Cavalry

:This article is about cavalry, mounted soldiers. Cavalry is also a common misspelling of the biblical hill Calvary.

Cavalry's demise

In the 20th century the advent of modern vehicles with effective mobility and armor, such as tanks, provided the opportunity for vehicles to replace horses as the key mobile element of an army. This change was made even more necessary by the development of the machine gun and other weapons which could easily destroy cavalry formations. Horses became relegated to logistical roles, with few exceptions (see tachanka).

Related Topics:
20th century - Vehicles - Mobility - Armor - Tank - Machine gun - Logistical - Tachanka

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The demise of cavalry as a decisive force on the battlefield came in the First World War when cavalry forces were slaughtered while failing to achieve a strategic breakthrough on the Western Front. They nevertheless played an important role on several fronts, particularly in the Middle East.

Related Topics:
First World War - Western Front

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After World War I and the Polish-Bolshevik War, horse cavalry was gradually abandoned as a major combat weapon by the industrialized powers. The last major cavalry battle was the Battle of Komarów in 1920. In the 1920s and '30s most industrialized countries either transformed their cavalry units into mounted infantry or motorized infantry. The last cavalry charges in modern warfare were seen in the Second World War. Although there have been some engagements in twentieth and twenty-first century guerrilla wars involving cavalry, particularly by partisan or guerrilla fighters in areas with poor transport infrastructure, these units were not used as cavalry but rather as mounted infantry.

Related Topics:
World War I - Polish-Bolshevik War - Battle of Komarów - 1920 - Mounted infantry - Motorized infantry - Second World War - Guerrilla

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Cavalry actually experienced a minor revival in the more mobile warfare of World War II. Russia, Italy, Germany, and even the United States fielded mounted units. Russia also fielded combined mechanized and horse units.

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Cavalry traditions and insignia were often inherited by the emerging armored formations and air forces. In the British Army, the armored regiments (apart from the Royal Tank Regiment) have one of four titles:

Related Topics:
British Army - Royal Tank Regiment

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• Hussars
• Lancers
• Dragoons
• Yeomanry

In the Canadian Army a number of both regular and reserve units have cavalry roots. These include The Governor General's Horse Guards, Lord Strathcona's Horse, The Royal Canadian Dragoons, and The South Alberta Light Horse. Several current divisions of the United States Army and other modern armies retain the name "cavalry" due to their origins in the era of horse cavalry; they generally consist in armored forces. The United States also has air cavalry units equipped with helicopters.

Related Topics:
Canadian Army - The Governor General's Horse Guards - Lord Strathcona's Horse - Royal Canadian Dragoons - South Alberta Light Horse - United States Army - Armored - United States - Air cavalry - Helicopter

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