. 01:22 🔫 The role of cavalry included reconnaissance, rear-guard actions, raids, and exploiting gaps made in enemy lines. 02:19 🇫🇷 French cavalry faced challenges due to inadequate horsemastership, lack of emphasis on horse health, and restrictive standing orders. 03:11 🐴 French cavalry adapted by improving horsemastership and adopting British practices, leading to better performance in later stages of the war. 04:33 ⚔️ Cavalry charges, while seemingly obsolete, could still be effective if conducted with surprise, speed, and extended formations, as demonstrated in the Battle of Soissons. 06:47 🌍 British Empire cavalry, especially in the Middle East, played a strategically decisive role in campaigns against the Ottomans, effectively using cavalry charges and tactics. 08:02 🗡️ Australian Light Horse successfully utilized cavalry charges with sabres at Beersheba and Megiddo, showcasing the effectiveness of well-planned cavalry attacks. 10:47 💂♂️ While not every charge was without losses, cavalry in Palestine campaign illustrated the effectiveness of cavalry in fluid combat situations and raids. 13:29 🇩🇪 German cavalry demonstrated mobility and surprise tactics, disrupting enemy lines, capturing prisoners, and conducting successful raids in Romania. 16:12 🤺 Typical cavalry actions in WWI included reconnaissance, charges, rear-guard actions, and ambushes, showcasing the dynamic role of cavalry on the eastern front. 18:00 🚫 While limited by trench warfare, cavalry was strategically and tactically effective, and its use was a logical choice given the lack of mechanization and mobility. 18:55 ☢️ The evolution of modern warfare didn't render cavalry useless; it remained a viable option in certain situations until mechanization became more widespread after the war. Made with HARPA AI
We picked a few examples to illustrate the points, not every country could be included. I am Canadian, and we didn't focus on a late-war Canadian cavalry charge where a VC was won either.
Maybe you could do a little episode about Kitchener. Nothing was done about him during the centennial of the war itself. And there's a wealth of things that can be brought up as background images showing the places he was and the things that he did. Another interesting aspect is the fact that he traveled with his decorations as most of these soldiers did,and his medals are still somewhere in the wreckage of that ship that was transporting him to Russia when it sank. Bear in mind...The Star of India that he wore was entirely encrusted with diamonds like the medal that Nelson wore, which was stolen in the 1960s.
Yeah! New video! That said, will you guys continue with the road map you had created back in 2022? or are the videos about the Chinese Rebellion and the Anglo-Zulu War no longer going to be made?
We had a lot of ground to cover, and with Littauer being early in the war, I felt that it would be more interesting to cover late war actions with the French in the West and the British Empire in the Middle East since the early war was covered another way.
Hey Jesse, what was the basic status of horse gas masks in this era? It would take more gas but it should kill a horse too. I have seen some pictures but not many.
We picked a few examples to illustrate the points, not every country could be included. I am Canadian, and we didn't focus on a late-war Canadian cavalry charge where a VC was won either.
Hi Jesse, you missed the Iraq front in the graet war and the role of Calvary in the Campaign particularly in the battles of sheiba , Cetaphon and the capture of Mosul 1918 and raid of the column of General Bartov into Dyalaa
Excellent summary of the arm's activities! As you point out, conventional wisdom (and Hollywoo'd's representations) of Cavalry of that era are not accurate to the reality. When armies were moving, Cavalry was useful and important. But since most people project the Western Front's experience with trenches to the entire war, (which is not an accurate assumption), they often dismiss the value of cavalry.
ummm ... when has Hollywood ever been even close to realty? Years ago I watched a movie of the Alamo. The Texans were using repleting 1893 Kraig Jorgensen and 1903 Springfield bolt action rifles! NOT the flintlock and then new percussion single shot muzzleloaders of the time. For some reason, the Texans were also all in US Army uniform. Most odd. None were members of the US military. Heck! Texas wasn't even a state yet!
@@stevehuffman7453 You know that's wrong because you're familiar with those guns and US and Texas history. You'd be surprised how many assumptions you pick up from media on topics you aren't familiar with.
Medium Mark A Whippet was introduced in late ww1 to exploit the gaps made by the heavier tanks of ww1such as the Mk1. A whippet had a speed of 8.33mph over any terrain expect with the Rolls-Royce Armoured Car at 45mph max on roads. By 1917 in Europe horses were obsolete for Britain mind so many horses were lost you couldn't breed them fast enough to replace the losses & said population of horses has never completely recovered in Europe. Cavalry is in charges or grand battle is ill advocated even in the late middles ages. Cavalries strength which none use today & in limited use in ww1 is the small war as in the old term for asymmetric warfare in contrast to the big war/conventional warfare. Cavalry is best for scouting & harassing supply lines from a fortification to launch sorties. Glory seeker charging horses into machine guns were moronic! Even in the middle ages you didn't charge cavalry into entrenched crossbowmen for a 500 to 700Ib force on a bolt would make a mess of horses if fired point blank. Genoese Crossbowmen & similar were greatly valued as mercenaries for this reason for with parvises, bill-men & pike-men with portable cover like mantlets were a crawling mini fort. In many regards little has changed in war as fundamental realities of polemology remain the same though the technology advance another means, device, weapon, entity etcetera fill the role of the previous. In the case of cavalry it was replaced by armoured fighting vehicles. Tanks are not armoured cavalry which is a terrible way to use them. Think of a tank as a ready to fire cannon on a tractor with no set up as it is support weaponised vehicle that replaced the role of gun tractors. originally this role in the middles age siege warfare was war wagon later then gun tractor. In the case of infantry melee & missile infantry combined forming into one for the bayonet made it's way on to the rifle in the age of pike & shot. i suspect something similar will happen in regards to tanks & armoured fighting cars fusing into one in time. Look at the American Bradly & British Warrior etcetera as they kind of possess aspect of tank along with personal carrier patched into an armoured fighting vehicle by design. It's not quite their yet though. As an Engineer till my failed health I have some idea on that but hay no ones paying so rubber duck them as I ain't making anything so another tosser can claim my brains as theirs!
I guess if you squint your eyes you can see how the french horizon blue can blend in with the sky in a trench pov, but horizon blue is still a bright "look at me" color
My great grand father, Viktor, was a cavalry sergeant in the Belgian army, 2nd regiment gidsen. At Haelen, his unit was stationed to the north. They recieved orders to fight a dismounted battle. He further fought for 10 days untill his horse was killed in an artillery barrage & he ended up behind german lines, wounded. Finding no way to get back to the Belgian army, the Belgian high command learned from him from the red cross & he was ordered to stay put as getting to the netherlands was impossible & getting trough the front lines was suicide.
Well, you should look up to the Uskub maneuver, which basically broke the Balkan front in 1918. 3 French cavalry regiments under the leadership of general Jouinot-Gambetta forced Bulgary to sign an armistice by seizing Uskub supply hub on the 29th of September, leading to the hasty retreat of the Austrian armies in the region, and to the surrender of the 11th German Army.
Yes, indeed cavalry mattered! They were still very important. Everyone who is interested even more in cavalry is welcome to stop by at my very little channel where I not only try to explore the cavalry in depth but am on my way to reconstruct a ww1 german hussar. That includes not only the gear and equipment but the riding-skills as well. It is still a long way to go and I would be glad about everyone who stops by. :)
I always figured that Calvary would be quite useful in storming trenches since, although it makes you a bigger target, you can still close the gap between your lines and the enemies faster than you could on got and then over your in the enemy's lines, the machine guns don't mean quite as much.
Bigger target, no man's land is treacherous in that there are traps, bap wire and holes and many other obstructions. And they would also need to dismount before being able to engage a trench giving the defenders an easy chance to kill them
OFFICER: "My lord!! We lost 80% of our horses? What was it? Machine guns? Tanks? Poison gas?" SARGENT: "No Sir. You ordered us not to give them a drink Sir so they died. "
I was enjoying the video and felt like I was learning something but then I heard you quote Noel Ignatiev and now I don't know how much of what you said to believe
"Well, I knew my days were numbered when o'er the trenches lumbered More modern machinations de la guerre No match for rapid fire or the steel birds of the sky With a final rear guard action, I retreat No match for barbered wire or the armored engines whine Reluctant, I retire and take my leave" "Horse Soldier, Horse Soldier" by Corb Lund.
Disappointed to see that the Battle of Pozzuolo del Friuli (30 october 1917), involving the Italian 2nd Cavalry Brigade and that saw it and an infantry brigade basically fight a desperate and murderous rearguard action to slow down the enemy advance and cover the retreat of the 3rd Army, is not mentioned.
I think it’s disgusting how the French doctrine treated war horses. I mean the mark of a real man is how he treats animals. 84 Km in a couple of days? That’s just absurd with no water break for the horses.
Biggest thing is that, cavalries could still be used for utility purposes, like scouting and logistic transportation, and no one, especially those who study military history, can look down on those 2 aspects of war
Reconnaissance, yes but no transportation. You need different horses for that.
Any recon cavalry was capable of would be worthless in trench warfare. They could tell you were the trenches were, but anyone could do that and the locations barely changed. Faced with static defenses about the only actionable intelligence would be the size and composition of the forces in the trenches, which cavalry would be unable to ascertain.
@@MahiMahi-oiasdfwhile that may seem true, it doesn’t actually line up with experience during the war. Most notably that of the Canadian Light Horse who conducted Reconnaissance as a part of Vimy Ridge. The intelligence they gathered was highly prized and deemed as important. Stephanie Potter’s PhD dissertation “Smile and Carry On” has an excellent section on that.
@@MahiMahi-oiasdf
"Any recon armored cars were capable of would be worthless in trench warfare."
"Any recon jeeps were capable of would be worthless in trench warfare."
WWI had fronts OTHER then german-french border, you know?😅
@@TheArklyte Equating armored cars to unarmored horses and men is hilarious. As is completely missing the part where "in trench warfare" was specified despite quoting it twice.
You just made a small, niche group of military officers very happy.
We do what we can.
@@jessealexander2695 Are you some sort of military officer?
@@couldbeanybody2508He's from horse mounted police.
I feel a future video on the cavalry of the Eastern Front is needed, as there is so much there to cover. The battle of Jaroslavice at the start of the war could almost have an episode to itself!
In this one we talk about the Romanian campaign and East Prussia.
Google Stepan Barbovich. At Yaroslavits, he led his regiment in clearing the Austrian guns and during the civil war, he participated in some of the largest cavalry battles in Russian history… against machine guns!
The same coud be said about Haelen in Belgien on 12 August 1914, there is a particularly informative book about that day. The last great great cavalry Charge The battle of the Silver Helmets Halen 12 August 1914
I have the book : Die Letzte Reiterschlacht der Weltgeschichte Jaroslawice 1914 Max von Hoen-Egon Freiherr von Waldstätten.
That would be great I know NOTHING of that
@@huzaar100 From one hussar to another, thank you 😁
One of my relatives was in the Irish Royal Dragoon Guards, and took part in the battle of Audregnies or Elouges in late August 1914. It was the cavalry charge by this regiment together with the 9th Lancers which stopped the German advance long enough for the Great Retreat from Mons to allow the British to have their victory at the Marne. Even though the units involved were virtually destroyed, it effectively turned the tide.
The 9th Lancers suffered 15 killed or died of wounds (1 officer, 14 ORs), 22 wounded (4 officers, 22 ORs), 4th Dragoon Guards suffered 9 ORs killed, and the 18th Hussars had 19 killed (1 officer, 18 ORs). That’s a total of 43 killed between the 3 regiments.
The vast, vast majority of casualties they took were actually as prisoners: 9th Lancers had 57 PoWs and the 4th Dragoon Guards had 65 PoW.
While high in terms of PoWs, 2nd Cavalry Brigade was able to continue in its duties during the rest of the retreat + the marne.
@@MattNovosad for perspective how big were these units?
That's really interesting. I've got their records written down at home, including that particular regiment. I could give you more info on him, depending on what his name was.
@kenjethao7774 each regiment of cavalry has 3 squadrons of 100-150 men each
This stems from the misconception that WW1 was all trenches
They're the same people that think spears and pikes are dumb because they are unwieldly in close quarters. Some people are just born without a Context Gland.
Not really a misconception.
Cavalry were useless in the key theatre, The Western Front, however useful they were in other theatres.
@@alanpennieit is a misconception, and you literally explained why in the second half of your reply
@@alanpenniewell actually, fun fact, one of the many reasons the last German offensive failled was due to the lack of cavalry and mounted infantry to keep up with the storm troopers.
@@CoffeeFiend1and the same people are likely to say that a sword is useless because a spear out ranges it.
Fantastic video - should be essential viewing for all military history buffs.
Thanks!
we expect you to make a video response! plz...
Yes, cavalry mattered very much. I am doing some humble tries to reconstruct a WW1 Hussar, including the riding skills. Still a way to go, but yeah, I am getting there.
Would you look at that. Not long ago I had an argument about the matter where the other person insisted cavalry was completely obsolete by the time of WW1. Great to have a video from you on the topic.
:) Now you've got a trump card for the next beer-fuelled history debate!
@@jessealexander2695 Thank you! :)
He didn’t mention the battle of Halen where a larger German by the book mounted cavalry met Belgian dismounted cavalry, no British involved. But yes obsolete is correct, where horses are a must, mounted cavalry is death And on paper cyclists are better, longer range, superior dismount
just 2 years later cavalry saved Europe from the Bolsheviks
@@2adamastThe German failure at Haelen was because of poor intelligence, not some intrinsic obsolesce of Cavalry. The Germans had little idea of the terrain and attacked over unsuitable ground, avoided what was only a small creek because their maps called it a river, etc…
In the end, of course, the German HHK (Höhere Kavallerie-Kommando) took the town.
Examining the casualties as well, German and Belgian casualties were remarkably similar. I don’t have the figures on hand but would be happy to get them for you if you’d like.
Wasn't cavalry heavily important in the Russian Civil War, and the various conflicts surrounding it?
Absolutely, we've talked about that in our episodes on those topics too.
They were important in Middle East even after WW1
Cavalry was the deciding factor of the Soviet-Polish war. The Battle of Komarów was one of the largest cavalry battle since the Napoleonic era.
Google Stepan Barbovich.
@@Edax_Royeaux This is a misconception. The Battle of Brandy Station is the BIGGEST cavalry battle post Napoleon no caps in both men involved and casualties.
Excellent analysis. The effects of modern war on the horses themselves is something I really hadn't considered.
Thanks!
My grandfather was a horse whisperer, so at the outbreak of war he enlisted in the Australian Army Veterinary Corps, (AAVC) eventually being promoted to Sergeant, (you had to have a veterinary degree to be an officer in the AAVC).
I had an uncle that served in the U.S. Cavalry in 1918. I only met him once or twice in the 80's. He was STILL suffered coughing fits from lung damage due to a German gas attack. War stinks...great show though.
Do you remember what unit he was with?
@@SuperODST1 sorry, no I don't
@hankw69 if you can get his name maybe it could be tracked down? I'd guess the 2nd US Cavalry, but it's hard to find much information on US Cavalry in WWI.
@@SuperODST1 will ask my father his name when I visit this weekend. But I doubt he would know much more than that.
Did America have horse cavalry in 1918 offensives? Did they ever get to use horse cavalry
Tbh I wouldn't be surprised if they'd still be useful today, it's just that I don't recall there being many places where troops can be trained in their use and the equipment of specifically horse cavalry wasn't updated in over a century.
In combat by deploying as dragoons nowadays they're potentially the deadliest they could have ever been with widespread availability of MANPADs, GPMGs, light mortars, grenade launchers, hadheld ATGMs to be used on foot and even carbines and PDWs that can be used on the horse.
In role of actual cavalry scouts they're slightly worse then they would have been around 1980's. By that I mean that electronic equipment like radios, night vision devices, portable reconnaissance radars and now thermals and drones was all at first too cumbersome for individual soldiers, but can be carried around by the horse and used by the rider more easily. Nowadays minituarization led to there not being a clear benefit a cavalrymen would have in this over infantrymen. Unless a horse can carry an active Starlink terminal while on the move, I guess? Then recon potential of horse cavalry is still ahead of its infantry. Might even also add helmet with HUD for drone control since rider isn't as encumbered by personal equipment as soldier on foot.
But then again, I don't recall seeing modern kit for horses being designed or produced anywhere in the world. Do MOLLE standard saddles exist? Are there kevlar vests for horses?😅
I believe there are still a limited number of muleskinners in the military, specifically to transport large loads to inaccessible locations. It may be my memory is out of date and they were disbanded in the 90s, but I have no information.
There is armor and camo for horses. Horses are just individually low-level logistical units, as far as logistics is concerned the horse will never die, it always has a use.
They probably would still be useful, but until someone figures out how to make horses run on diesel there's alternatives with a logistical tail that's more compatible with modern armies such as quads and bikes.
Edit: didn't mean to imply that they aren't used, because they are, just that they'd be more of a specialist thing rather than part of the regular army doctrine like quads and bikes are.
Horse mounted infantry was used in 2001 during the initial SF insertion into Afghanistan. US Army Delta operators and Navy SEAL team members literally rode horses around northern Afghanistan.
They weren’t cavalry though. The horses were used solely for getting around. After that they replaced them with locally sourced Toyota Hilux trucks.
@@chrisdiaz4876 Oh my, tanky bois. The goggles are pretty badass.
The cavalry were probably the most important arm in the 1920 soviet polish war. All about terrain and tactics. If the war is in a movement phase with unavoidable gaps in army's defenses the cavalry could be decisive in their traditional roles of encirclement and flank attacks.
cavalry in that war and the russian civil war could be ridiculously well armed-common for a cavalryman to carry lance, sword, carbine rifle and two revolvers.
I recently discovered my great grandfather was a batman to a colonel in ww1, with his role mostly looking after horses as he used them in civilian life as a farmhand. I cant find any info if he fought in any capacity sadly but still proud of his brief contribution.
I remember reading that the US cavalry staged a successful raid across Nomansland and into the German supply areas. The sight of the Rough Riders apparently unnerved the German rear area personnel. The cavalry got back across to the American lines pretty much intact, but it was decided that this was a fluke and it was never attempted again.
Thank you for reinforcing the fact that dressage is not a stupid Olympic event. A soldier who's horse is an extension of their body is something not to be trifled with and still has uses even today.
Modern pentathlon is another Olympic event inspired by cavalry operations. The sequence of athletic events follows a cavalry training scenario.
It's not a pointless occupation, but it has no place at the olympics as the "athlete" is doing nothing and the horse does all the work. Even a luge is more involved for the human.
We don't put car racing on the olympics' calendar for the same reason or Red Bull Race Day style flying.
*whose
Learn to spell basic English.
Dressage *is* a stupid Olympic event, though.
Horses still have uses in war, huh? So where are they being used successfully in a major conflict?
Excellent video as always.
My only gripe? Bring back the old, longer intro! I loved it!
Meggido proved that it could be, even with traditional sword and lance. The problem is that in trench-dominated theathers mobility was totally absent (no scouting, flanking, charges, fast movements for dismounted action, long marches over vast terrains etc.), and to get it it was necessary to crack the deadlock with the same breaking unit, or at least exploit the breakthrough instantly with cavalry. The combination of tanks and horsemen could achieve that, but the complex trenches of Europe were too much i think.
Something to keep in mind, and that due to space constraints we didn’t get to cover, is that Cavalry saw A LOT of use on the Western Front by the Allies. The 1917 and 1918 French examples were used to showcase even a bit of that. But, for example, the Canadian Light Horse conducted successful and important mounted reconnaissance during Vimy Ridge in 1917, or the success of British Cavalry strategically at the Battle of Amiens in 1918. :)
Very interesting lecture. As an old cavalryman, Danish Guard Husar Regiment, the fine praise honors me as you always hear that the horse was not of great importance in the First World War. Old weapons can still do something if they are used correctly.👍👍👍
I love cavalry so I can’t thank you enough for this video Jessie ❤ also least we forget the service of the horses 🐎 om all sides in the war 😢❤❤❤❤
Cavalry is still my favorite class in BF1
Cavalry has always been my favorite arm. This is a godsend of a video. Love hearing about French cavalry. Great episode
Thank you for the great videos
Australia’s Light Horse captured more ground than any army in the Holy Lands, so that’s confirmation that cavalry were still decisive in WWI.
The Light Horse were the first thing that came to mind when I saw the title of this video.
For some reason i was thinking of lawerance of arabia and the arabian camel/horses against the Turks
An interesting fact not many people know is that Australians also fought while mounted on camels as part of the Imperial Camel Corps. Many of them were drawn from Australian light horse regiments and distinguished themselves in many battles throughout the Sinai and Palestine campaign. @@Marveryn
This video could have easily been 5 hours long and I would have been glued to every second of it.
My Great-Grandfather on my fathers side was a Dragoon in the 1. Badische Leibdragoner Regiment Nr.20
From the letters he wrote and the few pictures that exist they were sent into battle as true cavalry, with sabers and carbines at the beginning of the war and later transitioned away from sabers into pure rifles, they went to the eastern front afterwards and were mainly used as border patrols during the last year of the war. He had a background as a stable boy and was used to working with horses which is why they sent him to the dragoons in 1914.
I can see the usefulness of horses in modern war. Transportation of troops in rough terrain, scouting, gathering resources (in desperation) and occasionally cover open ground, (possibly support vehicles) although the last one would be more for desperation. Soviet Afghan War was the last time cavalry was used in combat.
2001, Afghanistan
My Grandfather was in the US calvary during WWI. I'm drawing on my age 16 memory, but he told me that they chased the Germans through the Arden, only catching them when the war was over. He also said they were a light machine gun company, and that challenged my conception of calvary, which admittedly had been formed from cowboys and indians movies.
Thanks!
Please never quit. You all are awesome.
Excellent video
Cavalry was useful, but commanders had to use them carefully.
Earlier in the War, many elite cavalry units were decimated by machine gun emplacements, absolutely.
Due to a few disasters or fear of disaster, however, cavalry was held back too much later on
I find WWI set in a most interesting time. Availability of military equipment outpaced the training for it. By that I mean, the industrial revolution provided types of battlefield, and naval, equipment that had not been used as weapons prior to WWI. The generals and major staff officers had been trained in schools run by former cavalry officers. The horse soldiers of WWI probably took up the slack when newer equipment failed or was not well understood strategically. In my opinion, the cavalry was a necessary asset.
9:30 - Harry Flashman described "Rake" Hodson as a wild animal even by the standards of irregular cavalry. He was killed in the Mutiny, reportedly while looting. Sikh cavalry was particularly prized by the British after their performance in the two Sikh wars.
Excellent content as usual!
Great video, actually never knew this!
Interesting subject I've never seen anyone cover thanks for doing this
Thanks!
The guy who runs Brandon F channel did an episode on this topic.
@@robertjarman3703 I had gotten Brandon sources for that video :).
Thank you for sharing this remarkable episode about calvary role-playing during The great war.....thank you for sharing
Role-playing??
Really interesting take which i hadnt thought about. I guess our perception of cavalry in ww1 is largely shaped by depictions in films like war horse
Amazing how the French who had vast experience using horses in war should be so lax in care for them during WW 1,
Tradition from Napoleonic wars
@@phunkracylol
Another Eye opening episode. Thank you very much for your work :)
It is a shame that General Ivan Kolev and the Bulgarian cavalry were not included in this video :/
We picked a few examples to illustrate the points, not every country could be included. I am Canadian, and we didn't focus on a late-war Canadian cavalry charge where a VC was won either.
I know it's a quote, but there's no "rigor mortis before dying". "Mortis" is Latin for "of death", so the term refers to the muscle paralysis that happens due to death. It takes dead cell calcium + a lack of oxygen stopping ATP production for the muscle to be unable to relax.
14:17 I suspect they are referencing what some horseman call “tying up”. “Typing up is sever stiffness, muscles cramping or contractions… which is more accurately the condition… “rhabdomyolysis”, caused by excessive over work, poor nutrition, and poor hydration.
Interestingly, similar opinions about the French cavalry and their lack of respect for the condition of horses can be found already in reference to the Napoleonic Wars. For a century, they proved resistant to necessary changes.
0:52 - can somebody identify those soldiers and helmets? Never seen that picture before
They're a French Dragoon Regiment.
I clicked the title because I thought this was an IWM video but let's see how it goes. I'm excited
In an age when most people still lived around horses basic horse health was ignored? Bizarre.
Horses may have been a fact of life but many people had no actual experience of them. Just like cars are a fact of life today, but is everyone a mechanic?
Glad to see the Great War again. I just finished reading “The First World War” by Martin Gilbert. Excellent book. Started reading “The First World War” by John Keegan. Does a great job explaining why Germany used the Schiffen (can’t spell it, German is hard for us poor ol gringo’s) plan, why it didn’t work, and why things were the way they were. Great reads. Highly recommend.
"Schlieffen Plan"
English ain't no problem mate
Try also The Forgotten Victory, by Prof Gary Sheffield
You have forgotten the French cavalry of the Eastern Army, General François Léon Jouinot-Gambetta. Probably the most unknwon and important cavalry battle.
You can have a funny sum up at: The Little Theater of Operations - The cavalry charge that precipitated the armistice. It's in french but the "cc" button works.
🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation:
00:00 🐎 Cavalry played a significant role in World War I, despite common belief that it was useless in modern warfare.
00:29 🏇 Cavalry regiments adapted to new technology and tactics, including machine guns, skirmished formations, and mobile horse artillery.
01:22 🔫 The role of cavalry included reconnaissance, rear-guard actions, raids, and exploiting gaps made in enemy lines.
02:19 🇫🇷 French cavalry faced challenges due to inadequate horsemastership, lack of emphasis on horse health, and restrictive standing orders.
03:11 🐴 French cavalry adapted by improving horsemastership and adopting British practices, leading to better performance in later stages of the war.
04:33 ⚔️ Cavalry charges, while seemingly obsolete, could still be effective if conducted with surprise, speed, and extended formations, as demonstrated in the Battle of Soissons.
06:47 🌍 British Empire cavalry, especially in the Middle East, played a strategically decisive role in campaigns against the Ottomans, effectively using cavalry charges and tactics.
08:02 🗡️ Australian Light Horse successfully utilized cavalry charges with sabres at Beersheba and Megiddo, showcasing the effectiveness of well-planned cavalry attacks.
10:47 💂♂️ While not every charge was without losses, cavalry in Palestine campaign illustrated the effectiveness of cavalry in fluid combat situations and raids.
13:29 🇩🇪 German cavalry demonstrated mobility and surprise tactics, disrupting enemy lines, capturing prisoners, and conducting successful raids in Romania.
16:12 🤺 Typical cavalry actions in WWI included reconnaissance, charges, rear-guard actions, and ambushes, showcasing the dynamic role of cavalry on the eastern front.
18:00 🚫 While limited by trench warfare, cavalry was strategically and tactically effective, and its use was a logical choice given the lack of mechanization and mobility.
18:55 ☢️ The evolution of modern warfare didn't render cavalry useless; it remained a viable option in certain situations until mechanization became more widespread after the war.
Made with HARPA AI
Poor horses were put through a true calvary every time they sent the cavalry into battle.
Kind of disappointing that Bulgarian cavalry wrecking the Russians wasn't referenced.
We picked a few examples to illustrate the points, not every country could be included. I am Canadian, and we didn't focus on a late-war Canadian cavalry charge where a VC was won either.
@@jessealexander2695 Extended episode when? ;P
Maybe you could do your own video about that?
Another fascinating video! A follow-up with some more notable calvary actions would be ideal.
Really liked this episode
Maybe you could do a little episode about Kitchener.
Nothing was done about him during the centennial of the war itself.
And there's a wealth of things that can be brought up as background images showing the places he was and the things that he did.
Another interesting aspect is the fact that he traveled with his decorations as most of these soldiers did,and his medals are still somewhere in the wreckage of that ship that was transporting him to Russia when it sank.
Bear in mind...The Star of India that he wore was entirely encrusted with diamonds like the medal that Nelson wore, which was stolen in the 1960s.
I enjoyed your video and I gave it a Thumbs Up
Fascinating! Thank you!
YES NEW VIDEO LET’S GO
Yeah! New video! That said, will you guys continue with the road map you had created back in 2022? or are the videos about the Chinese Rebellion and the Anglo-Zulu War no longer going to be made?
Zulu war will be covered on real time history next week
One of the major logistical tasks in WW1 was supplying and transporting Horse fodder which was the single largest import to Europe during the war.
This was a great video
Thank you.
Very interesting. I dond't realise how cavalry could be in WW1. Thanks for that
Thank you.
3:59 was hoping you’d tell us how the combat experience of French German and British cavalry early in the war.
We had a lot of ground to cover, and with Littauer being early in the war, I felt that it would be more interesting to cover late war actions with the French in the West and the British Empire in the Middle East since the early war was covered another way.
@@MattNovosad ok still great video 👍🫡
@@Jarod-vg9wq i appreciate that! The subject of cavalry in the war is very wide and there is a bunch I wish I could have touched on :)
Basically: British cavalry beat the German cavalry in the majority of early meeting engagements, thereby securing their superiority
Hey Jesse, what was the basic status of horse gas masks in this era? It would take more gas but it should kill a horse too. I have seen some pictures but not many.
Fascinating.
Great video! But not mentioning the Bulgarian cavalry is criminal
We picked a few examples to illustrate the points, not every country could be included. I am Canadian, and we didn't focus on a late-war Canadian cavalry charge where a VC was won either.
They made a vid years ago about it
Hi Jesse, you missed the Iraq front in the graet war and the role of Calvary in the Campaign particularly in the battles of sheiba , Cetaphon and the capture of Mosul 1918 and raid of the column of General Bartov into Dyalaa
Excellent summary of the arm's activities! As you point out, conventional wisdom (and Hollywoo'd's representations) of Cavalry of that era are not accurate to the reality. When armies were moving, Cavalry was useful and important. But since most people project the Western Front's experience with trenches to the entire war, (which is not an accurate assumption), they often dismiss the value of cavalry.
And most people don’t understand the war in the west either
ummm ... when has Hollywood ever been even close to realty?
Years ago I watched a movie of the Alamo.
The Texans were using repleting 1893 Kraig Jorgensen and 1903 Springfield bolt action rifles! NOT the flintlock and then new percussion single shot muzzleloaders of the time.
For some reason, the Texans were also all in US Army uniform. Most odd. None were members of the US military. Heck! Texas wasn't even a state yet!
@@stevehuffman7453 You know that's wrong because you're familiar with those guns and US and Texas history. You'd be surprised how many assumptions you pick up from media on topics you aren't familiar with.
Yes! More WWI please!
Could calvary still by used today as an anti tank role?
A great video, and one that undermines yet another unfair myth of the Great War.
Some breathtaking stories.
Another great episode!
Get Nebula with 40% off annual subscription with my link: go.nebula.tv/thegreatwar
Watch Red Atoms on Nebula: nebula.tv/redatoms?ref=thegreatwar
Medium Mark A Whippet was introduced in late ww1 to exploit the gaps made by the heavier tanks of ww1such as the Mk1.
A whippet had a speed of 8.33mph over any terrain expect with the Rolls-Royce Armoured Car at 45mph max on roads.
By 1917 in Europe horses were obsolete for Britain mind so many horses were lost you couldn't breed them fast enough to replace the losses & said population of horses has never completely recovered in Europe.
Cavalry is in charges or grand battle is ill advocated even in the late middles ages.
Cavalries strength which none use today & in limited use in ww1 is the small war as in the old term for asymmetric warfare in contrast to the big war/conventional warfare.
Cavalry is best for scouting & harassing supply lines from a fortification to launch sorties.
Glory seeker charging horses into machine guns were moronic!
Even in the middle ages you didn't charge cavalry into entrenched crossbowmen for a 500 to 700Ib force on a bolt would make a mess of horses if fired point blank.
Genoese Crossbowmen & similar were greatly valued as mercenaries for this reason for with parvises, bill-men & pike-men with portable cover like mantlets were a crawling mini fort.
In many regards little has changed in war as fundamental realities of polemology remain the same though the technology advance another means, device, weapon, entity etcetera fill the role of the previous.
In the case of cavalry it was replaced by armoured fighting vehicles.
Tanks are not armoured cavalry which is a terrible way to use them.
Think of a tank as a ready to fire cannon on a tractor with no set up as it is support weaponised vehicle that replaced the role of gun tractors.
originally this role in the middles age siege warfare was war wagon later then gun tractor.
In the case of infantry melee & missile infantry combined forming into one for the bayonet made it's way on to the rifle in the age of pike & shot.
i suspect something similar will happen in regards to tanks & armoured fighting cars fusing into one in time.
Look at the American Bradly & British Warrior etcetera as they kind of possess aspect of tank along with personal carrier patched into an armoured fighting vehicle by design.
It's not quite their yet though.
As an Engineer till my failed health I have some idea on that but hay no ones paying so rubber duck them as I ain't making anything so another tosser can claim my brains as theirs!
I guess if you squint your eyes you can see how the french horizon blue can blend in with the sky in a trench pov, but horizon blue is still a bright "look at me" color
Switzerland disbanded th Cavalry in 1968 but kept mountain transport horses until 1995
German Bundeswehr is still using mules in the mountains AFAIK
My great grand father, Viktor, was a cavalry sergeant in the Belgian army, 2nd regiment gidsen. At Haelen, his unit was stationed to the north. They recieved orders to fight a dismounted battle. He further fought for 10 days untill his horse was killed in an artillery barrage & he ended up behind german lines, wounded. Finding no way to get back to the Belgian army, the Belgian high command learned from him from the red cross & he was ordered to stay put as getting to the netherlands was impossible & getting trough the front lines was suicide.
Nice video.
Thanks!
Love that my profile pic is the thumbnail
(And has been for a few years now)
In the Eastern front through the whole war cavalry was regularly used, it also played a very important role during 1920 Polish -Soviet war
My grandfather was a USA cavalry trooper in WWI and Type 1 diabetic.
I think an interesting video could be done on Camels in the War.
I was hoping you would also say something about the charge of Von Schmettow's subordinates in Borzymie near Włocławek in Poland in November 1914.
This episode reminds me how OP revolver cav was in Shogun 2.
Well, you should look up to the Uskub maneuver, which basically broke the Balkan front in 1918. 3 French cavalry regiments under the leadership of general Jouinot-Gambetta forced Bulgary to sign an armistice by seizing Uskub supply hub on the 29th of September, leading to the hasty retreat of the Austrian armies in the region, and to the surrender of the 11th German Army.
cavalry palyed a huge role in the africa fronts, indian cavalry was heavily used in east aftica.
Yes, indeed cavalry mattered! They were still very important. Everyone who is interested even more in cavalry is welcome to stop by at my very little channel where I not only try to explore the cavalry in depth but am on my way to reconstruct a ww1 german hussar. That includes not only the gear and equipment but the riding-skills as well. It is still a long way to go and I would be glad about everyone who stops by. :)
I had no idea the 501 Legion used Cavalry in the Battle of Magneto
I always figured that Calvary would be quite useful in storming trenches since, although it makes you a bigger target, you can still close the gap between your lines and the enemies faster than you could on got and then over your in the enemy's lines, the machine guns don't mean quite as much.
Bigger target, no man's land is treacherous in that there are traps, bap wire and holes and many other obstructions. And they would also need to dismount before being able to engage a trench giving the defenders an easy chance to kill them
OFFICER: "My lord!! We lost 80% of our horses? What was it? Machine guns? Tanks? Poison gas?"
SARGENT: "No Sir. You ordered us not to give them a drink Sir so they died. "
Info and logistics are often overlooked but you need them to win a war.
@TheGreatWar I’d love to see your analysis on the extent and importance of American Lend/Lease to the Soviet Union.
My grand grandfather server in Russian Cavalry but he was Polish.
I was enjoying the video and felt like I was learning something but then I heard you quote Noel Ignatiev and now I don't know how much of what you said to believe
We do not quote anyone by that name in this video.
"Well, I knew my days were numbered when o'er the trenches lumbered
More modern machinations de la guerre
No match for rapid fire or the steel birds of the sky
With a final rear guard action, I retreat
No match for barbered wire or the armored engines whine
Reluctant, I retire and take my leave"
"Horse Soldier, Horse Soldier" by Corb Lund.
Disappointed to see that the Battle of Pozzuolo del Friuli (30 october 1917), involving the Italian 2nd Cavalry Brigade and that saw it and an infantry brigade basically fight a desperate and murderous rearguard action to slow down the enemy advance and cover the retreat of the 3rd Army, is not mentioned.
Best history channel ever created. .
WW1 was a descent into madness… it was steam-punk meets cannon fodder.
True, but all war is descent into madness, ultimately.
I think it’s disgusting how the French doctrine treated war horses. I mean the mark of a real man is how he treats animals. 84 Km in a couple of days? That’s just absurd with no water break for the horses.
For a momment, I thought you guys had completely forgotten about the great war
more ww1 videos incoming this year
@@TheGreatWarhow
To find a book about ww1 cavalry
Not against interlocking fire zones of machine gun fire from a static position.
Pretty much any thing made of flesh would be stopped by that. Thankfully ww1 wasnt all trench warfare.