-NRLF 
 
MODERN CAVALRY 
 
THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 
 
 NEW YORK BOSTON CHICAGO DALLAS 
 ATLANTA SAN FRANCISCO 
 
 MACMILLAN & CO., LIMITED 
 
 LONDON BOMBAY CALCUTTA 
 MELBOURNE 
 
 THE MACMILLAN CO. OP CANADA, LTD. 
 
 TORONTO 
 
MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 STUDIES ON ITS ROLE IN THE WARFARE 
 OF TO-DAY WITH NOTES ON TRAIN- 
 ING FOR WAR SERVICE 
 
 BY 
 
 MAJOR MALCOLM WHEELER-NICHOLSON 
 
 Cavalry, United States Army 
 
 THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 
 1922 
 
 AH rights reserved 
 
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 
 
 COPYRIGHT, 1922, 
 BY THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 
 
 Set up and printed. Published January, 1922. 
 
 \VpW\v^ *1 1 
 
 Press of 
 
 J. J. Little & Ives Company 
 New York, U. S. A. 
 
PREFACE 
 
 THE tumult and shouting of the world war has had a 
 little time to die down. Throughout its course and for 
 some time afterward it was impossible to clarify ideas and 
 to deduce lessons. These require a certain amount of 
 perspective for their better rendering. 
 
 This perspective has been a little furnished by the 
 passage of time. Time is a cold analyst who makes 
 tangible the real causes and effects and relegates the 
 merely subsidiary to a nebulous background. Out of the 
 haze and smoke of conflict we can begin to see dimly the 
 simple primitive forces that were at war and to see the 
 underlying causes that make for victory or defeat. In 
 freeing the mind from the thralldom of the present, in 
 deliberately comparing this war with all wars, the mind 
 of the military student becomes amazed at the simplicity 
 of the predominating factors in warfare. 
 
 This last war has complicated the issue by the use in 
 battle of a larger variety of innovations in the way of 
 auxiliaries and mechanical aids, than any war in history. 
 The aeroplane and the tank and a host of like aids have 
 a tendency to obsess the mind of the unthinking to the 
 exclusion of the important factors in victory or defeat, 
 to the real forces that battle for ascendency. 
 
 Battle is decided by men. Mechanical aids and aux- 
 iliaries end by neutralizing each other. They do not 
 decide a war. It is the actual physical contact of men 
 
 904B11 
 
vi PREFACE 
 
 or the fear of physical contact that decides battles. In 
 the final analysis it is the preponderance of man power 
 that wins. 
 
 To secure this preponderance of man power at the 
 right place and time is the aim of all military leaders. 
 It is the aim of all strategy and the reason for all the 
 cumbersome mechanics of war. The Great Captains, 
 from Hannibal to Napoleon, have been great because 
 they, above all others, realized the fundamental simplicity 
 of war. The failures and mediocrities in military history 
 have failed because they grasped at the shadow, were 
 obsessed with forms, formulas, geometrical figures and 
 thereby missed the substance. "Getting there firstest with 
 the mostest men" has always been and will always be the 
 principle of warfare. All else is accessory. 
 
 The "getting there firstest" part of this principle is the 
 part upon which the argument for cavalry is based. In 
 using tfie word cavalry it is first necessary to disabuse 
 the mind of the untechnical civiMan of any ideas of 
 waving plumes, whipping pennons and flashing cuirasses. 
 The horse has become more of a means of transportation 
 whereby to transport a soldier, armed, equipped and 
 trained in all respects as the footman, to the firing line. 
 Our cavalrymen use the same rifle, and are trained in 
 the same musketry course as are the infantrymen of our 
 army. They expend the same amount of ammunition at 
 target practice as do the infantrymen. Why the battle 
 value of our cavalry should be lessened by the fact that 
 they approach the field of battle on horse rather than on 
 foot has yet to be proved. 
 
 Since the World War there are those who would sup- 
 plant cavalry with infantry mounted in trucks and lorries. 
 This, it is claimed, would make cavalry superfluous by 
 rendering infantry equally mobile. This was done in the 
 
PREFACE vii 
 
 war on the Western front, argue they. This argument 
 takes for granted that there will be, in any terrain we 
 will be called upon to march over, similar roads to those 
 existing in Northern France. If one will take an atlas 
 and estimate just how much -of the earth's surface is 
 covered by roads in any way similar to those of Northern 
 France this argument is at once proved fallacious. To 
 particularize, in Europe one finds good roads in France, 
 Germany, and the British Isles. And by good roads is 
 meant roads that will stand up in rain and shine against 
 the fearful racketing and tearing of heavy motor traffic. 
 From the standard set by these three countries the roads 
 of the remainder of Europe grade down to the cattle 
 tracks on the immense steppes of Russia. The great 
 highlands of Asia, the enormous extent of Africa, China, 
 Siberia and Australia must be taken into consideration. 
 In the two Americas we have a few good roads on our 
 Atlantic seaboard, a narrow strip, and a few good ones 
 on the southern end of our Pacific seaboard. Against 
 these must be put the enormous territories of South and 
 Central America, Mexico, the remainder of the United 
 States and Canada. To base our transportation needs 
 solely upon conditions existent in the comparatively tiny 
 proportion of the earth's surface containing good roads 
 and to disregard the hundreds of thousands of square 
 miles not so blessed is putting too many eggs in one 
 basket. The weakness of this is further exemplified when 
 one takes into consideration the remote chances of another 
 war between two white civilized races on civilized terrain, 
 as compared to a war between a white civilized race and a 
 colored race of lesser civilization fighting on a primitive 
 terrain. And the greater portion of the earth's surface 
 is primitive terrain inhabited by semi-civilized, barbaric 
 or savage peoples. 
 
viii PREFACE 
 
 In addition to the great extent of the earth's surface 
 where it is impossible to use gasoline transportation, there 
 is another phase of the problem that few people know or 
 reflect on the fact that the gasoline supply of the world 
 has a known limit and that limit much closer than people 
 realize. 
 
 Before relegating cavalry and the horse to the limbo 
 of forgotten things, it is wise to reflect a little upon the 
 Palestine campaign a campaign undertaken and pushed 
 through while the fighting on the Western front was in 
 progress with forces having access to the innovations 
 introduced in this war. Because of the terrain, these 
 forces fought, with few modifications, as Richard and 
 Saladin fought in days gone by. The man, aided by the 
 horse (a proportion of something like three divisions of 
 cavalry to four of infantry) struggled as he has always 
 struggled and always will struggle when a little removed 
 from the good roads of civilized countries. 
 
 Civilization has been overrun by horsemen from time 
 immemorial. At recurrent periods throughout the course 
 of history, hordes of horsemen have swept over Europe 
 from the highlands of Asia. Our own America was 
 discovered because o<f the closing of the trade routes 
 to the East by the Seljukian Turks, marauding horsemen 
 who had, themselves, been pushed from their fastnesses 
 by still other roving horsemen in the interior of Asia. 
 
 As long as the enormous stretches of almost trackless 
 land surface on the globe are so much greater in extent 
 than the small area of improved country, as long as these 
 great domains are inhabited by people inferior in civiliza- 
 tion, just so long will there be need of the mounted man. 
 
 This necessity for cavalry was impressed upon the 
 writer after having served on the plains of the Texas- 
 Mexican border, after having served with Cossacks and 
 
PREFACE ix 
 
 Japanese cavalries in Siberia and after having traveled 
 over most of Europe, which traveling was followed by an 
 exhaustive study of the World War. The necessity of 
 attempting to correct some of the current fallacies in 
 regard to cavalry was impressed upon him. 
 
 This work is not intended as an exhaustive or complete 
 treatise upon cavalry. It is an attempt to put between 
 the covers of one book the best thought on the subject as 
 represented in the conversation and writings of English, 
 French, Belgian, Japanese, Russian and German cavalry 
 officers. The writer has had the privilege of studying at 
 first hand the cavalry services of all of the above named 
 cavalries except the German and made up for this latter 
 lack by studying the Swedish which is closely modeled 
 r>n the German. Good ideas have been freely pre-empted 
 wherever found. The notes on training have been for 
 the most part hammered out from personal experience 
 extending over nearly ten years of service as a cavalry 
 officer. 
 
 It is hoped that the young cavalry officer will be 
 enabled to find herein enough matter of interest to lead 
 him to reflection on the tactical possibilities and responsi- 
 bilities of his profession. 
 
 The work is offered with no apologies. It represents 
 a lot of hard work honestly undertaken in an effort to 
 contribute a little to thought on the subject of National 
 defense. It tries, as best it can, to fill the gap caused 
 by the fact that there is no modern work based on cavalry 
 service in the World War. 
 
 M. W. N. 
 
ACKNOWLEDGMENT 
 
 The following works have been valuable in furnishing 
 materials : 
 
 Cavalry in War and Peace von Bernhardi 
 
 Cavalry in Future Wars. von Bernhardi 
 
 Cavalry on Service von Pelet-Narbonne 
 
 The Nation in Arms von der Goltz 
 
 The Conduct of War von der Goltz 
 
 On War von Clausewitz 
 
 Tactics, Cavalry and Artillery Balck 
 
 Entwicklung der Taktik im Weltkrieg 
 
 (Berlin, 1920) Balck 
 
 The March on Paris von Kluck 
 
 Die Rieter Patrouille im Weltkrieg Rittmeister K'ronberger 
 
 Die Militarischen Lehren des Grossen 
 
 Krieges M. Schwarte 
 
 Heerfiirhrung im Weltkrieg von Freytag-Loringhoven 
 
 Our Cavalry Rimington 
 
 A History of Cavalry Denison 
 
 1914 Field Marshal French 
 
 The Palestine Campaign British Official Account 
 
 Aids to Scouting Baden-Powell 
 
 The Art of Reconnaissance Henderson 
 
 Some Achievements of Cavalry Field Marshal Sir 
 
 Evelyn Wood 
 British Campaigns in France and 
 
 Flanders Conan Doyle 
 
 The Tank Corps Williams-Ellis 
 
 La Cayallerie Franchise de la premier 
 
 battaile de la Marne Hethay 
 
 The Principles of War Marshal Foch 
 
 Cavaliers de France (1914 Etapes et 
 
 combats) Capitaine Langevin 
 
 xi 
 
xii ACKNOWLEDGMENT 
 
 The Crowd Le Bon 
 
 The Transformations of War Commandant Colin 
 
 American Campaigns Steele 
 
 The Mounted Rifleman Brig. Gen. Parker 
 
 In addition to the above many valuable ideas have been gleaned 
 from various articles in the British Cavalry Journal, the Journal 
 of the Royal United Service Institute and the American Cavalry 
 Journal. Thanks are hereby expressed to Lieut. Col. David 
 Biddle, Cav. Liaison Officer with the British Army of Occupation, 
 to Captain Royden Williamson, Cav. Liaison Officer with the 
 Belgian Army of Occupation and to Lieut. Mark Devine, Cav- 
 alry attached to the i6th Cuirassier Regiment, French Army of 
 Occupation, for the assistance and information furnished by 
 them. Valuable facts as to the campaign in Palestine were found 
 in the reports of Colonel Davis, Cavalry. 
 
 M, W. N. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 I THE VALUE OF CAVALRY i 
 
 II TROOP TRAINING SOME BASIC FACTORS .... 15 
 
 III TROOP TRAINING MORALE FACTORS 31 
 
 IV TROOP TRAINING THE OFFICER 49 
 
 V TROOP TRAINING THE HORSE 66 
 
 VI AUXILIARIES WITH CAVALRY 75 
 
 VII CAVALRY TACTICS MOUNTED ACTION 88 
 
 VIII CAVALRY TACTICS DISMOUNTED ACTION . . . . 106 
 
 IX CAVALRY TACTICS VARIED REQUIREMENTS ... 120 
 
 X CAVALRY TACTICS VARIED REQUIREMENTS (Cont.) . 136 
 
 XI RECONNAISSANCE AIR SERVICE AND CAVALRY . . .151 
 
 XII CAVALRY RECONNAISSANCE, PATROLS AND SCOUTS . . 160 
 
 XIII NOTES ON FOREIGN CAVALRY .... 182 
 
MODERN CAVALRY 
 
MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 THE VALUE OF CAVALRY 
 
 Far from having had its luster dimmed by tj^c world 
 war, the cavalry service has guinfeS ne\v power and value 
 by the lessons learned therein. n Cavalry > has Always had 
 certain advantages and Virtues .possessed' by' 1 no' other 
 branch. It has still those virtues and advantages but 
 has added immeasurably to the original stock. It has 
 lost certain of its disadvantages. 
 
 The great advantages possessed by cavalry have always 
 been its superior mobility and offensive power. The 
 great lack has always been stability and defensive power. 
 It still has its original mobility. It has, in addition, a 
 greatly enhanced offensive power. It has now a stability 
 and defensive power only slightly less than that of the 
 infantry. It went into the world war an auxiliary branch 
 it has come out with the position that rightfully be- 
 longs to it that of a co-equal combatant branch. 
 
 The future of the cavalry lies in its ability as a com- 
 batant or fighting branch. It is in developing to their 
 fullest capacity these capabilities that the energy of the 
 
2 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 cavalry must find its fullest expression. It can and must 
 be made the powerful arm in our army that it is fully 
 capable of being. It has always been the only arm in the 
 hands of a general whereby to dominate movement. It 
 is the arm of decision. There can not be a decisive 
 victory without its aid. This has always been true. This 
 truth has gained greater strength and importance owing 
 to the increased fighting value of cavalry and its in- 
 creased range of capabilities. 
 
 Cavalry is an arm highly sensitive to leadership. It is 
 not only necessary to have good cavalry but the higher 
 commanders must understand the proper handling of it. 
 Many faults laid at the door of cavalry can be laid directly 
 at the door of the higher authority unskilled in its use. 
 This was: the chief -fault <D the German leaders in 1870 
 and of tfre'Japanesfe aM- Russian leaders in 1904. 
 
 The pffipef ^ ^fto is ambitious to wear the general's 
 stars*a*nd^o Jekd irirbajttteS'Olt'he future must thoroughly 
 understand the powers and capabilities of cavalry. Any 
 officer who hopes to rise to successful command must 
 understand how to direct or cooperate with cavalry. 
 The proof of this needs no more than a critical study of 
 the cavalry operations in the world war, not only a study 
 of the comparatively limited sector of the Western front, 
 as valuable as that is, but a study of all fronts. 
 
 The chief lesson to be learned from this study is, that 
 upon the results gained by the cavalry in the first weeks 
 of a war will depend, to an enormous extent, the success 
 or failure of the first decisive encounter of all arms. 
 
 The second lesson to be learned is the one stated above 
 the increase in the value of cavalry as the result of 
 its action in the world war. To realize this it is only 
 necessary to study the Allied cavalry performances; 
 
THE VALUE OF CAVALRY 3 
 
 above all, the British cavalry. Such a study will convince 
 one that never has cavalry in the past performed duties 
 as valuable or as varied as it has in the war just finished. 
 
 It is further necessary to disabuse the mind of all ideas 
 as to the importance of position warfare in the wars of 
 the future. It is necessary to remember, especially for 
 American officers, that after the first few weeks in 1914 
 the war on the Western front was nothing but one stu- 
 pendous battle. A battle has ordinarily three phases, the 
 maneuvering or contact period, the encounter period, and 
 the withdrawal period. Cavalry, as cavalry, is of para- 
 mount importance in the first period, when the opposing 
 armies are finding each other, and in the third period 
 when one has been defeated and retreats and the other has 
 been victorious and pursues. But in the second period, 
 the period of infantry and artillery action, cavalry finds 
 its greatest sphere of influence upon the flanks. In this 
 great battle of the Western front the second period 
 lasted over four years and there were no flanks. 
 
 On the Western front the cavalry performed nobly in 
 the first period, acted as infantry and a mobile reserve 
 in the second period and was denied participation in the 
 third owing to the moral collapse of the Germans while 
 they were still practically intact physically. To say that 
 the warfare of the future will be similar to the warfare 
 on the Western front is to say that all wars of the future 
 will be fought by millions of men facing each other with 
 the sea on one flank and a neutral country on the other. 
 
 Half-baked enthusiasm for or half -baked condemna- 
 tion of cavalry are both valueless as being based upon 
 ignorance. It is necessary to give heed, however, to 
 the opinions of the leaders in this stupendous struggle. 
 Such men as Field Marshal French, Field Marshal Haig> 
 
4 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 Field Marshal Allenby, General Pershing, General von 
 Kluck and General Ludendorff to mention a few, whose 
 viewpoint is necessarily based upon a knowledge of the 
 whole rather than restricted to any special part, have 
 expressed opinions upon cavalry that are well worth 
 quoting. 
 
 Among a great many other commendatory remarks 
 upon the work of the British cavalry Field Marshal 
 French * has this to say referring especially to the share 
 of his cavalry in battle : "The greatest threat of disaster 
 with which we were faced in 1914 was staved off by the 
 devoted bravery and endurance displayed by the cavalry 
 corps under a commander, General Allenby, who handled 
 them throughout with consummate skill ... it is no dis- 
 paragement, however, to the other troops engaged if I 
 lay stress upon the fact that it was the cavalry alone 
 who, for more than a fortnight previously, had been dis- 
 puting foot by foot every yard of the ground to the 
 river Lys. They had fought day and night with the 
 utmost tenacity and the battles of October 31 and Novem- 
 ber i were but the climax to a long and bitter spell of 
 heroic effort. . . . Taking into account the losses they 
 suffered they can hardly have opposed 2,000 rifles to the 
 onslaught of what has been computed at more than two 
 German army corps." 
 
 Field Marshal Haig, in his careful report of the war 
 to his government, had the following to say about the 
 cavalry service: "In the light of the full experience of 
 the war the decision to preserve the cavalry corps has 
 been completely justified. It has been proved that cavalry, 
 whether used for shock effect under suitable conditions, 
 or as mobile infantry, have still an indispensable part to 
 
 "1914,". P. 266. 
 
THE VALUE OF CAVALRY 5 
 
 play in modern war. Moreover, it can not safely be 
 assumed that in future wars the flanks of the opposing 
 forces will rest on neutral states or impassable obstacles. 
 Whenever such a condition does not obtain, opportunities 
 for the use of cavalry must arise frequently." 
 
 "Throughout the great retirement in 1914 our cavalry 
 covered the retirement and protected the flanks of our 
 columns against the onrush of the enemy; and on fre- 
 quent occasions prevented our infantry from being over- 
 run by the enemy cavalry. Later in the same year at 
 Ypres their mobility multiplied their value as a reserve, 
 enabling them rapidly to reinforce threatened portions of 
 our line." 
 
 General Pershing in his article in our Cavalry Journal l 
 stated that "The splendid work of the cavalry in the 
 first few weeks of the war more than justified its exist- 
 ence and the expense of its upkeep in the years of peace 
 preceding the war. The American theory for the em- 
 ployment of cavalry is correct and the Allied cavalry 
 would have been of even greater use in the early months 
 of the war if it had been trained as American cavalry is 
 trained." 
 
 On the other side von Kluck, the commander of the 
 First German Army that made the rush through Belgium 
 and France to be stopped at the First Battle of the Marne, 
 has this to say as to one occasion when he lacked cavalry : 
 "On the occasion of the pursuit of the British army after 
 Mons and their successful and skilful retreat on the 24th 
 and 25th of August 1914 . . . the chief factor 2 that en- 
 abled the British Army to escape was that the German 
 First Army (von Kluck's) lacked the effective means of 
 
 1 Journal U. S. Cavalry Association, April, 1920. 
 a< The March on Paris, 1914," page 56. 
 
6 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 making it stand and fight, namely, the three divisions 
 which composed Marwitz's Cavalry Corps." 
 
 Ludendorf l is quoted in the Cavalry Journal as saying : 
 "The cavalry was of the greatest importance and service 
 to me in all campaigns of movement. In the March, 1918, 
 offensive in France, I felt seriously handicapped by the 
 lack of cavalry." 
 
 It will be noted that most of these testimonies as to the 
 value of cavalry refer to it in the movement phase of the 
 war. As long as armies are forced to maneuver, as 
 long as there are great stretches of broad continent in 
 the world, in America, in Africa, in Europe and in Asia 
 just so long will there be need of highly mobile troops. 
 So far the cavalry is the only successful mobile branch 
 fit and able to discharge all duties that a war of movement 
 would make necessary. 
 
 Cavalry has improved to an enormous degree. It can 
 defend itself from surprise more fully, can deceive, 
 threaten and hold in check and is much more capable of 
 vigorous offensive action than in former days. It is 
 keeping up with the demands of modern war. The very 
 innovations that were loudly proclaimed as capable of 
 supplanting cavalry are developing now into aids that 
 have added immeasurably to the value of cavalry. It is 
 high time we stopped speculating on the numerous and 
 varied substitutes that were to supplant cavalry, such as 
 aeroplanes, tanks, etc., and study as to how we can best 
 utilize the power of these new weapons to aid cavalry. 
 
 The history of the art of war has been the history of 
 
 battle. Battle has always been decided by men, men 
 
 armed with spear and shield or men armed with rifle 
 
 and bayonet. The scythe-bearing chariot, the elephant 
 
 journal U. S. Cavalry Association, July, 1920, 
 
THE VALUE OF CAVALRY ^ 
 
 tower, the tank and the aeroplane were and are auxil- 
 iaries that aided or aid the elemental man to fight his 
 enemies, to come to actual physical contact with them. 
 This actual physical contact, or the fear of it, is what 
 always has and what always will, decide battles. 
 
 Battles have been won by men, armed with this weapon 
 and that, aided by this auxiliary and that. In some 
 periods the mounted man predominated in others the foot- 
 man. The history of the development of tactics has been 
 the history of the alternate rise and fall in importance of 
 horsemen and footmen as battle troops. Cavalry occu- 
 pied a high place as offensive troops in battle down to the 
 period of the invention of the breech-loading quick-firing 
 rifle. The American Civil War blazed the way towards 
 a new development of cavalry tactics the development of 
 the highly mobile cavalryman armed also with the quick- 
 firing breech-loading rifle, capable of fighting mounted 
 against cavalry or dismounted against infantry. This 
 was simply a revival of the dragoon principle which is as 
 old as the history of cavalry. In spite of the lessons 
 taught by the American Civil War, European cavalries 
 stood fast by their out-of-date tactics, the idea of the 
 arme blanche to the exclusion of aught else. 
 
 The English carried out these ideas even as late as the 
 Boer War. There they encountered a highly mobile 
 type of rifleman who ran rings around their old-fashioned 
 cavalry tactics. They learned in the Boer War what 
 we learned in the Civil War. They profited well by their 
 teaching, amplified their armament and carried things to 
 a still further point in their insistence upon cooperation 
 of horse artillery with cavalry at all times, a high degree 
 of rifle and machine gun fire and a general augmentation 
 of the offensive fire power of cavalry. They have not 
 
8 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 forgotten the use of the horse as a weapon but have at- 
 tached the proper weight to that use. 
 
 Our theory as to the use of cavalry is correct as has 
 often been stated. Our practice in training does not fully 
 carry out the tenets of our theory. It is a serious 
 question whether the British have not outstripped us in 
 their practice while we have been content with the theory. 
 It must be remembered that they have had two wars in 
 which their cavalry has fought and learned since our 
 Civil War, which was the last that saw American cavalry 
 used in any numbers as cavalry. 
 
 It is inspiring to read the words of Field Marshal 
 Allenby in the January, 1921, number of the American 
 Cavalry Journal as representing the opinion of a most suc- 
 cessful British leader in the World War : "I have been a 
 cavalry officer ever since I joined the army in 1882 and I 
 have never felt more confidence in the future of the arm 
 than I do today. . . . Recent inventions and appliances 
 affecting the conditions of war, so far from lessening the 
 power and scope of cavalry have added thereto/' 
 
 The chief value of cavalry is its value as a highly mobile 
 battle arm. It is a fighting branch. That it can, in ad- 
 dition, perform valuable screening and reconnaissance 
 duties, can threaten flanks and rear, can act as a highly 
 mobile reserve, can on occasion use its horses as weapons, 
 can pursue and can cover a retreat does not detract from 
 the fundamental reason for its being that its men can 
 fight shoulder to shoulder with the infantryman. It can 
 do it because it has done it and accomplished glorious 
 results in modern war. 
 
 It is only in the minds of that type who read as they 
 run that cavalry has suffered in estimation. This type 
 of mind has concentrated itself upon the special opera- 
 
THE VALUE OF CAVALRY 9 
 
 tions covering a comparatively limited period upon the 
 Western front. It is the only front with which the 
 American public is at all acquainted as a whole. The 
 splendid operations of Allenby's cavalry in Palestine are 
 now known to the army as well as the operations in 
 Mesopotamia and Syria. The cavalry operations of the 
 early days of 1914 on the Western front are available 
 for study. Little light has as yet been thrown on the 
 operations of the German and Russian cavalries on the 
 Eastern front though fragmentary references to these 
 are contained in the Militdr Wochenblatt that point to the 
 existence of great decisions gained by the arm in that 
 sector. The operations in Rumania are not available for 
 study at the time of writing. There is however a wealth 
 of material available for study without these. 
 
 Had any one of these fronts, in which open warfare 
 was the rule, been in the limelight by being the sole 
 theatre of operations, with the world's attention focussed 
 upon it to the exclusion of aught else, it is believed that 
 the value of open warfare and the correspondingly 
 greater value of that essential open fighting arm, cavalry, 
 would not have suffered to the extent that it has in hasty 
 civilian estimation. 
 
 The civilian mind forms its notion of military happen- 
 ings from press despatches. The military mind must not 
 content itself with the same information. This condition 
 has worked a species of injustice on the cavalry service. 
 One does not stop to think that it is an unusually active 
 newspaper correspondent who can accompany cavalry on 
 campaign, and to reflect that the rare press correspondent 
 who did must be a species of military genius to evolve 
 news items out of his restricted view of any cavalry 
 operations with their enormous extension and extreme 
 
io MODERN 'CAVALRY 
 
 rapidity. His viewpoint would necessarily be restricted 
 to the minor sHare played by the squadron or other small 
 unit that he accompanied. Small blame to him if he 
 turned to the spectacular innovations that were more 
 nearly under his eye and whose "news value" from his 
 viewpoint and from the viewpoint of the people he 
 served the reading public was immeasurably greater. 
 The work of cavalry on campaign extends over a greater 
 area and is exceedingly difficult for the layman, with his 
 hazy notions of tactics and strategy, to understand. 
 For these reasons the work of the Allied and German 
 cavalries during the first phase of the war, in the early 
 days of 1914, has never been assessed at its full value by 
 the public as a whole. 
 
 There is no excuse for the military mind following this 
 model. Sufficient study and reflection on the part of the 
 most skeptical will convince them of the value of cavalry. 
 It is a waste of time to argue upon a question so easily 
 proved. This time should be devoted to a study of the 
 tactics and training of cavalry. 
 
 A study of armament, training and tactics for cavalry 
 would lead to a study of the probable theatres of war for 
 that branch. Any place on the earth's surface is a 
 possible theatre of operations. What would have been 
 the reply of an American cavalry officer cheerlessly doing 
 "fours right" in the sun and sand of the Mexican border 
 in the year 1912 if he had been told that in seven short 
 years he would be struggling against the German in the 
 fields of France? He would most likely be as uncon- 
 vinced today if told that he might in a few short years 
 be struggling on the rich and productive spaces in Siberia 
 against a powerful military autocracy to ease its strangle- 
 hold on a virgin continent. There is scarcely any place 
 
THE VALUE OF CAVALRY n 
 
 on the earth's surface that is improbable as a theatre of 
 future operations and still fewer that are impossible. 
 Modern means of transportation make of the sea a high- 
 way rather than a barrier. As to causes, no man knows 
 what the morrow will bring forth ; this however is 
 certain every point of contact with a foreign nation is a 
 possible point of irritation. Our points of contact have 
 increased a thousand fold in the last few years and are 
 still increasing by leaps and bounds. The cavalryman 
 has no means of foretelling upon what broad continent 
 his training and skill may be called in as a bulwark to his 
 country ; it behooves him prepare for any eventuality. 
 He must not be narrow. He must above all refrain from 
 adopting as his model the type of warfare on the Western 
 Front. 
 
 Sir John French * says : "It is always a danger when 
 some particular campaign is picked out at the fancy of 
 some pedagogue, and its lessons recommended as a 
 panacea. It is by study and meditation of the whole of 
 the long history of war and not by concentration upon 
 single and special phases of it, that we obtain safe guid- 
 ance to the principles and practice of an art which is as 
 old as the world itself." 
 
 For all these reasons it is to be hoped that the type of 
 mind that bases all its conclusions upon the American 
 phase of the warfare on the Western Front will not be 
 the deciding voice in our legislative chambers and military 
 councils, so that cavalry shall not undergo the danger of 
 being assessed at less than its true value and that its 
 strength shall not be cut down to a point where it can 
 seriously affect the strength of the army as a whole. 
 
 1 Preface to translation, "Cavalry in War and Peace," von 
 Bernhardi. 
 
12 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 The public as a whole should be educated to the value 
 of cavalry. Propaganda is only the official word for 
 advertising and there should be- few Americans unaware 
 of the value of advertising. The necessity for it is this 
 that the army originates and is supported by the people 
 and it is due them that they be informed of it in spite 
 of themselves. Without the popular support thus stimu- 
 lated the cavalry will not be the strength to the army and 
 the country in the hour of need that it should be. 
 
 Every cavalry officer should consider himself duty 
 bound to educate all with whom he comes in contact. 
 The Cavalry Association and the Cavalry Journal should 
 be supported enthusiastically. Close touch should be 
 maintained with National Guard and Reserve Cavalry 
 Officers. Effort should not only be made to give them 
 all the assistance and encouragement possible and to make 
 them feel that they are brothers in arms but their assist- 
 ance must be secured in furthering the advance of the 
 mounted service as a whole, which as civilians, they can 
 do in mai\y ways not open to the Regular officer, the en- 
 couragement of horse breeding and horse interests 
 generally, being one. 
 
 Effort should be made to secure as reserve officers that 
 class of young men whose interests are allied with cavalry 
 interests horse breeders, polo players, gentlemen 
 jockeys, and horse enthusiasts generally. Their co- 
 operation would succeed in keeping the cavalry more in 
 touch with the public, and would have its effect in raising 
 the value of cavalry in civilian estimation. The educa- 
 tion of the public to the value of cavalry will lead to an 
 increased appreciation of it and this will be valuable in 
 that it will react quickly and favorably upon the morale 
 of the service. 
 
 The morale of our cavalry service suffered somewhat, 
 
THE VALUE OF CAVALRY 13 
 
 both from the fact that so many of the younger cavalry 
 officers were not enabled to share in the fighting on the 
 Western front, and from the temporary eclipse of the 
 value of cavalry owing to the non-use of our mounted 
 men in France. It is necessary to raise this morale. 
 One of the best means is the educating of the cavalry 
 officer to the value of his branch. He must not only be 
 informed of what it has done in modern war of the past 
 but what it is capable of doing in war of the future. 
 
 He must remember that cavalry, while less numeri- 
 cally, is more important strategically, owing to the ex- 
 tension of modern battle fronts, and to the increased sen- 
 sitiveness of the enemy's lines of communications caused 
 by the demands of modern war. The modern army is 
 comparatively much more dependent upon its line of 
 communications than formerly. This renders move- 
 ments against such lines of greater value than in the days 
 when an army could live off the country. Any interrup- 
 tion of the enemy lines of communication has a much 
 more telling effect than formerly. 
 
 He must remember that while cavalry has to a certain 
 extent been supplanted as the organ of strategical recon- 
 naissance by the air service, that such supplanting operates 
 to aid the cavalry and to allow it to develop to the fullest 
 its capabilities in tactical reconnaissance, which the aero- 
 plane cannot replace. That side which through any 
 cause is denied the assistance of its air force whose air 
 force meets with defeat will be deprived of all means of 
 reconnaissance unless it can rely upon cavalry. 
 
 It must be remembered that cavalry is the arm of de- 
 cision. It is the strategic and tactical weapon capable of 
 swift and extended movement. Cherfils * says that 
 "three-quarters of. the strategy of war lies in the method 
 
 1 Quoted in "Our Cavalry," Rimington, page 98. 
 
14 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 of the employment of cavalry." This is true because 
 cavalry, if properly handled, ensures to the higher com- 
 mand freedom of action and correspondingly denies that 
 privilege to the enemy. 
 
 As long as the individual soldier with his weapon re- 
 mains the ultimate factor in warfare so long will cavalry 
 retain its importance as a combatant arm; the world as 
 yet has too many broad spaces wherein armies of the 
 future can be moved. That army that retains the largest 
 force of highly mobile battle troops will hold the winning 
 cards in the future as in the past. 
 
 The value of cavalry will be nothing unless we have 
 leaders trained in its use -not only leaders in the arm 
 itself but leaders of all branches. A combination of fine 
 horses, excellent riders and excellent shots will not make 
 cavalry. All these are worthless unless they are led, led 
 by leaders who understand the tactical and strategical 
 value of that most sensitive and responsive of all arms to 
 leadership. Leaders are needed who can cooperate in- 
 telligently with higher command, who can cooperate with 
 infantry and artillery and who can in addition fulfill all 
 the manifold duties demanded of a cavalry officer. 
 
 To have cavalry of the highest value it must be led and 
 well led to be able to lead it properly should be the am- 
 bition of every cavalry officer. To achieve leadership re- 
 quires a careful balance of study and action, requires 
 moreover, a sticking to the main issue, a constant objective 
 in view, a daily analysis of one's activities, a daily asking 
 of the question "Am I following the road that is leading 
 to improved readiness for war or am I plucking daisies 
 by the road side ?" 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 TROOP TRAINING SOME BASIC FACTORS 
 
 In the cavalry service we must realize that the Ameri- 
 can cavalry has not had the advantages of service as 
 cavalry in campaign in the World War. We have not 
 had the opportunity of learning lessons, of correcting 
 errors, of formulating doctrines, that has been granted the 
 other branches. In other words, we are behind the other 
 branches. They have had their trial by fire, we have not. 
 
 The only alternative is the alternative of learning by 
 the experience of others. How can we best do that? 
 What do we want to learn? 
 
 At the present time we are formulating a cavalry 
 doctrine. A cavalry doctrine is necessary before we will 
 ever make a united and efficient working force of the 
 cavalry. This will first require the development of a 
 clear and uniform combat policy for the cavalry. This 
 policy should be enunciated definitely and unmistakably 
 and should be the basis for peace time training and war 
 time service. 
 
 The next step is the concentration of the best brains 
 in the cavalry on the training problem, to determine the 
 limit and scope of the training necessary to realize the 
 tactical ideals announced in the doctrine. This then would 
 be the basis for determining the standards of training of 
 all units of the cavalry from the private on up through 
 
 15 
 
16 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 the squad and platoon to the division. Lastly, there 
 should be a strict and uniform test for every unit. 
 
 Scharnhorst * is quoted as saying that in war it did not 
 matter so much what was done as that it should be done 
 with vigor and singularity of purpose. Vigor and singu- 
 larity of purpose are the necessary forces to put into effect 
 if we are to have a cavalry fit to hold its own. 
 
 The adoption and strict carrying out of any system, 
 based on good sense, would obviate the very common 
 practice of devoting time and energy to subjects that have 
 no bearing upon battle efficiency. It would stop the 
 branching off of the main road that leads to preparation 
 for war and the following of innumerable small by-paths 
 that lead nowhere. 
 
 The ideal for which the cavalry should strive should 
 be a thorough training for fighting. Every activity 
 should be analyzed from that -viewpoint. Individual 
 hobbies should be banned with bell and book. All 
 hobbies contain in them some element of good to the 
 service. It is when one hobby is followed to the ex- 
 clusion of all other training that the harm results. 
 
 It used to be possible very often to find regiments that 
 were simply aggregations of lettered troops. In this type 
 of regiment it was not seen that the regiment was failing 
 to justify its existence by being a tactical organization, 
 but was simply content with being called a regiment, in 
 other words, this term had degenerated into nothing more 
 nor less than a drill designation and an administrative con- 
 venience. In the regiment of this type, one troop was 
 composed of excellent horsemen and well-trained horses, 
 
 *At the council of war held on Oct. 5, 1806, in the Prussian 
 Headquarters at Erfurt. Quoted in "The Nation in Arms," von 
 der Goltz, page 63. 
 
TROOP TRAINING SOME BASIC FACTORS 17 
 
 another was proficient with the sabre, another was a 
 shooting troop and a lot were simply mediocre at every- 
 thing. 
 
 The commander of that regiment labored under the 
 delusion that he was commanding a tactical unit ; he was 
 not. He was commanding twelve troops, each troop 
 more or less of a specialist at some one phase of work, 
 all of them varying in efficiency in any number of classes 
 of work that they were liable to be called upon to perform 
 in the field. To achieve any results in campaign with that 
 type of command, it was necessary that the regimental 
 commander have a highly developed knowledge of all the 
 peculiarities and specialties of his subordinate command- 
 ers. The problem was further complicated when it reached 
 the brigade because the brigade commander had to know 
 all the personal quirks of all the subordinate commanders 
 with the addition of the personalities of his regimental 
 commanders. In other words, to be a successful higher 
 commander of cavalry under such conditions would re- 
 quire an intimate and detailed knowledge of all the idiosyn- 
 crasies of all the subordinate commanders who had any- 
 thing to do with training. Such a lack of system is 
 dangerous. Some day in the field men will be sent on 
 missions that they are not trained for, men will be put 
 into the firing line and waste ammunition, they will be 
 sent on patrols and hurt their unit by being captured in- 
 stead of aiding it by bringing back information. Men in 
 every unit will vary in the nature and degree of their 
 training in all phases of cavalry work. 
 
 It is absolutely necessary that every regiment, every 
 squadron and every troop be trained in the same subjects 
 and be equally well trained. This can only be achieved 
 by standardization of training. 
 
i8 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 When training is standardized there will be the in- 
 evitable cry from the unthinking regarding "initiative." 
 Initiative is a term that has been abused a great deal. It 
 is wise to consider initiative and its relation to training. 
 The development of the highest degree of initiative com- 
 patible with the military machine should be the ideal 
 especially in the cavalry. But the difference between 
 the initiative that leaves the choice of results in the hands 
 of many and diverse personalities and the initiative that 
 finds expression in choice of means to fulfil certain pre- 
 scribed requirements should be clearly understood. In 
 the one case there are some ten or twelve requirements 
 for a trained force of cavalry; the initiative finds ex- 
 pression in choosing the number and type, in selecting 
 which of these subjects shall be worked upon. In the 
 other case the initiative finds expression in choice of means 
 to comply with certain standards prescribed for the whole 
 service. This is the proper outlet for initiative. 
 
 To develop the highest degree of initiative possible in all 
 subordinates is a laudable objective for the cavalry service. 
 To do it implies that every subordinate leader should 
 actually lead. He must have command of his unit, and 
 this must hold true from the squad on up to the division. 
 The corporal and the sergeant must be given the highest 
 degree of responsibility possible. They, like all others, 
 should be required to render an accounting of their 
 stewardship at stated intervals by means of prescribed 
 tests. The lieutenant, who in many troops of the old 
 army, was detailed hither and yon on a variety of odd 
 jobs, must be developed by responsibility. And one of 
 the best methods of developing responsibility in a combat 
 officer is to allow him to command. Give the lieutenant 
 a platoon and make him responsible for it ; he has to lead 
 
TROOP TRAINING SOME BASIC FACTORS 19 
 
 it in war, he should learn in peace. In practice such a 
 system is found to develop the enthusiasm and energy of 
 the lieutenant to a remarkable degree. 
 
 The troop commander, an individual upon whom the 
 responsibility should rest, should be judged by his results. 
 It is believed that the comparative youth of present field 
 officers has a tendency to work a hardship on many troop 
 commanders who find that they have too many means 
 prescribed when, as a matter of fact, the choice of means 
 should be left to their judgement. The squadron com- 
 mander should look upon his duties more in an advisory 
 light and should consider himself, as far as training goes, 
 more as a guide and a counsellor. When the time comes 
 for testing the state of training of his unit then he should 
 be very exacting. Up to that time he should consider 
 that his main duty is the training of officers. If he wants 
 highly efficient, dependable and responsible troop officers 
 under him then he should work to develop these qualities 
 in his subordinates, remembering that the ideal is to give 
 a man a job and then let him develop it (and incidentally 
 himself) to the highest degree. If he is incapable of de- 
 velopment and is unworthy of being trusted take measures ' 
 to get rid of him. 
 
 The troop commander must carry out the same principle 
 with his subordinates. His lieutenants and non-commis- 
 sioned officers are entitled to the same amount of re- 
 sponsibility and trust that he desires. 
 
 The non-commissioned officer is an important person 
 in any branch. Owing to the dispersed work of cavalry 
 he is exceptionally important in this branch. His 
 capabilities as a trainer are very often not sufficiently de- 
 veloped. He should in the first place be selected more 
 carefully than he is in many organizations. Simply being 
 
20 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 an old soldier is not sufficient. There are old soldiers 
 and old soldiers. The non-commissioned officer should 
 be a professional soldier of a high type of efficiency and 
 capability. As to selection, let the troop commander 
 select him as heretofore, but let the higher authority pre- 
 scribe a test before he is appointed. This test should be 
 a thorough examination of him as a horseman, as a shot, 
 as a leader, and as a scout. Let this test be held fre- 
 quently in the organization so as to make it an incentive 
 for the private to better his condition. Some means of 
 advancement should be made open to the private in addi- 
 tion to the whim of his troop commander. The non-com- 
 missioned officer once made should have as much honor, 
 responsibility and initiative allowed him as is possible. It 
 would be the better part to attempt the formation of a 
 class of professional soldiers amongst the non-commis- 
 sioned officers, to make this more of a career for a young 
 man than it now is. There should be a greater difference 
 in the pay of the non-commissioned officer and the private 
 than there is now. The non-commissioned officer should 
 not be treated as simply a private with some marks on his 
 arm. His initiative and responsibility should be de- 
 veloped by throwing upon his shoulders the direct re- 
 sponsibility for the training of the individual. The officer 
 should visualize his duties more as a trainer of groups. 
 The task of the officer does not end with developing his 
 own -energy to the highest point. He will fail signally 
 as a leader if he does not develop the capabilities of his 
 subordinates. This after all is the test of leadership. A 
 study of means to encompass these ends will repay an 
 officer out of all proportion to the labor involved. Every 
 part of the machine should function under its own power. 
 It should function automatically, the energy coming from 
 
TROOP TRAINING SOME BASIC FACTORS 21 
 
 within, the sum of the energies of the subordinate leaders. 
 The difference is like the difference between one man 
 who laboriously pushes an automobile with a dead engine 
 and another who rides in a machine moving along under 
 the power of its own engine. 
 
 To achieve such results it is necessary to crowd sub- 
 ordinates with responsibility, to avoid worrying them, to 
 demand results, to rate them competitively, to praise and 
 reward the successful and energetic ones and rid oneself 
 of the failures. Every subordinate should be tested and 
 his capabilities measured. 
 
 The troop commander's success or failure depends upon 
 the performance of his organization. This depends in 
 great measure upon the amount of energy developed from 
 his officers and non-commissioned officers. How many 
 troop commanders really have anything but a rather hazy 
 idea of the comparative virtues and failings of their sub- 
 ordinate leaders ? The only successful means of arriving 
 at this ability to judge is to test them in command of a 
 unit appropriate to their grade. 
 
 Owing to the nature of cavalry requirements, the 
 cavalry soldier is required to absorb a knowledge of many 
 things. The horse, the rifle, the automatic rifle, the 
 automatic pistol, the sabre, scouting, care of self and 
 equipment are a few of the most important. To train 
 properly a man in all these subjects in addition to the 
 other many demands upon his time, presupposes a very 
 exact and scientific system of training the individual if 
 results are to be gained. There cannot be any duplica- 
 tion, any lost motion or any slighting of any of the sub- 
 jects. To neglect any link in this chain of instruction 
 will weaken the whole. 
 
 It is a serious question whether we even approximate a 
 
22 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 thorough covering of all the subjects of training with the 
 individual soldier. All these things have to be crowded 
 in the short space of time left in a soldier's enlistment 
 from guard duty, from the hospital, from schools, from 
 the guard house and from fatigue duties, all of which 
 take time from the important duty of training the in- 
 dividual for war. To achieve this means a great deal 
 of thinking must be applied to the problem. 
 
 There is not enough thought expended upon the in- 
 dividual as an individual. The average troop officer is 
 prone to look upon him in the aggregate. He is prone to 
 concentrate his energy upon the proportion of men he 
 turns out each day for drill but he does not think of the 
 men who are not at drill. He does not visualize his 
 problem with the idea of seeking to turn out an organiza- 
 tion in which every man has a thorough, equal and uni- 
 form training for war. The present method is too much 
 of a hit and miss affair. If the cavalry is going to meet 
 the many and varied demands that will be made of it in 
 modern war we must make the training of the individual 
 more of a scientific business. 
 
 The methods now in use with some officers are open to 
 serious objections, first because there is no uniformity in 
 the organization, men varying in the same troop to a great 
 extent in various qualifications, some being good horse- 
 men, some poor, some being good scouts, others hopeless, 
 some being good shots, while with others ammunition 
 would be saved and better results gained by supplying 
 them with a handful of rocks. Secondly, such methods 
 tend to deaden the initiative and interest of the individual 
 soldier. He is drilled as hard and painstakingly at the 
 subjects in which he is proficient as the most newly joined 
 recruit who has, as yet, gained proficiency in nothing. 
 
TROOP TRAINING SOME BASIC FACTORS 23 
 
 There is no incentive for him to apply his abilities and 
 his energy in learning a subject; he is given no considera- 
 tion for having learned it. 
 
 The time saving system, where results would be more 
 certain of accomplishment, would be a system of rating 
 cards for each man. When he has become a satisfactory 
 horseman let him devote his time to the pistol or to some 
 subject in which he is deficient. He would be a much 
 more satisfactory soldier and much more interested in the 
 game if he were given some credit for having learned a 
 subject quickly and permitted to devote his time to other 
 necessary things. It would conserve the energies of both 
 officers and non-commissioned officers and save dupli- 
 cation of effort if they could be permitted to concentrate 
 energy upon the backward men of the organization. 
 
 Individual proficiency should be made a goal for the 
 soldier to strive for. Upon his attainment of the neces- 
 sary degree of proficiency let him even have a slight let 
 up in his labors as a reward, while the energies of the 
 instruction personnel were being devoted to making the 
 backward men proficient and the standard of instruction 
 thereby more uniform in the unit. 
 
 The troop unit is the important training and administra- 
 tive organization, as well as a tactical element. The 
 squadron unit is a highly important tactical unit. The 
 principle of command and organization, the giving of a 
 unit to every leader and allowing him to command it, 
 should be adopted throughout the regiment and especially 
 with the squadron. The tendency upon the part of some 
 regimental commanders is to deal too directly with the 
 troop commanders and to disregard the intermediate 
 leader, the squadron commander. The squadron unit is 
 so essentially important as the cavalry tactical unit that 
 
24 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 every effort should be made to lay stress upon it in peace 
 time. The regimental commander, who commands only 
 a group of troops in peace time, in war will be forced to 
 command through the squadron unit. The logical thing 
 to accomplish is to make the transition from peace to war 
 with as little disturbance as possible and with as little 
 necessity for change. It must be remembered that the 
 squadron commander of our cavalry will have as much 
 responsibility in war as the regimental commander of a 
 foreign cavalry. He must be permitted in peace to train 
 for this responsibility. 
 
 All matters affecting training and combat efficiency 
 should come through the squadron commander as a mat- 
 ter of course. The major's opportunities of actually 
 commanding his squadron should not be limited simply to 
 the occasions when the squadron is detached from the 
 regiment for a peace time practice march. The highest 
 type of regimental commander will command through his 
 squadron commanders to the greatest extent possible. He 
 cannot hope to maneuver an aggregation of troops in war, 
 he must work for preparation for war in this as in other 
 matters. 
 
 The question of readiness for war service, of a regi- 
 ment, requires some thought. Take for an example any 
 regiment at any time of the year ; our possible enemy or 
 enemies will not let us pick and choose the time when our 
 units will be at the highest percentage of efficiency. A 
 case in point would be a regiment suddenly ordered. to 
 take the field in a winter month before target season had 
 taken place for the year. That regiment since last target 
 season, would have lost a great number of time-expired 
 men and gained a great number of recruits. It would 
 amount, in some cases, to as much as a third of the men 
 
TROOP TRAINING SOME BASIC FACTORS 25 
 
 who had had no previous rifle or pistol practice. Yet they 
 would have to take the field and be put in the firing line 
 as well as any of the other men. 
 
 Our regiments are not ready under the present system 
 to take the field at any time. We have no reservists to 
 complete cadres (it must be remembered that filling cadres 
 in the cavalry means also filling out the horse strength 
 with green horses). The regiment under the present 
 methods will never be a uniformly trained first line unit 
 thoroughly dependable in any phase of work that it is 
 called upon to perform. There will always be a large 
 proportion of men deficient in some necessary instruction, 
 the rifle, the pistol, the automatic rifle, horsemanship, 
 scouting or something equally important. 
 
 The fault lies in the fact that we are prone to carry 
 out the "season" habit to too great an extent. This is 
 perfectly feasible in an army with men required to join 
 at stated periods for stated training upon the receipt of 
 which they pass to the reserves. But it is not practicable 
 for us with our recruits received at any time and in any 
 quantity and our trained men leaving whenever their en- 
 listments expire. 
 
 These conditions are important. They strike directly 
 at war efficiency. The evil effects inherent in the happy- 
 go-lucky military system that any volunteer army has to 
 work under, must be nullified by training methods formu- 
 lated with the object of correcting the conditions to as 
 great an extent as possible. 
 
 The training scheme in the regiment should have in view 
 as high a condition of immediate readiness for war as is 
 possible. To accomplish this end it will be necessary to 
 have a little training in all the subjects all the time. We 
 cannot have a target "season." Our men, irrespective of 
 
26 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 their length of service, must be constantly practiced with 
 their rifles. This has advantages outside of the subject 
 under discussion. We cannot devote a certain season to 
 scouting and patrolling without always being in danger 
 of war finding us with great numbers of our men unpre- 
 pared. The men untrained in horsemanship and the care 
 of the horse may look very well in ranks but the first 
 minute of detached work and the exigencies of campaign 
 will show them up as broken reeds and they will have 
 lowered the strength of the command by losing horses on 
 the first march. 
 
 The thing to strive for is a certain uniform advance in 
 preparation for war. This will require a closer searching 
 and knowledge of the individual qualifications and in- 
 struction of each man, and a change of our seasonal train- 
 ing habits to varied training in every subject every week. 
 
 The regiment taking the field after months spent on 
 training of this nature will be in better shape than one 
 under the old system. It will still suffer from some of 
 the disadvantages inherent in our American habit of ex- 
 temporizing armies after the outbreak of war. The last 
 war saw many Regular regiments entirely denuded, not 
 only of officers but of a great proportion of non-commis- 
 sioned officers. We must guard against this contingency. 
 If our officers are promoted to higher rank and transferred 
 and our non-commissioned officers commissioned and sent 
 to different regiments, what will be left? 
 
 We will have junior officers promoted to higher rank. 
 They should have the training necessary to handle their 
 new responsibilities. We will have many reserve officers 
 and many enlisted men assigned to command units. We 
 must get hold of the reserve officer and keep in touch with 
 him. We must have a high degree of training for our 
 
TROOP TRAINING SOME BASIC FACTORS 27 
 
 non-commissioned officers and they must all be tested in 
 peace time and their fitness for commissions noted on 
 their records. Every effort must be made in peace time to 
 make the transition stage from peace to war as orderly 
 and as smooth an affair as possible. 
 
 In the cavalry especially we must train and habituate 
 all juniors to higher command. This should include as 
 many selected privates as possible. For more reasons 
 than one it is advisable to hold exercises and drills in 
 which all officers and non-commissioned officers drop out 
 and privates take charge. This not only arouses the in- 
 terest of the privates but it grounds them more thoroughly 
 in their duties. The advantages of such a training for an 
 organization in the event of casualties in which all the 
 officers or non-commissioned officers are lost needs no 
 argument. It should be a settled policy of the cavalry to 
 train all juniors to higher command and this should be a 
 regular part of the training prescribed. 
 
 The necessity of developing the self-reliance and in- 
 itiative of the cavalry soldier should never be lost sight 
 of. To enable him to have these qualities in the field they 
 should be developed in the post. Application of imagina- 
 tion and energy on the part of officers to stimulate interest 
 and enthusiasm in the men this is the key to the situa- 
 tion. The spirit of competition is an important aid ; give 
 rewards for individual and unit proficiency. This is an 
 old method. "Xenophon has * described the steps taken 
 by Agesilaus to train a body of cavalry in Phrygia. . . . 
 When he had collected his forces at Ephesus, he drilled 
 them continually and to incite them to take pains he of- 
 fered prizes to the troops of horse to such as shoul3 ride 
 best. The places of exercise were consequently crowded 
 
 1 "History of Cavalry," Denison, page 34. 
 
28 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 with men practicing, the horse course full of horsemen 
 riding about and javelin men and archers aiming at marks. 
 This cavalry, so carefully drilled, aided materially in gain- 
 ing the successes which followed in the campaign." Age- 
 silaus evidently understood the principle of touching up 
 the enthusiasm and energy of his subordinates. 
 
 Competitions and prizes are one means of achieving this. 
 There are many others ; judicious commendation is a good 
 one. Above all, an officer must be observant and quickly 
 note exceptional energy and ability. Stimulate the 
 sporting qualities of the men by contests for performance 
 in various training subjects. Carry a stop watch and 
 make speed an essential in training as it is an essential 
 in cavalry work. The difference between ten seconds 
 gained and ten seconds lost in dismounting to fight on 
 foot may mean the difference between several men and 
 horses added to the casualty list or saved. 
 
 An officer must be familiar with the time element in his 
 work. He should know, for example, how long it takes 
 him to open fire from different formations, how long to 
 mount and charge, which are the best formations of led 
 horses to facilitate quick mounting, etc. He can lend 
 much interest to his work, stimulate the abilities of his 
 men and speed up on many of his combat formations by 
 competitions between units. He must always deduct 
 points for any neglects. He should strive to have his 
 men at all times capable of accomplishing results swiftly 
 and correctly. 
 
 The one idea of striving for war efficiency should be 
 kept in mind. Anything that does not lead directly to 
 this should be examined with suspicion. Examine every 
 phase of training work with this in mind. 
 
 An examination, for example, of the question of fire 
 
TROOP TRAINING SOME BASIC FACTORS 29 
 
 action shows that we are undoubtedly following good 
 infantry standards but shows also that we are forgetting 
 cavalry requirements. One of these is the led horse 
 question. Many cavalry units go dismounted to their 
 combat firing. No lesson is learned in regard to their 
 care in combat. Combat firing practice should be com- 
 bined, wherever suitable terrain exists, with cavalry tactical 
 work. Every lesson in fire action should be learned as 
 the culmination of a tactical lesson which it would be 
 in war. 
 
 There are many things that interfere with this striving 
 for war efficiency. One is our system of guard duty 
 a relic of the turreted castle, the moat, the wall and the 
 drawbridge. It has no value in war. It absorbs too 
 much time from training and is too great an interference 
 with consecutive and uniform progress. It is to be hoped 
 that we discard it in the near future. Excessive amounts 
 of fatigue duty constitute another interference with train- 
 ing. A regimental commander must watch this very 
 closely and cut it down to the minimum absolutely neces- 
 sary. 
 
 The combination of the two factors above, guard and 
 fatigue, make it extremely difficult for a troop com- 
 mander ever to turn out enough men to form his small 
 but important unit, the squad. This is the basis of the 
 troop organization. It is also the basis of combat forma- 
 tions; the squad leader on the firing line, on the march, 
 on patrol and elsewhere in the service of cavalry on cam- 
 paign is a very important subordinate commander. If he 
 is made into a fifth wheel by seldom, if ever, having men 
 to handle, he will not be the mainstay and backbone of 
 the troop that he should be. 
 
 It is hoped that the system of receiving recruits and 
 
30 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 remounts will be modified by the enlargement and use of 
 cavalry recruit depots and by the augmentation of our re- 
 mount service so that it can provide us replacements of 
 trained horses in war time. This, or some other system 
 that will accomplish the same results, will have to be 
 adopted in peace time if we are ever to be worth anything 
 after the first month or two of campaigning. 
 
 We must not be so obsessed with training matters and 
 methods as to lose our perspective. We must occasionally 
 ask ourselves "What are we training for ?" We are train- 
 ing for war, for battle. We are in danger of spending 
 so much thought on the forging of the weapon that we 
 are liable to forget learning how to use it. Our need is 
 tactical training to learn to use that exceedingly sensitive, 
 finely tempered and powerful weapon, the cavalry. This 
 training should extend through all ranks. It should start 
 with a cavalry doctrine upon the tenets of which all train- 
 ing and all work should be based and to which all should 
 subscribe loyally and energetically regardless of personal 
 viewpoint. 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 TROOP TRAINING MORALE FACTORS 
 
 In a truly scientific training for combat we must work 
 in peace for what is required in war. We know, for 
 example, that some of our divisions in France covered 
 themselves with glory. We know that other divisions 
 barely "got away with it" to put it mildly. What was 
 the underlying cause that made this difference between 
 two groups of men of the same nation, in the same uni- 
 form, armed with the same weapons, and fighting against 
 the same enemy? The whole difference lies in the word 
 "morale." One division had a high degree of morale, 
 the other lacked it. When the German morale broke they 
 retreated. In war the moral is to the physical as three 
 is to one, or so Napoleon states ; and it is easily proved. 
 
 We all vaguely realize the importance of morale in war. 
 What we do not all realize is the necessity of morale in 
 peace, the necessity of training for morale. It is simply 
 another phase of the requirement that the transition from 
 peace to war is to be made as smoothly as possible. To do 
 this we must make peace-time training fit war-time needs. 
 And the great need in war is high morale. 
 
 What is morale? It is made up of many factors. 
 Chief among these are, loyalty to, and confidence in, the 
 officers, self-confidence upon the part of the men, confi- 
 
32 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 dence in their weapons, esprit de corps, and a high degree 
 of physical well being. 
 
 These are all dependent upon and superinduced by the 
 following: loyalty to the officer, consideration, justice > 
 understanding and exertion of energy on the part of the 
 officer for his men. Confidence in the officer by his ac- 
 quiring a happy faculty "of delivering the goods" ; men 
 will stand any degree of hardship and effort if they know 
 that they are being well led, witness the soldiers of Stone- 
 wall Jackson. Confidence in their weapons, by a high 
 degree of individual training. Esprit de corps, by a de- 
 liberate fostering of this quality, means for which will be 
 hereinafter suggested. Physical well-being, fitness for 
 field service upon the part of the individual before taking 
 the field, a knowledge of how to care for himself after 
 arrival in the field and solicitude for his comfort and 
 welfare upon the part of his officers. 
 
 The use of these expressions creates an impression in 
 the minds of many that we are floating into a sea of ab- 
 stractions. They sound like copy-book maxims. It must 
 be remembered that copy-book maxims contain many of 
 the "eternal verities." A neglect to follow the copy-book 
 maxims brings down its own punishment. A neglect to 
 realize the foundations of martial achievement leads to 
 mediocrity. What we are striving for is the highest de- 
 gree of efficiency. In striving for that let us take these 
 seeming abstractions and reduce them to concrete appli- 
 cation on the problem before us, the training of the cavalry 
 soldier for war. 
 
 One of the most striking things about war is the great 
 degree in which a national army expresses the national 
 characteristics. One of the greatest causes of victory is 
 the superiority of one set of national characteristics over 
 
TROOP TRAININGS-MORALE FACTORS 33 
 
 that of another. If, as we believe, our national character- 
 istics are superior to those of most other nations, then it 
 logically follows that we must take full advantage of them 
 for training our armies so as to utilize this power to the 
 greatest degree in war. The consideration now is how to 
 use these inbred characteristics of the American so as to 
 make a better cavalry soldier of him. 
 
 The American of a few generations is the descendant of 
 pioneers. The American of recent assimilation is himself, 
 or comes from, pioneering blood. This because it takes 
 the pioneering virtues to force a European peasant from 
 his village, in which his people have lived for generations, 
 and start a new life in a new country. The latter class 
 very quickly assimilate American customs and habits of 
 thought. To all intents and purposes they are the same 
 as the native American stock. 
 
 The classes of Americans from which our soldiers come 
 have a higher standard of education, a higher standard of 
 living, and have inherited and acquired a greater degree of 
 energy, initiative and intelligence than those of foreign 
 countries, with the exception of British Colonials. 
 
 If we disregard all this, and simply drill until we have 
 drilled all of this out of the man, we are blunting the in- 
 herited instincts of the man, are making an automaton of 
 him instead of cultivating the degree of initiative and in- 
 telligence necessary for the cavalry soldier above all, and 
 we are disregarding and throwing away means whereby to 
 achieve our objects more quickly and more efficiently. 
 
 The solution is to develop a type of discipline and train- 
 ing suited to the nature of the American soldier. The 
 difference between the types necessary to the European 
 peasant, for example, and to the American, is the differ- 
 ence between the discipline of intelligence and the disci- 
 
34 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 pline of habit. It is necessary, with the slow-witted 
 peasant, to handle him in masses, to depend upon him 
 alone as little as possible, to reduce the number of things 
 that he has to perform to the minimum that can be learned 
 automatically. These things are then drilled into him 
 with unceasing repetition until his mind and muscles co- 
 ordinate automatically, until his subconscious personality 
 reacts for him and he does not have to think. 
 
 Like all other things, this contains an element of good. 
 Every soldier is the better for some of this type of work, 
 especially relating to those things that have to do with the 
 handling of his weapons. The fault is not in the use of 
 the correct proportion of this type of training. The fault 
 lies in blindly considering this as the sum and substance 
 of training. The danger of it for the cavalry service 
 especially, is that too much of it deadens individual in- 
 itiative. That there is too much of it is due to several 
 factors: lack of thought on the part of officers, the fact 
 that it is the following of the line of least resistance, since 
 it is much easier to get out and command a unit through 
 a morning's drill than to sit up half the night thinking of 
 new methods of teaching; and that it presents something 
 material for the eyes of the inspecting officer who does not 
 always realize that an outfit capable of a high performance 
 in close order drill might fall down badly in actual cam- 
 paign. The chief fault lies in making it the end rather 
 than only one of the means. 
 
 To hark back, we are training for war. In peace we 
 must cultivate the qualities that will be essential in war. 
 If we can combine the cultivation of those qualities with 
 the instruction of the soldier in all things pertaining to 
 his war requirements, then we are cutting down our labors 
 and taking fuller advantage of our time. As it is now, 
 
TROOP TRAINING MORALE FACTORS 35 
 
 many officers waste valuable hours in disciplinary drills 
 when they might secure the same amount of discipline 
 while at the same time teaching a soldier practical fighting 
 methods. This will have the effect of raising morale, be 
 cause the American is by nature essentially practical and 
 much more interested in the practical side of his profes- 
 sion or work. 
 
 The Value of Interest in Training and Morale: 
 
 In the word "interest" lies the key to the development 
 of more scientific, thorough and rapid training. Psy- 
 chology teaches us that interest and memory are intimately 
 connected. Interest makes a strong impression which re- 
 collection revives in the form of memory. Interesting 
 things make a deeper groove in the brain tissue. Cast 
 your mind back and try to remember all that you did in 
 the last week. Analyze the incidents you remember and 
 you will find that they are the things in which you were 
 interested. 
 
 Our work is principally with the soldier's memory. 
 We teach him to-day so that he will remember to-morrow 
 to carry out our teachings. We teach him in peace and 
 depend upon his memory in war for carrying him through 
 and adding to the defence of his nation. If our work is 
 principally with the soldier's memory, then we must use 
 all the aids that will properly stimulate that memory. Of 
 these the greatest is interest. 
 
 It is especially valuable in the cavalry, owing to the high 
 degree of intelligence the individual trooper will be called 
 upon to display. General von Schmidt, 1 who is said to 
 
 1 "Instructions for Cavalry," von Schmidt, page 7. Quoted in 
 "Our Cavalry," Rimington, page 177. 
 
36 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 have exercised a greater influence for good upon the Ger- 
 man cavalry than any leader since Frederick the Great, has 
 this to say, "Everything that is dull, cannot be easily un- 
 derstood, or is uninteresting, must disappear ; the cavalry 
 soldier has less need of this than anyone. With such in- 
 struction he is quite useless, for to him more than to any- 
 one else are freshness, life, activity, mental quickness and 
 vivacity necessary." 
 
 Many of our men, who could not give a simple sum- 
 mary of the duties of the private on the firing line, could 
 reel off without thought the batting averages of every 
 player of note in the big leagues. The first does not ap- 
 peal to his interest, the second does. With a proper degree 
 of imagination on the part of the officer there is no reason 
 why all the interest-producing means in the cavalry can 
 not be used properly. The horse, the rifle, the sabre and 
 the pistol alone are romantic enough in their appeal to a 
 red-blooded young man. 
 
 Skill at imparting knowledge must be the ambition of 
 every officer who hopes to be successful. Few of us 
 realize this. We go to drill daily, unprepared, bore our 
 men excessively through a long period and are somewhat 
 pleased at ourselves because they did not fail to react to 
 most of the commands ! We do not realize that we are 
 breaking down morale by slighting the capabilities of the 
 individual, by under-estimating his intelligence and by 
 treating him as a block of wood. 
 
 A great deal of the superiority of the American soldier 
 arises through the fact that he is a person given excessively 
 to thinking for himself. He is very apt to discover what 
 is essential and what is non-essential after a few weeks in 
 the ranks. Unless properly instructed he is very prone to 
 classify even essential things as non-essentials. As a 
 
TROOP TRAININGMORALE FACTORS 37 
 
 consequence when you hold him for long and straining 
 periods upon what he rightly or wrongly conceives to be 
 non-essential and trivial, his intelligence rebels, his interest 
 flags and you have succeeded in inculcating bad habits of 
 body and mind that it will be exceedingly difficult to eradi- 
 cate. 
 
 He is easily interested in practical things. A little time 
 spent with him in the explanation of the practicability of 
 certain things that have only an indirect influence upon 
 war is time well spent. The safest plan is to assess the 
 value of any subject by the measure of its direct ap- 
 plicability to war. 
 
 The value and power of interest in instruction needs 
 no proof. A short study of any manual of psychology 
 will demonstrate the basic necessity for it. Interest is a 
 necessary thing in any successful scheme of instruction ; 
 look back for instance upon your own instructors and 
 analyze the amount you have remembered from those that 
 bored you and those that interested you. It is necessary 
 that we look upon our role of teaching seriously and study 
 teaching methods. It is necessary that we concentrate 
 our faculties upon adding interest to our work and in 
 minimizing the things that result in lack of interest. 
 
 Chief among these are long periods of mounted drill. 
 They are useful so long as they contribute to the ease of 
 handling masses of mounted men. The time spent upon 
 mounted drill should be analyzed carefully. It should 
 not be allowed to take up hours that could be spent upon 
 subjects that have a proved and high ratio to battle effi- 
 ciency. This, as all other things should be examined 
 closely with one thought in mind, "Is this leading to 
 readiness for war?" 
 
 The proper application of the principle of cultivating 
 
38 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 the interest power reacts directly in favor of higher 
 morale. It increases the trooper's knowledge, his self- 
 respect and his self-confidence. It puts a greater value 
 upon his officer in his estimation, it teaches him to handle 
 himself and his weapons in far more thorough manner. 
 
 One of the means of cultivating interest and improving 
 instruction is the application to training of the principles 
 of team-work, in other words to make use of the spirit 
 of the team at sports. Team-work is a word used very 
 much and very wrongly. The guiding influence of the 
 spirit of team-work, and its stimulus, is the spirit of com- 
 petition, the spirit that makes men risk life and limb for 
 the gaining of a slight advantage over another group of 
 men. See men training for long and inconvenient hours 
 upon the football field, see them keenly alert on the base- 
 ball diamond and then contrast this with their normal atti- 
 tude while at work. The good officer should have his men 
 just as keen at work as they are at play. He can do it by 
 using his imagination. Remember that you are striving for 
 interest. And there is nothing more interesting to the 
 average American than to beat another man or group of 
 men at the same game. 
 
 The neglect to use the spirit of competition, which is 
 so strong in the breast of the average American, is only 
 comparable to the neglect of a man owning an eight- 
 cylinder car who through choice or ignorance, should be 
 content with running only upon four cylinders habitually. 
 There is power latent in every man and every organiza- 
 tion which only a development of the competitive spirit 
 can bring out. 
 
 Make every squad and every platoon in the troop a 
 small team. Let them compete, mark them, rate them 
 and reward the winners by some means of your own de- 
 
TROOP TRAINING MORALE FACTORS 39 
 
 vising. Properly carried out it will mean a new lease of 
 life and a new influx of power for the organization. It 
 will interest the men in their work. You will find them 
 after hours practicing behind the stables or in the bar- 
 racks. You will have non-commissioned officers asking 
 to take their sections out on holidays and after working 
 hours. You will have power developed and coming from 
 below as it should come. It will increase the energies and 
 capabilities of your organization to an undreamed of ex- 
 tent. It will make for contentment. It will raise morale 
 by leaps and bounds. 
 
 There are officers who will say that it will hurt the or- 
 ganization spirit as a whole. It does not, as proved by 
 experience, but rather increases the amount and makes 
 more spirit available when the time comes for combined 
 action. It will develop esprit de corps as nothing else can. 
 
 The Cultivation of Loyalty: 
 
 To discount the loyalty and esteem of your men is to 
 betray a serious lack of judgment. We are preparing for 
 war. In war there arise situations in which the force 
 of orders and regulations, the fear of courts-martial and 
 the mechanics of military control will fail or waver. 
 Nothing but men are left, the leader and the led. If the 
 leader has been tried and found wanting in peace time, 
 in time of extreme danger in war his unit will break under 
 him. It is always possible that a time will come when 
 the personal feelings of the men for the officer decide the 
 day. This possibility alone is worth preparing for in ad- 
 dition to the many other advantages of loyalty. 
 
 Remember that the confidence of men in their leader 
 and esteem for him grow if they realize that he is doing 
 
40 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 all within his power to ameliorate any harsh conditions 
 that might arise. This is true even if the results are 
 almost negligible. The men impute the blame to Provi- 
 dence for the unpleasant conditions and their esteem for 
 their officer grows for his efforts. There is no quicker 
 or more certain method of losing the confidence of men 
 than to let bodily fatigue or desire for comfort keep the 
 officer from laboring until all his men and animals have 
 been granted the highest degree of comfort possible. 
 
 One of the many virtues of the army before the war 
 was the paternal solicitude displayed by the troop com- 
 manders for their men. These older captains were more 
 abrupt and distant in outward seeming than the present 
 generation. But they succeeded in gaining and holding 
 the respect and affection of their men to a greater extent, 
 principally because they devoted so much time and energy 
 to the well being of every man and animal. Each trooper 
 realized that the "old man" had done everything in his 
 power and was looking after him. 
 
 A thoughtless and careless misuse of the punishing 
 power leads to bad conditions of discipline. An ounce 
 of prevention is worth a pound of cure. An organiza- 
 tion which has the proper spirit will refrain from evil 
 doing if they are convinced that it not only hurts them 
 but hurts the organization as a whole. There is a whole 
 lot to be done in appealing to the better side of the men's 
 nature. This savors of "coddling" to some. But it is 
 sound doctrine nevertheless. Soldiers are ordinary human 
 beings, nothing more nor less. A whole lot of the youth- 
 ful spirit that finds outlet in the soldiers in the form of 
 minor misdemeanors, is punished as a crime. The read- 
 ing of the Articles of War once every six months is not 
 sufficient to obviate this, any more than the perusal of 
 
TROOP TRAINING-MORALE FACTORS 41 
 
 the college regulations deters a student from breaking 
 them. An organization in which the issue is put squarely 
 up to the reasoning power and intelligence of its men will 
 seldom offend. An example in point was an American 
 battalion of infantry once marching through an allied 
 country. Great trouble and many complaints arose 
 through pillaging orchards and gardens. Men had been 
 warned and some punished. Nevertheless it still con- 
 tinued. An old woman came into camp weeping one 
 evening. The soldiers had pillaged her garden and taken 
 her winter supply of food. Her sons were at the front. 
 The whole battalion was lined up, the results of their 
 actions forcibly pointed out to them and a parallel drawn 
 in which foreign troops were imagined tramping over 
 the United States and the result of their acting in the 
 same manner. About ten minutes after the battalion 
 was dismissed a sergeant brought in a hatful of money, 
 the result of a voluntary collection taken up from every 
 man in the battalion. It was given to the old woman and 
 proved to be enough to see her through many winters. 
 That was the end of pillaging for that battalion. 
 
 It is believed that the American soldier has a higher 
 standard than we sometimes give him credit for. The 
 officer who treats him like a convict will have to watch 
 him like a convict as he certainly will act like one. The 
 officer, on the other hand who adopts as his policy a firm, 
 just but considerate attitude will find that he has a far 
 higher standard of discipline, real discipline, discipline 
 that will not break down when his back is turned. Culti- 
 vate the self-respect of your men. A fighting man can- 
 not fight without self-respect, it is one of the constituents 
 of courage. 
 
 It is a good thing for an officer to feel a heavy load of 
 
42 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 responsibility for the actions and behavior of his men. 
 He must cultivate the feeling that perhaps every man of 
 his unit in the guard house is a direct and tangible sign 
 of his failure as a leader. An army is an autocracy. It 
 cannot be run by kindness. It will run a lot more 
 smoothly and with a minimum of lost motion if the quali- 
 ties of consideration and understanding are shown. 
 
 No troop officer can feel satisfied until he can visualize 
 the character and personal characteristics of every man 
 in his organization. It will repay him to take up the in- 
 tensive study of his constant offenders and really de- 
 termine whether they are criminal types that should be 
 eliminated or whether they are not just youngsters with 
 an excess of animal spirits which could be diverted into 
 more useful channels to the credit of the organization. 
 He should feel that every man of his in the guard house 
 is the direct result of mishandling somewhere along the 
 line. He must remember that his value to the govern- 
 ment is lowered by every failure upon his part to under- 
 stand and secure results from the men entrusted to his 
 charge. If they add to the expense of administration, the 
 work of courts and all the legal machinery, and in addition 
 are failing to be trained as soldiers, it amounts to a 
 distinct loss to the Government. It is a distinct loss in 
 fighting efficiency as far as the organization is concerned. 
 He must remember that he is supposed to make soldiers 
 and better citizens out of the men entrusted to him. He 
 must not throw them impatiently into the guard house 
 without analyzing carefully his own responsibility in the 
 matter. 
 
 Every troop commander should have his desk some- 
 where separate from the First Sergeant and troop clerk, 
 where any man in the organization can come and talk to 
 
TROOP TRAINING MORALE FACTORS 43 
 
 him personally and alone. Men do not mind punishment, 
 and punishment will have a corrective influence rather 
 than the reverse, if they feel that their officer is "square" 
 that he has carefully weighed the case, heard the soldier's 
 side and explained the necessity for the disciplinary action 
 taken. They do become sullen, resentful and discouraged 
 if they feel that they have not had a hearing and been 
 denied justice accordingly. The officer has great power 
 over his men. Power implies responsibility. He must 
 not exercise his power without a due sense of the re- 
 sponsibility. 
 
 That organization in which there is not a strong bond 
 of sympathy, even though it be unspoken, of under- 
 standing and mutual consideration between officers and 
 men is as "sounding brass and tinkling cymbal." It is 
 not solidly founded, the first real test will knock it down 
 like a card house. 
 
 Remember that after all you are not judged so much 
 by the words that you utter as by the actions you perform 
 and leave unperformed. The American soldier really has 
 more confidence in the officer who is not "easy," the exact- 
 ing, strict and impartial type of officer. All he wants is a 
 "square deal," he does not want someone to weep on his 
 shoulder and "hand him a line of bull." You cannot 
 pose before your men and get away with it. They will 
 see through your pretence. There are a hundred pairs of 
 eyes more or less watching you daily. You are discussed, 
 in the barracks, in the field, and at the stables. Your im- 
 perfections are noted quickly, and as quickly forgiven if 
 you counterbalance them by virtues that transcend them. 
 Men have more confidence in a strict officer, they feel that 
 he is "on the job." If he can carry that impression into 
 the field with him he need never to look behind him, he 
 
44 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 will know that his outfit is with him. Men are so con- 
 stituted that they want a leader, a real "he man" ; bars on 
 your shoulder are nothing if there is nothing to back them, 
 distinctions between officer and men are broken down 
 in the ordeal of battle. After all is said and done you 
 will get loyalty if you are deserving of loyalty. And to 
 deserve loyalty you will have to develop a knightly sense 
 of "noblesse oblige/' a feeling of responsibility towards 
 the subordinates entrusted to your care. The time to de- 
 velop that is in the post, on the march and in the camp in 
 peace time, 
 
 Esprit de Corps: 
 
 Esprit de corps will often carry an outfit through when 
 many other things fail. It is one of the best aids to peace 
 time training. It can be fostered by successful partici- 
 pation in sports, a winning baseball or football team will 
 start the spirit better than almost anything else. Compe- 
 tition with other units in training subjects will foster it. 
 It is a plant that needs judicious watering. It can be 
 increased by the use of suggestion. Suggestion is a 
 powerful tool to build with if properly used. Every 
 officer should study psychology, especially the psychology 
 of the crowd if he wishes to be a successful leader. 
 Whenever your unit gains a slight success intensify the 
 effect by remarking upon it and use the spirit thus en- 
 gendered to win again. Appeal to it often when it has 
 gained sufficient strength. 
 
 An example of its use was the case of a troop of cavalry 
 that was to march through and camp near a certain village 
 in the Philippines. Seven other troops of the regiment 
 had marched through there on different days. Each one 
 
TROOP TRAININGS-MORALE FACTORS 45 
 
 had had trouble owing to the virulently fighting qualities 
 of a certain brand of native gin that was dispensed there. 
 This troop was lined up after its arrival in camp. The 
 men were told that the regimental commander had ad- 
 vised making a detour. They were told that the troop 
 commander had replied that he had perfect confidence 
 in this troop and would camp there without any trouble. 
 The men were then asked if that confidence was to be 
 justified. The men said nothing. That was the only 
 troop of the regiment that succeeded in making the march 
 without trouble. An appeal to their manhood as well as 
 to the esprit de corps. 
 
 Example and its Effect upon Morale: 
 
 To realize the powerful effect of example an officer 
 should again be advised to study that part of psychology 
 which pertains to the crowd and the crowd mind. The 
 effect of the example of the leader is far-reaching and 
 important upon the led. This should be kept in mind 
 constantly by the officer. His bearing, his dress, his man- 
 nerisms are all unconsciously copied by his men. If he 
 is tired on a long march he cannot show it, as it flies like 
 wildfire down the column. If he is anxious, if things 
 are going wrong in combat he cannot show it as it has 
 worse effect then than at any other time. In time of un- 
 certainty and danger the leader is especially watched. 
 Men's minds become almost childlike. They want some- 
 one stronger than themselves to direct. In time of hard- 
 ship the officer with a joke on his lips and a cheerful de- 
 meanor will bring in men and animals comparatively 
 fresh. The snarling, irritable type, who has not strength 
 of character enough to keep his real feelings to himself, 
 
46 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 will bring in a crowd of tired, sullen men. The mental 
 is so closely allied to the physical and the effect of the 
 leader so great, that the one type of officer will raise the 
 spirits and morale of his men and keep them fresh and 
 fit, with some reserve strength always left, while the other 
 type will have them dropping by the wayside. Remember 
 that the officer is watched by a hundred eyes. He is only 
 one amongst many. He cannot be too careful as to the 
 character of the example he sets. 
 
 Remember that growling and grumbling lengthen the 
 miles and add to the hardships. When you take hold of 
 an outfit in which this spirit is rampant, break it up. Call 
 your non-commissioned officers in to aid (in this as in 
 everything). Tell them that there is too much growling 
 in the outfit and you want to break it up. They will go 
 at it with ridicule, with jokes and with methods that you 
 cannot use. Do not forget to call your non-commis- 
 sioned officers in when you want to adopt a policy. They 
 are pleased by the confidence shown and will lie awake 
 nights thinking of means to aid if you handle them 
 properly. They are more nearly in touch with the pulse 
 of feeling in the organization than you are, they are closer 
 to the men. Make them your allies in all cases. Do not 
 be too proud to ask them for suggestions. Many of them 
 have been at the game many years and have picked up a 
 lot of knowledge of sorts. 
 
 Physical Well Being and Its Effect Upon Morale: 
 
 Every effort must be made to raise the physical standard 
 of the men entrusted to you. Not alone because this 
 turns better citizens back 'to civil life but because a man 
 is a more cool, resourceful and courageous soldier when 
 
TROOP TRAINING MORALE FACTORS 47 
 
 he is physically fit. You must have a good athletic or- 
 ganization. The solution of the physical problem is sport 
 and more sport. Games in which one unit competes 
 against the other are good. Football, baseball, basket ball, 
 boxing and swimming are all valuable. Every soldier 
 should be taught the rudiments of boxing at least. It in- 
 creases his poise and self-confidence to an undreamed of 
 extent. Your men must be practiced at running not only 
 for the value to them but because of the tactical value of 
 having men well able to move swiftly dismounted. It is 
 especially valuable in advance guard work where a cavalry 
 unit can dismount and by a quick run outflank the enemy 
 and drive him out. It is valuable against hostile in- 
 fantry, tired with marching and burdened with a pack, 
 a cavalryman can run all around them and shoot them up 
 if he is fit. Swimming is valuable in case of destroyed 
 bridges in war. It gives a man confidence in crossing 
 water even if he does not have to swim. 
 
 Remember that the army that is the more physically fit 
 has a big edge on the enemy from the start. It is a prime 
 consideration in considering the factors that build up' 
 morale. 
 
 The Effect of Dress: 
 
 An officer must not forget how much his self-confidence 
 and efficiency is lowered when he is dressed in an ill fitting 
 uniform. The same thing applies to the men. One of 
 the first things to do with a newly joined recruit is to get 
 him to the tailor and have his uniform fitted properly. 
 One of the first signs of reform in the case of an old 
 offender is the fact that he begins to shine up and shows 
 his renewed self-respect by the neatness of his clothing. 
 
48 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 There is a lesson in this. A snappy outfit, that dresses 
 well will, in nine cases out of ten, reflect their efficiency 
 in other ways. It is a small point but is one pf those 
 small points whose cumulative effect makes the difference 
 between a good organization and a poor one. 
 
 Conclusions: 
 
 We have gone into the subject of morale enough to 
 show that it is an important matter. It is well worthy 
 the study of an officer. Time spent upon this phase of 
 his work is time well spent. He must study his men from 
 day to day, he must not only study his subordinates but 
 he must study his seniors and analyze them and their effect 
 upon him. There are some that get a high degree of 
 work and enthusiasm from him : why ? There are others 
 with regard to whom he feels that any slight exertion is 
 an immense labor. Why is this? He must weigh and 
 analyze and out of it all must formulate for himself a 
 working code that will fit any group of men anywhere. 
 Once he has done this he has added immeasureably to his 
 equipment as an officer and as a leader. 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 TROOP TRAINING THE OFFICER 
 
 The man who rides into danger for the love of it, the 
 man who keenly enjoys cross-country going and -polo, 
 contains in his disposition the germs of success as a 
 cavalry officer. After all the tumult and the shouting of 
 tactics and strategy, of paper work, of schools, of auto- 
 matic rifles and all the thousand and one things that a 
 cavalry man has to be proficient in, the fact still remains 
 that he has to have, as a base, the love of the horse and 
 all that pertains to him. 
 
 Chief among these are the mounted sports. These are 
 valuable to the cavalry officer, first, because they are a 
 test of heart and courage, secondly because they teach 
 him to think at the gallop, to judge pace, to study ground, 
 to know the capabilities of a horse and above all to keep 
 him fit to take the field even at an advanced age. 
 
 No officer who is not an enthusiastic horseman has any 
 place in the cavalry. This is based upon purely practical 
 considerations. The horse enthusiast is the man who will 
 study the horse and make the most of his capabilities. The 
 enthusiastic cavalry horseman is the man who will get 
 better results from his horses and bring them in in better 
 shape than the man lacking in this spirit. There is 
 another reason also, the fact that mental efficiency de- 
 
 49 
 
50 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 pends so much upon physical well being. The horseman 
 is usually a fitter man at greater age than the man who 
 has no such interest. This may be one of the reasons 
 why so many cavalrymen rise high in every war. At the 
 time that age begins to dim the faculties of another man, 
 the cavalryman, who has been a consistent horse lover, is 
 usually more mentally alert through having kept physi- 
 cally fit throughout his life. 
 
 Every opportunity to indulge in mounted sports should 
 be granted to our officers. Polo at last seems to have 
 come into its own, officially recognized and fostered by 
 the Government. Polo is the finest sport for the cavalry 
 officer. There is another, however, that is almost equally 
 valuable. That is fox-hunting. There are any number 
 of excellent hunt clubs, whose members are hospitable, 
 whose packs are excellent and whose country can give a 
 multitude of thrills any morning, that are situated along 
 the Atlantic seaboard. It is hoped that some system of 
 rotation of regiments will be worked soon to enable 
 officers to get their fair share of eastern service. They 
 should avail themselves of this hunting whenever possible. 
 A substitute can be found in the Western posts by or- 
 ganizing paper chases. A good paper chase laid over a 
 stiff course is a fair test of horsemanship. In the Ameri- 
 can Forces in Germany a good course is laid out over the 
 hills back of Forts Ehrenbreitstein and Asterstein every 
 Sunday and many officers, from the Commanding General 
 on down, turn out. 
 
 There is no comparison between the somewhat cold 
 and mechanical jumping that an officer gets in the show 
 ring, the riding hall or jumping pen compared to the same 
 thing across country, with a good crowd all riding hard. 
 It is a better test of horsemanship and gives an officer a 
 
TROOP TRAINING THE OFFICER 51 
 
 good eye for country as well as a better knowledge of his 
 horse's capabilities. It teaches him to ride boldly and is 
 thereby a direct aid to cavalry work in campaign. 
 
 The cavalry officer must keep himself fit. The posses- 
 sion of a horse and polo pony or two will not do this 
 unless he throws himself body and soul into sports. He 
 will be subjected to more strain, more exposure and more 
 privation than the officers of other branches when on 
 campaign. If he is not prepared beforehand the un- 
 accustomed strain will break him when the country most 
 needs his services. 
 
 Next to keeping himself physically fit and of equal 
 importance, is the question of keeping himself mentally 
 fit. The work of cavalry on campaign is largely a matter 
 of good judgment upon the part of its officers. The 
 cavalry officer has more initiative in war than most officers. 
 He is less under the direct supervision of an immediate 
 superior. It is precisely for this reason that his initiative 
 should spring from knowledge. The infantry officer is 
 thoroughly trained in combat work. The work of the 
 artillery officer is almost purely combat work. The 
 cavalry officer, who has to be trained to use a great many 
 more weapons and combinations of weapons than either, 
 is not sufficiently trained tactically. He may become a 
 good machine gunner, a good musketry instructor, or a 
 good horseman. What he is in grave danger of not be- 
 coming is a trained cavalry tactician, capable of using all 
 these weapons and all forms of attack and knowing when 
 and where not to use them. 
 
 The cavalry officer must be a highly trained specialist. 
 It is not believed that we specialize enough in our army. 
 We require an officer to be capable of handling any job 
 at any time from spending a few million dollars in dis- 
 
52 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 bursements to taking charge of an aviation camp. This 
 undoubtedly has some value in giving an understanding 
 of these tasks. But the success of any commercial ven- 
 ture depends upon picking the trained man for the right 
 place, the salesman for the road work, the advertising 
 man for the publicity, etc. Looked at from the same 
 viewpoint the cavalry organizations of our army should 
 only be officered by cavalry officers. And simply carrying 
 the crossed sabres on the collar does not imply neces- 
 sarily that a man is a cavalryman. 
 
 What then is meant by a cavalryman? An officer 
 who is first and foremost a horseman, who is able and fit 
 to march his unit great distances and bring it in in shape 
 to fight, who has an instinctive knowledge of what forma- 
 tion and weapon to use in emergency and who is fitted 
 by his training to cooperate tactically with other arms 
 for the good of the whole, a man, in short, who is in- 
 terested in cavalry as a fighting arm. If an officer is not 
 interested in the combat possibilities of his branch he has 
 no place in it. 
 
 In no other branch does the influence of the leader exert 
 such an influence as it does in the cavalry. For this 
 reason it is extremely difficult to assess the value of any 
 given force of cavalry. This influence is marked at all 
 times ; it is marked in war to a much greater extent than 
 in most other branches. How many times in history has 
 good cavalry, poorly led, produced results worthy of the 
 poorest cavalry? Cavalry cannot be officered by leaders 
 who are' liable, by lack of trained judgment, to throw it 
 away in the hour of need. Its relative size makes it 
 much more valuable proportionally. Given 900 cavalry- 
 men to 20,000 infantrymen, the relative value of each 
 cavalryman to his division commander is much greater 
 
TROOP TRAINING THE OFFICER 53 
 
 than that of each infantryman. It is more difficult, 
 moreover, to replace both the cavalryman and his horse. 
 For these reasons there must be no waste of cavalry 
 through poor leadership. 
 
 The cavalry officer of almost any grade requires a 
 higher degree of combined tactical training than the 
 officer of most other branches. He, opposing, or co- 
 operating (commanding an independent unit in many 
 cases) with all branches, has to have a deep knowledge of 
 tactics as a whole. How are his reconnaissance reports 
 to be effective and valuable if he has not the remotest 
 idea of what bearing his report has upon operations? 
 How can he show as he is required to do, initiative in ab^- 
 sence of orders, if he has no foundation of tactical train- 
 ing upon which to base initiative? How is he to base 
 reconnaissance reports from the viewpoint of higher com- 
 mand if he has no conception of what the higher com- 
 mand is driving at? 
 
 The tactical training of a cavalry officer should be 
 thorough. He should be tested in the tactics of his 
 branch. Upon his failure to pass a certain number of 
 tests he should be transferred to some branch or position 
 where he will not need so high a degree of the quality 
 of tactical leadership. He should read and study the 
 possibilities of his own branch. It might be advisable 
 to have him write an occasional thesis on stated phases 
 of cavalry work or history to stimulate his study. The 
 war game should be part of the equipment of every 
 garrison. He should have a fair acquaintanceship with 
 the tactics of other branches, to enable him to cooperate 
 intelligently with or fight against them. 
 
 Excellence in tactical things should open a door of 
 further advancement to him if he perseveres and shows 
 
54 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 ability. Excellence in the 'regiment should lead to the 
 Cavalry School with the future possibility of making 
 the General Staff as a goal. European armies can teach 
 us a great deal as regards the proper stimulation of the 
 ambitions of officers. 
 
 The value of all this is that study and reflection lead 
 an officer to form a doctrine or a set of principles, to 
 evolve for every situation a rough working plan that 
 becomes part of his nature. When the emergency arises 
 he will have no time to reason. He will have to act in- 
 stinctively. His instinct should be trained so that no 
 situation finds him lacking in resource or in the means 
 of solving it. 
 
 It is Von Moltke who is reported to have said, "People 
 say that one must learn by experience ; I have always en- 
 deavored to learn by the experience of others. " In that 
 saying lies the whole sum and substance of the reasons 
 for study. It is to learn by the experience of others. If 
 ten minutes of study now can mean the saving of the 
 lives of fifty men and horses, the winning of a decision 
 over the enemy, reputation gained and safety to the army, 
 in the future, then ten minutes' study is well repaid. It 
 can mean all of these things. 
 
 Sir John French has written a preface to a work of 
 von Bernhardi's that is well worth reading, "Let him (the 
 cavalry officer) continue to study profoundly the train- 
 ing tactics and organization of the best foreign cavalry. 
 Let him reflect long and deeply upon the opinions of 
 such acknowledged authorities as Field Marshal Sir 
 Evelyn Wood and General von Bernhardi. Let him keep 
 abreast with every change in the tendencies of cavalry 
 abroad, so that he may help us to assimilate the best of 
 foreign customs to our own. Finally let him realize the 
 
TROOP TRAINING THE OFFICER 55 
 
 great mental and physical strain that modern war will im- 
 pose on the cavalry, and let him preserve that 'mens sana 
 in corpore sano/ that equable balance between study and 
 action, which alone will enable him to rise superior to 
 every difficulty in the great and honorable calling to 
 which he belongs." * 
 
 It is to be hoped that the many and excellent reports 
 made by our observers in cavalry work abroad will be 
 put in such shape that they can be disseminated among 
 the cavalry officers for their instruction. 
 
 It is well for the military student to remember that 
 his main task is to strip all subjects of their non-essen- 
 tials. He must endeavor to reduce all subjects to their 
 most simple and basic elements. The tendency in mili- 
 tary writings is to overlay the profession with a mass of 
 verbiage and practice that has no relation to the object 
 in view. 
 
 The young officer must keep the idea of war constantly 
 in his mind and not allow his energies to be diverted 
 from preparation for war. He must constantly prac- 
 tice both himself and his men in every situation that could 
 possibly arise. He must have imagination. An officer 
 lacking in imagination will not only be a poor trainer of 
 troops in peace but he will be a poor leader in war, 
 through a lack of ability to visualize the probabilities of 
 the enemy's actions. Imagination can be cultivated by 
 study and reflection. A proper forecast of the future can 
 be acquired by studying the past. 
 
 We have discussed the mental and physical needs of 
 the officer. What more is necessary? In addition to be- 
 ing a sportsman and a student he must be an organizer, a 
 leader and a teacher. 
 
 1 "Cavalry in War and Peace," von Bernhardi preface. 
 
56 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 It is Very surprising how many younger officers have 
 failed to grasp the essential principles of organization. 
 The cavalry drill regulations lay down clearly the mech- 
 anics of this but few grasp the spirit. Many excellent offi- 
 cers work hard drilling and training a troop of one hun- 
 dred men instead of handling an organization composed 
 of several platoons of two squads each. The gaining of 
 results through subordinate leaders, the principles of 
 the allocation of duties, and the utilization of all the en- 
 ergies of all the subordinates not only to train the men 
 but to train and make efficient group leaders in war is 
 a subject that will well repay the time spent in its study. 
 
 It is highly important that the officer should learn early 
 in his service to have his will carried out through the me- 
 dium of subordinate leaders. He must rarely command 
 men directly. He must always work through their im- 
 mediate commanders, the non-commissioned officers. 
 
 The attitude of many officers is fundamentally wrong 
 from this viewpoint. The officer in too many cases 
 usurps the prerogatives of the sergeant, to the lowering 
 of his own prestige and the lessening of the value of the 
 sergeant. The officer places too much stress on the hand- 
 ling of the individual soldier and his training and instruc- 
 tion. He considers his own training as a group leader 
 or tactical leader merely incidental. He will never have 
 well-trained subordinates nor will he acquire that high de- 
 gree of tactical training necessary to a cavalry officer un- 
 less he defines his relation to this phase of the work. 
 
 If he usurps the duties of the non-commissioned offi- 
 cer he leaves that excellent individual nothing to do but 
 act as a fifth wheel. He devotes time to doing the ser- 
 geant's work that he should devote to perfecting himself 
 as a combat leader, the practice of having his will car- 
 
TROOP TRAINING THE OFFICER 57 
 
 ried out through the medium of subordinate leaders being 
 an essential. 
 
 The enthusiasm and energy of many officers leads 
 them to take the sergeant's command from him and han- 
 dle the men directly. This is bad for the sergeant as he 
 will inevitably lose interest and his energy is no longer 
 available for the organization to use. In the British 
 army they carry things almost too far to the other ex- 
 treme. They leave things in the hands of the non-com- 
 missioned officer that we would never dream of doing. 
 The British non-commissioned officer is certainly devel- 
 oped by the system, however, into a most dependable 
 person. We have better non-commissioned officer mate- 
 rial than the British but we do not develop it to the ex- 
 tent that they do. 
 
 Next comes the question of leadership. Leadership is 
 rather an indefinite term. Reduced to its simple terms 
 it resolves itself into the faculty of securing prompt, will- 
 ing and intelligent obedience. 
 
 The officer must not take obedience for granted simply 
 because the Articles of War and Army Regulations re- 
 quire obedience. It is not the ever present factor that 
 the layman might imagine. Obedience, perfect, implicit, 
 willing and intelligent is one of the most difficult things 
 to secure. That it is not always secured is generally the 
 fault of the leader. He has perhaps not expressed his 
 order clearly enough. It was perhaps clear in his own 
 mind but he failed to convey his idea to the subordinate. 
 Someone quotes General Grant as saying that he wrote 
 every order with one of his subordinates in mind, a par- 
 ticularly slow-witted and dense individual. He made the 
 order so clear that he could convince this man. He felt 
 that if he understood it anyone else could. 
 
58 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 Another reason for failures in obedience is the bear- 
 ing and manner of issuing an order. Many times an 
 officer issues an order in an easy conversational way that 
 leaves considerable doubt in the mind of his hearer as to 
 whether he is not simply indulging in conversation. An 
 officer must be careful of this, he must train himself to 
 give incisive, clear cut and unmistakable orders that will 
 not leave room for the slightest element of doubt. Apro- 
 pos of this it is wise for an officer to remember that the 
 more he uses his voice with his men the more accustomed 
 they become to it and familiarity breeds a certain amount 
 of contempt. The officer who is continually talking has 
 nothing left when the time for quick action comes. He 
 must cultivate the habit of letting his subordinates do 
 most of the talking. When his voice is raised it should 
 be raised decisively; he will soon find that if he follows 
 this plan, when he does raise his voice, every man's and 
 every horse's head goes up. His words are listened to. 
 This may have an important bearing on some future time 
 of stress and strain when order can only be made out 
 of chaos by the influence of the leader's voice. 
 
 Implicit obedience is necessary. A higher type of obe- 
 dience is the type that is both implicit and cheerfully will- 
 ing. That can only come from loyal and contented subor- 
 dinates. They strive in the Navy for what is called 
 "a happy ship." It is considered a more efficient ship. 
 The "happy ships" have a faculty of making excellent 
 scores at target practice and of "delivering the goods" 
 generally. 
 
 Work is important. Results are more important. Many 
 officers do not differentiate enough between the two. An 
 organization simply going through the motions at com- 
 
TROOP TRAINING THE OFFICER 59 
 
 mand is working satisfactorily according to that type of 
 officer. With nothing more, that type of work is me- 
 chanical and productive of no lasting results. A con- 
 tented organization does not dissipate its energy in 
 grumbling, in going absent without leave ; in keeping the 
 guard house full and the courts martial busy. It con- 
 centrates its energy upon that one thing, a striving for 
 battle efficiency. A mechanical performance of duties 
 by command, rote and schedule may simulate a working 
 for fighting efficiency but it will not realize that stand- 
 ard. The first crucial test will prove it unsound. The 
 most important factor after all we have to work with in 
 the service is the human factor. Study of it will repay 
 an officer. 
 
 The next important quality for an officer to possess is 
 the ability to teach. The necessity of inculcating a high 
 degree of knowledge in all ranks in the cavalry admits of 
 no gainsaying. The extreme dispersion of the cavalry 
 formations in campaign, the high degree of knowledge 
 required for intelligent reconnaissance and reporting 
 work and the comparatively greater degree of responsi- 
 bility resting on the lower ranks, makes it essential that 
 they all be trained to cooperate intelligently with higher 
 command. They must be trained to look at things from 
 the viewpoint of several grades in rank above them. To 
 accomplish this it is necessary first of all that the cavalry 
 soldier be taught to think. He must not only be taught 
 the use of his individual weapons but must be shown 
 his important place in the great army team. He must be 
 taught to produce a high degree of intelligent coopera- 
 tion. 
 
 To sum up then: our ideal cavalry officer must be an 
 
60 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 enthusiastic horseman, he must be a student, he must be 
 an organizer, a leader and a teacher. In addition to this 
 he must have the faculty of being a good team man. 
 There are two kinds of polo players, there is the "grand 
 stand player," perfectly willing at any time to ride off his 
 own team mate and break up his team to make a goal 
 himself and thereby gain the plaudits of the side lines, 
 who imagine that making goals is all there is to polo. 
 Then there is the other type who lies back coolly, rides 
 off interference and thus permits his team to score. The 
 latter type would be a good man to have in campaign. 
 An officer must not only have the ability and desire for 
 cooperation with his own branch but he must remember 
 that his is not the only branch, that wars are won by the 
 cooperation of all branches. Usually the most bitter 
 critic of another branch is the man that knows least about 
 his own. Langlois, 1 in his work, "The Lessons of Two 
 Recent Wars/' has this to say of the British army in the 
 South African War, "Each arm acted on its own. . . . 
 Comradeship can only be fostered in peace. ... In 
 England it exists neither between the different arms nor 
 between one battalion and another. . . . Good fel- 
 lowship in the fight can only be produced by good fellow- 
 ship in time of peace and the latter results from a life in 
 common." A good team will win against an aggregation 
 of good players any time. And this applies with par- 
 ticular force to the great game of war. 
 
 The foregoing attempts to outline some of the quali- 
 ties that go to the making of the excellent cavalry offi- 
 cer. Given an officer with these qualities, energetic and 
 ambitious, of distinct value to the Government, what are 
 
 1 Langlois' "Lessons from Two Recent Wars/' page 70, quoted 
 in "Our Cavalry," Rimington, page 175. 
 
TROOP TRAINING THE OFFICER 61 
 
 the factors that might tend to lower his morale or nullify 
 his efforts? 
 
 One of the factors is undoubtedly a certain uneasy lack 
 of confidence in the future of his own branch. The 
 remedy for this lies in a study of the World War and a 
 discounting of the thoughtless statements of ill-informed 
 persons whose whole knowledge of the war is comprised 
 in their own small share in a limited sector. A close 
 study of the World War as a whole should convince the 
 most skeptical, not only that cavalry did its share in that 
 immense conflict but that as a result of it, and the new 
 methods there made use of, the cavalry has, if anything, 
 a greater future before it. 
 
 Another factor is the question of Mexican Border ser- 
 vice. This is ceasing to be the bugbear that it was sev- 
 eral years ago, when an officer had to leave his family in 
 the North and live in the sage brush and sand in a tent 
 for years. With a proper system of rotation of regi- 
 ments on the border which it is hoped will be put into 
 effect, with an increase and enlargement of the border 
 posts, better barracks and quarters and stables, service on 
 the border will lose some of its terrors. Its advantages 
 must not be lost sight of at that ; the exceedingly healthy 
 outdoor life that it is possible to lead there at all times of 
 the year; the knowledge that officers and men gain in 
 campaign conditions ; the excellence of the country for 
 cavalry, with its broad open spaces, are some advantages 
 that a cavalryman truly fond of his profession can appre- 
 ciate. The great drawback is the lack of conveniences 
 and comforts for an officer's family. This is a weak spot 
 as the normal life of a man impels him to marry and make 
 a home for himself. Many excellent officers have trans- 
 ferred from the cavalry for this reason and there will be 
 
62 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 danger of more if the conditions so easily remedied are 
 not taken in hand. There is no necessity for an officer 
 living in war conditions at all times. 
 
 Probably the greatest factor, one of the reasons that 
 officers do not like to serve with troops, has yet to be 
 touched upon. It is a serious condition directly influenc- 
 ing the efficiency of the cavalry service. It is that ener- 
 getic, loyal and efficient service with troops is only occa- 
 sionally and almost accidentally noted upon an officer's 
 efficiency record. 
 
 There is in the first place no scientific or standard 
 method of judging an officer as a troop or unit com- 
 mander. He is given a vague rating upon leadership, 
 intelligence, etc., all matters of opinion on the part of his 
 next higher commander. He may have had the organi- 
 zation with the smallest number of disciplinary reports, 
 he may have had the best administered unit, he may be 
 exceptionally keen and efficient tactically, his troop may 
 be the best shooting troop in the regiment. None of this 
 is likely to appear upon his record. His mark depends 
 upon the vague and variable impressions of a succession 
 of higher commanders, based in very many cases on lim- 
 ited personal knowledge of the officer concerned. 
 
 It is strongly to be hoped that this lack of system in 
 so important a thing will soon be changed for the bet- 
 ter. If not there is a serious danger that the energies of 
 the younger officers will be blunted. There should be a 
 fair, impartial and uniform test of an officer as a unit 
 commander. He must be tested by results gained. He 
 must stand or fall on the results of these tests. 
 
 His unit should be the criterion. Provisions for carry- 
 out the proper tests could be made by higher authority. 
 These could take the form of the issuing of tables con- 
 
TROOP TRAINING THE OFFICER 63 
 
 taining standards of proficiency in training in all its 
 phases, training proper, troop management, horse man- 
 agement, tactical ability, disciplinary ability, etc. 
 
 A special form of efficiency record should be put into 
 use. It should contain headings devised for ratings for 
 all of the subjects considered essential to a cavalry offi- 
 cer. Take administration, for example ; this could be 
 rilled in by the regimental commander from a special rec- 
 ord, kept by the adjutant, of all administrative faults 
 and virtues of that particular officer. This would indi- 
 rectly have the effect of taking a load of worry from the 
 adjutant's shoulders for the tardy submission of reports 
 and communications, the necessity of returning papers 
 for correction, etc. A simple notation every time there 
 was a fault and a comparison at the end of a stated period 
 with the records of all other officers would soon fix a 
 standard for this. 
 
 Troop training would be one of the simplest things to 
 judge. The application at stated periods of standard tests, 
 the comparison of the total results with all other units in 
 the regiment and a noting of the same on the efficiency 
 record. Tactical ability could be handled by the same 
 means, preferably by actual problems upon the terrain, 
 these to be suited to the officer's grade and length of ser- 
 vice. 
 
 The disciplinary standing of the officer's unit should be 
 immediately reflected upon his efficiency record. This is 
 a simple matter to determine, simply a comparison at 
 stated periods of the total disciplinary reports with the 
 average of the command and the marking of the offi- 
 cer on the results. 
 
 The sum of these requirements and others judged nec- 
 essary would determine in a very fair and thorough man- 
 
64 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 ner the standing of an officer as a leader of units in his 
 grade. It would tend to eliminate the consistently ineffi- 
 cient and would give a goal to strive for to many excel- 
 lent and hard working officers who now feel that their 
 work is not observed and noted. This would end the 
 feeling that it was necessary to get some "coffee cooling 
 job" in order to be favorably commended. It would be a 
 positive record instead of the negative record now in 
 vogue and would end the feeling that service with troops 
 was unrewarded service. 
 
 After the sheep have been separated from the goats 
 by this method, then only officers of proved ability with 
 troops should be sent to troops. Increase by this means 
 the prestige of troop duty, make it an honor rather than 
 a punishment. Remember that our duty is to fight ; we 
 require good leaders in war in the cavalry above all other 
 branches. It would be the greater part of wisdom to 
 weed out the poor ones and encourage the good ones in 
 peace time. 
 
 The cavalry officer must remember above all that he has 
 comparatively only a short time in which to teach the 
 mass of things that each cavalry trooper must learn. The 
 officer should study the fine points of teaching the ele- 
 ments of the military game and its essentials. He must 
 learn to separate the essential from the non-essential, he 
 must develop practical instruction in lieu of theoretical, 
 realizing that the soldier learns more by being shown than 
 he does by being talked at. He must take advantage of 
 all psychological aids and learn thereby the best and most 
 approved method of combining brain and muscle. He 
 must learn to state facts tersely and in an interesting 
 manner, realizing that the soldier's brain quickly tires of 
 long-drawn-out explanations. 
 
TROOP TRAINING THE OFFICER 65 
 
 Above all the cavalryman must remember what it is 
 all about. He must stick to the main issue, war and prep- 
 aration for war. Von Clausewitz, who was the first to 
 analyze and realize how completely Napoleon had 
 smashed the old traditions, the "old fencing," the 
 rococo methods of making war previous to his time and 
 whose work on it is the foundation of modern military 
 thought says, apropos of sticking to the main issue, 
 "Every activity in warfare therefore necessarily relates to 
 combat, either directly or indirectly. The soldier is lev- 
 ied, clothed, armed, exercised, he sleeps, eats drinks and 
 marches, all merely to fight at the right time and place." l 
 
 The great essential is to train soldiers for fighting. In 
 our efforts to accomplish this let us not forget another 
 great essential, that we must also train officers for lead- 
 ing. 
 
 la On War," von Clausewitz, Vol. I, Book I, page 37. 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 TROOP TRAINING THE HORSE 
 
 The expression "training the horse" that we hear so 
 often in the cavalry, should be amplified to make the ex- 
 pression "training the horse for war." Anything ex- 
 tending beyond that necessity should be taken from the 
 sphere of work, of drill schedules and from training 
 proper. The training that extends beyond direct neces- 
 sity should be placed where it belongs, amongst pleasures 
 and sports. The difference should be sharply defined. 
 
 There are so many opinions and differences of opin- 
 ion on the subject of horse training that it is wise to nar- 
 row the field of discussion to simply the training of the 
 horse for war. This does not tend to disregard the im- 
 mense value of the horse as an instrument of pleasure or 
 the direct value of mounted pursuits and sports generally. 
 The question is now : what is the standard of training that 
 we require for the horse to fit him for his place in cam- 
 paign ? 
 
 He must be hard and fit to carry his rider and the 
 weight of the pack for long distances upon successive 
 days. He must be able to pick his way across country at 
 speed. He must be able to pass obstacles of not too great 
 a height or width. He must be handy enough for his 
 rider to use his weapons mounted. He must be docile 
 
 66 
 
TROOP TRAINING THE HORSE 67 
 
 and trained so as to not hinder his rider's mounting and 
 dismounting. 
 
 The next point is to decide as to what degree of train- 
 ing is necessary in order to enable him to reach this stand- 
 ard. It is only a matter of taking the methods we now 
 have and cutting the amount to what is necessary for the 
 purpose in view, arranging for this amount of training 
 and testing the horses after they have been trained. Let 
 hours be spent outside of working time, encourage every 
 man and officer to work on his horse and make horseman- 
 ship a pleasure, but keep in view the fact that we are 
 working for war and let us differentiate between pleasure 
 and business. In our working hours let us prepare for 
 war ; in our rest and recreation periods, encourage every- 
 thing that will indirectly help us in preparation for war. 
 Modern warfare has become too scientific a game, we 
 have too many things to teach the soldier in working 
 hours to allow any more than the proper amount of time 
 necessary on each subject. 
 
 A great aid to attaining the necessary degree of train- 
 ing would be the stimulation of the soldier's interest in 
 his horse. He is driven now by unimaginative methods 
 in training and long hours of drill spent in acquiring un- 
 necessary things, to look upon his horse as only an addi- 
 tional source of labor. Means must be adopted to make 
 the condition of a man's horse a source of punishment 
 or commendation if he fails or succeeds in handling it 
 properly on the daily routine. He should be made to feel 
 that he is just as responsible for the condition of his 
 horse as he is of his gun. In many organizations there 
 is a feeling of divided responsibility in this respect. 
 
 The soldier is detailed to some fatigue duty, he is ab- 
 sent from stables for some cause: does he worry about 
 
68 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 his horse ? He does not, he knows that someone will look 
 after it. The responsibility for the care of the mount 
 rests upon the stable sergeant, the first sergeant, the pla- 
 toon commander or some one else, it does not rest on the 
 soldier. This condition is unsafe in that it leads to a gen- 
 eral lack of care for the horses on the march and in cam- 
 paign, and the organization in which it is most prevalent 
 is the organization that will turn up with the smallest 
 strength in effectives after a few weeks of campaigning. 
 
 The solution of the problem is to assign a man a 
 horse, the animal to be his as long as he cares for it prop- 
 erly. Make him groom it every day no matter what duty 
 he is upon. If he cannot get to stables at stable time let 
 him come later and groom under the supervision of the 
 stable sergeant, or for the inspection of the stable ser- 
 geant. This may seem to defeat the object of interesting 
 a man in his horse by increasing the amount of his drudg- 
 ery. It can be lessened by lessening the amount of time 
 he is required to attend duties that take him from stables. 
 Moreover, every man absent from stables means that 
 some other man has to groom an extra horse which is a 
 daily task that does not increase the man's interest in him. 
 Make it a fixed rule that every man is to groom his own 
 horse every day; then the few extra horses that are left 
 because of a man absent sick or for some other un- 
 avoidable cause can be groomed by detailing several men 
 upon them, which would make the labor almost negligible. 
 
 Allow the trooper more individual work with his 
 mount and cut down the amount of mechanical riding 
 around in a circle to a minimum. Let him compete for 
 some prizes in the troop, squadron or regiment for the 
 condition and training of his mount. A great deal of 
 instruction will be absorbed by the man under such 
 
TROOP TRAINING THE HORSE 69 
 
 a method and he will be a better cavalry soldier for 
 it. 
 
 He will be more prone to give heed to the teachings 
 of his instructors when they advise him as to the care of 
 the horse when alone, how to watch for every chance to 
 rest it, to examine its bits and saddling at every oppor- 
 tunity, to give it every chance to nibble a mouthful of 
 grass or to drink whenever opportunity offers. He will 
 be more prone to ease the horse over rough going, to dis- 
 mount when making a steep ascent and to watch his back 
 and legs and report the condition of his shoeing, if he is 
 fond of his mount and desirous of keeping him. The 
 sum total of these minor things, their observance or ne- 
 glect make the difference between an organization that 
 remains at all time close to full strength and one that is 
 depleted below its effective power after a few weeks of 
 campaigning. 
 
 When training the trooper, stress should be put upon 
 campaign riding and the individual's care of the horse. 
 He should constantly be warned of all the little things 
 that save or break a horse on the march. He should be 
 taught more individual care of his horse and a little less 
 of the refinements of riding than he now receives. It 
 must be remembered that the individual soldier will be 
 very often detached in the cavalry service and that upon 
 the extent of his knowledge of the care of the horse will 
 depend the accomplishment of his mission. We see many 
 excellent organizations, with horses in good condition, 
 smoothly gaited and well handled while under the eye of 
 the officer. But let almost any of his men get away from 
 his watchful eye and every principle is violated. Very 
 often non-commissioned officers cannot be trusted even 
 to march a unit smoothly at the trot when ordered to 
 
70 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 move out on their own. How many times do you see a 
 troop that has come to the drill field smoothly under the 
 command of the officer sent back under a non-commis- 
 sioned officer and return like a mob ! They are not 
 trained in gaiting and are not trained in a great many other 
 things that have to do with the efficiency of the horse. 
 
 It is a lesson sometimes to compare two troops in the 
 regiment, perhaps both in the same line and adjacent. In 
 one troop about half the horses are restless, are fidgeting, 
 stamping and shifting their position with heads tossing 
 and tails switching. Another troop seems to be standing 
 tranquilly and easily. Inspect the first troop closely. You 
 find curb chains too tight, throat latches cinched up like 
 girths, equipment pressing against the horse uncomfort- 
 ably, bits too low or too high in the horse's mouth, in 
 other words a multitude of little things wrong. It is the 
 lack of attention to little things that means lost horse- 
 flesh. The men of one organization are properly trained 
 and their troop's commander has an eye for every detail 
 wrong; in the other the men do not know and have no 
 method of finding out as their troop commander does not 
 know. 
 
 These things occur in time of peace in the post where 
 a horse's work is not exhausting, where he is fed and 
 watered regularly, where he is inspected by competent 
 people on his return to stable, and immediately given at- 
 tention if he needs it. How much more will their cumu- 
 lative effect be under campaign conditions where these 
 attentions are not possible? How much, for instance, 
 does a soldier know about feeding and watering a horse 
 and how to care for him when away from the solicitude 
 and system of the stable sergeant? "J ust as in any busi- 
 ness the profits are effected by small and seemingly petty 
 
TROOP TRAINING THE HORSE 71 
 
 economies, so in a regiment it is the small economies of 
 horse flesh which mount up to a great sum in a month 
 or so of campaigning." * 
 
 The great cause of losses of horse flesh on campaign 
 is that so much of the cavalry work is necessarily dis- 
 persed ; the trooper is on his responsibility to a great ex- 
 tent. If he has gained no idea of the limitations and 
 needs of his horse in peace he is certain to be an expen- 
 sive liability in war. He ordinarily has simply ridden his 
 horse to and from drill, at drill and at equitation or per- 
 haps on a carefully conducted march or two. He has 
 never been faced with a mission in which there was any 
 danger of overriding his mount or failing to find care for 
 him when he arrives at his destination. As a conse- 
 quence the moment he finds himself in such a situation he 
 begins automatically to wear his horse down to the break- 
 ing point. 
 
 Campaign principles of horse management must be 
 instilled into the soldier. It is one of the most important 
 parts of his instruction. The officers and non-commis- 
 sioned officers must preach and reiterate these principles 
 until they become part of his nature. He must be made 
 into an enthusiastic horseman who develops enough af- 
 fection for his mount to be willing and anxious to take 
 every care of it. 
 
 Every subordinate leader must be trained constantly 
 to observe the horses under his care. The best way of 
 accomplishing this is to hold every one responsible for 
 the horses of his unit, the sergeants for their sections 
 and the lieutenants for their platoons. Once a forceful 
 commanding officer of an organization severely corrects 
 an individual or two who is not rendering a good account 
 
 *"Our Cavalry," Rimington, page 204. 
 
72 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 of his stewardship and commends those who are, the idea 
 will begin to become part and parcel of the outfit. 
 
 Men and officers must be warned against carrying un- 
 authorized articles which add to the weight of the horse's 
 load on the march. The use of the horse as an easy chair 
 must be treated as a crime. An English observer tells of 
 seeing in 1914 an entire brigade of French cuirassiers, 
 both men and horses tired after arduous work, which re- 
 mained at a halt for over one hour, every man in the bri- 
 gade lounging in the saddle throughout the whole time. 
 The memoirs of French cavalry officers tell of the many 
 nights that the saddles and packs were left on the horses 
 while the men slept holding the reins. The French cav- 
 alry was nearly ruined as a tactical force by the lack of 
 knowledge of horse care on the march and campaign upon 
 the part of officers and men. The British were enabled 
 to do more brilliant and important work with smaller 
 forces because of the knowledge they displayed in the 
 care of the horses. They learned their lesson in the 
 South African War where the lesson cost them about 
 twenty-two million pounds sterling and untold lives and 
 time. 
 
 The officers and non-commissioned officers must set an 
 example of solicitude for the horses. The trooper must 
 be taught the habit of looking to his horse the moment 
 he puts feet to ground and before he rolls the cigarette 
 or starts chaffing with his neighbor. The need for all 
 this care of minor details must be explained to him so as 
 to ensure that he will carry it out intelligently when he 
 is out from under the eye of his superiors. He must be 
 taught the principles of horse feeding, that a horse's 
 stomach is small and requires several feeds. The dog is 
 a carnivorous animal, his food is highly concentrated. He 
 
TROOP TRAINING THE HORSE 73 
 
 can gorge once in twenty-four hours and keep well and 
 fit. The horse is a grazing animal. His nourishment 
 has to be absorbed from a great deal of bulk. 
 
 The horse cannot tell of his discomfort or his pains. It 
 needs a watchful eye on the part of his rider or the offi- 
 cers and non-commissioned officers. The experienced 
 horsemaster can very often tell from the expression of 
 an animal whether or not all is well with him. 
 
 An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure 
 for more reasons than one in regard to the care of horses. 
 But if even the ounce of prevention fails and a horse does 
 receive some minor injury or fall heir to some minor ail- 
 ment the better part is to take him immediately from 
 ranks and try to have him cured. The remount service 
 in the Palestine campaign, where they had it very well 
 organized, was responsible for turning back and saving 
 great numbers of horses. It is better to save a trained 
 animal and return him to duty than to break him down 
 for good and then be forced to replace him with a poorly 
 conditioned remount, if it is possible to replace him at all. 
 We will require a well organized system of mobile vet- 
 erinary columns to prevent any wastage of horseflesh. 
 The study of this phase of the cavalry problem alone 
 should lead to some excellent results. 
 
 Nansouty said to Murat after the latter had crossed 
 the Niemen in Napoleon's Russian campaign and had 
 only 18,000 horses left out of the 43,000 that he had 
 started with two months previously, "The horses of the 
 cuirassiers, not,- unfortunately, being able to sustain them- 
 selves on their patriotism, fell down by the road and died." 
 
 There is always a large amount of wastage in horse- 
 flesh in campaign. Most of it is preventable by measures 
 taken in peace time. Of these measures the most effec- 
 
74 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 tive is a high degree of knowledge upon the part of the 
 officers and men as to the care of horses. This training 
 can be had in peace time if due attention is paid to the 
 education of the individual. One of the best means of 
 making this education "stick" is to cultivate a high degree 
 of personal responsibility and liking for his mount in each 
 individual soldier of cavalry, 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 AUXILIARIES WITH CAVALRY 
 
 Cavalry is itself a combatant branch. It must on occa- 
 sion fight with or against infantry, artillery and machine 
 guns in the same manner as infantry. To enable it to 
 do this effectually it is necessary that cavalry be furnished 
 with the same aids that are furnished the infantry. It 
 will have the same opponents as infantry. These will 
 be machine guns, barb wire, tanks, armored cars, artil- 
 lery and aeroplanes. The infantry division will contain 
 neutralizing agents for all of these. The cavalry division 
 must contain no less. 
 
 After all is said most of these innovations tend to neu- 
 tralize each other as time goes on. Battle is decided by 
 men. But an enemy strength in certain auxiliaries that 
 is not met by an equal strength on our own side puts our 
 men at a disadvantage. Our cavalry must not be impeded 
 in its main role which is to fight. The cavalry division 
 must be enabled to carry out its basic combat duty, the 
 ability to hurl a mass of men on to the battle field. It 
 must have all deterrent mechanical factors on the enemy's 
 side neutralized by corresponding or superior factors on 
 our own side. 
 
 Field Marshal Allenby in his message to the Ameri- 
 can Cavalry in the January number of the Cavalry Jour- 
 nal says " Armed with weapons of precision, rifle and ma- 
 
 75 
 
76 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 chine guns, in addition to its old time equipment of sword 
 and lance and supported by mobile quick-firing artil- 
 lery, cavalry can adapt itself to any conditions . . . 
 Cavalry enterprise is aided, too, by mechanical means of 
 transport, lorries, tanks, armored cars assuring supply, 
 while fighting cars and swiftly moving tanks can work 
 in cooperation with cavalry and horse artillery over any 
 ground. The machine guns and automatic rifles, now 
 forming part of the armament of our cavalry, give of 
 themselves great independence of action. By adopting 
 every helpful device, the mounted arm can continually 
 improve its fighting power." 
 
 The main need of our cavalry is a higher degree of 
 cooperation with horse artillery. Next in importance is 
 the need for closer cooperation and communication with 
 the air forces. Next in order would be the necessity for 
 tanks, armored cars, motor cycles, increased signal com- 
 munications and caterpillar tractors. With these auxil- 
 iaries cavalry need not be content with simply fighting 
 against cavalry. It is a worthy antagonist for any branch 
 or combination of branches. The ability to fight, and to 
 fight under any and all conditions is the ideal for which 
 to strive in our service. 
 
 A cry that will be raised by some will be one pointing 
 out a fancied loss of mobility. Horse artillery does not 
 detract from the mobility of cavalry. There are few 
 places where the horsed guns cannot go. Places where 
 they are unable to go will in most cases resolve them- 
 selves into places where they are not needed any way. 
 The rapid development of the whippet tank idea should 
 give us a light and speedy cross-country tank that can 
 follow cavalry anywhere. The armored car question is 
 simply a question of motor transportation. It is hoped 
 
AUXILIARIES WITH CAVALRY 77 
 
 that the caterpillar truck will develop into a dependable 
 factor in our supply problem, especially in waste country. 
 The cooperation of all these auxiliaries will be availa- 
 ble for the cavalry in all conditions and they will not de- 
 tract from cavalry mobility. Cooperation entails unity 
 of action, and unity of action entails similarity of move- 
 ment. In this case similarity of movement resolves it- 
 self into capabilities for like speed. Nothing is added to 
 the cavalry division that will detract in the slightest from 
 its marching speed. On the other hand it will possess 
 added units of greater speed under certain conditions. 
 While speed is not all of cavalry mobility, the problem is 
 now to work out types of mechanical traction that will 
 cover all classes of country. This problem seems to be 
 fairly on the road to solution. The final result will be 
 speedy machine-gun and field-gun-bearing types of light 
 tanks and caterpillar trucks that can accompany cavalry 
 anywhere and that will add immeasurably to its radius 
 of action and to its offensive power. 
 
 The need, now, is to study the points of cooperation 
 and fullest utilization of the good qualities of these aux- 
 iliaries. This study is only possible with the assignment 
 of these units to cavalry, preferably to the cavalry divi- 
 sion. A tactical policy to govern their use could soon be 
 formulated under these conditions. Some few points in 
 relation to each which have been developed during the 
 last war are noted here. 
 
 Horse Artillery and Cavalry: 
 
 One of the heritages of the old two-company post days 
 in our Army is the lack of opportunity that is found to 
 learn cooperation with other branches in peace time. 
 
78 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 What Rimington calls "The watertight compartment" at- 
 titude has obtained to a great extent. Our greatest loss 
 in this respect is the lack of opportunity we have had in 
 the cavalry to learn the fine points of cooperation with 
 horse artillery. 
 
 This cooperation requires a high degree of knowledge 
 and understanding of each other's problems upon both 
 sides. 1 It requires a carefully worked-out system of tac- 
 tics designed to develop the best points of each branch in 
 combination. To develop to the highest degree the attack 
 possibilities of cavalry we must have close cooperation 
 with horse artillery. One of the infantry principles has 
 resolved itself into making no attack without the sup- 
 port of artillery. This necessity is, if anything, greater 
 in the cavalry. 
 
 From the policy of determining standard principles of 
 procedure or methods of action, a cavalry tactical prin- 
 ciple, in other words, that will insure team work and in- 
 telligent initiative, flows the necessity of carrying out this 
 policy in respect of cooperation with other branches. A 
 definite policy must be laid down and followed in train- 
 ing so that in war time there will be no necessity for com- 
 plicated orders to cover each case. This applies both to 
 cooperation with, and action against, different branches. 
 
 Cavalry accompanied by modern horse artillery and 
 machine guns and highly trained in fire power, as well 
 as in cooperation with its auxiliary arms, will be the 
 offensive force of the future in wars of movement. But 
 we cannot secure the high degree of cooperation neces- 
 sary in war unless we practice it in peace time. Lang- 
 lois' "Lessons from Two Recent Wars," referring to the 
 
 1 Langlois, "Lessons from Two Recent Wars," page 140, quoted 
 in "Our Cavalry," Rimington, 
 
AUXILIARIES WITH CAVALRY 79 
 
 British and Boer War says : 'The English took no steps in 
 peace to correct and strengthen any union between the 
 arms, and evil overtook them. I cannot insist too much 
 on this point, and we (the French) must profit by this 
 lesson." 
 
 Our cavalry and horse artillery must be quartered 
 within working distance of each other. If this is not 
 feasible we should hold a sufficient number of combined 
 problems per year properly to instruct our officers. A 
 variety of problems could be worked out, teaching not 
 only this phase of combat work, but teaching many other 
 important things; cavalry staff work and the service of 
 intelligence, amongst many. 
 
 The German Cavalry Drill Regulations state: "The 
 Horse Artillery will often, by its fire, cause the foe to dis- 
 close his strength and thus help reconnaissance. In union 
 with Maxim's it enables the opposition of the enemy in 
 occupied positions and defiles to be overcome, and thus 
 spares the Cavalry the dismounted attack." 
 
 "Horse artillery and machine guns enable the Cavalry 
 to hem in at long range the enemy's marching column to 
 cause them to partially deploy; through flank fire to 
 change the direction of their march." 
 
 Horse artillery drives the enemy out of positions and 
 therefore permits the cavalry commander to utilize the 
 most precious quality of his branch, its mobility. 
 
 The Germans learned their lesson in 1870 when there 
 was no trace of cooperation between their artillery and 
 cavalry. It was held that cavalry in battle had no need 
 of artillery. In 1907 the view point was completely 
 changed and horse artillery and machine guns ordered to 
 remain with the cavalry throughout the course of the en- 
 gagement. It is a question as to whether some of the 
 
80 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 great failures in mounted action in 1870 would not have 
 been overwhelming successful had they been properly 
 prepared for by the action of artillery and supported by 
 that arm. 
 
 The English learned the lesson of cooperation of horse 
 artillery and cavalry in their Boer War. They applied 
 this lesson brilliantly in the World War. 
 
 The whole question of artillery cooperation with cav- 
 alry is one phase of the great cavalry need, the augmenta- 
 tion of fire power. 
 
 In the mounted attack alone there are great possibili- 
 ties with the proper support of artillery. The Palestine 
 campaign proved conclusively that thin lines of rapidly 
 moving horsemen, properly supported by fire action, 
 could cross in a few seconds and with small loss, ground 
 that the infantry could cross only in a vastly longer time 
 and with heavy loss. 
 
 Our colonels and brigadiers must have an opportunity 
 to learn the fullest capabilities of the combination of fire 
 and shock which reaches almost its highest culmination 
 in the mounted attack supported by artillery. To learn 
 to handle this, horse artillery must be available and in 
 reach for combined training. 
 
 For the cavalry to ever amount to anything in our ser- 
 vice, we must look beyond the platoon and troop and 
 think in terms of regiments, brigades and divisions. The 
 Europeans considered it necessary to have horse artillery 
 assigned to the cavalry brigade and to have the brigadier 
 trained in combining the action of the two. As one of 
 our regiments is about equal to a European brigade, it 
 may be necessary to have horse artillery assigned to de- 
 tached regiments. In any action against European or 
 Asiatic cavalry we would be the sufferers, if we do not 
 
AUXILIARIES WITH CAVALRY 81 
 
 strengthen our fire power with horse artillery. Criticize 
 European cavalry as we like, we are no less than foolish if 
 we do not follow their lead when they outstrip us in any 
 particular. The particular in which they outstrip us now 
 is in learning to combine cavalry action with the action 
 of other arms. German, French and English cavalries 
 carried it out in the war to a much greater extent than 
 we have ever done, even in the Civil War. We must 
 modernize ourselves in this particular. 
 
 There are several factors that must be considered in 
 the close cooperation of horse artillery and cavalry. The 
 mobility of the two is almost equal. The equipment of 
 horse artillery may have to be slightly modified, owing 
 to the fact that horse artillery batteries will, from the 
 nature of cavalry work, act less in battalion units and 
 function more as individual batteries. Officers of each 
 branch must be educated in the possibilities of the other 
 branch. This could best be done by requiring them to serve 
 for a short course of training attached to the other 
 branch. 
 
 Cavalry tactical movements must take into considera- 
 tion the needs of horse artillery ; i. e., in mounted action 
 they must be careful to avoid masking the fire of their 
 batteries, they must aim at keeping the artillery informed 
 at all times, signal communications must be amplified for 
 better liaison with the batteries, and artillery commanders 
 must be trained sufficiently in cavalry tactics to enable 
 them to act with good judgment in the absence of in- 
 structions. 
 
 In working against mounted enemy forces supported 
 by horse artillery, the cavalry commander must maneuver 
 to the end of always making the enemy mask his batter- 
 ies and making his own cavalry unmask the fire of his 
 
82 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 supporting batteries. He must maneuver to lead or drive 
 the enemy cavalry under his own artillery fire, or move 
 to have them enfiladed. He must make all mounted at- 
 tacks with the object of permitting his batteries to con- 
 tinue their fire until the last second. 
 
 One of the great objects in the attack would be to give 
 our own guns the best target possible as long as possi- 
 ble. In preparation for a mounted action the horse ar- 
 tillery commander must receive his orders first. Then 
 an attempt should be made to combine the shock and fire 
 action so that one should not nullify the other ; in other 
 words, make the artillery line of fire and the line of the 
 cavalry attack at an angle sufficiently great to insure that 
 one does not interfere with the other. The highest degree 
 of concealment must be striven for. 
 
 It is essential that the artillery be kept from observa- 
 tion, both from the ground and from the air. This con- 
 sideration must not weigh as heavily on the horse artil- 
 lery as upon other types. It will very often be neces- 
 sary for horse artillery, in order to add a decisive note, to 
 move very much farther forward and well up with its 
 cavalry than would be the case when operating in conjunc- 
 tion with infantry. This would apply especially to the 
 rear guard action and the pursuit. 
 
 The escort for the guns must not be allowed to be tied 
 down and immobilized, but must be free to act, mounted 
 or dismounted, must not be so near the guns as to be re- 
 cipients of "overs" or "shorts" from opposing artillery, 
 and must have a high degree of initiative. They must 
 provide security by reconnaissance and not simply wait 
 until something hits them. 
 
 The cavalry command must never allow its role to de- 
 generate into that of a simple escort for the guns, It 
 
AUXILIARIES WITH CAVALRY 83 
 
 must be kept in mind that the guns, while a very impor- 
 tant auxiliary, are still an auxiliary. 
 
 The artillery commander must seek important targets. 
 When supporting the attack and after the period when 
 his fire endangers his own cavalry, he must switch his 
 fire to the enemy's supports, or to his led horses. He 
 must be ready to drop his shells on any means of egress 
 liable to be taken by the retreating enemy. He can con- 
 tribute materially to the course of the action by seeking 
 out and locating new targets and pointing them out by 
 bursts of fire to the cavalry commander ; i. e., the un- 
 expected appearance of reserves or reinforcements, 
 enemy artillery, etc. He can herald any new movements 
 of the enemy by this means and greatly assist the cavalry 
 commander. 
 
 The artillery commander must have full confidence in 
 his supporting cavalry and must know that they will 
 make every effort to save his guns if need arises. Nearly 
 every modern war has in it many incidents such as Gren- 
 f ell's heroic rescue of the guns with the Qth Lancers in 
 1914. Cavalry officers must remember that cavalry is 
 very often called upon to save the guns of their own side 
 and to capture the enemy guns. 
 
 Armored Cars: 
 
 The question of armored car cooperation with cavalry 
 is one well worth our study. The armored car is espe- 
 cially valuable in advance or rear guard work. An ex- 
 ample of close cooperation is given in the Palestine cam- 
 paign, noted elsewhere in this volume. The operations of 
 armored cars with the 5th Cavalry Division in Palestine 
 October 7th to 26th, give much food for thought. In 
 
84 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 these operations valuable work was done by the armored 
 cars as reconnoitering agents. In country with fair roads 
 they can be exceedingly valuable and result in the saving 
 of much horse flesh. They would also be valuable in par- 
 tisan warfare, operating against irregular or guerrilla 
 troops. In the action with the 5th Division in Palestine, 
 there were examples of armored car reconnaissance, of 
 combats between opposing armored cars, and combats of 
 armored cars with cavalry. 
 
 A type of armored car that could also be used for the 
 carriage of anti-aircraft guns would be exceedingly valu- 
 able to the cavalry. Cavalry is vulnerable to attacks from 
 the air, both bombing and machine gun fire. It is vul- 
 nerable when in mass or marching on the roads, and its 
 picket lines and camps are especially good targets. It 
 was found necessary in the Palestine campaign to guard 
 the picket lines against aerial attacks. There must always 
 be some form of reserve defense in the event of the de- 
 feat or temporary absence of our own air forces. 
 
 The armored car should have a turret, equipped with 
 a machine gun or light field gun. The field gun should 
 be large enough to engage hostile armored cars and there- 
 fore should have sufficient muzzle, velocity. It might be 
 advisable to have a proportion of anti-tank guns, with 
 armor-piercing projectiles. 
 
 A suggested French organization for an armored car 
 unit is to have a battalion divided into three companies, 
 with one extra light-section for supply and repairs. The 
 company would contain four sections and one echelon. 
 The section would comprise three cars, two machine gun 
 cars and one light cannon car. The combat unit would 
 be the section. These are never to be placed on duty 
 with units less than the French squadron. They must be 
 
AUXILIARIES WITH CAVALRY 85 
 
 placed under the orders of the commanding officer of the 
 cavalry which they are to support. 
 
 The usual formation is with two machine gun cars on 
 the flanks of the light cannon car, which carries the sec- 
 tion commander. The French recommend that a car 
 company be assigned to the brigade and a battalion to the 
 cavalry division. The battalion commander would be 
 under direct orders of the divisional commander. 
 
 The tactical use of the armored car must be governed 
 by the fact that it is a delicate instrument. It is above 
 all essential to avoid wearing it out for feeble results. It 
 should not be used on minor reconnaissance duty or in 
 general such duties as would place it at the disposition 
 of units of cavalry smaller than a French squadron. 
 
 Motor Cycles: 
 
 A substantial aid to cavalry would be the attachment of 
 numbers of motor cycles. They would result in a 
 saving of horse flesh in campaign. They could be used 
 to considerable advantage in the service of reconnais- 
 sance and would wonderfully speed up the service of 
 communication. French, Belgian and German cavalry 
 authorities seem to concur in the value of cyclist troops, 
 as accompanying troops for cavalry. There are possi- 
 bilities in the development of motor cycle troops for the 
 same purpose. It is not known whether this possibility 
 has ever been tested in our army. 
 
 Signals: 
 
 A portable wireless set that could be carried on four 
 Ford cars, with all equipment and personnel, including 
 
86 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 two days' rations and water, was used very successfully 
 in the Palestine campaign. Its range was twenty-five to 
 thirty miles. It can be carried either as a pack or a wagon 
 set. Corps headquarters used a larger set, with a radius 
 of about eighty miles. Each division in Palestine carried 
 two of the first sets, so as to enable the station to be kept 
 open behind while the division was moving to the new 
 station in front. 
 
 The signal forces with cavalry should be easily sub- 
 divisible, so as to permit the detachment of sufficient 
 strength with even smaller units than the regiment. It 
 might be advisable in our cavalry to be able to send light 
 wireless sets with our squadrons and heavier sets, with 
 greater sending radius, for the brigades and divisions. 
 
 In Palestine many other means of secondary communi- 
 cation were used, and gave varying results. The helio- 
 graph was used as secondary communication ; experi- 
 ments wer? even made in heliographing by moonlight. 
 The buzzer gave the best results as a rule, but sometimes 
 broke down. In addition to all these, lamps, flags, motor 
 cyclists, gallopers or mounted officers, mounted soldiers, 
 and pigeons were used when circumstances demanded. 
 
 In the use of wireless in campaign, the mistake made 
 by the Germans in their advance in 1914, of sending un- 
 coded messages, should not be repeated. In this advance 
 von Kluck complained that the wireless was listened in 
 upon by the enemy, and many plans disclosed thereby, 
 
 Tanks: 
 
 It is not definitely known yet what stage of develop- 
 ment can be reached in tank construction and improve- 
 ment. The tank is essentially an infantry weapon at its 
 
AUXILIARIES WITH CAVALRY 87 
 
 present stage of development. There seems to be strong 
 reason for believing that the English have developed a 
 type of light whippet tank that may fulfill cavalry re- 
 quirements. This tank is stated to have a speed of twenty 
 miles an hour across country, a cruising radius of some 
 two hundred miles, and to be so delicately balanced that 
 it can be run over a brick on the roadway without crush- 
 ing it. A great fault of the tank has been its effect upon 
 road surfaces. Its chief drawback is its vulnerability to 
 direct artillery hits. There seems to be only one exam- 
 ple of a combat between tanks on the Western Front. 
 In this combat the results were indecisive. 
 
 The tank is chiefly useful against machine gun nests 
 and wire. It may be found necessary in any future war 
 to attach enough of the whippet type of tank mentioned 
 above to the cavalry to overcome the above antagonists. 
 
 Anti- Air craft Guns: 
 
 It will undoubtedly be necessary in the next war of 
 any magnitude to provide anti-aircraft protection for the 
 cavalry. The size of the cavalry masses, both upon the 
 march and in camp (when their picket lines afford a 
 tempting target) will make them very liable to attack from 
 aerial machine-gunning or bombing. This contingency 
 should be guarded against by the assignment of anti-air- 
 craft guns to the cavalry division to provide security. The 
 possibility of the defeat of our own air force and the 
 consequent loss of its protective power, must always be 
 held in mind. 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 
 CAVALRY TACTICS MOUNTED ACTION 
 
 To decry the mounted offensive abilities of cavalry be- 
 cause of modern weapons, is to show a poor grasp of one 
 of the underlying principles of war the value of the 
 offensive. It is also indicative of a lack of study of the 
 lessons of the most recent war at least, not to mention 
 past wars in modern times. 
 
 The American cavalry officer must not be a faddist 
 enthusiastic about this weapon or that, to the exclusion 
 of other weapons he must not be an exponent of one 
 form of action to the exclusion of others. To adopt this 
 narrow attitude of mind is wilfully to disregard the pow- 
 ers and capabilities of his own branch and to limit him- 
 self to a circumscribed course of action. He must be 
 prepared to use any and all forms of action and weapons 
 when the opportunity presents itself for each special 
 type. 
 
 To enable himself to do this with not only good but 
 exceedingly rapid judgment he should, by study, experi- 
 ment and reflection have formulated for himself a work- 
 ing code ready for instantaneous use in time of emer- 
 gency. This code should be a set of working rules, each 
 rule containing the elementary principles as to the use of 
 each form of attack, each weapon and combined forms 
 of attack and weapons. 
 
 88 
 
CAVALRY TACTICS MOUNTED ACTION 89 
 
 He must not be a bigoted enthusiast concerning the use 
 of cavalry mounted but, on the other hand must assign 
 it its proper place in the tactical scheme of things. The 
 mounted attack, while not, as formerly, the sum and end 
 of all cavalry work, is still an important thing, both from 
 its moral and from its physical effects. 
 
 The moral effects are of two kinds the influence upon 
 the spirit of the cavalry that is anxious to close with the 
 enemy, and the effect upon the enemy. Its great value to 
 us is the offensive spirit that it inculcates. This is of 
 such importance as to make it highly probable that, if 
 given two opposing cavalry forces all other factors be- 
 ing equal the side that enthusiastically sought the de- 
 cision with the sword, whenever opportunity offered, 
 would very quickly rise superior in morale to the side that 
 dropped to the ground every time the enemy came in 
 view. Continued insistence upon fire action to the ex- 
 clusion of ought else will inevitably blunt the offensive 
 spirit of any cavalry. Cavalry fire action as opposed 
 to cavalry shock is an illustration of the defensive atti- 
 tude as compared to the offensive spirit. 
 
 The old fallacy upon which so many discouraging de- 
 cisions were formerly made at our field exercises that 
 every time a rifle is fired somebody drops has been 
 pretty well exploded. Some one has computed the 
 amount of metal it takes to kill or wound an individual 
 in modern war at well over a ton. 
 
 General Parker x has compared the vulnerability of the 
 target offered by the dismounted man advancing 500 
 yards to that of the target offered by a mounted man and 
 his horse advancing the same distance. A mounted man 
 presents little more than twice the target, head on, offered 
 
 1 "The Mounted Rifleman," Brig.-Gen. Parker. 
 
90 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 by the dismounted man. A dismounted man advancing 
 by rushes presents a full target for 3 minutes and a 
 prone target for 10 minutes. The mounted man covers 
 the same ground in i minute. It is figured out roughly 
 that the mounted man and his mount are exposed to 
 about one half the fire that the dismounted man receives. 
 
 Add to this the moral effect of a line of horses, sur- 
 mounted by a crest of gleaming steel, swiftly and irre- 
 sistibly advancing ; the effect upon the defending rifleman 
 and his nerves is bound to be destructive to markmanship 
 when you add to this the difficulty of hitting a moving 
 target and the fact that both man and horse will continue 
 to advance unless absolutely vitally hit, thus giving the 
 effect of invulnerability the total gives a whole lot to 
 the efficiency of the mounted attack. 
 
 As to the difficulty of hitting a rapidly advancing 
 target an incident is cited by Rimington that occurred in 
 the South African War. A group of picked shots had 
 been left by a British cavalry outfit to fire at long range 
 upon a small force of Boers moving along their front at 
 extreme range. The officer in charge, who was also 
 firing, suddenly noticed that the Boers had changed di- 
 rection and that about seventy of them were galloping 
 rapidly towards his party. He gave orders to continue 
 firing until the last possible second. He himself picked 
 out one Boer, slightly in advance, mounted upon a white 
 horse. He fired an entire clip at this man, firing steadily. 
 When the attacking horsemen came dangerously closer he 
 mounted his party and rejoined his unit at speed. When 
 last seen the Boer on the white horse was still in the lead. 
 When opportunity offered he compared notes with the 
 men of his party. It seems that they had all picked the 
 
CAVALRY TACTICS MOUNTED ACTION 91 
 
 same target at whom they had collectively discharged 
 about forty rounds. 
 
 The lessons of the Palestine campaign should teach 
 us that first, there are occasions when mounted attack 
 against rifle and machine gun fire is not only possible but 
 highly preferable ; secondly, that cavalry, like infantry, 
 is entitled to support in its attack and should be sup- 
 ported by the fire of rifles, machine guns or artillery to 
 secure the best effects. 
 
 The cavalry that dismounts in face of hostile cavalry, 
 unless it has hopes of ambushing or surprising the same, 
 is on the defensive. It has been proved upon numerous 
 occasions and by many famous generals notably Gust- 
 avus Adolphus, Charles XII of Sweden, Turenne, 
 Conde, Frederick the Great and others that the cavalry 
 which dismounts in the face of opposing cavalry or re- 
 ceives it at a halt with mounted fire will be caught and 
 ridden down. To argue that the rate of fire was slow 
 in the days of these leaders is to forget that the trained 
 infantry and cavalry of those days had in many cases, 
 due to their formation in many ranks, a rate of fire at 
 shorter range that closely approximates the fire rate of 
 today. 
 
 It has been proved upon many occasions that mounted 
 infantry cannot last in the field against cavalry. Sooner 
 or later they will be caught in the saddle and then they 
 are finished. In the Shenandoah Valley in 1864 the 
 Southerners, though admirable horsemen, were armed 
 only with the rifle and were defeated by the Federals 
 under Sheridan, who were trained in both fire and shock. 
 
 The true ideal for our cavalry is the ideal of combined 
 action, the use of fire and shock, artillery and machine 
 
92 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 guns well up and used with a high degree of cooperation 
 and intelligence, a high state of training in rifle and auto- 
 matic fire in the ranks and a thorough confidence in the 
 thrusting sword. We must be balanced cavalrymen, 
 quick to seize the advantage of every weapon and style 
 of combat that will enhance our physical and moral 
 superiority and lower that of the enemy. 
 
 The question of pistol or sabre in the mounted attack is 
 argued at great length in our service. It is the modern 
 American shape of the old controversy, as old as the his- 
 tory of cavalry, the question of ballistics from the horse's 
 back, a question that has been rising periodically for cen- 
 turies since the time of the Parthian horse bowman. 
 
 The rise of the Zulu dynasty, and its stubborn fight 
 against the might of the British Empire can be traced 
 to one fact, that the Zulu dynasty forbade its warriors 
 to throw their assegai and forced them to close and use 
 them as stabbing weapons. Whoever issued that dictum 
 understood the morale that accrues to the side which 
 insists upon closing with the enemy in shock. 
 
 The pistol is a valuable weapon, a typically American 
 weapon. It is our heritage; every youngster who has 
 read a dime novel is imbued with the romance and the 
 love of the pistol. Insofar it is valuable. It is a weapon 
 in which a man has confidence, a begetter of morale, a 
 steadier of courage. The lone mounted scout, picking his 
 way over perilous terrain, is twice the man for having 
 the pistol strapped to his hip and twenty-one rounds of 
 ammunition ready to hand in convenient clips. The 
 patrol is twice as bold for having the pistol and being 
 able to use it. Its value and the appreciation in which 
 the average American holds it can be seen from the fact 
 that every "doughboy" in France that could beg, bor- 
 
CAVALRY TACTICS MOUNTED ACTION 93 
 
 row, steal or pick one up from the field had a pistol at- 
 tached to him. That these exerted an enormous effect 
 upon the American morale as a whole there can be no 
 gainsaying. 
 
 As a cavalry weapon for the shock, for the gaining 
 of ascendancy over the enemy cavalry, for use in mass 
 it is not the ideal weapon. The ideal weapon is the cold 
 steel, the long sharp sword whose gleam can cast terror 
 into the enemy and whose weight and length provide 
 an objective upon which the cavalryman can concentrate 
 the whole of his energy and lust of slaughter as the 
 infantryman does on his bayonet. It is the concrete 
 expression of the desire for contact, the desire to close 
 and smash with the enemy. This desire must find ex- 
 pression if our cavalry is to remain superior to its an- 
 tagonists. To keep the cavalry spirit we must keep the 
 sword. It is our concrete expression of the will for 
 the offensive. And without the offensive spirit cavalry 
 is as nothing. 
 
 Without the sword we become mounted infantry. In 
 other words, we lose, for the reason that mounted in- 
 fantry is not equal to good infantry and can always be 
 beaten by good cavalry. Let us become balanced cavalry- 
 men, not faddists, wholly prejudiced against this weapon 
 and that, but with an all around development, capable of 
 using each weapon and form of attack as the situation 
 requires. Thus and thus only can we fulfil the role that 
 we will be called upon to fill in the next war. 
 
 Too much improper training in the use of the sabre will 
 lead to a lack of confidence in it on the part of the 
 average soldier. Its instruction time should be cut to 
 the limit consistent with practical use. An ability to point 
 the sabre at the enemy and to ride him down should 
 
94 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 be all that is required in training as it is all that is re- 
 quired in war. It is not possible to make the American, 
 cavalryman a finished swordsman and moreover it is 
 not necessary. If he is taught that the sabre is a weapon 
 of undoubted value, taught to handle it but not bored 
 excessively in practice with it, and most of the instruction 
 concentrated upon the rapid gallop straight to the front, 
 he will have more confidence in it when the opportunity 
 for its use occurs. 
 
 This confidence could also be increased by the substitu- 
 tion of a lighter, more graceful and better balanced 
 weapon for the present atrociously ugly, ill-balanced and 
 ungainly sword. 
 
 It must not be forgotten that three out of the five 
 brigades of the Australian Light Horse, who had no arme 
 blanche, applied for the sword before the big advance 
 of 1918 as a result of their experience in the previous 
 months. It is stated that the two remaining brigades 
 made a similar request just before the signing of the 
 armistice. 
 
 It is futile to talk of frontal attacks mounted against 
 unshaken infantry. The experience in the world war 
 has shown that if infantry, from one reason or another, 
 is in such condition that success would attend a hurried, 
 dismounted attack of the regular cavalry variety, a 
 mounted attack will succeed and result in saving of time 
 and lives, to an incomparably greater degree. The object 
 of the infantry attack is to come to close quarters and 
 cold steel. This is also the cavalry object. 
 
 One factor in favor of the mounted as against the 
 dismounted attack is the superior morale that results from 
 the former. There is certainly a feeling of innate su- 
 periority on the part of the man who rides on a horse 
 
CAVALRY TACTICS MOUNTED ACTION 95 
 
 over the man who walks upon the ground. Another 
 factor is the demoralization produced in the enemy by the 
 combination of numbers and speed. In March, 1917, 
 the 5th Cavalry Division (British) charged Villers Faucon 
 and two other villages. Many Germans, posted in 
 trenches and behind wire, put up their hands while the 
 cavalry were still some distance off. One of them in 
 reply to the question as to why they had done this, stated : 
 "It would have been all right if infantry had been at- 
 tacking us, but what can one do when the cavalry gallops 
 at one!" 
 
 One of the chief arguments in favor of the sword is 
 the value of such a weapon in the rencontre of small de- 
 tachments where the side that attacks first at the great- 
 est speed will drive off the enemy. It is claimed that the 
 British cavalry in 1914 gained the superiority in morale 
 over the Uhlans because they rode at the enemy on sight, 
 who, in many cases, was caught in the act of trying to 
 dismount to fire. 
 
 Offensive action on the part of one cavalry compels 
 the other to corresponding activity or to the loss of its 
 ''edge" or morale. Two cavalry forces that stand off 
 and take pot shots at each other will never have any 
 violent contact nor will the action of either one be decisive. 
 The moment one begins to take the initiative, or to push 
 its opponent it will have to have recourse to the steel 
 and the other will have to retaliate in kind or rest con- 
 tent with defeat. 
 
 It must be remembered that there are charges and 
 charges. The charge against cavalry is the type that 
 requires consideration of some factors that cannot be 
 omitted. Very few of us consider the charge more than 
 in one way a quick forming of line to the front and the 
 
96 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 development of speed. This is wrong as it will lead at 
 the best to indecisive results. The following points must 
 be observed: I. The enemy must be kept ignorant until 
 the last moment as to the point of attack. 2. The leader 
 must retain control over his unit as long as possible. 3. 
 He must be able to pick his angle of attack. To accom- 
 plish these, it is best to move rapidly to the flank, keeping 
 in column as long as possible, until opposite the point 
 selected, then form line by wheeling into line fours 
 right or left and attack. 
 
 De Brack, in his excellent work on cavalry says, "When 
 you charge make a change of front and attack them in 
 flank. This maneuver can always be successfully prac- 
 ticed against an enemy like the English, who make a 
 vigorous and disunited charge, whose horses are not very 
 manageable, and whose men, brave but uninstructed, be- 
 gin the charge too far away from the enemy." 
 
 In the training for the mounted attack, great stress 
 must be laid upon prompt rallying. The advantage of 
 this lies in the fact that the unit most quickly rallied is 
 available for further concerted action, either mounted or 
 dismounted, and can act as a new reserve. The more 
 quickly the unit can be gotten in hand the more quickly 
 is it available to parry a counter attack or to move against 
 fresh bodies of the enemy. 
 
 Cromwell, who in addition to his other qualities was 
 one of the greatest English cavalry leaders, realized the 
 necessity of rallying speedily after the charge. He gained 
 many successes through this faculty alone. "After Ru- 
 pert's defeat Cromwell rallied well and quickly and re- 
 formed ready for the next job at hand. The pursuit of 
 Rupert's troopers was intrusted to the smallest fraction 
 sufficient to do the work efficiently . , . after each at- 
 
CAVALRY TACTICS MOUNTED ACTION 97 
 
 tack he reforms quickly and in good order ready for 
 the next effort . . . attacks the Royal infantry. . . . 
 Towards the end of the battle he is rallied and ready to 
 meet yet another effort; ready to meet Lucas' and Gor- 
 ing's squadrons." 1 
 
 In peace time we do not carry problems to a logical 
 conclusion. What is to happen after the charge is driven 
 home? the cavalry or infantry ridden down? the position 
 captured? We do not practice this phase of the attack 
 sufficiently. In meeting these situations the rally is 
 one of the most important means. It should be practiced 
 constantly in peace time. 
 
 Some necessary factors in the mounted attack against 
 cavalry are: the maintenance of cohesion at speed, not 
 starting the charge too soon, skillful utilization of the 
 terrain, hitting the enemy in flank, keeping out supports 
 and reserves and rallying quickly. 
 
 The Palestine campaign proved that the cavalry charge, 
 far from being a thing of the past, has assumed a new 
 value. This value is gained through the proper com- 
 tination of fire and shock. The speed with which 
 mounted troops can cross a fire-swept zone is a great 
 factor in their favor. Fire alone will not stop the mounted 
 attack supported by fire. Impassable obstacles will stop 
 it. In terrain free from impassable obstacles and with 
 proper support of machine guns, artillery or dismounted 
 fire from other portions of the command, cavalry can 
 cross a fire-swept zone, mounted, if they move in waves, 
 in extended order and move with speed. The moral 
 effect of such an attack is very high. It is in close co- 
 operation with fire power that cavalry mounted attacks 
 reach their greatest efficiency. 
 1 "Cromwell," Capt. P, A. Charrier, page n. 
 
98 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 Machine guns and horse artillery should be well for- 
 ward and should be trained to a high degree of coopera- 
 tion. The advantage of forming the charge to a flank 
 is this that it uncovers the fire of the artillery and 
 machine guns. Wellington criticized the British officers 
 in the Peninsular campaign, speaking of the l "trick our 
 officers have acquired of galloping at everything; they 
 never think of maneuvering before an enemy." It is not 
 possible in these days to do much maneuvering before 
 an enemy ; it is possible to reason out the manner of the 
 attack with judgment and knowledge of the ground, and 
 to issue clear-cut orders to subordinates before the 
 launching of a charge. 
 
 Take plenty of time for initial reconnaissance. In 
 large bodies move forward slowly so as to give time 
 for the patrols to send back information. The com- 
 mander should ride well forward, accompanied by his 
 subordinates, especially his machine gun or artillery com- 
 mander. He should strive for the advantage of quicker 
 deployment and correct direction of attack. He must 
 follow the principle of keeping his troops under cover 
 from view and fire until plans are made, and then only 
 send them forward when this is completed. 
 
 The mounted attack against cavalry should not neces- 
 sarily lead to the melee but should be an attempt to break 
 the enemy by the impact of a solid mass. The melee 
 is usually indecisive as it absorbs the strength of both 
 combatants. The best example of the value of solid at- 
 tacks is the action of the closely formed I3th Dragoon 
 Regiment which in the Franco-Prussian war, at the battle 
 of Mars-la-Tour, defeated and drove away the French 
 Brigade Montaigu who were in disorder after having 
 
 1 Quoted in "Our Cavalry," Rimington, page 42. 
 
CAVALRY TACTICS MOUNTED ACTION 99 
 
 made an easy prey of the loth German Hussars. It 
 may be impossible to rally a unit after it has once been 
 committed to the charge. For this reason it is essential 
 always to keep out one or more reserves. The cavalry 
 fight of Mars-la-Tour in 1870 was finally decided by the 
 second line of the i6th Dragoons who threw themselves 
 in from the rear. 
 
 In the cavalry fight mounted it should be the endeavor 
 to secure the advantage of the outer lines that is to 
 attack concentrically. As this forces the enemy to re- 
 treat concentrically, his lines of retreat cross each other. 
 The second advantage is that in case of a repulse the re- 
 tirement can be made eccentrically and the enemy's pur- 
 suit dissolves against a multiplicity of objectives. 
 
 Against dismounted cavalry always endeavor to at- 
 tack the led horses by a detachment of a part of the* 
 command. Artillery should be attacked like infantry in 
 successive waves. 
 
 When in face of a hostile cavalry of any degree of ac- 
 tivity, mounted combat will be frequent. This will be 
 especially against small detachments of the enemy. If the 
 enemy shows superior force endeavor to lead him under 
 the fire of machine guns or dismounted portions of the 
 command. 
 
 Every attack made on horseback is a case of risking all 
 to gain all. It will mean a certain amount of risk. 
 Whoever avoids it will always have an excuse. With 
 a desire for mounted attack comes also the desire for 
 the offensive and it is the offensive that wins. 
 
 It is not believed that mounted charges in units larger 
 than the regiment (American) will occur in the future. 
 The large massed charges of the Napoleonic days are 
 things of the past as they provide too great a target for 
 
ioo MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 hostile artillery and machine guns. In units from the 
 regiment down, the charge should, and will be, a thing of 
 frequent occurrence. The idea of the charge should al- 
 ways be kept in mind to preserve the essential boldness 
 and offensive spirit of cavalry. 
 
 Attacks against artillery should be sought for. There 
 are many of these which will have a strong probability of 
 success. Some of these are surprise attacks against the 
 flanks and rear of firing batteries, attacks against bat- 
 teries on the march and against artillery unsupported by 
 infantry. Ammunition columns can be attacked suc- 
 cessfully. It may be of the greatest importance, on some 
 occasions, to silence a battery, or to divert its fire if only 
 for a few moments. Surprise is the essential in this 
 as in all charges. 
 
 Mounted action implies the offensive which implies 
 taking the initiative. The taking of the initiative is in 
 itself a powerful aid to the raising of the morale of one's 
 own side and the lowering of the enemy's. It is human 
 nature to feel instinctively that there is a good and well 
 founded reason for the courage of the aggressive person. 
 He must have a foundation for his belief in his invulner- 
 ability and in his power to damage, or so instinct leads 
 one to reason. This instinct leads opponents to surrender 
 their initiative in cases where there is very slight physical 
 justification for it. 
 
 We have many combinations of weapons and forms of 
 the mounted attack. We have the choice of the pistol 
 and the sword or a combination of the two. We have 
 the choice of attacking in a solid line, in a succession of 
 solid lines, in waves of foragers, and combined mounted 
 and dismounted action. Each has its value. The main 
 thing is to realize that our offensive spirit in the cavalry 
 
CAVALRY TACTICS MOUNTED ACTION 101 
 
 must always find outlet and be fostered in, and by, the 
 horse, as an ally, in our attack, - -, ; 
 
 The pistol and the sabre,' miist" not be 'compared and 
 one or the other 'discarded.. They ,are both necessary 
 each in its place and fo'r its ^pie.cikt "situation/: The pistol is 
 a deadly weapon properly handled. More instruction 
 must be had in its use. It undoubtedly kills more of the 
 enemy than the sabre. In comparing the killing qualities 
 one must remember the old proverb which says that 
 battles are not won by the numbers of people killed but 
 by the numbers of people frightened. 
 
 There are many examples of mounted charges against 
 infantry in the World War. One decisive charge was 
 that of the Bavarian Uhlan Brigade, near Lagarde, on 
 the nth of August, 1914, against a battalion of French 
 infantry. The infantry was over-ridden and was forced 
 into the line of fire of a battery which caused them many 
 losses. Another example of a successful German charge 
 was that on the 26th of September, 1914, when three 
 squadrons of the 3rd Guard Uhlans charged successfully 
 against two companies of French infantry. This infantry 
 was driven into Le Mesnil. Here it was caught under the 
 fire of the 1st Guard Uhlans, who were dismounted. The 
 French Infantry was forced to retreat to Rocquigny, with 
 a loss of forty-five dead and a great number of prisoners. 
 On the 25th of August, 1914, the German ist Life Hus- 
 sars charged against a French infantry battalion, taking 
 four hundred prisoners and four machine guns. 
 
 One of the most brilliant charges against dismounted 
 troops occurred in Palestine on September 3Oth, when 
 the 4th and I2th regiments of the Australian Light Horse, 
 after bombarding the Kaukab line held by 2,500 rifles 
 and numerous machine guns, charged; the 4th regiment 
 
102 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 making the frontal charge, while the I2th regiment charged 
 on the left "flank. The -charge* was entirely successful. 
 Seventy-two prisoners and twelve machine guns were cap- 
 tured immediately, while most of the defenders were 
 ridden driver* in tile pursuit. \o 
 
 Another brilliant charge was that against a retreating 
 column in the same campaign, on the 2nd of October. 
 The 3rd Australian Light Horse Brigade pursued the 
 enemy, who was escaping near Damascus. The brigade, 
 after riding hard for six miles, charged the retreating 
 column before guns could be unlimbered or machine guns 
 brought into action. They captured 1,500 prisoners, in- 
 cluding a divisional commander, and three guns and 26 
 machine guns. 
 
 The capture of the town of Beersheba by the 4th Aus- 
 tralian Light Horse Brigade was an excellent example of 
 cavalry offensive power. On October 3ist this brigade 
 made a surprise attack on Beersheba. Alternate lines 
 dismounted during the course of the charge and cleaned 
 up trenches, while other lines galloped through into the 
 town, capturing this strong Turkish position, with 1,148 
 prisoners. This attack rolled up the Turkish left flank. 
 
 A charge by ten. troops of the Warwick and Worcester 
 Yeomanry succeeded in facilitating the march of the 
 6oth Division on November 8th, in Palestine. This 
 charge was against a strong position. It was completely 
 successful. In addition to the prisoners, n field guns 
 and 4 machine guns were captured. This was an excellent 
 example of offensive advance guard work. 
 
 On November I3th the Royal Bucks Hussars and 
 Dorset Yeomanry charged the El Mughar Ridge from the 
 Wadi Jamus. This cavalry force rode 4,500 yards across 
 an open plain, devoid of cover, and subjected through- 
 
CAVALRY TACTICS MOUNTED ACTION 103 
 
 out to a heavy shell, machine gun, and rifle fire. The 
 whole hostile position was captured and consolidated, 
 resulting in the capture of 1,096 prisoners, two field 
 guns and fourteen machine guns. 
 
 Another example of good advance guard work by 
 cavalry was the charge on November 8th at Huj by 
 Worcester and Warwick Yeomanry, on a Turkish rear 
 guard. This resulted in the capture of 12 field guns 
 and the breaking of the Turkish resistance. 
 
 On September 22nd a cavalry charge by the i8th Lan- 
 cers (i3th Brigade) succeeded in repelling a Turkish 
 attack against Nazareth. The attack was made by about 
 700 Turks. After a short fight the Lancers charged, 
 repulsing the attack and capturing 311 prisoners and 4 
 machine guns. 
 
 Another example of the charge in conjunction with the 
 advance guard was that that occurred in the pursuit which 
 had reached the Plain of Esdraelon. As the advance 
 guard of the 4th Cavalry Division debouched from the 
 defile at Lejjun, a Turkish battalion with several machine 
 guns was observed deploying on the plain below. They 
 were charged without hesitation by the leading regiment, 
 the 2nd Lancers, and in a few minutes the division was 
 able to continue its advance. Less prompt action would 
 have caused fatal delay in this case. 
 
 The engagement at Haifa gives some brilliant examples 
 of the mounted attack against infantry, artillery and ma- 
 chine guns. On approaching that place the I5th Cavalry 
 Brigade was met by the fire of a battery of 77*5 on the 
 slopes of Mount Carmel. At least ten machine guns 
 covered the entrance to the town. The Jodhpur Lancers 
 made a brilliant charge, riding over the machine guns and 
 pursuing the enemy through the streets. A squadron of 
 
104 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 the Mysore Lancers was sent over Mount Carmel at 
 the same time, to turn the place from the south. They 
 captured two Turkish naval guns, mounted on the ridge 
 of Carmel and made a very gallant and successful charge 
 in the face of a very heavy machine gun fire. The Turks 
 made a very stubborn defense of Haifa and but for the 
 dash of the I5th (Imperial Service) Cavalry Brigade, 
 would have undoubtedly held out for a considerable 
 length of time. 
 
 Another example of a charge against riflemen and ar- 
 tillery occurred on September 23rd, near Makt Abu Naj. 
 The patrols of the 29th Lancers were fired upon by forces 
 which were covering the ford. The Middlesex Yeomanry 
 moved around the enemy's left flank, while two squadrons 
 of the 29th Lancers charged a mound forming the center 
 of the hostile position, and captured 800 prisoners and 15 
 machine guns. There were two charges by Jacob's Horse 
 on the left bank, which were held up by hostile artillery. 
 The accompanying horse artillery, the Hampshire Bat- 
 tery, was ordered into action. This battery was imme- 
 diately subjected to heavy fire from two concealed enemy 
 batteries. A squadron of the Middlesex Yeomanry forded 
 the river at Makt Fathallah and charged these batteries, 
 putting them completely out of action. This resulted in 
 the withdrawal of the enemy. 
 
 There were some examples of successful charges by 
 the Germans in 1914. On the ist of September the i8th 
 Cavalry Brigade (iSth and i6th German Hussars) 
 charged in waves against the English infantry. This in- 
 fantry was advancing and seriously threatening the left 
 wing of the 4th German Cavalry Division. The charge 
 was successful and stopped the British advance. 
 
 On the loth of October the 9th Hussar Regiment 
 
CAVALRY TACTICS MOUNTED ACTION 105 
 
 (German) at Orchies, near Lille, captured 200 French 
 replacement troops in their first charge. The first squad- 
 ron of the regiment thereafter charged a wagon column, 
 marching under escort of infantry. They were received 
 by rifle fire. In spite of this they captured 5 officers, 250 
 men, 36 horses and 23 wagons. The mounted men with 
 the column escorting the wagon fled. The Hussars lost 
 in this engagement 3 dead, 2 officers and 12 men wounded, 
 and 6 horses killed. The enemy lost 30 dead and 40 
 wounded, in addition to prisoners and the train. 
 
 Among many charges recorded during the war there 
 occurred an example at Fretoy, September 7th, 1914, 
 when an English squadron charged a German squadron. 
 The English made the charge at speed while the Ger- 
 mans seemed to have charged at a lesser gait. The Ger- 
 man charge was overthrown. The English squadron 
 rallied and came into action again. 
 
 In 1916 near Bobocul, Rumania, three squadrons of the 
 24th Guard Dragoons, charged against a strong Russian 
 cavalry force. The Russians seem to have partially 
 avoided the charge and to have partially met it by mounted 
 rifle fire. The Germans succeeded in driving the hostile 
 cavalry from the field. 
 
 "By adopting every helpful device, the mounted arm 
 can continually improve its fighting power. Never- 
 theless it must not lose faith in its old and tried weapons, 
 the sword and the lance. The cavalry leader who has the 
 knowledge and the nerve will again and again find his 
 opportunity to go in with the cold steel. Losses must be 
 faced, but in war, as of old, experience teaches that a 
 mounted attack, exactly timed, is almost always success- 
 ful, and is less costly than a prolonged fire fight." * 
 
 1 Field Marshal Allenby, American Cavalry Journal, Jan. 19, 1921. 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 CAVALRY TACTICS DISMOUNTED ACTION 
 
 The underlying principle of cavalry dismounted action 
 is, that ten men on time are better than a hundred men 
 five minutes too late. The cost of the cavalryman as 
 compared to the infantryman is considerable. To justify 
 this expense there must be some good reason. The rea- 
 son is mobility. Mobility, shock and fire power the 
 combination of these factors will put cavalry again back 
 in its place as a necessity in warfare. The correct 
 balance of these qualities will make a cavalry a powerful 
 aid. Insistence upon any one to the exclusion of the 
 others will reduce the cavalry's value against any op- 
 ponent who balances its capabilities properly. 
 
 The drawback to the full development of the fire value 
 of cavalry as compared to the infantry has been in the 
 past the necessary shortage of men absent, caring for 
 led horses. The dragoon, or dismounted cavalry prin- 
 ciple is almost as old as the cavalry itself. The very 
 first cavalry was organized on the dragoon principle 
 the horse simply being used to carry the warrior to the 
 place of battle. Arrived there he dismounted and wielded 
 sword and spear. It was only after many years of this 
 use of cavalry that the idea of the charge was developed 
 and reached a high state under Alexander. Even Alex- 
 
 106 
 
DISMOUNTED ACTION 107 
 
 ander used the dragoon principle when he mounted his 
 most skillful footmen upon horses in the pursuit of 
 Darius. There is very little new under the sun. 
 
 What is new in the present day and time is the de- 
 velopment of the light automatic weapon. This gives the 
 cavalry a largely increased fire power, both through the 
 increased amount of fire that can be developed and 
 through the ability of the cavalryman to carry more 
 ammunition than the infantryman. 
 
 The use of shock is confined to comparatively small 
 operations. Its importance for these and its moral im- 
 portance must not be lost sight of. The fact remains 
 however that fire power is the main consideration for 
 large operations and is the justification for the being 
 of cavalry. Cavalry must develop thoroughly the ability 
 to fight along side of, in support of, and as, infantry any 
 time it is called upon. This ability adds to the importance 
 of the arm a weight that it has lacked since the invention 
 of the breech-loading, rapid-fire small-arm. The proper 
 development of fire power raises cavalry from the posi- 
 tion of an auxiliary to that of a highly important fight- 
 ing branch. 
 
 The main fighting requirement of cavalry is that it shall 
 be able to move swiftly to the appointed place and upon 
 arrival deliver an effective volume of fire. To achieve 
 this the cavalryman must combine the technique of his 
 own branch with the requirements of modern combat, in 
 other words, to take fullest advantage of all that is help- 
 ful to the cavalry and to combine this with all the es- 
 sential infantry practice, the result of their experience. 
 
 It must be understood that cavalry has too many diverse 
 capabilities and is too difficult of replacement to sacrifice 
 it needlessly to perform infantry functions when there is 
 
io8 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 sufficient infantry present to solve the problem. Cavalry 
 should not be used as infantry when there is any oppor- 
 tunity of securing infantry, but should be called upon 
 for use as a mobile reserve able and fit to move to any 
 part of the battle line to reinforce hard pressed infantry, 
 to fill a gap in the line or to drive back an enemy force 
 that has forced an entry. It should be used for these 
 emergencies. Fullest advantage of its mobility would be 
 taken by using it in flanking movements both to rein- 
 force a threatened flank and to move against the enemy 
 flanks. In addition, its role in the advance or the re- 
 treat makes it invaluable. The general who wishes de- 
 cisive victories will use his cavalry only for these purposes 
 and in the pursuit. Napoleon's remark upon one occa- 
 sion when his cavalry failed to make an aggressive pur- 
 suit is worth quoting "What, no guns or prisoners cap- 
 tured? This. day's battle has been useless." 
 
 For all these purposes cavalry has need of fire power 
 and the highest development of fire power. No factor 
 should be neglected that will increase fire power. Cavalry 
 must not neglect any factor that will increase its dis- 
 mounted offensive action. The cavalryman ceases to be 
 a cavalryman the moment that he commences the fight 
 on foot. This combat has to be carried on with almost 
 the same laws that govern the foot soldier in the same 
 conditions. The chief difference is, that the cavalry 
 should not tie themselves down with a long slow develop- 
 ment of fire and preparation of fire. They must gain 
 their results more quickly so as not to lose the advantages 
 of their mobility. For this reason their fire power, as 
 compared to the infantry, must be stronger proportion- 
 ally. 
 
 The cavalryman has certain advantages over the in- 
 
DISMOUNTED ACTION 109 
 
 fantryman. First that he arrives on the field, after a much 
 longer distance covered, but much less fatigued com- 
 pared to the infantryman, who has carried a heavy pack. 
 The infantryman has also to use the same set of muscles 
 in battle that he used on the march. The cavalryman may 
 have his riding muscles fatigued but has a comparatively 
 fresh set to carry on with when he sets foot to ground. 
 He has not been under the necessity of carrying his 
 equipment on his person but leaves it on his horse. He 
 can carry more ammunition upon his person and a reserve 
 upon his horse. 
 
 He labors under the disadvantage of having to care for 
 his led horses. This makes a cavalry unit suffer a diminu- 
 tion in strength amounting from one- fourth to one-tenth, 
 upon dismounting. The strength of cavalry, unless care- 
 fully husbanded, goes down relatively faster than that of 
 infantry, because of the loss of horse flesh in campaign 
 the loss of a horse meaning the loss of a man. In a 
 populated country the Germans seized all bicycles and 
 wagons to obviate this, but this would be impossible in a 
 sparsely settled area. 
 
 The problem is then to produce with smaller numbers, 
 the same volume of fire as the infantry, or a superior 
 volume. The fact that the cavalry force, by its ability 
 to range far and wide, to appear unexpectedly on the 
 flank and rear of the enemy, to disperse, screen and de- 
 ceive, to threaten the enemy arteries of supply and to 
 protect and gain information for its own force, can 
 render itself exceedingly necessary and valuable in 
 ways not open to the foot soldier, is left out of the dis- 
 cussion purposely. The question now is of fire power 
 and the steps necessary to increase it within the cavalry 
 itself. The other modes of increasing the offensive fire 
 
no MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 power of cavalry have been taken up in a preceding 
 chapter on auxiliaries with cavalry. 
 
 These steps are now being taken first by the assign- 
 ment of automatic rifles to the troop and secondly by 
 the formation of machine gun troops and squadrons. This 
 is excellent as a starter. What we must now endeavor 
 to do is to devise several things one being the best 
 method of carrying the automatic upon the horse, sec- 
 ondly the distribution of the automatics in the troop. 
 There are many more, the question of the carriage of 
 ammunition, for example, that will have to be worked 
 out by tests and experiments. 
 
 The writer while commanding the Provisional Squad- 
 ron of the American Forces in Germany made some ex- 
 periments which may be of interest. It was established 
 to his own satisfaction first, that the automatic rifle 
 is of immense aid to the cavalry in increasing its fire 
 power ; secondly, that it is of aid, not only in the troop 
 or squadron firing line but as an aid to the offensive 
 power of small patrols and contact platoons, small ad- 
 vance guards, etc. ; thirdly, that it is impracticable to carry 
 the Browning automatic upon the soldier's person and 
 unsatisfactory to carry it upon his horse, the only feasible 
 method being to carry it upon a led horse. In this case 
 two rifles were carried slung in a slightly enlarged gun 
 boot on a McClellan saddle, with a top and side load 
 of clips carried in ordinary saddle bags. It was further 
 established, that the inclusion of led horses in the same 
 units with the regular riflemen's horses was unsatis- 
 factory, and, that it was highly desirable to develop a 
 type of automatic rifle lighter than the present Browning 
 but equally efficacious, that could be carried upon the 
 trooper's horse in lieu of the rifle, with every man armed 
 
DISMOUNTED ACTION in 
 
 therewith, and lastly, that until such a weapon was 
 developed and issued the most feasible method from a 
 tactical viewpoint was to make an automatic rifle platoon 
 of one platoon in each troop leaving the other two as 
 rifle platoons. 1 
 
 This last for several reasons, the first being mentioned 
 the drawback to mobility and rapid mounted action 
 caused by the inclusion of led horses in the sabre and 
 rifle platoons. The ideal form of mounted action seems 
 to be the combined fire and shock. With a troop moving 
 along a road, the column interspersed with led horses, 
 it is going to be difficult both to form line quickly and 
 to get the automatic rifles out to a flank to commence 
 firing at both and the same time. The better system is to 
 combine all the automatic rifles in one platoon, to have 
 this platoon move at the rear of the column, its com- 
 mander to ride with the troop commander. In an emer- 
 gency requiring quick action the shock portion of the 
 troop could form line, or could dismount to fight on foot 
 as circumstance dictated, while a swift order to the chief 
 of the automatic platoon would result in his co-operation 
 immediately to support a mounted attack by fire or to 
 reinforce a dismounted firing line. 
 
 This same system could be caried on up to the squad- 
 ron the automatic platoons forming a troop which could 
 be used in the same way. The automatic platoon could 
 be subdivided into sections and squads. 
 
 The formation of the automatic rifles in a platoon in 
 the troop or in a troop in the squadron would be no bar 
 to assigning them to units ordered to detached duty. 
 
 1 Since the above was written the new tables of organization 
 have been issued prescribing exactly this formation, of two rifle 
 platoons and one machine rifle platoon per troop. 
 
H2 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 The question of the number of men to leave with the 
 led horses simply resolves itself into a question whether, 
 it is more desirable to keep the led horses mobile or im- 
 mobile. This of course depends upon the special con- 
 ditions obtaining, but the safest rule is to keep the led 
 horses mobile. The cavalry must retain its freedom of 
 action ; if it ties itself down to a group of immobilized 
 led horses it is parting with it. With the augmentation 
 of his fire power by the automatic rifle the cavalryman 
 can make up for the absence of his horseholders by an 
 increase in the rate of fire. The automatic rifle ends 
 the discussion in the cavalryman's mind in which he 
 tried to balance the advantages of more mobility and 
 fewer riflemen or less mobility and more riflemen. The 
 British experience in Palestine taught them that im- 
 mobilized led horses were impracticable and dangerous, 
 they did away with circling, coupling, etc., because of 
 the danger of aerial bombardment by machine gun or 
 bomb a large group of immobilized led horses furnishing 
 a very attractive target, difficult to conceal. 
 
 He can have both mobility and fire power but he is still 
 under the necessity of caring for his led horses. There 
 are some new factors to consider in this. One of these 
 is the power of aeroplane directed artillery the other 
 the power of aerial bombardment. These two considera- 
 tions force the cavalryman to disperse and conceal his 
 led horses to as great an extent* as possible. We should 
 practice scatter 1 formations with large groups of led 
 horses and accustom men and horses to dispersed forma- 
 tions and quick assemblies therefrom. 
 
 It is essential that led horses be quickly available for 
 rapid mounting whether for a swift withdrawal or the 
 surge forward in pursuit. To facilitate this, designated 
 
DISMOUNTED ACTION 113 
 
 officers and non-commissioned officers will have to take 
 charge automatically, the senior to assign areas for each 
 unit and establish means of communication with them 
 and with the firing line. This should be an important 
 part of peace time training so that in war there will be 
 no necessity for extemporization. The question how far 
 from the field of fire a leader should dismount should be 
 governed by the principle that the cavalry is to move for- 
 ward mounted as far as possible so as to retain its mo- 
 bility. It will probably be necessary to dismount at much 
 greater distance than we are accustomed to in peace time 
 maneuvers. It may be necessary in many cases to cover 
 long distances on foot with suitable security formations 
 protecting the front and flanks. 
 
 It is not so necessary in the cavalry that the line of ad- 
 vance should coincide with the line of attack ; it will often 
 be possible to change the base of the attack after re- 
 connaissance by taking advantage of the mobility of all 
 or part of the force. 
 
 A large field of usefulness and value is opened to 
 the cavalry that takes fullest advantage of its mobility 
 in conjunction with its fire power. Hostile forces can 
 be caused considerable loss and upsetting of their dis- 
 positions by surprise fire on our part ; a quick sharp burst 
 of accurate fire, surprise fire, followed by rapid mount- 
 ing and disappearance, to reappear against the enemy 
 from another angle, should be the form used against 
 superior forces, especially if they are dismounted. It 
 takes a large dismounted force some time to deploy and 
 get into action and a great deal of loss both in personnel 
 and in time can be effected by this means. It is best 
 to hold the fire in cases of this nature until it can be 
 opened simultaneously. The coming into action by 
 
114 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 driblets must be condemned in this class of work. The 
 cavalry must attain results by fire more rapidly than the 
 infantry. 
 
 The cavalry officer must always keep the enemy's flanks 
 and rear in mind. He must especially search out the 
 enemy flanks in rear guard action. By mobility and en- 
 ergy a comparative handful of cavalry can hold back 
 great numbers of pursuers by detaching elements to 
 fire into their flanks. A few well directed bursts of 
 fire into an enemy's flanks will considerably dampen the 
 ardor of an enemy pursuit, force him to make disposi- 
 tions for this unknown danger and gain valuable time 
 for the withdrawal of the main body. Rear guard ac- 
 tions, to be successful, will especially require dependence 
 upon rifle and machine gun fire. This must be based 
 upon the principle of the withdrawal of alternate units 
 one part of the force mounting under cover of the fire 
 of the other. A skillful officer must be detailed to pick 
 out good defense positions and good protection for led 
 horses in the rear. 
 
 Dependable service of security must insure against our 
 being caught by enemy fire while in the act of mounting 
 arid dismounting. Every opportunity should be taken 
 to catch the enemy in this position. It must not be for- 
 gotten that responsibility for security rests upon the com- 
 mander of every unit and that it is his duty to supple- 
 ment measures that he considers insufficient. 
 
 It will not always be possible to break off a fire fight 
 when once entered into. The cavalry officer must not, 
 however, be hypnotized by the action in his front to the 
 neglect of hitting the enemy in flank or rear by a mobile 
 detachment. This is one of the best means of withdraw- 
 
DISMOUNTED ACTION 115 
 
 ing. A mounted reserve is an invaluable thing for this 
 purpose. 
 
 A mounted reserve can also be of invaluable assistance 
 in guarding the led horses which otherwise may be at 
 the mercy of any wandering enemy patrol. It can also 
 furnish combat patrols, furnish protection to the flanks 
 and rear, undertake the first pursuit and cover a with- 
 drawal. 
 
 Cavalry in defense must fight bitterly and be prepared 
 to sacrifice itself to the last man. It is usually so situated 
 that its position has an important bearing in relation to the 
 rest of the army. The Japanese defence of Sandepu in 
 the Russo-Japanese war was an example of an excellent 
 and stubborn defense from which resulted untold good 
 to the remainder of the army. 
 
 Training must include training for speed. The differ- 
 ence between a few seconds gained or lost in opening 
 fife may mean the difference between gaining an en- 
 gagement and losing it. In a well-trained troop of cavalry 
 lire has been opened in five seconds after the command 
 to fight on foot has been given. 
 
 Speed on foot is just as essential. In minor operations, 
 especially against heavily laden and tired infantry a 
 swift run of a few hundred yards with a column of 
 lightly equipped and comparatively fresh troopers will 
 often put one into position to outflank and roll up an 
 enemy force. 
 
 Cavalry must not engage in dismounted frontal at- 
 tacks when there is any possibility of attacking in flank 
 or rear or by the charge. A dismouiited frontal attack 
 should be the exception for cavalry and it should be, 
 moreover, supported as are the infantry frontal attacks, 
 
ii6 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 with sufficient artillery and machine gun support. Cavalry 
 under these conditions will have the same problems to 
 solve as infantry and must have the same means of 
 solving them as regards armament and auxiliaries. These 
 attacks must be made in depth. 
 
 If cavalry is to fight with infantry against the common 
 foe and against enemy infantry it must have the same 
 means of attack as the infantry. The only radical addi- 
 tion necessary in the cavalry is the bayonet as regards the 
 equipment of the individual. He must have some means 
 of clinching the argument of battle. We have seen many 
 dismounted attacks practiced upon our drill grounds 
 and combat ranges. All the attention is devoted to fire 
 discipline and fire control. No one seems to bother him- 
 self as to what it is all about. The fact that fire is only 
 the preparation for the attack is lost sight of. The 
 actual attack is not practiced. What is the soldier to 
 attack with? With his clubbed rifle, his fists or the 
 pistol? It is extremely doubtful if the pistol is as good 
 a dismounted attack weapon as the bayonet. The bayonet 
 is the final argument of the infantry. If the pistol were 
 superior they certainly would have adopted it. It is the 
 cold steel that finally decides the infantry attack. It 
 should no less decide the cavalry attack. Training in its 
 use is not long or complicated it adds very little to the 
 equipment of the cavalryman, he has a fixture already 
 upon his rifle for its attachment. Its weight is nothing 
 to worry over. 
 
 We must develop training in fire action and practice 
 in ammunition supply. A great deal of cavalry fire fight- 
 ing involves the care and protection of led horses, and 
 the problems of rapid mounting and dismounting. All 
 our combat work should be in conjunction with the horse. 
 
DISMOUNTED ACTION 117 
 
 The spectacle seen so many times of cavalry units march- 
 ing dismounted to the combat range, there to spend hours 
 practicing infantry formations, should be changed. Every 
 firing problem should involve the passing from mounted 
 to dismounted action, the care of led horses, establishment 
 of security, the use of mounted reserves and the passing 
 from dismounted to mounted action. This will be of 
 especial value as so much of the cavalry work in the 
 opening days of war is done by small detachments, 
 platoons, troops, etc. We must practice in peace what 
 will be required of us in war. 
 
 Practice in this style of combat work will develop many 
 faults that are in need of correction. Some of the most 
 common ones observed are noted here. They refer prin- 
 cipally to the work of squads, sections and platoons. 
 
 Automatic rifles too slow in getting into action. 
 
 Men, especially scouts masked fire of own units in- 
 stead of withdrawing to a flank. 
 
 Riflemen too slow in. opening up emergency fire. 
 
 Men remained prone in cover from which targets 
 could not be seen, instead of moving to better positions, 
 or sitting or kneeling. 
 
 Leader made no effort to find out if his men could see 
 target. 
 
 Leader made no effort to change men after he had seen 
 their inability to see the target. 
 
 Men did not set sights as ordered. 
 
 Leader too cautious. 
 
 Range to new targets not given by leader, even after 
 he could see shots were short or over. 
 
 No liaison between squads of a section. 
 
 Liaison between led horses and firing line poor. 
 
 Leader allowed men to fire over loose dirt bank thus 
 
n8 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 raising a cloud of dust every time they fired. Would 
 bring down machine gun and artillery fire. 
 
 Many leaders did not direct their units so as to bring 
 all rifles and automatics into action in many cases less 
 than half were firing, due to faulty positions. 
 
 Horses not properly linked. 
 
 Stirrups not placed correctly. 
 
 Led horses not properly distributed amongst holders, 
 some men having only two, while others had five. 
 
 Too much tendency to confusion, talking, shouting in 
 quick transition from mounted to dismounted action, and 
 vice versa. 
 
 Led horses not properly mobile in problems requiring 
 their mobility. 
 
 Led horses placed directly behind firing line so that one 
 would have suffered from the "overs" or "shorts" directed 
 on the other. 
 
 Tendency to allow men to bunch. 
 
 Advantage not taken of cover. More practice required 
 in this, difference between cover from view and cover 
 from fire explained, with value of each. 
 
 Scouts content with galloping back madly but without 
 information upon which leader could act intelligently. 
 
 Many section leaders take command of their nearest 
 squad instead of handling two sections: 
 
 Section leaders split squads detaching part to each flank 
 thereby making squad leader superfluous. 
 
 Men too slow in passing from mounted to dismounted 
 action and vice versa. 
 
 Unit leaders not careful enough in designating respon- 
 sible man for led horses and giving him general instruc- 
 tions in advance. 
 
 Unit leaders not skilled in making personal reconnais- 
 
DISMOUNTED ACTION 119 
 
 sance while men and horses are under cover from fire 
 and view, fixing avenues of approach, issuing instructions 
 to subordinate leaders and making all preliminary dis- 
 positions. 
 
 No proper grasp of the principle of fire and movement, 
 advancing one unit under cover of the fire of the other. 
 
 No skill in handling sub-divisions not enough attempt 
 made to secure flanking fire with automatics for example. 
 
 The whole success of the dismounted work depends 
 upon the ability and degree of training and command 
 shown by the subordinate leaders, the squad and section 
 leaders especially. They should be habituated to com- 
 mand by giving them authority in their daily work, full- 
 est authority possible, over the units that they will com- 
 mand on the firing line. To have them function well as 
 leaders in the firing line they must be accustomed to 
 commanding and having authority over their men. Other- 
 wise they will simply be in the way when they are most 
 badly needed. 
 
CHAPTER IX 
 
 CAVALRY TACTICS VARIED REQUIREMENTS 
 
 The Advance Guard: 
 
 The advance guard is primarily a security formation 
 for advancing troops. For cavalry, with its offensive 
 spirit, it is the first blow struck at the enemy. This first 
 physical contact is very important. Two things can hap- 
 pen; the first being that the advance guard may be effi- 
 cient enough to push on through any interference with- 
 out interrupting the advance of the main body. The 
 second possibility is that the advance guard may involve 
 itself in a situation from which it is impossible to with- 
 draw. The problem then for the main body is to extricate 
 the advance guard from its dilemma. This will un- 
 doubtedly involve a combat under conditions that were 
 not selected by the main body. In other words, an im- 
 properly handled advance guard may result in loss of 
 initiative. For this reason, it is important that the com- 
 mander of the advance guard be selected carefully and 
 carefully instructed. It is important that the commander 
 of the main body of the cavalry command be well up 
 with his advance guard. 
 
 Napoleon used the advance guard as a holding force. 
 This is an essentially offensive use of this formation. It 
 implies sufficient skill upon the part of the advance guard 
 
 120 
 
VARIED REQUIREMENTS 121 
 
 commander to meet the enemy in an unfavorable situa- 
 tion, to catch him off guard or unprepared, and then to 
 grapple with him and hold him for the heavy blows of 
 the main body. 
 
 The enemy may be found in superior strength. With 
 this use of the advance guard it is necessary to hold him. 
 The duty of the advance guard is then to seize strong 
 points and with rapid rifle, machine gun and horse ar- 
 tillery fire to hold the enemy until the arrival of the main 
 body. This necessitates a wide front and plentiful use 
 of ammunition. The advance guard in such a situation 
 acts as a pivot from which is swung the crushing blow of 
 the main force. 
 
 In order to fight an enemy he must be held in position. 
 A man who is running away cannot be hurt by a blow. 
 He has to be held by one hand and punched with the 
 other. An attempted use of these tactics was made by 
 the Germans in their initial attack in 1914. While the 
 British were in retreat on the 25th of August, the Ger- 
 mans wished to hold them for an outflanking movement. 
 To accomplish this they sent forward four cavalry divi- 
 sions accompanied by one Jaeger battalion and a large 
 number of guns and howitzers of all calibres. The 
 dogged stubbornness of the British and the superiority 
 and dash of their cavalry made the scheme ineffective in 
 this case. 
 
 It must be remembered that the advance guard is pri- 
 marily a security force. Security is based on three fac- 
 tors, viz., time, space and resisting power of troops. The 
 first two, time and space, are comparatively simply fac- 
 tors with cavalry mobility as aid. Resisting power must 
 be increased by increasing the fire power of cavalry 
 units proper and by the assignment to the cavalry of 
 
122 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 auxiliaries that will supply it with added power, auto- 
 mobile and horse artillery and a plentiful supply of ma- 
 chine guns. 
 
 The advance guard commander must secure the unin- 
 terrupted march of the main body by accelerating its 
 passage through cities and towns, marking the streets and 
 leaving directions that can be easily followed. He must 
 seize the mails and telegrams in hostile countries. He 
 must insure the absence of hostile artillery on his flanks. 
 He must gather all information possible for the intelli- 
 gence service in his rear. 
 
 The work of the advance guard, which is mostly along 
 roads, would be enormously facilitated by the addition 
 of armored cars. These could be rushed through to 
 clean out small parties of the enemy who might other- 
 wise delay and hinder the march. They were used 
 for this purpose in the first phase of the World War in 
 1914. 
 
 An example of the combined use of cavalry and armored 
 cars in the advance guard is found in the action of the 
 2Oth Lancers and Armored Car Battery moving from 
 El Afule in the Palestine Campaign, September 2Oth, 
 1918. On debouching from the pass, Turkish forces in 
 strength were found astride the road. One squadron dis- 
 mounted, and the armored car battery held the enemy in 
 front by fire power while the remaining squadrons of the 
 regiment charged the left flank. The Turks were dis- 
 persed with a loss of 46 killed and wounded and 470 
 captured. 
 
 Communication with the rear would be aided at a con- 
 siderable saving of horse flesh by the addition of suffi- 
 cient motor cycles. For the small advance guard, these 
 would be nearly sufficient. The larger force would re- 
 
VARIED REQUIREMENTS 12^ 
 
 quire improved means of communication radio, buzzer, 
 aeroplane messages, etc. 
 
 The advance guard commander must be thoroughly 
 cognizant of his general and special mission. He should 
 be informed as to whether he is empowered to bring on 
 an engagement or not. He must be well aware of his 
 responsibility as to the security and uninterrupted advance 
 of the main body. This will require rapid flank move- 
 ments to oust small hostile parties from his front. He 
 must seize and protect the march through defiles. He 
 must seize bridges and cover crossings. An excellent 
 example of this duty was the action of the cavalry under 
 Allenby in 1914 when, in the pursuit after the Battle 
 of the Marne, he seized the bridge at Charly-sur-Marne 
 and Saulchery and advanced 'rapidly to the high ground 
 north of Fontaine Fauvel covering the passage of the 
 First Corps over the Marne. 
 
 The advance guard commander must keep his machine 
 gun and artillery commanders well up with him towards 
 the front. He must be prepared to use any and all forms 
 of offensive action ; the mounted attack, the dismounted 
 attack, the combination of fire and shock and the fullest 
 use of his artillery must aid his mission when occasion 
 requires. 
 
 With a large command, he must cover parallel roads as 
 well as his own road. He must constantly keep his mis- 
 sion in mind. In the advance, he, or some officer detailed 
 to that end, must constantly observe positions for led 
 horses in case there should arise a necessity for sending 
 them back. 
 
 In minor operations the endeavor of the cavalry com- 
 mander must be to deceive the enemy as to his strength. 
 This would apply especially to a holding action. Every 
 
124 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 artifice must be used in the case of a holding attack to 
 convince the enemy that superior forces are on his front. 
 The spirit of the offensive finds its highest example 
 in the proper handling of the advance guard. It is the 
 first blow struck at the enemy. Upon the result of this 
 blow depends in a great measure the success or failure 
 of the succeeding operations. 
 
 Rear Guard: 
 
 The security of the rear of a retreating body is one 
 of the most typical of cavalry problems. It is a phase 
 of work for which cavalry is unusually well fitted. It 
 requires a vigilant, intelligent and courageous commander. 
 Cavalry can use to the full all of its advantages in mobility 
 and fire power in this sort of work. 
 
 The problem requires that an advancing enemy should 
 always be under the necessity of deploying under fire, 
 that he should be covered by the fire of alternate units 
 which cover each other's withdrawal to selected positions 
 in the rear. It requires quick decision and good judgment 
 in the matter of breaking off the fire action and in mount- 
 ing, in selecting alternative defensive positions and in 
 protecting led horses. 
 
 The offensive here as elsewhere is the best defensive. 
 Cavalry must not be content with simply moving along 
 the road pressed back by an advancing enemy. It must 
 hit the flanks of the enemy. It must guard against the 
 enemy's attempts at a parallel pursuit by covering the 
 flanks of the main body as well as its rear. It must 
 not hesitate to sacrifice itself to gain time for the with- 
 drawal of its main body. It must use fire and shock and 
 the combination as they seem necessary. 
 
VARIED REQUIREMENTS 125 
 
 At the initiation of a retreating movement, it must 
 cover the withdrawal and break off the fight by great 
 activity. The essential points in this stage are the holding 
 of some few strong points firmly while the main body 
 draws away under their protection. The pursuing enemy 
 is liable to concentrate his attention upon these, to the 
 neglect of the main body. 
 
 To realize thoroughly the value of cavalry in the rear 
 of a retreating force, the retreat of the British Army in 
 1914 must be studied. The value of the cavalry in the 
 rear guard was especially marked in these operations. 
 One example was the rescue of the 5th Division in the 
 retreat from Mons, August 24th, 1914. This division was 
 dangerously pressed and in danger of being outflanked 
 by the pursuing Germans. De Lisle with the 2nd and 
 Gough with the 3rd Cavalry Brigades came to the rescue. 
 They threatened and harassed the pursuers to such an 
 extent as to take this pressure off the retreating division 
 and allowed it to withdraw in good order. 
 
 Again on the same date at Solesmes the rear guard of 
 the 3rd -Division, under McCracken, was heavily at- 
 tacked. Allenby, with De Lisle's 2nd Cavalry Brigade 
 (4th Dragoon Guards, 9th Lancers and i8th Hussars) 
 attacked the Germans so fiercely as to force them to de- 
 sist and thus permitted the division to withdraw un- 
 molested. On this same day Grenfell, with the gth Lan- 
 cers, saved the guns of an artillery unit and dragged them 
 off the field safe from capture. 
 
 On the 26th of August during this retreat, after sev- 
 eral exhausting and demoralizing days it was absolutely 
 necessary to reorganize and reform the British forces. 
 The British losses to date had been some 15,000 officers 
 and rae,,8p gu&s, mo&t of the raackwe guns and great 
 
126 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 quantities of transport. No effective stand could be made 
 until order was produced out of the chaos of the retreat. 
 "To enable this to be brought about, it was first neces- 
 sary to look to the cavalry" (Field Marshal French)'. 
 Allenby was given orders to hold off the enemy. This 
 he accomplished brilliantly. Gough, at Saint-Quentin, 
 with the 3rd Cavalry Brigade and Chetwode, with the 
 5th Cavalry Brigade, at Cerizy, vigorously attacked the 
 leading troops of the German cavalry at both these places 
 and threw them back with loss upon their main bodies. 
 This enabled the infantry and the remnants of the artillery 
 to withdraw to a new line and re-form. 
 
 There is no doubt that the British Cavalry saved the 
 British Army on this and other occasions in this retreat. 
 This was accomplished by fire and shock, and a high 
 degree of mobility, combined with an effective use of the 
 supporting horse artillery. 
 
 In Palestine there is found the example of the success- 
 ful covering by the Second Light Horse Brigade of the 
 withdrawal of the iSist Infantry Brigade through Es Sir 
 on March 3ist, 1918. 
 
 The Germans knew the value of cavalry and used it ex- 
 tensively in this sort of work. The enemy forces oppos- 
 ing the British advance, after the tide had turned at the 
 first battle of the Marne, consisted chiefly of cavalry 
 with a strong artillery support backed up by Jaeger de- 
 tachments. Sir John French, as a result of his study of 
 the German cavalry before the war, states that they were 
 especially trained in this sort of work rear guard actions 
 which they performed in this retreat. They carried 
 a large number of machine guns which they were trained 
 to handle very efficiently. To each brigade of cavalry 
 was attached whenever possible a regiment of Jaeger, 
 
VARIED REQUIREMENTS 127 
 
 picked riflemen, chosen for their skill in shooting and in 
 taking advantage of ground. These troops were espe- 
 cially valuable for the defense of river lines and positions 
 which were intended to cause delay to an advancing 
 enemy. They permitted the withdrawal in good order of 
 the First Army under von Kluck. The work of the 
 Cavalry Corps Von Marwitz is well worth studying in 
 this campaign. 
 
 Some of the most valuable work performed by the 
 cavalry in the whole war was work of this nature in the 
 opening phases of the warfare on the Western Front. 
 The successful performance in this phase of cavalry duty 
 alone would justify the existence of the branch. 
 
 The Pursuit: 
 
 Cavalry is indispensable to that army commander who 
 wishes decisive victories. Without cavalry, an army will 
 fight one indecisive battle after another, continually fight- 
 ing the same antagonists who have been allowed to with- 
 draw and re-form. The use of cavalry in a pursuit is 
 only a logical carrying out of the theory of absolute war 
 decision by battle and that battle is not decisive in 
 which the enemy is allowed to withdraw in good order. 
 This theory of war requires that an enemy force shall 
 be thoroughly broken and incapable of re-forming; his 
 tactical unity and his morale thoroughly destroyed. 
 
 Without aggressive and relentless pursuit the enemy 
 multiplies because the same units are fought again and 
 again with the heavy proportion of losses on the side of 
 the attacking forces. 
 
 Beaten troops have low resisting power immediately 
 after a battle, They are psychologically ripe for panic; 
 
128 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 with confidence in their leaders destroyed, tactical cohe- 
 sion broken, and with fatigue and uncertainty adding to 
 the whole. At such moments the terror inspired by the 
 sudden appearance of shouting horsemen venge fully 
 spurring into the mass with drawn sword will effectually 
 turn a retreat into a rout. 
 
 To allow beaten forces to draw off unmolested, to reor- 
 ganize and to be again forced to attack is very poor 
 generalship. There can only be one effective pursuing 
 force this is cavalry. 
 
 There are many examples in history of the failure to 
 use cavalry in the pursuit. One example was the Prus- 
 sian cavalry at Sadowa; it is said that the King of 
 Prussia refused to let it pursue in order to spare the 
 enemy. Another example was the Battle of Froesch- 
 willer. What would have been left of MacMahon's 
 beaten army if they had been pursued relentlessly down 
 the Neiderbronn Road! 
 
 The finest modern example of the pursuit value of 
 cavalry is found in the Palestine Campaign of Allenby. 
 He has this to say concerning the pursuit by his cavalry 
 (Report to the Secretary of State for War, October 3ist, 
 1918) : "The Desert Mounted Corps took some 46,000 
 prisoners during the operations (Sept. igth Oct. 3ist). 
 The complete destruction of the VII and VIII Turkish 
 Armies depended mainly upon the rapidity with which 
 their communications were reached, and on quick deci- 
 sion, in dealing with the enemy's columns when they 
 attempted to escape. The enemy columns, after they had 
 out-distanced the pursuing infantry, were given no time 
 to reorganize and fight their way through. In these bril- 
 liant achievements, the regiment of French cavalry took 
 its full share, while east of the Jordan, the Australian 
 
VARIED REQUIREMENTS 129 
 
 and New Zealand Mounted Division, by its untiring pur- 
 suit, threw the IV Turkish Army into a state of disor- 
 ganization, intercepted the garrison of Amman and com- 
 pelled it to surrender." 
 
 An example of a failure to reap the advantages of 
 victory occurred after the Battle of Mukden in the Russo- 
 Japanese War. Marshal Oyama stated "If I had had 
 only two or three cavalry divisions, it would have been 
 impossible for the Russians to have escaped to the north. 
 At least their right wing would have been destroyed with 
 a proper army cavalry." Another example of the danger 
 due to lack of a relentless pursuit is afforded by the situa- 
 tion in regard to the Turkish VII Army in the Palestine 
 Campaign. They were reported by von Papen to Berns- 
 torff as being completely broken down during the first 
 phase of the campaign. Owing to delay in the pursuit by 
 the British, which delay was due to lack of water, trans- 
 port, etc., this army was permitted to re-form. It after- 
 wards put up a stiff and bloody resistance in the moun- 
 tains of Judea. Had the British pursuit of this force 
 been enabled to continue this army would have been 
 blotted out as a tactical entity. This would have resulted 
 in a great saving of the lives and time that it finally took 
 to defeat them. 
 
 On the Western Front there are many examples of the 
 pursuit by cavalry. Sir John French speaks of the diffi- 
 culties and danger caused to his forces by the pursuit of 
 the German cavalry. This cavalry was supported by ar- 
 tillery and Jaeger closely pressed his forces in their retreat. 
 They were especially active on the 26th of August, 1914, 
 when the British were driven through the Foret de Mor- 
 mal by this force. The British were continually forced to 
 fight them off throughout the course of the retreat, This 
 
I 3 o MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 pursuit would have been still more effective if the Cavalry 
 Corps von Marwitz had not been transferred from von 
 Kluck's First Army to the commander of the Second 
 Army and sent off on a wild goose chase to the northwest 
 when it was badly needed in the pursuit of the British. 
 
 The cavalry which pursues directly in the rear of a 
 retreating body is throwing away one of its chief advan- 
 tages mobility. It should pursue on parallel lines. The 
 enemy is certain to leave strong troops directly in his 
 rear. These must be worried and held as much as possi- 
 ble but energy should be concentrated on his flanks, on 
 getting, if possible, ahead of him and holding him in 
 front of some obstacle or holding him up on his line of 
 retreat. The pursuit that confines itself to the rear of 
 the retreating forces can be held up by a few rifles and 
 machine guns or artillery. The pursuit that aims at the 
 flanks is exceedingly difficult to withstand. 
 
 An excellent example of a pursuit carried out on paral- 
 lel lines is that by General French in the South African 
 War in his pursuit of Cronje. This pursuit resulted in 
 the capture of Cronje, who was intercepted at a crossing 
 of the Modder River. 
 
 An example of parallel pursuit is found in the Palestine 
 Campaign after the break through by the infantry on the 
 Ramleh line. The infantry was engaged in breaking 
 down the last organized resistance of the Turks. At the 
 same time the swift action of the cavalry insured the 
 success of the operations by destroying or capturing the 
 whole Turkish force east of the Jordan River. Pressing 
 along all night in parallel columns, the 4th Cavalry Divi- 
 sion on Megiddo (Lejjen) and the 5th Cavalry Division 
 on Abu Shushesh (a few miles to the north), the Plain 
 
VARIED REQUIREMENTS 131 
 
 of Esdraelon was reached before dawn and the Turkish 
 forces rolled up. 
 
 Close cooperation of cavalry and horse artillery is es- 
 sential to an effective pursuit. In line with this, it is 
 interesting to read the memorandum issued by the Com- 
 mander-in-Chief of the British Forces on the loth of 
 September, 1914, after the First Battle of the Marne. 
 "The latest experience shows that the enemy never neg- 
 lects an opportunity to use all his available artillery in 
 forward positions under cover of cavalry and other 
 mobile troops. 
 
 "Our cavalry is now organized into two divisions, the 
 first of three, the second of two brigades, each with a 
 brigade of horse artillery. During the present phase of 
 the operations, which consist of as rapid a pursuit and 
 pressure of the enemy as is possible in his retreat, two 
 corps will generally be in the first line. A cavalry division 
 will be directed to work on the front and flanks of either 
 corps and well in advance. The commander of the cav- 
 alry will remain in the closest concert with the corps 
 commander on the flank on which he is working. 
 
 "The corps commanders will send forward with their 
 cavalry as much of their field artillery as can be usefully 
 employed in harassing the enemy's retirement. They will 
 place them under the cavalry commander for the day, 
 the latter officer being responsible for their safety. 
 
 "When, owing to the darkness, the field artillery can 
 no longer find useful targets they will be withdrawn 
 from the cavalry back to the division to which they be- 
 long. Should the enemy make any decided stand during 
 such operations and a general action arise or become 
 imminent, the field artillery in front will either fall back 
 or retain their position, at the discretion of the corps 
 
132 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 commander, and again come under their divisional com- 
 mander. The withdrawal from under the supervision of 
 the corps commander will always remain at the discretion 
 of the corps commander." * 
 
 The pursuit by fire must not be lost sight of and the 
 retreating forces must be kept under fire as long as pos- 
 sible while the mounted pursuit is under way. 
 
 The mounted pursuit must not be too reckless ; many 
 fine cavalry units were nearly annihilated by rash and ill- 
 considered mounted pursuits of German forces. These 
 forces drew them skilfully under the fire of concealed 
 machine guns or artillery. Many French cavalry units 
 met serious losses in this manner. 
 
 The cavalry commander has need of all his energy in 
 the proper carrying out of a pursuit. He must magnify 
 his numbers by every artifice. Colonel von Alvensleben, 
 in 1870, with three small squadrons in pursuit of the re- 
 treating French so harassed and worried the enemy that 
 a large army of 70,000 men was convinced that it was 
 pursued by the entire German forces. The plans and dis- 
 positions of this force were changed in accordance with 
 this viewpoint. The course of the war was materially 
 influenced by this. Fighting by day and perpetual sniping 
 and alarms at night alarmed the enemy and disturbed his 
 rest and strengthened his belief that he was being relent- 
 lessly pursued. 
 
 Cavalry in pursuit must never lose contact with the 
 enemy. After the Battle of Forbach in this same war, 
 the German cavalry lost all touch with the enemy and 
 allowed him to withdraw unmolested. The touch with 
 the enemy is exceedingly liable to be lost in the first flush 
 of victory when everyone's mind is filled with the duties 
 
 1 "1914," Sir John French, page 132. 
 
VARIED REQUIREMENTS 133 
 
 of reorganizing and there is a certain amount of fatigue. 
 No consideration should be allowed to stand in the way 
 of a relentless pursuit by the cavalry. On one occasion 
 Blucher reprimanded the German cavalry for failure to 
 pursue. The excuse was that the horses were too tired. 
 Bliicher's reply was "No attention should be paid to the 
 excuses of the cavalry, for when such an object as the 
 destruction of the enemy's army can be attained, the 
 country can well spare the few hundred horses that die 
 of exhaustion." 
 
 The Raid: 
 
 The condition of the enemy's rear and line of com- 
 munications is much more sensitive today than it has been 
 in past wars. This is due to the modern army's increased 
 dependence upon its rear with all its thousand and one 
 details of supply for the highly complicated and technical 
 machine at the front. In addition to the opportunity of 
 stopping the flow of these supplies, even for only a short 
 time, a raid may find his artillery without support, his 
 reserves without proper security, his aeroplane hangars 
 may be demolished and railroads, roads and bridges de- 
 stroyed. An incalculable amount of damage may be done 
 by even a small force of cavalry daringly led and well 
 supplied with demolition materials. 
 
 Railroads may be cut and important arteries of supply 
 irretrievably harmed. In cutting railways, it must be 
 remembered that they should not be cut too near a sta- 
 tion or shops as there will undoubtedly be repair material 
 and means available at those places. An excellent raid of 
 this nature was carried out successfully by the 2nd Light 
 Horse Brigade on March 25th, 1918, in the Palestine 
 
134 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 Campaign. A party from this brigade reached the Hejaz 
 railway seven miles south of Amman and blew up a sec- 
 tion of the line during the night. This was the main line 
 of the Turkish communications and its interruption caused 
 untold confusion to their army. 
 
 There were many excellent raids by the Russian and 
 German cavalries on the Eastern Front in the World 
 War. Full accounts of these raids are not yet available 
 for study. 
 
 The French cavalry made an excellent raid productive 
 of good results on the German communications on Sep- 
 tember 1 7th, 1914. They operated from Roye and moved 
 rapidly east as far as the neighborhood of Ham and Saint- 
 Quentin. Another small raid by a single squadron of 
 French cavalry at the, commencement of the German 
 retreat from the Marne nearly succeeded in capturing 
 von Kluck and his entire staff who were forced to take 
 to the fields with any weapon they could find in order 
 to defend themselves. 
 
 There is a report of a decisive raid which took place 
 in the Balkan War in 1912. This raid was performed by 
 the Bulgarian Brigade Tanew, after the Battle of Dedea- 
 gatch. This brigade succeeded in capturing 361 officers, 
 13,500 men and 8 guns. Another excellent raid was the 
 one performed by a Serbian cavalry regiment after the 
 Battle of Kumanovo in Saloniki. 1 
 
 Many raids made, of which there are some notable 
 examples in the Civil War, accomplished nothing of value 
 and on the other hand deprived the army of cavalry when 
 it was badly needed. A notable example was Wheeler's 
 raid into east Tennessee which left Hood without cavalry 
 
 'Balk, 'The Development of Tactics in the Wo^ld War," 
 (Berlin, 1920), page 241. 
 
VARIED REQUIREMENTS 135 
 
 and consequently in the dark as regarded Sherman's 
 movements. A better example was "]eb" Stuart before 
 the Battle of Gettysburg. Mischenko's raids, as well as 
 Rennenkampf's reconnaissances in force in Manchuria, 
 were worthless as far as results went. Von Pelet- 
 Narbonne states that the failure of these raids was due 
 to the small value of the Cossacks, who were neither 
 trained in dismounted offensive action, in intelligence 
 duties, nor had they a keen desire to use the steel. The 
 Russian army authorities so underestimated the Japanese 
 power that they failed to send their European regiments 
 to Manchuria, leaving all the cavalry work to the 
 Cossacks. 1 
 
 An example of a successful raid was that performed by 
 two squadrons of Japanese cavalry a few days before the 
 Battle of Mukden. This was admirably timed. The 280 
 men of these squadrons marched by night and hid by day, 
 reaching and blowing up an important railway bridge 
 200 kilometers north of Tieh-Ling directly in rear of the 
 Russian Army. This resulted in the interruption of an 
 important line of communication for several days. It 
 produced a panic at Russian headquarters. The chief 
 value of the raid consisted in the fact that 8,000 troops 
 were diverted from the battlefield of Mukden to guard 
 this line. 
 
 1 "Lectures on and Cavalry Lessons from the Manchurian 
 War," von Pelet-Narbonne. 
 
CHAPTER X 
 
 CAVALRY TACTICS VARIED REQUIREMENTS (Continued) 
 
 The Mobile Reserve: 
 
 The ability of cavalry to act as a highly mobile reserve 
 makes this arm of the greatest importance. Its value 
 lies mainly in its ability quickly to carry offensive fire 
 units to the place of need. It is a valuable and powerful 
 weapon in the hands of an army commander for a variety 
 of purposes ; to swing an uncertain issue of battle, to 
 bolster up a weakened line, to cover a retreat and to or- 
 ganize and take fullest advantage of a victory. 
 
 Excellent examples of the use of cavalry as a mobile 
 reserve will be found in a study of British operations in 
 1914, especially the Battle of Ypres. 
 
 In addition to its basic mobility, the cavalry division 
 has this advantage over the infantry division as a reserve, 
 that it can come into battle with all its parts assembled 
 including field guns, and other auxiliaries and sufficient 
 ammunition. All parts are equally mobile and it is not 
 forced to come into action piecemeal as an infantry divi- 
 sion often is, with its guns, foot troops and ammunition 
 supplies separated. 
 
 The British and French both maintained forces of cav- 
 alry throughout the war for use as a mobile reserve. 
 Had the German morale not broken so quickly as to pre- 
 clude further physical action against them, the forces of 
 
 136 
 
VARIED REQUIREMENTS 137 
 
 cavalry that remained at the close of the war would have 
 been very valuable to carry on a pursuit. 
 
 The functions of the reserve are so many that an army 
 commander* must use wisdom in selecting the purpose for 
 which he intends to use his cavalry. The inclination of 
 many higher commanders will sometimes dispose them 
 to disregard cavalry as a battle force. In line with this 
 von der Goltz l says, "It is not sufficient to have good 
 cavalry, it must be well handled by the superior authori- 
 ties. These latter are really responsible for many mis- 
 takes unfairly laid at the door of the cavalry." The cav- 
 alry may be sent miles away on some vague mission to be 
 absent there when their presence in the battle might have 
 an overwhelmingly decisive effect. German cavalry drill 
 regulations state in substance that while attempts upon 
 distant hostile lines of communications may produce 
 valuable results, they must not distract the attention of 
 the cavalry from its true battle objectives. 
 
 With cavalry absent during the course of the engage- 
 ment many contingencies might arise requiring its pres- 
 ence ; a flank may be in danger, there may be necessity 
 for a desperate counter-attack, there may be desperate 
 necessity for any number of things that the presence of 
 a mobile reserve would insure. 
 
 A mass of modern cavalry, able to fight mounted or 
 dismounted, supplied with horse artillery, machine guns, 
 and a high proportion of automatic weapons would supply 
 a decisive intervening force in battle. Rapidly to extend 
 their own flank when it is threatened, to attack the ene- 
 my's flanks, to drive back a break-through of the enemy's 
 forces on any part of the line, to go to the assistance of 
 hard pressed infantry, to minimize the effects of defeat 
 
 1 "The Nation in Arms," von der Goltz, page 206. 
 
138 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 and to reap the fruits of victory all of these are the 
 duties which cavalry is fully capable of performing as a 
 mobile reserve. 
 
 An excellent example of the use of the cavalry as a 
 mobile reserve occurred October 3ist, 1914, in the second 
 phase of the Battle of Ypres. A gap had occurred on the 
 right of the 7th British Division. The 7th Cavalry Brig- 
 ade (ist and 2nd Life Guards and Royal Horse Guards) 
 was immediately sent and succeeded in closing this gap 
 and keeping the line intact. 
 
 Another example of the use of cavalry as a reserve was 
 on November 29th, 1918, in Palestine, when a hostile 
 force succeeded in penetrating the British line northeast 
 of Jaffa. This force was surrounded and captured by the 
 Australian Light Horse, who were swiftly moved to the 
 threatened point. On the 3Oth of November, 1918, a 
 similar fate overtook a Turkish battalion which attacked 
 near El Burj ; a counter-attack by the Australian Light 
 Horse took 200 prisoners and destroyed the attacking 
 battalion. 
 
 Another excellent example of the use of the cavalry 
 reserve was shown in this same campaign November 5th, 
 1918, when the Yeomanry Division relieved the 74th In- 
 fantry Division to enable the latter to join the main 
 attack. The Yeomanry Division reached Shellal (some 
 20 miles as the crow flies) and came into line on the right 
 of the 74th Infantry Division, 2 miles south of Am 
 Kohleh and took over their sector. The operations near 
 Am Kohleh were in the nature of a holding attack, while 
 the main attack was being developed at Kauwukah. The 
 horses of this cavalry division were sent back to Beer- 
 sheba, distant about 8 miles. 
 
 The saving of the British II Corps in 1914 by the 
 
VARIED REQUIREMENTS 139 
 
 cavalry under Allenby and Sordet is a good example of 
 the use of the mobile reserve against outflanking attacks. 
 Had it not been for the cavalry at this time the II 
 Corps would assuredly have been pinned to their ground, 
 outflanked and surrounded. This would have resulted in 
 the loss of three out of five British divisions and the loss 
 of the 7th Brigade in addition. It would have resulted, 
 according to Sir John French, 1 in a second Sedan for 
 the Allies. 
 
 The employment of the French 7th Cavalry Division 
 in the Battle of the Marne was a good example of the use 
 of cavalry as a mobile reserve. 
 
 The mobility of this reserve must be used offensively 
 whenever possible. The outflanking operations in Pales- 
 tine are cases in point. The Anzac Mounted Division, 
 the Australian Mounted Division and the 7th Mounted 
 Brigade outflanked the Beersheba position on the Gaza- 
 Beersheba line October 30-3 ist, 1918. The 4th Australian 
 Light Horse Brigade of the Australian Mounted Division 
 captured Beersheba by a mounted charge, galloping over 
 two deep lines of trenches in the face of heavy firo, enter- 
 ing and seizing the town. This rolled up the left flank of 
 the Turkish position. 
 
 The attack of the Northern Corps of the Niemen Army 
 against the Russian Army's right flank was carried out 
 by the German cavalry corps consisting of the 2nd, 6th 
 and 8th Divisions. This attack was decisive. 2 Balk says 
 that "Infantry would never have been able to operate at 
 such great distance from the main body and accomplish 
 such results in a short space of time." 
 
 In our own Civil War decisive results were gained by 
 
 1 "iQi4," Sir John French, page 80. 
 * "The Development of Tactics in the World War," Balk. 
 
140 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 the use of cavalry as a mobile reserve. A study of Sheri- 
 dan's operations is especially valuable in this connection. 
 Another excellent example of the value of a mobile 
 reserve was furnished in the Battle of the Aisne. The 
 advance of the Guards Brigade to the Ostel Ridge had 
 left a considerable gap between them and the nearest unit 
 of the II Corps and also between the I Corps and the 
 river. A German attack was directed upon this weak spot 
 almost immediately. Haig's Corps was in action, cover- 
 ing a front of some five miles and not a single man could 
 be spared. "Here was the supreme example," x says 
 Conan Doyle, "of the grand work that was done when 
 our cavalry were made efficient as dismounted riflemen. 
 Their mobility brought them quickly to the danger spot. 
 Their training turned them in an instant from horsemen 
 to infantry. The I5th Hussars, the Irish Horse, the 
 whole of Brigg's ist Cavalry Brigade and, finally, the 
 whole of De Lisle's 2nd Cavalry Brigade were thrown 
 into the gap. The German advance was stayed and the 
 danger passed." 
 
 The Cavalry Screen: 
 
 The use of the cavalry as a screen is practicable if the 
 screen is used offensively. The mere physical presence 
 of cavalry spread out over an area will not suffice. With 
 the modern facilities for aeroplane observation, it is 
 doubtful if the cavalry screen will be of much value 
 except in cases where the hostile air force has lost the 
 control of the air, or weather conditions prevent aerial 
 reconnaissance. 
 
 1 The British Campaign in France and Flanders. Conan Doyle, 
 page 173, vol. I. 
 
VARIED REQUIREMENTS 141 
 
 The cavalry screen of the present day cannot hope, 
 with an active enemy reconnaissance from the air, to 
 screen the movements of great armies. What it can do 
 is to screen from the knowledge of the enemy the tactical 
 components of its own side. It can interfere and keep 
 enemy intelligence efforts nullified and deny all the 
 knowledge to the enemy forces that aerial reconnaissance 
 cannot supply. 
 
 This sort of screening means the movement on a broad 
 front of formed bodies each with its own security dis- 
 positions, rapid infiltration, rapid mounting and dismount- 
 ing, plentiful use of ammunition and the multiplying of 
 numbers by rapidity of action and mobility. It means 
 offensive action throughout. 
 
 Valuable work was done in screening operations in the 
 German advance through Belgium in 1914 by the Cavalry 
 Corps von Marwitz and von Richthofen. The former 
 commanded the II Cavalry Corps (the 2nd, 4th and 
 9th Cavalry Divisions) while the latter commanded the 
 I Cavalry Corps (The Guard Cavalry Division and the 
 5th Cavalry Division). The advance of the I and II 
 German Armies was well screened by this cavalry. This 
 screening work was especially difficult as it was carried 
 on in the midst of the hostile Belgian population. 
 
 Excellent work is also said to have been accomplished 
 by the Cavalry Corps Frommel which succeeded per- 
 fectly in screening the change of direction of the German 
 Army operating in the region of Thorn. 
 
 Deceiving Enemy: 
 
 A large field of usefulness is open to the cavalry which 
 can magnify its numbers by mobility and activity and lead 
 
142 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 to false conclusions and dispositions upon the part of the 
 enemy. This has been done innumerable times, notably 
 in the Franco-Prussian War, where the movements of 
 whole armies were changed by the appearance of a few 
 cavalry. 
 
 The effect is sometimes secured unconsciously and due 
 to the fact that the enemy has exaggerated the forces he 
 observes. A case in point was the occupation of the 
 village of Sandepu by 4^2 Japanese squadrons with one 
 horse battery and six machine guns. The Russians be- 
 lieved this force to be 5 battalions of infantry, 2 squad- 
 rons of cavalry, 44 field guns and 5 machine guns. 
 
 The appearance of only 2 Japanese squadrons in the 
 rear of the Russian Army at the Battle of Mukden forced 
 into inactivity 19,000 rifles, 5,000 carbines and 36 field 
 guns. 
 
 The mere * appearance of a cavalry force may have a 
 decisive effect, as occurred at the Battle of Tarnakova in 
 September, 1914, when the Russian Cavalry Division of 
 Novikov had a decisive effect on the operations, in this 
 case neutralizing nearly an army corps. 
 
 Cavalry can very easily simulate infantry and can de- 
 ceive the enemy with .regard to the composition of its 
 force on numerous occasions. This would be of value in 
 a threatening or holding attack. It can very easily deceive 
 the enemy in regard to its numbers by taking full advan- 
 tage of its mobility. 
 
 Cavalry in Combat: 
 
 The defeating of the formed bodies of the enemy will 
 lead to the purely cavalry fight which will be a combina- 
 tion of fire and shock. It is essential that we do not 
 
VARIED REQUIREMENTS 143 
 
 totally disregard the possible use of shock action. It 
 will undoubtedly be a factor in any war of movement. 
 It should not, however, be the sum and aim of cavalry 
 training of the future as it has been in the past. 
 
 It is first of all essential, in the purely cavalry fight, 
 that the commander should retain touch with all his units. 
 There should be someone responsible for this to take 
 the burden off his shoulders. One system, starting with 
 the squadron, is to have two intelligent privates detailed 
 to the squadron commander from each troop, who have 
 no other duty than to keep informed of their respective 
 units and be prepared to carry messages to them. Each 
 squadron in its turn details a non-commissioned officer 
 and assistant to the regimental commander, and so on up. 
 
 The commander must not fail to notify his senior sub- 
 ordinates where to assemble in case of a reverse. This 
 point should be determined beforehand, if possible. 
 
 Trains must be provided for. They must be in such 
 position as to be able to advance or retire without con- 
 fusion. 
 
 -If the result of the fight is at all in doubt Spartan 
 measures must be taken and the last reserves smashed 
 in without thought of anything except victory. Many 
 an uncertain battle has been lost by too great niggardliness 
 with reserves. Daring is a strong factor in success. 
 
 It is essential never to lose sight of the fact that the 
 spirit of cavalry is offensive and to look upon a tempo- 
 rarily defensive role only as a means of preparing for 
 the counter attack. It is necessary to increase the rate 
 of fire power and utilize every feature of the ground in 
 order to release men for this counter stroke. 
 
 If the enemy's strength is unknown, it is better to 
 make tentative attacks that will force him- to disclose 
 
144 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 himself and to hold the bulk of troops in hand until 
 enough information is gained to warrant complete action. 
 
 Keep a careful and automatic check on ammunition. 
 The best laid plans can be defeated by the eleventh hour 
 report in a critical situation that the ammunition is 
 failing. 
 
 If the hostile cavalry acts in conjunction with infantry, 
 effort should be made to isolate it and destroy it. 
 
 The commander should be near the head of his troops 
 at the initiation of combat and then should be exceedingly 
 careful that he makes no movement of himself and staff 
 without leaving minute directions as to his whereabouts. 
 He should be careful to visualize the engagement as a 
 whole and not become engrossed in any small part, an 
 exceedingly easy thing to do in a cavalry fight with its 
 large dispersion. 
 
 It is exceedingly important that all subordinates should 
 understand the intention of the commander, in order to 
 be able to act intelligently during the many changes and 
 unforeseen incidents of a cavalry fight. 
 
 If the command is accompanied by artillery, it must 
 be remembered that its value is rendered almost negligible 
 by insufficiency of information. This is true in all com- 
 bat but especially true in a cavalry engagement with its 
 rapid movement of friend and foe and the mobility of 
 the targets furnished. 
 
 In the cavalry rencontre there is no excuse for a sur- 
 prise meeting. If there should be one it must be remem- 
 bered that the great danger in surprise is the hesitation 
 and loss of time caused thereby. To obviate this a leader 
 should always have a rough plan mapped out for every 
 contingency ; he must never approach, for instance, a 
 new locality without planning out beforehand what he is 
 
VARIED REQUIREMENTS 145 
 
 to do on occasion. He must continually observe, and 
 require his subordinates to observe, good cover from 
 observation and fire for his led horses. He must warn 
 all subordinate commanders against the common dispo- 
 sition of commanders to become involved in combat with- 
 out sending back information. Information, first, last 
 and all the time is essential to the best team work. 
 
 It is essential that a cavalry commander be always near 
 the head of his columns. The whole principle is to keep 
 his unit under cover from observation and fire until his 
 plans are made and his orders issued for rapid decisive 
 action. 
 
 Many commanders delay until they have information 
 of the enemy down to the most minute details. In other 
 words, they surrender their initiative and do not depend 
 to a great enough extent upon the compelling effect of 
 their own measures. This is the defensive attitude of 
 mind as opposed to the offensive type. Let the other 
 fellow worry. Daring and initiative are the well springs 
 of great success. Inactivity is the direct cause of the 
 losses of many campaigns and battles. 
 
 The cavalry commander must keep all elements of his 
 command in mind or have subordinates specially detailed 
 to that end. At the Battle of Worth, in 1870, the 4th 
 Cavalry Division (German) was forgotten after being 
 told to await orders. Their strength was thereby lost to 
 their side throughout the engagement. It is best not to 
 tie cavalry down with such orders. The cavalry com- 
 mander must never let absence of orders be an excuse 
 for inaction. Every leader who has cavalry assigned to 
 him must understand that it is too expensive an arm to 
 do nothing. 
 
 Dispersion of cavalry, owing to its mobility, is not the 
 
146 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 serious fault that it is in the infantry. Too great a dis- 
 persion was corrected by the initiative of the squadron 
 leaders of Rederns' Brigade, August 15, 1870, when they 
 marched to the sound of the guns and quickly brought 
 reinforcements of 15 squadrons to the scene of the en- 
 counter, thereby themselves correcting the fault of the 
 divisional commander who had dispersed them too much. 
 
 An excellent example of cavalry combat was the fight 
 at Haelen, August 12, 1914. German forces consisting 
 of six regiments (4th and 2nd Cavalry Divisions), 7th 
 and 9th Jaeger Battalions, three batteries of artillery, 
 4,000 sabres, 2,000 infantry and 18 guns all told, tried to 
 force the passage of the Gette River near Haelen. This 
 was defended by Belgian forces consisting of Lancers, 
 Guides, Cavalry, Artillery and Cyclists numbering 2,400 
 sabres, 450 cyclists and 12 guns. The battle was dis- 
 mounted on both sides with the exception of a charge 
 made by the 2nd Cuirassiers, 9th Uhlans, I7th and i8th 
 Dragoons of the 4th Cavalry Division, which was repulsed 
 by the fire of the Belgians. The fight was being decided 
 in favor of the Germans when a Belgian infantry force, 
 composed of four weak battalions, entered the fight and 
 turned the scale. The Germans were repulsed with a 
 loss of 3,000 dead and wounded, their advance batteries 
 and a standard. 
 
 An excellent illustration of mounted and dismounted 
 attack occurred on April 3Oth, 1918, when the 3rd Aus- 
 tralian Light Horse Brigade was held up near Es Salt by 
 fire from enemy works, These were stormed by the 9th 
 and loth Regiments, dismounted, while the 8th Regiment 
 galloped along the road and forced its way into the town 
 in spite of strong resistance. The enemy fled, pursued 
 
VARIED REQUIREMENTS 147 
 
 by one troops which captured 300 prisoners, 29 machine 
 guns and large quantities of material. 
 
 Another example of a purely cavalry fight occurred 
 during the Battle of the Marne on September 7th. The 
 2nd Cavalry Brigade was acting as left flank guard to 
 the Cavalry Division, with the 9th Lancers as advance 
 guard to the Brigade. On reaching Fretoy, the village of 
 Moucel was found occupied by a patrol of the Germans. 
 It was taken at a gallop by the leading troop (about one 
 of our platoons) followed by one machine gun. A troop 
 and a half moved up on the left of the village. Shortly 
 afterward two squadrons of the First Garde Dragoner 
 Regiment charged the village and drove out the troop 
 of the Qth Lancers after a little street fighting. A third 
 Dragoon squadron (German) came up to the village from 
 the north, in support. The troop and a half of the 
 Lancers charged in perfect order the left half of the 
 squadron and pierced it with loss, both sides facing the 
 charge, the Germans at a fifteen-mile rate and the 
 Lancers at full speed. Swinging around after the charge, 
 the 9th Lancers gained the village and rallied on the 
 north side of it. At the same time the i8th Hussars, 
 who had been sent up in support, drove off the Germans 
 by fire from the wood on the left of the village. British 
 losses : i officer, 2 men killed, 2 officers and 5 men 
 wounded. The German losses are reported as being very 
 heavy. 
 
 It must be reiterated that the cavalryman, even in the 
 fire fight, should not lose sight of that most important 
 thing, his mobility. He is a poor cavalryman indeed who 
 dismounts his whole force and sits down to overcome the 
 enemy by a purely frontal attack. By the detachment of 
 
148 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 two or more mounted bodies he can feint an attack on one 
 of the enemy's flanks or rear and drive home a real attack 
 on another flank or the rear. It will, in many cases, be 
 advisable to consider the frontal action purely a holding 
 attack. The frontal attack compared to the flank attack 
 is likened to the difference between a weight held in the 
 hand and the same weight at the end of a horizontal 
 stick. 
 
 In the attack of localities it is necessary to keep out 
 both a mounted and dismounted reserve, the former for 
 the offensive and the defense of led horses, reconnoiter- 
 ing, etc., the latter to press home the dismounted attack. 
 
 The passage through a defile or a heavily wooded road 
 should never be undertaken without throwing forward a 
 few troops to hold the far side by fire and prevent an 
 attack on the necessarily closely formed bodies as they 
 emerge. 
 
 In minor operations the fact must not be lost sight of 
 that speed on horseback is .not the only advantage in 
 cavalry mobility. A cavalryman should be faster on foot 
 for two reasons, first that he is not encumbered with the 
 weight that a foot soldier carries, secondly that his leg 
 muscles are fit for extended effort after he has traveled 
 many miles on horseback. Advantage can be taken of 
 this in minor tactical operations to outflank opposing 
 bodies. In the recontre a swift dismounting and rapid 
 occupation of a strategic point will win against superior 
 numbers time and time again. The essence of cavalry 
 work is speed and this should be remembered in dis- 
 mounted operations as well as mounted. 
 
 To secure the fullest effect from surprise, it is neces- 
 sary to act swiftly and resolutely with no hesitation in 
 advance or withdrawal. The work of Jeb Stuart in the 
 
VARIED REQUIREMENTS 149 
 
 Civil War is one of the finest examples of combined fire, 
 shock and surprise action. 
 
 Another interesting example of the cavalry fight is 
 offered by the 5th Cavalry Brigade (Chetwode) when 
 covering the rear and right flank of the First Corps in its 
 retreat. On August 28th the pursuing German horse- 
 men came into touch with it near Cerizy. At about five 
 in the evening three squadrons of the enemy advanced 
 upon one squadron of the Scots Greys which had the 
 support of J Battery Royal Horse Artillery. The Ger- 
 mans were fired upon, dismounted and attempted to ad- 
 vance. The fire was so heavy that they could make no 
 progress and their led horses were stampeded. They 
 retired, still on foot, and were followed up by a squadron 
 of the 1 2th Lancers on their flank. The remainder of 
 the 1 2th Lancers, supported by the Greys, rode into the 
 enemy, killing or wounding nearly all of them with the 
 sword and lance. A section of guns had meanwhile been 
 firing over the heads of the party into a supporting body 
 of enemy cavalry, who retired, leaving many dead and 
 wounded behind them. The British lost only 43 killed 
 and wounded. The enthusiastic cavalrymen rode back 
 between the guns of the horse battery exchanging cheers 
 with the gunners and waving x their blood-stained 
 weapons. 
 
 In war, generally, and in the cavalry combat, particu- 
 larly, indomitable energy is the secret of success. Plans 
 once undertaken should be pushed through in spite of all 
 obstacles. Success in war is after all largely a matter 
 of character, both upon the part of the nation as a whole 
 and upon the part of the leaders. The distinction should 
 be made between indomitable will and stubbornness. The 
 
 1 The British Campaign in France and Flanders, Doyle, page 121. 
 
ISO MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 stubborn leader is very liable to act upon preconceived 
 opinions which arise very easily in war. A preconceived 
 opinion is a thing to be avoided as it leads inevitably to a 
 biased interpretation of reports, as the leader sees only 
 those reports that confirm him in his mistaken theory and 
 disregards the others. This will lead to faulty and dan- 
 gerous dispositions. The mind must be kept open until 
 there are enough data to form an opinion, after which 
 the plan should be formed and pushed through in spite 
 of all difficulties, 
 
CHAPTER XI 
 
 RECONNAISSANCE AIR SERVICE AND CAVALRY 
 
 In line with a great many hasty judgments, the aero- 
 plane has been slated to supplant cavalry in the field of 
 reconnaissance. This has even been believed by cavalry 
 officers themselves. One of the first effects of the ap- 
 pearance of any new type of fighting machine or of any 
 new method of warfare, is the claim made by its partisans 
 and taken up immediately by journalistic laymen, that 
 the innovation will supplant all previous measures any- 
 where remotely allied to its functions. This was true of 
 the tank, of the submarine and especially true of the 
 aeroplane. 
 
 The aeroplane was to be the cavalry of the future. It 
 was not only to perform all the reconnaissance functions 
 of cavalry but was to perform its combat functions as well 
 and perform them better. These imaginings have of 
 course been tested by reality and as a result the aeroplane 
 has been assigned to its proper place in the tactical scheme 
 of things. 
 
 There still remains, however, a lingering impression 
 that trie aeroplane has supplanted the cavalry in that very 
 important sphere of duty, reconnaissance. This impres- 
 sion is very strong in the mind of the laymen and also 
 in the mind of that type of officer who is willing to accept 
 any dictum except study and analysis. 
 
 151 
 
152 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 A careful analysis of the capabilities and limitations of 
 the aeroplane leads to some rather illuminating conclu- 
 sions. The first conclusion is that it would be extremely 
 unwise to relegate cavalry to the limbo of forgotten 
 things in view of the many manifest limitations inherent 
 in air reconnaissance. 
 
 These limitations are so important that they make entire 
 dependence upon the air service for reconnaissance a 
 dangerous experiment. The following are some of the 
 factors that militate against successful air reconnaissance 
 or that will militate against it in future wars. 
 
 (a) Hostile control of the air. 
 
 (b) Unfavorable weather conditions. 
 
 (c) Present and future possibilities of anti-air craft 
 defense. 
 
 (d) Present and future possibilities in concealment and 
 camouflage for troops. 
 
 (e) Night operations. 
 
 (/) Inability of the aeroplane to take prisoners, exam- 
 ine dead and wounded, judge of enemy morale, etc. 
 (g) Lack of continuity of observation. 
 
 (a) The danger of an army depending entirely upon air 
 reconnaissance can be clearly brought home by simply 
 considering the possibilities attendant upon the loss of 
 air control by our own side. This happened on the 
 Western front several times. Its results were not so 
 marked owing to the stationary character of the fighting. 
 It happened upon the Eastern front with disastrous re- 
 sults to the loser. It happened on the Palestine front. 
 This is an excellent example as the losing side not only 
 lost the control of the air tut were woefully deficient in 
 cavalry to repair the loss. 
 
AIR SERVICE AND CAVALRY 153 
 
 Before the great attack of September i8th and 
 1918, on the Turkish lines north of Gaza the Turkish air 
 force was almost hors de combat owing to the supremacy 
 of the British. On the I5th their reconnaissance reported, 
 ''Some regrouping of cavalry units in progress behind 
 the enemy's left flank apparently, otherwise nothing to 
 report." At this time three cavalry divisions, five infan- 
 try divisions and a major portion of the heavy artillery 
 of the force, were concentrated behind the left flank and 
 between Ramleh and the front line of the coastal sector. 
 There were 301 guns concentrated instead of the 70 that 
 were normally there. The unobserved massing of these 
 forces led to the successful attack and overwhelming 
 defeat of the Turkish VII and VIII Armies. 
 
 The state of the Turco-German air forces can be gath- 
 ered from the following extract from their captured rec- 
 ords: "From August 25th, 1918, to August 3ist, 1918, in 
 consequence of lively hostile flying activity, no recon- 
 naissance could be carried out." For a period of seven 
 days, at a most important time, the Turkish air force was 
 unable to function. Many such periods occurred in this 
 campaign in spite of the excellence of the German airmen 
 and their machines. The Turks had no cavalry in num- 
 bers or quality to make up for this failure in their air 
 forces. They were blinded, they lost tactical freedom 
 and the initiative passed from them. 
 
 The above example is cited to show what happens to 
 an army that places its full dependence upon aerial re- 
 connaissance to the exclusion of cavalry reconnaissance. 
 It must not be forgotten that another serious danger that 
 results from a total dependence upon the air service is 
 the fact that even a great and efficient air service may be 
 rendered useless shortly after the outbreak of war by the 
 
154 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 appearance of some new invention or improvement 
 adopted by the enemy. It might take weeks and months 
 to develop a corresponding strength on our own side. In 
 a war of movement we would be blinded through this 
 period. If, in a war of the future, it takes us as long to 
 put an air force into the field as it did in the last war, 
 it behooves us to have a force for this purpose that will 
 be ready to move out at once and function immediately 
 a force of cavalry. 
 
 (b) Unfavorable weather conditions,, especially the 
 ones that affect visibility, would render an air force use- 
 less at certain periods. This happened in many cases in 
 the World War. A notable example, on the Palestine 
 front, occurred in the period of three days after Decem- 
 ber 7th, during the progress of the converging movement 
 upon Jerusalem. Heavy rains and mists prevented the air 
 force from observing. The British carried on with their 
 cavalry the Turks, without cavalry, were helpless. 
 
 (c) Present and future possibilities of anti-aircraft 
 defense. This is another form of the old controversy, 
 "shells versus armor." The development of anti-aircraft 
 guns at present is advanced enough to warrant that any 
 force sufficiently supplied with them and trained in their 
 use, can keep the aeroplanes so high in the air that the 
 information gained by them is almost negligible. During 
 the later stages of the Palestine campaign the British anti- 
 aircraft defense had so improved as to achieve just this 
 purpose. It is not believed that the possibilities of the 
 anti-aircraft gun have been nearly exploited as yet. Their 
 efficiency is of proved worth now. The next war will 
 see even greater effects produced by them. It is only a 
 question of time until most branches will be armed with 
 them and trained in their use. 
 
AIR SERVICE AND CAVALRY 155 
 
 (d) Concealment and camouflage for troops. The 
 value of aeroplane reconnaissance is nullified to a certain 
 extent today and will be rendered of less value in the 
 future owing to the present knowledge and future possi- 
 bilities of the art of camouflage and concealment of 
 troops. Troops trained in this and practicing its princi- 
 ples will be able to render much more difficult the work 
 of the air reconnaissance. The combination of a high 
 degree of camouflage and concealment with an efficient 
 service of anti-aircraft guns has already been put into 
 operation with successful results. There are large possi- 
 bilities for the future improvement of this phase. 
 
 (e) Movements of troops at night will go practically 
 undetected by 'the air reconnaissance. Granted that aero- 
 planes can fly at night, what is the good of flying if they 
 can see nothing? Cavalry can perform this duty re- 
 stricted naturally to security reconnaissance it can hold 
 ground and prevent the movements of the enemy or give 
 warning of his approach. It can seize commanding points 
 of observation and establish effective screens. 
 
 (/) Inability of the aeroplane to take prisoners, etc. 
 From the viewpoint of the Intelligence officer, the aero- 
 plane only brings back a small part of the needed infor- 
 mation. It cannot supply the important information 
 gained from prisoners, it cannot take prisoners, it can- 
 not identify enemy units and in many cases cannot even 
 identify enemy branches of the service. It cannot give 
 information leading to deductions as to the state of enemy 
 morale. It cannot examine enemy dead and wounded, 
 capture documents, search telegraph offices and examine 
 post offices, civilians, etc. In other words, it cannot 
 supply all the thousand and one small bits of information 
 needed to provide the army command with working 
 
156 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 knowledge of the enemy. This role will be of paramount 
 importance to the army in a war of movement as it has 
 been in the position warfare on the Western front. It 
 could be carried out there by dismounted troops. In any 
 war of movement it must be carried out by mounted 
 troops. 
 
 (g) Lack of continuity of observation. The aeroplane 
 cannot hold a force long enough under observation in 
 many cases to determine its intentions. Its reports must 
 of necessity be based upon exceedingly fleeting glimpses, 
 insufficient in most cases to warrant any tactical action. 
 
 In addition to all the above mentioned points the aero- 
 plane cannot hold ground. Its offensive power is not 
 great enough to exercise any decisive effect upon the 
 course of battle. On water the problem of naval con- 
 struction is to balance the three factors of speed, armor 
 and guns. One cannot be increased without correspond- 
 ing loss in the others. The same problem applies to the 
 aeroplane. The desire for speed in the aeroplane has led 
 to the sacrificing of its offensive power. The sum total 
 of the results of all the improvements in the air service 
 during the world war was to add equations to each side 
 which balanced and neutralized each other. The war 
 went merrily on on the ground while the opposing air 
 fleets fought for mastery. 
 
 Dramatic battles in the air were very spectacular but 
 the professional soldier wishes to know what tactical 
 results were gained by these battles. It was predicted 
 that the air service was to end surprise as a factor in 
 war. On the contrary the World War was replete with 
 examples of surprises on a vast scale. To mention a few 
 of the greatest, there was the German offensive against 
 the Russians in the spring of 1915, the German offensive 
 
AIR SERVICE AND CAVALRY 157 
 
 against Verdun in February, 1916, the withdrawal of 
 Hindenburg to the new line of defense in the spring of 
 1917, the Austro-German offensive against the Italians 
 in October, 1917, and the German offensive on the West- 
 ern front in March, 1918. 
 
 Enough has been said to prove that dependence upon 
 the air service as the sole reconnoitering force is depend- 
 ence dangerously placed. The air service has too many 
 disadvantages to be the sole dependence for the service 
 of security and reconnaissance. The problem now is to 
 assign the aefoplane to its proper place in the tactical 
 scheme of things. In the field of reconnaissance that 
 place is in close cooperation with cavalry. The study of 
 means for closer cooperation should be undertaken with 
 a view to utilizing the many manifest advantages of the 
 flying service. Studied properly, as an auxiliary to cav- 
 alry in this field, there is room for limitless possibilities 
 for the mutual improvement of both services. 
 
 One of these possibilities is a fuller exploitation -of the 
 mobility of cavalry. A higher degree of development of 
 the air service will inevitably tend to render more unusual 
 the factor of strategical surprise. Major dispositions of 
 the troops on each side will be known to the opposing 
 side. The only possibility of success in many cases will 
 be the possibility of moving troops to a selected point of 
 attack at greater speed than the enemy can move troops 
 to repel them. This will render increasingly important 
 the role of cavalry. It will find its fullest development 
 in this type of operation in working with its air forces. 
 The determination of points of attack and the picking of 
 routes as well as the strategical security will be the 
 function of the air forces. 
 
 It is in the field of strategical security that the air force 
 
158 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 can aid cavalry to a material extent. The limitations of 
 the air service make it of doubtful value in the field of 
 tactical reconnaissance. In the realm of strategic recon- 
 naissance it will hold full sway. Its work will take an 
 enormous burden from the cavalry. The air service will 
 find its role in sketching the broad outlines of the picture. 
 The cavalry must fill in the details. The handing over 
 of strategical reconnaissance will result in much saving 
 of horseflesh to the cavalry. It will save it much disper- 
 sion. It will allow it to keep its strength more or less 
 intact for battle purposes and will allow it to concentrate 
 more thoroughly in the field of tactical reconnaissance. 
 
 Nevertheless we must not blindly turn over all the 
 duties of strategical reconnaissance to the air force. The 
 possibility of the defeat of the air force must not be lost 
 sight of. It is a fragile arm. Being a mechanical inno- 
 vation it is subject to the possibility inherent in all me- 
 chanical innovations in war the possibility of being 
 neutralized or effaced by new and superior mechanical 
 innovations. For this reason the cavalry officer must 
 study and understand the requirements of strategical 
 reconnaissance so as to be prepared to take over such 
 duties if called upon. 
 
 Many lessons have been learned in the World War as 
 to the tactical cooperation of the air service with immobile 
 forces. The subject that now requires study is the sub- 
 ject of cooperation of aeroplanes with highly mobile 
 forces. One phase alone of this study needs attention, 
 the question of means of communication between the 
 aeroplane and the rapidly moving cavalry troops on the 
 ground. This subject presents problems for solution that 
 were not solved satisfactorily in the World War. 
 
 In line with the above, arguments it is interesting to 
 
AIR SERVICE AND CAVALRY 159 
 
 note the opinion of the great cavalryman developed by 
 this war Field Marshal Allenby. He has this to say in 
 his article in the American Cavalry Journal of January, 
 1921, "In the task of strategical reconnaissance, cavalry 
 has in a great measure been displaced by the recent de- 
 velopment of the Air Service. Distant reconnaissance is 
 carried out infinitely more expeditiously and more effi- 
 ciently by aircraft than by horsemen. This effects econ- 
 omy in horse power and in man power and the cavalry 
 is thereby saved for its ever important duties of tactical 
 reconnaissance and battle. 
 
 "Tactical reconnaissance, including the keeping of 
 touch and the filling of gaps in the long front of the 
 present day battlefields, is still the business of the horse- 
 man. 
 
 "The battle value of cavalry increases with the breadth 
 of vision bestowed by aircraft. The Air Service, by en- 
 larging the horizon, renders possible such bold strokes by 
 masses of horsemen as were seen in Mesopotamia, Pales- 
 tine and Syria." 
 
CHAPTER XII 
 
 CAVALRY RECONNAISSANCE, PATROLS AND SCOUTS 
 
 To secure the best results in cavalry reconnaissance the 
 army commander must know and must state to the cav- 
 alry what information is desired. The broad order to 
 discover the position and intentions of the enemy is all 
 very well, but that is the cavalry duty in any case. What 
 must be done if the best results are to be obtained, is to 
 state exactly what information is desired ; whether the 
 enemy is at a certain place; whether certain bridges are 
 or are not destroyed ; whether the enemy is advancing 
 upon certain roads; whether given towns are occupied; 
 how far the flanks of the army extend, etc. Such clear 
 and definite orders will bring in clear and definite reports. 
 
 In all tactical operations it is not only necessary to 
 seek information but it is necessary to know what infor- 
 mation to seek. Napoleon's superior information was 
 mostly due to the fact that he sent his cavalry on a 
 definite mission to secure definite' information. As far 
 as the higher command is concerned, it is simply a ques- 
 tion of having a plan of action mapped out and of seek- 
 ing the special information that will aid or hinder this 
 plan. It implies a knowledge of the art of war. Without 
 a foundation of the principles of war the officer seeking 
 information is working in the dark and at haphazard. 
 He is unable to assess correctly the value of the infor- 
 
 160 
 
PATROLS AND SCOUTS 161 
 
 niation that he does find. With a knowledge of war he 
 is enabled to narrow the field of endeavor and to concen- 
 trate upon the probabilities of the situation. 
 
 The mobility of the cavalry enables it to anticipate 
 events. The intelligence that the cavalry brings is direct 
 evidence of the position and intentions of the enemy. 
 The intelligence brought by cavalry has this advantage 
 over the intelligence gained from other sources ; that it 
 is information more valuable from a military viewpoint 
 owing to the fact that it is information gathered by 
 trained observers. 
 
 In addition to securing the information there is the 
 necessity of transmitting it. One of the great faults in 
 reconnaissance work in 1870 was the fact that officers 
 were sent out on long missions involving in some cases 
 rides of 60 and 70 miles without any proper arrange- 
 ments being made for the transmission to headquarters of 
 the information they obtained. Information, no matter 
 of what import, is valueless unless it reaches the higher 
 command. 
 
 To further the transmission of information it is of 
 great importance that lines of intelligence be established. 
 This is accomplished by means of motorcycle dispatch 
 bearers, motor cars, light wireless sets, buzzers, pigeons, 
 mounted orderlies or relay posts and telephones. It is 
 hoped that wireless telephoning will soon reach a state 
 where it can be an effective aid to military operations. 
 The first point is to secure the information, the second 
 point is to place that information where it can be utilized. 
 
 Reconnaissance zones must be allotted by the chief of 
 the reconnaissance body. These zones must be care- 
 fully defined. For obvious reasons an important road 
 should not be used to limit one boundary of a reconnais- 
 
1 62 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 sance zone. In the case of the change of the direction 
 of the enemy or the shifting of the zone of maneuver, 
 new allotment of reconnaissance zones must be made 
 quickly. This is best done by recalling the forces already 
 out simultaneously with the sending forward of new units 
 on the new sectors. 
 
 It is necessary, in seeking knowledge of the enemy, to 
 touch him at a number of points, as one piece of informa- 
 tion is valuable only in so far as it is supported by other 
 pieces of information. Reports from a multitude of dif- 
 ferent sources must be in the hands of the army intelli- 
 gence authorities before a full appreciation of the situa- 
 tion can be distilled and made the basis for action. 
 
 The service of reconnaissance must be carried out in 
 an offensive sense. To secure the advantages of superior 
 information it is necessary to move on a broad front with 
 strong supports. The enemy must be pushed back re- 
 lentlessly with rifle, machine gun, and artillery fire power, 
 and with the combination of mounted and dismounted 
 attack, until his formed bodies are encountered. THis 
 will necessitate the overthrowing and the driving from 
 the field of his cavalry. 
 
 One duty that will fall particularly to cavalry will be 
 that of making prisoners. This is one of the most im- 
 portant means of gaining information. Every effort 
 should be made to capture prisoners. They must be sent 
 back to examining posts that will be established by intel- 
 ligence authorities in the rear. 
 
 Owing to the importance of information gained from 
 prisoners our own men must be particularly warned of 
 the damage they may commit to their own side by giving 
 any information if captured. They must be told that 
 they will be cleverly cross : examined ; they may be put 
 
PATROLS AND SCOUTS 163 
 
 in confinement with pretended friends who will pump 
 them; they may be subjected to listening devices in their 
 prisons ; threats or promises may be made them. They 
 must be warned of all these and of the traitorous action 
 they would commit if they supplied the enemy with any 
 information, no matter how unimportant it might seem. 
 
 The soldier must have explained to him the work of 
 the intelligence section of an army staff, how they gather 
 in a multitude of seemingly trivial and unimportant 
 pieces of information from which they construct impor- 
 tant facts. For this reason he must not divulge any in- 
 formation no matter how trivial it may seem to him. It 
 may be the keystone to an incomplete arch of knowledge 
 already in enemy possession. 
 
 There are three types of reconnaissance protective, 
 contact and independent. Protective reconnaissance en- 
 sures the absence of the enemy and the safety of the com- 
 mand and takes the form of outposts, patrols for limited 
 range work, flank and rear guards, and in some cases, 
 advance guards. 
 
 Contact reconnaissance is employed by larger bodies 
 who are prepared to fight for information if necessary. 
 This takes the form of reconnaissance in force, large 
 cavalry bodies with reconnaissance missions and in some 
 cases advance guards. 
 
 Independent reconnaissance takes the form of patrols 
 and scouting bodies who have wide discretion granted 
 them, who range very far and who are required to secure 
 information without fighting if possible. 
 
 March outposts the units who protect the marching 
 body when it halts temporarily come under the heading 
 of protective reconnaissance. 
 
 Distances in protective reconnaissance should be sufii- 
 
164 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 cient to allow the commander of the main body to make 
 his dispositions in case of alarm. 
 
 The independent cavalry of an army is the chief recon- 
 noitering force. Its mission is to find the enemy and 
 keep the army commander informed. To achieve its 
 reconnoitering mission it must fight a way through the 
 enemy screen and identify formed bodies. 
 
 It is necessary clearly to define the mission of any de- 
 tached body i. e., whether the leader is engaged in a 
 reconnaissance in which he may find opportunity to 
 damage the enemy or whether he is engaged in a tactical 
 operation in the course of which he may pick up infor- 
 mation. 
 
 The boldness of patrols works to deceive the enemy. 
 The same effect is gained also by the use of exaggerated 
 numbers. It is often advisable to use a cavalry force as 
 a screen for demonstration purposes while the main at- 
 tack is developed elsewhere. Ashby, the leader of Stone- 
 wall Jackson's cavalry force, was very skillful in this use 
 of the cavalry and succeeded in keeping the enemy in 
 doubt as to whether his force was strongly supported 
 or not. 
 
 The attitude of inhabitants has a strong influence upon 
 reconnaissance duties. In hostile countries much larger 
 patrols with much stronger supports must be used than 
 is possible amongst a friendly population. 
 
 Outpost patrols in front of the lines are not very good, 
 not only owing to the fact that they are often mistaken 
 for the enemy and useless alarms occasioned thereby, 
 but because of the fact that they tend to lessen the vigi- 
 lance of the outpost lines who place an exaggerated value 
 on the security afforded by them. Patrols on the flanks of 
 the force are not open to the same objections. 
 
PATROLS AND SCOUTS 165 
 
 The whole idea of advance guard reconnaissance must 
 be based upon the necessity of securing tactical informa- 
 tion. Information and security are synonymous terms. 
 The value of the advance guard depends greatly upon the 
 quality of the reconnaissance work, even to a greater 
 extent than upon its fighting power. Information that 
 can lead a commander to a correct decision as to when 
 to attack and where, is of untold value. 
 
 The advance guard duties, especially in the cavalry, 
 should be carried out in an offensive spirit. A "normal" 
 advance guard formation is about as ridiculous as a 
 "normal attack." The wedge-shaped formation usually 
 adopted as the last word in advance guard formations is 
 purely a defensive formation. The offensive advance 
 guard should have observing parties well forward on its 
 flanks and move on a broad front. This acts also as a 
 screen. 
 
 The principle of keeping one's intenlions from the 
 knowledge of the enemy is violated by the use of the 
 wedge-shaped formation ; any intelligent military observer 
 knows immediately that this is an advance guard forma- 
 tion, and that the main body is close behind. Further- 
 more, upon the rencontre it is necessary to observe the 
 enemy's main body as quickly as possible. There can be 
 no doubt as to the superior ease of observation from the 
 patrols on the flanks of the line formation as compared 
 to the same observation attempted from the wedge shaped 
 formation. 
 
 The commander of a smaller cavalry detachment such 
 as a contact squadron, a large patrol, troop or other body 
 would do well to keep the direction of the scouting in 
 his own hands. With a fixed formation, the security of 
 the column is left to the individual intelligence and energy 
 
166 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 of one or more troopers on the flanks. They are very 
 prone to disregard strong points that might possibly shel- 
 ter an enemy. A better plan is to send out successive 
 units to search designated points and then return to the 
 column. This can be done without slowing up the march 
 by sending these units far enough in advance, watching 
 for their signals and then sending out the next trooper 
 or troopers before the return of the original ones. It 
 might be called "patrolling by successive loops. " 
 
 The reconnaissance on the part of a retreating force 
 must extend well to the flanks and well forward, as the 
 enemy invariably will attempt to pass the rear guard and 
 hit the flank of the main body. 
 
 The cavalry screen is employed to conceal tactical or 
 strategical movements from enemy observation. It is not, 
 as it is often described, a "cloud" of cavalry. It is the 
 advance on a broad front of a line of strong groups, each 
 covering its sector by patrols. Basically it consists of a 
 line of groups in observation and a line of supporting 
 groups, with also a line of reserves. Good communica- 
 tion laterally and in depth is essential. 
 
 An advance guard, considered offensively, should not 
 rest content with simple protection of the main body. 
 This is only the securing of negative results. In war 
 you must strike the enemy and deliver your blows on his 
 formed bodies. Therefore the purely negative idea of 
 simple protection of the main body must be supplemented 
 by reconnaissance measures of sufficient value to insure 
 prompt enough information to permit the attnck being 
 launched quickly and effectually. This information must 
 be of such nature as to permit your own commanding offi- 
 cer to reap full advantage of the element of surprise and 
 to take swift and resolute action against the enemy. 
 
PATROLS AND SCOUTS 167 
 
 The principles of effective screening and reconnaissance 
 are a broad front, strong supports and concerted action. 
 There is nothing incompatible in the necessity of ex- 
 tension on a broad front and the tactical necessity of 
 combined and concerted action. This is only the ap- 
 plication of one of the principles of war, the principle 
 of the economy of forces. Effective reconnaissance re- 
 quires width of front while successful tactical action 
 requires depth of formation. The happy combination of 
 these two is the indication of a skillful leader. 
 
 The value of negative information must be impressed 
 upon all subordinates. It is just as important for higher 
 command to know where the enemy is not in many cases 
 as it is to know where he is. It is also a check on the 
 presence and activities of the reconnoitering detachments 
 and assures the commander that all fronts are being 
 covered. 
 
 In sending out patrols with two missions to perform, 
 instruct the leader as to the more important. 
 
 The highest type of reconnaissance is that where the 
 leader is told what is wanted and left to choose his own 
 means. Wellington in the Peninsular campaign was par- 
 ticularly noted for the excellence of his service of infor- 
 mation. This was his guiding principle. 
 
 Do not, when approaching a retreating enemy, do so 
 directly from the rear where he has a rear guard but 
 strike in on a flank where he does not expect you. 
 
 When a large force is despatched on a contact mission 
 the enemy must concentrate his screening bodies to meet 
 it. Instructions must be given to all our own troops in 
 other sectors to increase their activity in order to take 
 advantage of the corresponding weakening of the enemy 
 forces in their front. 
 
168 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 In combined operations with large bodies the recon- 
 naissance should be kept in the hands of higher com- 
 mand to avoid duplication of effort. Failure to do this 
 was one of the faults committed by the German Army in 
 their advance on the Moselle in 1870. 
 
 The Scout: 
 
 The basis of all cavalry reconnaissance work is the 
 cavalry trooper. In the final analysis the army having 
 the most intelligent and best instructed troopers will 
 produce the highest degree of results in reconnaissance. 
 The cavalry soldier must be trained carefully in his 
 duties. He must learn first of all that the measure of 
 the value of a scout is not the number of moving-picture 
 hair-breadth adventures that he undergoes but the amount 
 of information that he brings back. He must be grounded 
 in military knowledge to such an extent as to insure that 
 his reports will be intelligent and of sufficient value. He 
 must be instructed in the military vocabulary in the rec- 
 ognition and designation of the landscape and must be 
 taught the essentials of tactics. His intelligence, initia- 
 tive and self-reliance must be fostered. 
 
 He must be taught the elements of concealment and 
 instructed that they are simply an application of common 
 sense. Every opportunity must be used by his officers 
 while at drill and on the march to teach him essential 
 points in scouting. 
 
 He must be taught the following and shown by prac- 
 tical example: 
 
 The avoidance of crest lines, summits, open ground. 
 Quiescence when stationary, caution when moving. 
 
PATROLS AND SCOUTS 169 
 
 Knowledge of backgrounds. 
 Concealment ; value of shadow and sunlight. 
 "Freezing" (Motion meaning life to most observers). 
 To observe on foot and realize that the horse makes 
 
 too many motions for safety. 
 
 To advance by successive bounds ; to make use of a 
 good post of observation before moving on to the 
 next one. 
 
 The value of silence, especially in wooded country. 
 Memory for landmarks. 
 Looking over the back trail for a possible return in 
 
 a hurry. 
 
 For night operations, sense of direction, the stars, 
 running water, judgment of time and space, wind 
 direction, slopes, hills, roads, fences, danger of 
 smoking, avoidance of crests (so as not to loom 
 up against star or moonlight). The value of 
 transverse lines across the direction of route to 
 check up on map. 
 
 Training to seize value of cover, shadow, broken sun- 
 light, small hillocks, depressions, tufts of grass. 
 
 The value of blurring the outline (the feather bonnet 
 of the Indian and the habit of the Zulu in slowly raising 
 a small bush over a hill crest before raising his head to 
 look through it). 
 
 The danger of disturbing flocks of animals, and the 
 value of watching the actions of flocks of animals, wild 
 birds, etc. 
 
 The value of patience. 
 
 The avoidance of an appearance of apprehension when 
 discovered. The enemy would rather capture than kill. 
 A sudden sign of alarm or ill-considered attempt to 
 
170 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 escape might precipitate a volley where an unconcerned 
 and unsuspicious attitude might lead to an opportunity 
 for escape a moment or two later. 
 
 To change direction when out of sight and being pur- 
 sued. 
 
 Never to appear where normally expected. Point of 
 emergence from a wood for example should never be 
 normal exit. 
 
 Avoid use of firearms where possible. 
 
 To remember that most discoveries are made at the 
 halt. That scouting work resolves itself into picking one 
 good observation post after another and properly ex- 
 ploiting the possibilities of each and a quick and incon- 
 spicuous movement from one to the other. 
 
 To use field glasses always and whenever opportunity 
 offers. 
 
 To look at things from the enemy's viewpoint. As the 
 old sea captain in one of Kipling's stories said, to explain 
 his success in always locating the schools of cod fish, he 
 "thought like a cod." 
 
 Observation of tracks in mud and dust and study of 
 the effects of wind and sun upon them. Remember when 
 following a dim trail to look several yards ahead rather 
 than directly on the ground at your feet. 
 
 Study the enemy, his usual strength of patrols, out- 
 posts, the speed and condition of his horses, his skill, 
 initiative, courage, etc. 
 
 Always consider possible line of retreat. Never return 
 by the same route if possible. Remember that snares 
 are always set in runs. 
 
 Always have a rough plan of operations ready for any 
 emergency. The danger of surprise is the delay caused 
 by hesitation, 
 
PATROLS AND SCOUTS 171 
 
 Never enter an enclosure without looking for an alter- 
 native exit or a "back door." 
 
 In leaving the horse leave him in a position for a quick 
 get away. If surprised by horsemen while on foot move 
 towards wooded or broken ground where it is difficult for 
 horsemen to follow. 
 
 Always carry the rifle. A shot or two will dampen the 
 enthusiasm of a pursuer, and make him think that your 
 boldness portends support near at hand. 
 
 Train constantly in military fundamentals of knowl- 
 edge ; a civilian scout might be clever but his information 
 would be useless from a military standpoint because of 
 his ignorance of the size of units, branches of service, 
 etc. 
 
 Learn the peculiarities of the enemy's footgear, his 
 shoeing of horses, his artillery wagon and motor trans- 
 portation tracks. Be able to tell whether a large or 
 small force has been on the ground. 
 
 An observation of enemy's tracks may lead to the 
 avoidance of an ambush. 
 
 Study dust clouds and learn the different forms made 
 by different arms of the service. 
 
 Have a unit of estimation for troops and for distances. 
 
 Watch for smoke and fire. 
 
 Observe and report on enemy's system of protection 
 and its efficiency. 
 
 Learn to get second hand information from inhabitants, 
 prisoners, deserters, etc., and to judge of its value from 
 the intelligence or disinterestedness of the person. Con- 
 sider hostile inhabitants as enemy spies and avoid where 
 possible. 
 
 Collect all documents, letters, note-books, scraps of 
 paper and turn them in even if you cannot read them. 
 
172 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 Turn in buttons, articles of equipment, etc., for examina- 
 tion by the intelligence officers. 
 
 Remember that a live enemy in the form of a prisoner 
 is valuable to the intelligence authorities in the rear. 
 
 Do not neglect to report anything unusual that you 
 have seen. Remember that your reports may be amongst 
 thousands that are sifted and gone over, weighed and 
 compared, by trained intelligence personnel and a thing 
 that to you may seem trivial may be of undreamed of 
 importance when added to other facts. 
 
 Maps should be understood and the scout should be 
 able to draw rough sketches. 
 
 Finally, get your information as quickly as possible to 
 your immediate superior. 
 
 The Patrol: 
 
 A patrol leader is valuable according to the degree of 
 tactical and strategic knowledge that he possesses. For 
 this reason our younger officers, on whom so much of 
 the actual patrolling work will fall, should be well 
 grounded in the tactics of their own and other arms and 
 should possess a knowledge of the elements of strategy. 
 This applies to non-commissioned cavalry officer as well. 
 
 Before starting on his mission the patrol leader must 
 cross-examine himself and examine his command. He 
 must assure himself that his men and horses are fit, 
 inspect ammunition, food, clothing, shoeing, see that field 
 glasses are in working shape and must instruct his com- 
 mand in their duties and their mission. He must know 
 clearly what information is required, what direction he is 
 to take, whether negative information is desired, where 
 and how he will transmit information to the rear. 
 
PATROLS AND SCOUTS 173 
 
 There are a few general things that a patrol leader 
 should keep in mind. He must never appear when or 
 where normally expected. He must look on the situation 
 from the enemy's viewpoint in order to gain an insight 
 into the enemy's probable course of action. He must 
 never get into a situation with no means of exit. He 
 must remember that the more decisive the direction in 
 which one moves the greater is the probability of encoun- 
 tering the enemy. In hostile country he must conduct 
 himself as though surrounded by legions of spies. If 
 pursued, he must remember that there is no pursuit so 
 enthusiastic as that of defenselessness. He must keep a 
 sting in his tail, remembering that a well-placed rifle shot 
 or two will considerably dampen the ardor of pursuit. 
 
 When in doubt he must take the offensive. An illus- 
 tration of this was the action of a Prussian lieutenant, 
 von Papen, who, with his patrol of 15 men, in 1870 was 
 pursued by a French party of some 30 men. He found 
 himself confronted by a stream. Three of his horses 
 refused to jump. To avoid having them captured he 
 turned, recrossed the stream and charged the French 
 party, taking them by surprise and driving them off with 
 loss. The report of this event, brought back to the 
 French General, Ladmirault, caused him to deploy his 
 whole corps the next day, imagining that such boldness 
 could only mean the presence of large enemy bodies in 
 his vicinity. 
 
 To have the enemy arrive on the scene simultaneously 
 with the arrival of the news of him is a situation that 
 very often arises. It is an indication of poor perform- 
 ance of reconnaissance duties. . 
 
 When reporting his information, the sending officer 
 must remember that it is as difficult to draft a good 
 
174 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 report as it is a good order. Clearness and brevity make 
 the soul of a report. It must always be examined by the 
 sending officer in a detached way in order to visualize the 
 information from the receiving officer's viewpoint. 
 
 Every document of any possible value must be 
 examined and sent in. This applies to newspapers, 
 notebooks, and practically any piece of paper containing 
 any writing in the enemy language. Von Kluck, in his 
 march through Belgium with the First Army, gained much 
 valuable information of the movements of the English 
 army through scraps of letters and notebooks and parts 
 of orders picked up on the roads and fields and from 
 dead and wounded men and prisoners. 
 
 The principle of successful patrolling is to survey 
 ground thoroughly before moving over it, using the field 
 glasses to cover it carefully. Remember in using field 
 glasses to divide the area to be observed into some sort 
 of sectors, systematizing the work and leaving no place 
 uncovered. In positions in observation have one man as 
 observer, dismounted, with the rest of the men and horses 
 concealed. 
 
 Before starting on a patrol it is necessary to fix on a 
 few signals. There should be one, for instance, for the 
 commander to assemble his patrol, another to enable the 
 commander to call in a flanker, another for flanker to call 
 the commander to observe anything suspicious. It is 
 necessary to have the patrol formation elastic. For this 
 reason a formation in line is the best. In addition to ease 
 of control and to the greater extent of terrain covered, 
 this formation gives the commander an ability to swing a 
 flank through a dangerous place without risking his entire 
 patrol. This will also frustrate enemy attempts at 
 ambush. 
 
PATROLS AND SCOUTS 175 
 
 One man must be kept so far in rear that he can 
 make a "get away" in case of surprise and capture. 
 Remember it is easier to capture a nian by waiting for 
 him than by chasing him. This necessitates an ability to 
 see before being seen. One principle of all reconnais- 
 sance is to discover the enemy before the enemy discovers 
 you. 
 
 In making movements remember that the regular 
 recurring movement most quickly catches the eye, 
 especially in imperfect light. A quick movement of the 
 whole force over exposed ground may be unobserved. 
 There is less danger in swift movement than in slow, as 
 even if discovered and fired upon it disturbs the enemy 
 and lessens his aim. 
 
 In reporting upon ground it is necessary to study it 
 from the viewpoint of higher command. Remember that 
 a sketch or map tells much more than a statement. 
 Strive for useful maps and sketches instead of merely 
 artistic ones. 
 
 Attempt must be made to gain information from 
 inhabitants. In hostile countries great care must be used 
 in this. In questioning a civilian, consider the man's 
 intelligence and status in life, find out his business and 
 what his viewpoint or his special knowledge might be. 
 It is a safe plan to avoid hostile inhabitants, considering 
 them as part of the enemy forces. In sending in infor- 
 mation, . separate what you have heard from what you 
 have actually seen. 
 
 Everything unusual must be reported, no matter how 
 irreletant it may seem. Small articles of enemy equip- 
 ment must be sent back for examination. Information 
 that will lead to the determination of the state of the 
 enemy morale will be of value. The finding of a great 
 
176 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 many articles of equipment is one means of judging the 
 state of enemy discipline. 
 
 Keep constantly the object and the mission in view. 
 Attempts to capture prisoners, to fight enemy patrols, 
 and to capture trophies must not interfere with the main 
 object, which is to gain information. An example of poor 
 patrolling work is furnished by a Lieutenant Ramin of 
 the Prussian cavalry. On August 8th, 1870, he reported 
 the location of an abandoned enemy camp, but made no 
 mention of the size of it nor of the direction in which 
 the enemy left it ; he pursued a hostile patrol a long dis- 
 tance instead of a sufficient distance to determine that 
 there were no formed bodies in the rear of it and com- 
 pletely forgot his mission in this pursuit. 
 
 If a patrol leader finds important traces of the enemy 
 in a direction different from that to which assigned he 
 must split his patrol. 
 
 The enemy is best observed while on the march. 
 Marches are usually undertaken in the morning. The 
 enemy is usually in camp or bivouac in the evening which 
 makes the task more difficult. For this reason patrols 
 must start early. Patrol leaders should make their plans 
 in the evening for the following day if practicable. They 
 should study the map of their sector until they have it 
 learned by heart. 
 
 Remember the value of negative information. If there 
 is certain indication that the enemy is not in a sector to 
 which the patrol is assigned the leader must continue, 
 sending back negative reports meanwhile and must above 
 all not encroach upon territory assigned to another patrol. 
 
 Upon the rencontre, or surprise meeting with an enemy 
 patrol, take the immediate offensive, first being sure that 
 
PATROLS AND SCOUTS 177 
 
 the patrol is not the point, or advance party, of a larger 
 body. Arrange an ambush if possible. This is another 
 advantage of seeing the enemy before being seen. Every 
 success of this nature increases the moral superiority of 
 your own men. If it is impossible to care for prisoners 
 they can be rendered harmless by being deprived of 
 horses, arms and shoes. 
 
 In forward movements the patrol leader must call the 
 attention of men to road forkings, lookout positions, 
 and in general, have the men study the back trail. This 
 will facilitate the progress of messengers returning with 
 reports. It is best to acquaint men with the contents of 
 any written messages they carry so that, when in danger 
 of capture, they can destroy them and still report if they 
 succeed in escaping. 
 
 Do not send single horsemen long distances in hostile 
 country. In case of important information send a re- 
 porting patrol of 2 or 3 men. The strength of a patrol 
 for this reason should be based on the number of mes- 
 sages it is expected to send. 
 
 Reconnaissance has not attained its objective until the 
 main bodjes of the enemy have been located and reported 
 upon. These reports must be complete. To state that 
 a "party" of the enemy was observed is a waste of time, 
 paper and horse flesh. What is wanted is a report on 
 the numbers of the party, their branch of the service, 
 their tactical significance and any other points that can 
 be of value. 
 
 In hostile countries it will be necessary to move with 
 stronger patrols. Instruct your men that, when pur- 
 sued, they should never return directly to the hiding 
 place of the patrol, thereby disclosing it to the enemy. 
 
178 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 If your patrol is pursued never lead the enemy directly 
 back to the support. The wisest plan is to disperse and 
 re-form at some point previously designated. 
 
 In advancing a man to investigate a dangerous point 
 cover his approach with the rifles of the rest of the patrol. 
 It is hard to hit a mounted man moving rapidly but it 
 would be especially difficult if the enemy himself is being 
 fired upon. In approaching hills or elevations in which 
 the enemy's presence is suspected remember there is usu- 
 ally "dead ground" at the base of the hill. This is the 
 place to change both gait and direction. If the presence 
 of the enemy in concealment is suspected but he refuses 
 to disclose himself, one method is to return nonchalantly 
 in the direction from whence you have come and when 
 out of sight dismount, creep back and observe with glasses. 
 This will very often result in finding the enemies' heads 
 bobbed up. 
 
 The patrol commander should have rank and experi- 
 ence sufficient to make his reports of some value. He 
 must state all information in any way bearing upon the 
 strength, arm of service, intentions and dispositions of 
 the enemy. To deduce these things he must be familiar 
 with military practice and procedure. The more knowl- 
 edge that he has of the art of war the more valuable 
 will he be as a reconnoitering agent. 
 
 If he is in hostile country and does not speak the lan- 
 guage he must have an interpreter with him. One ad- 
 vantage of our army is the ease with which it is possible 
 to locate an interpreter amongst the enlisted personnel. 
 
 It may be advisable to send out an escort, part way, 
 with a patrol, to establish a sort of advanced base or mes- 
 sage center. This escort may leave relays or communica- 
 tion posts behind it. 
 
PATROLS AND SCOUTS 179 
 
 Patrols sent out with a protective mission to accom- 
 plish must fight. Purely information patrols must avoid 
 combat unless it is necessary in carrying out their mis- 
 sion. Young and active patrol leaders too frequently are 
 spoiling for a fight to the extent of forgetting that the 
 fight is only a means to the end and that their mission 
 is to gather information. 
 
 An electric flashlight is an indispensable portion of a 
 patrol leader's equipment, to enable him to read and write 
 messages at night, to examine maps, etc. 
 
 The patrol leader must start out with the most complete 
 grasp possible of the general and special situation to per- 
 mit him to act intelligently. 
 
 The patrol leader should see for himself whenever pos- 
 sible. This applies to the cavalry officer in any situation. 
 
 Night Operations: 
 
 The patrol at night should work dismounted. The 
 men should be well closed up so as to be able instantly 
 to conform to the movements of the leading man. It 
 is desirable to have oral communication between all parts 
 of the patrol. Signals must be fixed upon in advance. It 
 must be remembered that sound is more audible in the 
 silence of the night than in the day time. 
 
 It is important not to lose contact with the enemy at 
 night. On the night of August 6- 7th, 1870, von Bredow's 
 Brigade lost all touch with the V French Corps which 
 slipped away through the mountains and formed a junc- 
 tion with MacMahon's Army. All touch with the enemy 
 on this flank was lost for days. 
 
 The service and practice of night patrolling is a very 
 important subject of training for cavalry in peace time. 
 
180 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 For finding the way across country at night study the 
 map beforehand and figure out the directions of rivers 
 or streams, the slope of the ground and its direction;* 
 roads, fences, etc., are all helpful in keeping the direction 
 or in checking up on it. 
 
 Every effort should be made to give the horses all the 
 rest possible at night. A horse is useless or nearly so 
 for night patrolling. Select a resting place for the patrol 
 where the avenues of approach can be guarded. Horses 
 must be unsaddled and the unit guarded against surprise. 
 It may be necessary to retire with the bulk of the patrol 
 leaving one or two men in observation, dismounted. Their 
 horses can be tended by the remainder of the patrol and 
 brought up by them in the morning. The patrol must 
 not retire so far as to necessitate a long march to recover 
 the lost ground. In friendly countries stay in the larger 
 villages, in hostile countries avoid villages. 
 
 The Transmission of Information: 
 
 Every means must be used to get information back 
 where it can be used. Telegraph and telephone lines, 
 buzzer, aeroplane-dropped messages, motor cycles, pig- 
 eons, mounted messengers, automobiles, wireless and all 
 other means that can be found should be utilized. 
 
 It should only be necessary to get the information back 
 to the advanced troops. It must be cared for by their 
 intelligence personnel and forwarded. 
 
 Information intended both for other troops and for 
 higher authority must be noted as having been sent to 
 other troops, "copies to. C.O.'s ist and 2nd Squadrons." 
 This will avoid having higher command receive several 
 messages of the same import which might exaggerate the 
 
PATROLS AND SCOUTS 181 
 
 importance of the original information. Keep a record 
 of all information sent. 
 
 Patrol leaders and messengers must transmit all in- 
 formation to neighboring units and to all officers met, 
 telling them to whom they are transmitting the informa- 
 tion. 
 
 The ordinary channels of information are from sub- 
 ordinate to superior. If there is a certainty of a more 
 rapid transmission than this, use it, notifying all inter- 
 mediate commanders of the information. Give informa- 
 tion ro the first fresh troops met "for transmission." 
 The officer or non-commissioned officer receiving it im- 
 mediately becomes responsible for its proper transmis- 
 sion. The task of the messenger is not finished until he 
 has checked its final arrival. 
 
 Urgent information should be sent immediately to 
 higher command. This should not be done unless ab- 
 solutely necessary and then should be followed by trans- 
 mitting it through the customary channels. 
 
 Reports must be carefully made, separating opinions 
 from facts. They should be condensed and brief to 
 facilitate their transmission by wire or wireless. The 
 number of the report should in all cases be noted thereon 
 as well as the place, date and time, and name or designa- 
 tion of the sending detachment. 
 
 It is important that the statements of inhabitants are 
 not sent back as facts. The information coming from 
 untrained observers should be accepted with caution. 
 
 In sending important information when there is no other 
 means than mounted messengers send it by several men, 
 preferably taking different routes. 
 
CHAPTER XIII 
 
 NOTES ON FOREIGN CAVALRY 
 
 British Cavalry: 
 
 The British cavalry operating in Palestine consisted of 
 Australian and New Zealand forces and of British Yeo- 
 manry. The Australian and New Zealand forces were, 
 properly speaking, at the commencement of the opera- 
 tions, mounted infantry. They were armed with the rifle 
 and bayonet. The Australian Light Horse Division was 
 afterwards armed with the sword and instructed in its 
 use. The tendency of these Colonial troops was to de- 
 velop more into cavalry as time went on. 
 
 The British Yeomanry was armed and equipped like 
 the British regular cavalry. The Yeomanry corresponds 
 somewhat to our National Guard. 
 
 The British b'rigades consisted generally of three regi- 
 ments, of three squadrons each ; the squadron was divided 
 into four troops of some twenty-four men each. This 
 makes a British squadron slightly larger than one of our 
 troops, their regiment slightly larger than one of our 
 four-troop squadrons with corresponding differences up 
 to and including the division. 
 
 Mounted Attack Formations 
 
 At the beginning of operations the Colonial troops 
 charged with the rifle on the back and the bayonet held 
 
 182 
 
NOTES ON FOREIGN CAVALRY 183 
 
 in the hand on several occasions. As noted above a 
 large proportion of them were later armed with the 
 sword. This was by their own unanimous request. The 
 Colonial troops had the single rank formation. 
 
 The Yeomanry troops attacked with the sword. They 
 had the double rank formation. The mounted attack 
 was usually made with two squadrons of the regiment 
 in the first line and the third squadron in the second 
 line. The same formation was adopted in the brigade, 
 the attack being made with two regiments in the first 
 and one in the second line. 
 
 Dismounted Attack Formations 
 
 The attack, dismounted, was made by the squadron 
 in four lines. With the Australians and New Zealanders 
 each line consisted of one troop, with the troop leader 
 and an automatic weapon in the center of each line. 
 In the Yeomanry the attack was also made in four lines 
 but the troops had extension in depth, the first and sec- 
 ond troops taking the right and left halves respectively 
 of the first and second lines, with the third and fourth 
 troops taking the right and left halves respectively of the 
 third and fourth lines. In both cases, the squadron com- 
 mander took his place in the third or fourth line. 
 
 Each troop had from 18 to 20 men in line. There 
 was very little signalling after the action started, the 
 main dependence being placed on the cooperation of all 
 leaders in the carrying out of the instructions received 
 before the commencement of the action. 
 
 The advance by rushes was not considered of any 
 value. The advance was made at a walk, moving rapidly 
 on the objective, the men neither halting nor lying down 
 unless forced to do so by excessive losses. They closed 
 
184 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 tip on the enemy with the bayonet. (All mounted troops 
 in the Palestine campaign were armed with the bayonet.) 
 
 The majority of the attacks were made after good prep- 
 aration by rifle, machine gun and artillery fire. At- 
 tacks were organized in depth with as few men as pos- 
 sible attacking directly. 
 
 Great stress was laid upon personal reconnaissance 
 before entering the attack. The brigade commander, with 
 his three regimental and his machine gun and artillery 
 commanders, would make a careful reconnaissance. The 
 troops were kept under cover until all plans had been 
 made and orders issued. The second in command of 
 the brigade brought the troops forward on the comple- 
 tion of this preliminary survey. The success of the 
 operations was, as a whole, due to the care with which 
 this preliminary reconnaisance was made. This was 
 followed by care in the issuing of orders and instruc- 
 tions to the subordinate commanders. 
 
 Led horses were cared for in a manner very similar 
 to ours. They were seldom immobilized, however, 
 (coupled or circled), owing to the danger from aerial 
 bombing or machine gun attacks. 
 
 The Proposed British Cavalry Division 
 
 The trend of thought in British cavalry circles can be 
 seen from the recommendations of a recent board of 
 general officers convened by the British War Office to 
 make recommendations for the future organization of 
 the cavalry division. 
 
 These recommendations specifically left out of consid- 
 eration any possibilities of trench warfare. It was stated 
 that special equipment for this possibility was considered 
 
NOTES ON FOREIGN CAVALRY 185 
 
 wasteful, believing that any need for this type of equip- 
 ment could be met by higher authority at the time the 
 need arose. 
 
 They recommended that mixed brigades be done away 
 with and that the cavalry brigade contain nothing but 
 cavalry, the auxiliaries being kept under control of the 
 division. It was noted that the highest degree of co- 
 operation was necessary between the cavalry and these 
 auxiliaries but that this cooperation could best be se- 
 cured directly under the division commander. Special 
 needs or detached service on the part of any of the 
 brigades or regiments could be met by the assignment 
 of the necessary auxiliaries when the occasion arose. 
 
 It was recommended that the division of three brigades 
 be adopted because four brigades would be unwieldy 
 and two would not be convenient tactically. For similar 
 reasons the brigade should be composed of three regi- 
 ments. 
 
 The Cavalry Regiment 
 
 The underlying idea in the organization and strength 
 of the regiment is the idea of having a unit that can 
 easily be controlled by one man, the regimental com- 
 mander. It was recommended that it consist of three 
 large squadrons, each of five troops, one of which would 
 be a Hotchkiss Gun Troop. This would distribute the 
 Hotchkiss guns in the most satisfactory manner and 
 would still leave the other portions free and available 
 for mounted or dismounted work. 
 
 The personnel allotted to regimental headquarters 
 should be organized as a squadron. 
 
 The number of Hotchkiss guns allotted to the regiment 
 
186 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 should be 14, at the rate of 2 per headquarters squadron 
 and 4 per fighting squadron. 
 
 A troop (righting) would consist of 24 rank and file. 
 The regimental total would then be 570 of all ranks in 
 round numbers. Personnel required for signalling should 
 form an integral part of the regiment. Stores required 
 for demolitions should not be part of the equipment of 
 the regiment as this work should be left to the engineers. 
 The discarding of the horse bandolier for the carrying 
 of extra ammunition was recommended. 
 
 Artillery with the Cavalry Division 
 
 The main consideration is to have guns that can keep 
 pace with the cavalry. The British i8-pounder is con- 
 sidered too heavy for this purpose; the I3~pounder, 
 or even a lighter gun, is considered more suitable. 
 
 It is necessary to add a proportion of howitzers, this 
 to overcome the opposition of enemy detachments in 
 places where they cannot be reached by the flat trajec- 
 toried field guns. The artillery for the division should 
 consist of a headquarters, three 6-gun 13-pounder bat- 
 teries, and one 6-gun 4.5 in. howitzer battery together 
 with an ammunition column. 
 
 The ammunition column should be so organized as to 
 provide three light sections carrying 13 pdr. ammunition 
 and a proportion of small arms ammunition. A howitzer 
 section and a heavy section of G. S. wagons also carry- 
 ing 13 pdr. ammunition are also assigned. Batteries 
 with a suitable proportion of the ammunition column 
 could be attached to brigades when needed. Each bat- 
 tery should be equipped with two Hotchkiss guns. A 
 light car should be added for the artillery commander 
 of the division. 
 
NOTES ON FOREIGN CAVALRY 187 
 
 Machine Guns with the Cavalry Division 
 
 While it is necessary to have the closest connection with 
 the machine guns and the cavalry it is felt that this is 
 best attained by keeping the former under the direction 
 of the division, detaching them when occasion requires 
 with detached units. They should be organized into three 
 self-contained squadrons, capable of being attached each 
 to a brigade when necessary. 
 
 Each squadron should have twelve guns, which is 
 considered the largest number that can be efficiently 
 handled by one commander. Each squadron should be 
 organized into three troops of four guns each. Each 
 troop would be divided into two subsections. 
 
 In the event that machine guns capable of firing armor 
 piercing bullets are adopted, it is recommended that they 
 be attached to the cavalry division in suitable numbers. 
 These should be attached to the machine guns of the 
 squadron and included in the allotment. 
 
 Motor machine guns and armored car units should not 
 be included in the cavalry division but should be attached 
 to it when necessary, 
 
 The French Cavalry: 
 
 Organisation 
 
 The French cavalry platoon consists of three squads 
 which are each composed of ten men and a corporal. 
 It is commanded by a first or second lieutenant, who 
 has two non-commissioned or sous-ofliciers called marechal 
 des logis. 
 
 The squadron is composed of four platoons and is 
 commanded by a captain. Its strength is actually about 
 no men. 
 
188 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 The regiment consists of four squadrons, a machine 
 gun section of four guns, and a supply section, both 
 commanded by officers. The regiment is commanded by 
 a colonel. The major of cavalry commands one or more 
 squadrons. His position corresponds somewhat to that 
 of our lieutenant-colonel. The cavalry brigade consists 
 of two regiments, commanded by a brigadier general. 
 The regimental officers have all been through the ranks 
 for at least a year's service and then have all been grad- 
 uated from the Cavalry School at Saumur. 
 
 The Non-Commissioned Officer 
 
 The French non-commissioned officers are much more 
 thoroughly trained and have more responsibility and au- 
 thority than ours. 
 
 To qualify for the position of corporal (Brigadier) 
 the soldier must have served at least four months with 
 the squadron. He is examined in both theoretical and 
 practical subjects by his officers. These subjects consist 
 of tests in horsemanship, use of arms, both mounted and 
 dismounted, and an oral test in cavalry drill regulations. 
 To be a sergeant of cavalry (marechal des logis) the 
 corporal must have served at least six months in his 
 rank. The examination is along the same lines as the 
 examination for corporal but is more advanced. 
 
 After two years' service as marechal des logis he may 
 make application for written examination for entrance to 
 the Cavalry School at Saumur. These examinations are 
 very difficult, including both theoretical and practical 
 subjects. Assistance to men wishing to prepare for this 
 is furnished by the officers who conduct classes in the 
 regiment. If successful in this examination the sergeant 
 attends the school for one year. While there he holds the 
 
NOTES ON FOREIGN CAVALRY 189 
 
 rank of aspirant. Upon successful completion of this 
 course the aspirant is commissioned as a second lieutenant 
 and assigned to a regiment. If unsuccessful he is re- 
 turned to the regiment from which appointed, with the 
 rank of marechal des logis. 
 
 Automatic Rifles 
 
 There are six automatic rifles (the Chauchat) carried 
 in each squadron. Two of these are carried in the first 
 and fourth platoons, respectively, and one each in the 
 second and third. The gun crew consists of a corporal 
 and three privates, one as loader, one as carrier, and one 
 to lead the gun horse. The corporal fires the gun. All 
 automatic rifle instruction in the regiment is carried on 
 under the supervision of one officer. The average rate 
 of fire developed is said not to be more than from 20 
 to 30 shots a minute per gun owing to the frequent 
 stoppages. 
 
 Some Tactical Principles of the French Cavalry 
 
 The tactical principles that guide the French cavalry 
 are substantially those of the Regufations of May, 1918. 
 They state that rapidity, mobility and capacity for 
 maneuver are the first requisites for cavalry as long as 
 there exists opportunity for march and maneuver. 
 Cavalry must fight. These fights will, in the majority of 
 cases, take place on foot. Cavalry tactics, therefore, must 
 conform to the modern development of fire power. The 
 cavalry must be able to fight on foot unaided, except for 
 the artillery. 
 
 The mounted fight, however, must not be lost sight of. 
 Training must be had in preparation for this. Opportuni- 
 ties for the mounted fight will occur when operating 
 
190 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 against cavalry, in making or receiving a charge, against 
 shaken or surprised infantry in open warfare, against 
 artillery in column of route, and against the flanks and 
 rear of artillery. 
 
 Cavalry is an arm easy to expend and difficult to re- 
 place. It must not, therefore, be sacrificed under circum- 
 stances that do not allow the use of its special charac- 
 teristics. 
 
 Cavalry dismounted formations must conform to their 
 equivalents in the infantry; the cavalry regiment for 
 example, when dismounted, should correspond to and 
 have equal strength with two infantry companies. 
 
 The mobility of cavalry must be taken advantage of 
 even when in the dismounted fight, and attempts must 
 be made upon the enemy's flanks and rear. When the 
 enemy stands firm he must be held by fire while the 
 mounted portion of the command advances against him. 
 The cavalry command is divided into three parts ist 
 the dismounted portion, 2nd the led horses and combat 
 equipment, 3rd the mounted reserve which can be as 
 large as one-fourth of the whole. 
 
 The mounted reserve protects the flanks. It takes 
 fullest advantage of success by throwing elements into 
 the fire fight against the flanks and rear of the enemy. 
 It pursues the retreating enemy and protects the mount- 
 ing of the dismounted men. It is charged also with 
 maintaining communication with the neighboring units. 
 
 The corps and divisional cavalry ensures success in 
 the offensive battle, the army cavalry exploits success. In 
 the defense the cavalry can limit and localize the effect 
 of the enemy's breaking through any portion of the line. 
 
 Cavalry must make charges against the retreating in- 
 fantry and artillery. It must rapidly enlarge points of 
 
NOTES ON FOREIGN CAVALRY 191 
 
 irruption by the leading forward of fire units and the 
 use of the automatic weapons against the flanks of the 
 unbroken portion of the enemy forces. 
 
 The general rule for the frontal attack of dismounted 
 cavalry units, is, that they shall attack in conjunction with 
 army units carrying many machine guns. These troops 
 must turn against the enemy's flanks and rear. In de- 
 fense the dismounted cavalry units must protect the ad- 
 vance of reserves and must hold important points on the 
 line of a possible retreat. 
 
 The army cavalry has to undertake the duties of ex- 
 ploiting success, magnifying the effect of surprises and 
 the protection of the movements of the army. Rapidity, 
 mobility and its holding power give the army cavalry 
 opportunity to solve tasks which it is impossible for 
 the infantry division to solve with the same speed and 
 the corps or divisional cavalry with the same power. 
 These tasks are the threatening of the enemy's rear, at- 
 tacks against those portions of the enemy's line which 
 stand firm, reconnaissance and attack against advancing 
 reinforcements and against rear-guard positions, preven- 
 tion of the enemy's attempts to face again to the front, 
 the holding of positions until the appearance of the in- 
 fantry, the accomplishment of important demolitions and 
 the capture or destruction of the enemy's provision and 
 ammunition supplies. 
 
 It will be necessary to assign with the cavalry such 
 auxiliaries as aeroplanes, light tanks, artillery, infantry 
 and labor units as well as enhanced communication 
 facilities. 
 
 Cavalry is warned again and again not to become in- 
 volved in extensive frontal attacks. It must use its 
 mobility in turning against the enemy's flanks or rear 
 
192 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 with fire, at the same time keeping the march or attack 
 direction. It is above all necessary to keep higher leader- 
 ship fully informed at all times. 
 
 Belgian Cavalry: 
 
 The Provisional Instructions of May, 1920, for the 
 Belgian cavalry prescribed that tactics for small groups of 
 cavalry should be based upon the cooperation of small 
 combat groups. It provides that each combat group 
 should consist of an automatic gunner, with his weapon, 
 ammunition bearers and riflemen. 
 
 The combat group, which is a section (half a platoon) 
 is, according to the regulations, an element in either at- 
 tack or defense. In the defense, the automatic rifle is 
 used in cross-fire ; it serves to defend the neighboring 
 groups echeloned near it, the defense of the group itself 
 being in the hands of its riflemen. These groups, whether 
 in attack or defense, are echeloned. All idea of dis- 
 mounted attack in line of skirmishers is abolished. 
 
 Organisation 
 
 The section, which is the combat group, consists at war 
 strength of u men. The platoon, which consists of two 
 sections, has been adjudged too vulnerable and too cum- 
 bersome for maneuver under ordinary conditions of 
 combat. The 1 1 men are divided into i non-commissioned 
 officer, 3 ammunition bearers, I horseholder, and 6 rifle- 
 men. The latter are, in addition, all armed with hand 
 grenades. 
 
 The platoon consists of 32 men at war strength. Of 
 these 22 compose the two sections or combat groups. 
 The remaining men are i non-commissioned officer, horse- 
 holders, a trumpeter, horseshoer, etc. The trumpeter is 
 
NOTES ON FOREIGN CAVALRY 193 
 
 at the disposal of the platoon commander. Horseholders 
 are always Nos. 3 in sets of fours. The mounted forma- 
 tion is so arranged that they shall always be either super- 
 numeraries or specialists such as horseshoers, farriers, 
 saddlers, etc. They are not armed with the rifle. 
 
 The regiment on a war footing consists of two groups, 
 each consisting of two squadrons and a machine gun 
 squadron. The brigade on a war footing consists of 
 two regiments and an extra machine gun squadron. 
 
 The horse artillery group, of which there is but one 
 in the Belgian army at present, consists of three batteries 
 of four guns each armed with the 75 mm. T. R. Krupp. 
 
 The Belgian cavalry is armed with three types of 
 automatic weapons and machine guns, the Chauchat for 
 the automatic rifle, the Hotchkiss, a light machine gun, 
 and the Colt, which is the armament of the machine gun 
 squadrons proper. The first two are the weapons of 
 the combat groups. 
 
 Some Tactical Principles of the Belgian Cavalry 
 
 It is held that the platoon mounted cannot approach 
 nearer to the enemy than 2,000 meters. Platoons, dis- 
 mounted, advance in combat groups of two echelons at 
 distances of 50 meters and intervals of 40 meters. They 
 are preceded by patrols at distances of from 100 to 200 
 meters. This formation is said to be based upon war 
 experience which showed the necessity for attacks in 
 depth. The advance of the reserve waves is made in or- 
 dinary line of platoon columns, single file, echeloned at 
 100 meters distance and 50 meters interval. 
 
 Great stress is laid upon the necessity of carefully in- 
 structing officers and non-commissioned officers, especially 
 the latter, in the mechanism of the combat group work, 
 
194 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 and the necessity of forgetting the old line of skirmishers. 
 
 The cavalry attack, dismounted, must always be made 
 in two echelons. In compliance with this, the squadron 
 may be made to attack with two platoons grouped, 
 forming the .first two echelons, a third platoon forming 
 the third echelon and the fourth platoon, according to 
 circumstances, acting as either the mounted reserve, a 
 reinforcement for the firing line, as liaison agents or 
 simply as horseholders. When the regiment operates as 
 a whole, the reserve echelon becomes the regimental re- 
 serve which would consist of an entire squadron. This 
 is to avoid a series of small local reserve units too widely 
 scattered to be effective. 
 
 Freedom of maneuver and the maximum of mobility 
 are the governing rules for cavalry operations. The 
 disposition to resort to dismounted action too soon must 
 be guarded against. This would operate to sacrifice the 
 very essence of cavalry as cavalry, reducing it to the 
 role of a mere mounted infantry. The advance, mounted, 
 should be made as far forward as is possible and the 
 dismounted attack only undertaken when further mounted 
 maneuver becomes impossible. 
 
 Horse Artillery and Cavalry 
 
 The cardinal rule for the guns with cavalry is to fire 
 on sight. The cavalry action should be started with artil- 
 lery and this fire should not cease. The great fault is not 
 to employ artillery enough. Horse artillery should be 
 prepared to take up positions more rapidly than field 
 artillery and the artillery commander should be given a 
 free hand in his choice of positions for his guns. In these 
 days of long range guns, the position of the batteries is 
 
NOTES ON FOREIGN CAVALRY 195 
 
 of no interest to the cavalry commander as long as the 
 artillery can carry out the mission assigned to them. 
 
 German Cavalry: 
 
 There are no official German dictums upon cavalry 
 available as yet but the trend of thought in German 
 military circles can be judged from the many publica- 
 tions upon the subject printed since the war. Balk, 
 especially, has written an exhaustive essay upon the sub- 
 ject, which essay has been translated and is condensed 
 into some of the following notes. 1 
 
 The German General Staff concluded, as a result of 
 the Russo-Japanese war and the patent inferiority dis- 
 played by the cavalry on both sides, that only a first class, 
 highly trained cavalry would be of any value in modern 
 war. 
 
 In line with this, the German cavalry was supplied 
 with good mounts and armament. The mounts are 
 criticized by Balk as not being of sufficient hardiness to 
 stand the rigors of campaigning without shelter. The 
 armament was also criticized by him, the tubular steel 
 lance and carbine being considered excellent but the am- 
 munition supply (45 rounds per man) being considered 
 insufficient. The thrusting sabre, carried on the saddle, 
 he does not consider of any proved value as compared 
 to the lance. (It has since been discarded in the new 
 German Army and the lance retained as the "arme 
 blanche".) 
 
 As a result of the world war, charges by regiment 
 
 1 "Entwickelung der Taktik im Weltkrieg," Balk, Chapter X, 
 pages 240-258 inclusive. 
 
196 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 and brigade are still considered possible but the charge 
 by division is a thing of the past. The Germans felt 
 that their armament with the lance gave them decided 
 superiority over the Allied cavalry and feel that their 
 cavalry had the superior morale throughout. They com- 
 plain of a too rapid deterioration of horseflesh and of the 
 sacrificing of cavalry units by ill-advised mounted at- 
 tacks. It is also stated that there were many opportunities 
 for the mounted attack which were not taken advantage 
 of. 
 
 The use of cavalry in the battle field is considered to 
 be more difficult than it has been in the past but they 
 concluded that as long as the human factor is what it is, 
 there are still many opportunities to use cavalry mounted 
 in battle. 
 
 "There are many charges against artillery which have 
 a strong probability of success, for instance mounted at- 
 tacks against batteries on the march, surprise attacks 
 against the flanks and rear of firing batteries, against the 
 front of masked batteries, and against artillery unsup- 
 ported by infantry. It can often be extremely important 
 to silence a battery if only for a few minutes. Ammuni- 
 tion columns are extremely vulnerable to mounted attack." 
 
 Shaken and surprised infantry are considered vulner- 
 able to the cavalry attack. "Weapons be they ever so 
 powerful are only so in the hands of men." 
 
 It is held that the cavalry of today must be able to 
 fight mounted as well as dismounted and that cavalry 
 must not be degraded to the role of mere mounted in- 
 fantry. Many examples are cited of the decisive effect 
 of even the appearance of cavalry in the world war, 
 especially on the Eastern Front. 
 
 It is concluded that the charge is not the sum of all 
 
NOTES ON FOREIGN CAVALRY 197 
 
 cavalry tactics. Dismounted action is the most important 
 phase of cavalry duty. In dismounted work, cavalry 
 must be independent of other arms and work without 
 assistance. The increased assignment of fire weapons to, 
 cavalry has raised the value of that branch. Cavalry 
 must rapidly drive forward its strong fire power against 
 the enemy's flanks, and other weak points. 
 
 Enterprises against the enemy's line of communications 
 are of much more value than formerly, owing to the in- 
 creased dependence placed by an army on its provisions 
 and munitions from the rear. 
 
 Army tasks require a stronger cavalry. Divisional 
 cavalry can be weakened or replaced by cyclists. The 
 army cavalry reconnoiters in combination with air-craft, 
 covers the movements of the army and insures the com- 
 munications between separate parts. On the encounter 
 of the armies, cavalry must make itself useful against the 
 flanks and rear of the enemy, against important railway 
 centers, must block the enemy's rear guard and must 
 prevent the arrival of enemy reinforcements. 
 
 Air reconnaissance completes cavalry reconnaissance 
 when not made impossible by hazy, or unfavorable 
 weather. It also gives the general direction to cavalry 
 reconnaissance. The principles already developed in 
 peace time by study of previous wars on all types of 
 reconnaissance, near, distant and battle, have been proved 
 sound. The Germans admit, however, that they used 
 patrols of inferior strength and that they were too con- 
 fident when operating against the Russian cavalry. 
 
 It is stated that the armament with the lance gave their 
 patrols great superiority. It is recommended that wire- 
 less units be attached to the reconnoitering squadron. 
 Patrols should always be well supported by these squad- 
 
198 MODERN CAVALRY 
 
 rons. The contact squadron must have good fighting 
 power in order to break through enemy resistance. 
 
 Many examples are cited of successful screening move- 
 ments and this type of cavalry work is considered of in- 
 creased value. 
 
 Cavalry is considered of great value as a decisive in- 
 tervening force in battle with fire power. It can come 
 in swiftly with all parts intact and its effect will be 
 decisive. 
 
 The fire power of cavalry must be increased by the 
 assignment of a larger proportion of automatics. This, 
 not only to make up for the loss in horseflesh (it is stated 
 that in Courland in 1916 the squadrons of the 6th Cavalry 
 Division could only put from twenty to thirty carbines 
 per squadron on the firing line owing to losses in horse- 
 flesh), but to make up for the men absent with the led 
 horses. Every cavalryman must be more than an average 
 good rifleman. 
 
 The Germans recommend the assignment of Jaeger 
 battalions to the cavalry division to augment its power. 
 They recommend that men dismounted for any cause be 
 supplied with bicycles and thus enabled to follow the 
 command as a cyclist detachment. They state that this 
 was successfully done in the Italian army. 
 
 It is stated that the absence of howitzers and of long 
 range field guns with the cavalry was very often felt. 
 They recommend that not too many calibres be carried 
 with the cavalry division as it tends to confusion in am- 
 munition supply and is too cumbersome. 
 
 For the cavalry division they recommend the attach- 
 ment of one company of mounted engineers supplied, 
 amongst other things, with demolition materials. As al- 
 ready remarked, it is considered indispensable to have the 
 
NOTES ON FOREIGN CAVALRY 199 
 
 reconnoitering squadrons equipped with light wireless sets, 
 but the regiments, brigades and divisions should have 
 the heavier sets. There should be a signal detachment in 
 each regiment to handle this. 
 
 The Germans unite on the efficacy of cyclist units at- 
 tached to the cavalry. They state that these were not 
 of such great value on the Russian as they were on the 
 Western front. They unite on the necessity of increased 
 artillery with the cavalry and increased cooperation of 
 the two arms. 
 
 In studying the French, Belgian and German cavalries, 
 the fact must not be lost sight of that they look upon a 
 warfare of position as the most probable form for the 
 next war in which they are likely to be engaged. This, 
 of course, is based upon the geographical and political 
 situation in each case. For this reason the British cavalry 
 is a more valuable study for us than the others mentioned. 
 It is taking into consideration the necessity of all types of 
 warfare on widely separated places on the earth's surface. 
 It also considers the warfare of position as the exception 
 rather than the rule, 
 
INDEX 
 
 Abu Shushesh, 30 
 
 administration, 63 
 
 advance guard, 120; resisting 
 power of, 121 ; as holding 
 force, 120, 121 
 
 advantages, cavalry over in- 
 fantry, 108, 109 
 
 aeroplanes, 75 ; lack of con- 
 tinuity of observation, 152, 
 156; limitations, 152, 157; 
 inability to hold ground, 
 156; weather conditions 
 affecting, 152, 154; see 
 "air service" also 
 
 Agesilaus, 27 
 
 air-control, danger of loss of, 
 152, 153 
 
 air forces, Turkish, 153; 
 Turco-German, 153 
 
 air service and cavalry, 151 
 to 159 
 
 air service and cavalry, coop- 
 eration, 76, 157, 158 
 
 Aisne, Battle of the, 140 
 
 Alexander the Great, 106 
 
 Allenby, Field Marshal, 3, 8, 
 75, 105, 123, 125, 126, 128, 
 
 139, 159 
 
 Alvensleben, Colonel von, 132 
 American Civil War, 7 
 American theory as to cavalry, 
 
 8 
 Am Kohleh, 138 
 
 Amman, 134 
 
 ammunition, carrying of, no; 
 check on, 144; column, 
 British cavalry division, 
 186; supply, 116, 198 
 
 anti-aircraft defense, 87; pos- 
 sibilities of, 152, 154 
 
 Anzac Mounted Division, 139 
 
 armament, cavalry, British, 
 182 
 
 armament, cavalry, German, 
 
 195 
 
 arme blanche, 94 
 
 Armored Car Battery at El 
 Afule, 122 
 
 armored cars, see "cars, ar- 
 mored" 
 
 army, British, 60, 125, 126 
 
 army, national characteristics 
 expressed by, 32 
 
 army, Russian, 135 
 
 Armies, Turkish 4th, 7th and 
 8th, 28, 29, 153 
 
 art of war, 6 
 
 artillery, 75; attack against, 
 99, 100, 196; in pursuit, 
 131, 132; mounted attack 
 with, 98; with British cav- 
 alry division, 186 
 
 artillery horse, aids cavalry 
 mobility, 79; Belgian, 193, 
 194, 195 ; cooperation with, 
 76, 77, 78; equipment, 81 ; 
 
 201 
 
202 
 
 INDEX 
 
 in rear guard and pursuit, 
 
 82 
 
 Ashby, 164 
 aspirant, 189 
 assembly in case of reverse, 
 
 143 
 
 attack, frontal, 115, 116; 
 cavalry object, 94; dis- 
 mounted, 196, 197; mount- 
 ed against artillery, 196; 
 mounted against infantry, 
 196; mounted, German 
 opinion of, 195, 196; 
 mounted, importance of, 
 89; mounted, entitled to 
 support, 91 ; mounted, 
 needs support of artillery, 
 80; mounted, moral ef- 
 fect, 89, 90, 94, 95, TOO; 
 mounted, risk involved, 
 99; mounted, against cav- 
 alry, 98; mounted, factors 
 in, 97; mounted, training 
 for, 96; mounted, size of 
 units involved, 99, 100; 
 mounted in World War, 
 101 to 105 ; mounted, see 
 "charge" also ; formations, 
 dismounted British, 183, 
 184; formations, mounted 
 British, 183 
 
 Australian Light Horse, 138; 
 Third Brigade, 102, 146; 
 Fourth Brigade, 102 ; 
 Fourth and Twelfth Regi- 
 ments, 101, 139 
 
 Australian Mounted Division, 
 
 139 
 Australian and New Zealand 
 
 Forces, armament of, 182; 
 
 as mounted infantry, 189 
 Australian and New Zealand 
 
 Mounted Division, 128, 
 129 
 
 Austro-German offensive 
 against Italians in 1917, 
 
 *57. 
 
 automatic weapons, 107, in; 
 Belgian cavalry, 193 ; 
 French cavalry, 189 ; Ger- 
 man cavalry, 198; carry- 
 ing of, no, in; see ''ma- 
 chine guns" also 
 
 auxiliaries, neutralize each 
 other, 75 
 
 Balkan War, 134 
 Balck, 139, 195 
 Barbwire, 75 
 Battle, three phases of, 3 
 decided by men, 6, 7 
 efficiency, 16 
 
 Bayonet, cavalry need for, 116 
 Beersheba, 102, 138, 139 
 Belgium, forces at Halen, 146 
 German advance through, 
 
 141, 174 
 
 Bernhardi, General von, 54 
 Bernstorff, 129 
 Bicycles, to replace lost horses, 
 
 109, 198 
 Bliicher, 133 
 Bobocul, 105 
 Boer War, 7, 79, 80 
 Boers, 90 
 Bredow, yon, 179 
 Briggs, First Cavalry Brigade, 
 
 140 
 
 brigade, cavalry, Belgian, 193 
 brigades, cavalry, British, 185 
 brigades, cavalry, French, 188 
 brigadier, French corporal, 188 
 British army, see "Army, 
 
 British" 
 
INDEX 
 
 203 
 
 British cavalry, 7; see also 
 
 "Cavalry, British" 
 Buzzer, signalling, 86 
 
 Camouflage, against air obser- 
 vation, 152, 155 
 
 Cars, armored, 75, 76, 83; 
 armored, with anti-aircraft 
 guns, 84 
 equipment, 84 
 in advance and rear guards, 
 
 83 
 
 in Palestine, 83 
 
 organization, 84 
 
 tactical use of, 85 
 
 with advance guard, 122 
 Characteristics, national Amer- 
 ican, 33 
 
 Cavalry, advance and retreat, 
 108 
 
 advertising, 12 
 
 aids to, 6 
 
 American, lacks advantage 
 practice in war, 15 
 
 arm of decision, 13 
 
 as combatant branch, i, 8, 
 
 75 
 
 as escort for artillery, 82 
 as offensive troops in battle, 
 
 Association, 12 
 Belgian, 192 to 195 
 Belgian, armament, 192 
 Belgian, combat groups, 192 
 Belgian, organization, 192, 
 
 193 
 Belgian, tactical principles, 
 
 193, 194 
 British, 7, 72, 81, 90, 95, 121, 
 
 126, 182 to 187 
 British, armament, 182 
 British, organization of, 182 
 
 Cavalry, civilian notion of, 9, 
 
 10 
 Colonial, mounted attack' 
 
 formation, 182, 183 
 Combat policy for, 15 
 Combat training for, 116 
 deceiving enemy, 142 
 dismounted, attack against, 
 
 99 
 
 dismounting in face of 
 
 enemy, 91 
 doctrine, 15 
 drill regulations, German, 
 
 79 
 education of officers to value 
 
 of, 13 
 
 European, 81 
 flanking movements, 108 
 French, 72, 81, 128, 134, 187 
 
 to 192 
 French, organization, 187, 
 
 188 
 French, tactical principles, 
 
 189 to 192 
 German, 9, 81, 126, 129, 132, 
 
 133, 134, 195 to 199 
 German, armament, 195 
 improvement of, 6 
 in battle, German opinion 
 
 of, 196 
 
 in combat, 142 to 150 
 in 1914, 10 
 in defense, 115 
 independent, 164 
 insures freedom of action, 
 
 in World War, 61 
 
 Japanese, at Sandepu, 115; 
 
 142; before Mukden, 135 
 Journal, 12, 75, 105 
 less numerically, greater 
 
 strategically, 13 
 
2O4 
 
 INDEX 
 
 Cavalry, main role of, 75 
 
 man, definition of, 52 
 
 opponents of, 75 
 
 Prussian, 128 
 
 Russian, 9, 105, 134, 197 
 
 School, French, 188 
 
 Serbian, 134 
 
 standards of training, 15 
 
 supplanted in strategical 
 reconnaissance, 13 
 
 temporary eclipse, 13 
 
 theatres of war, 10 
 
 training policy, 15 
 
 Turkish, 153 
 
 value in tactical reconnais- 
 sance, 13 
 
 vulnerability to air attacks, 
 
 84 
 
 Cerizy, 126, 149 
 Character, success in war de- 
 pends upon, 159 
 Charge, cavalry, 95 ; see "At- 
 tack, mounted" ; also fac- 
 tors in, 96 
 
 new value of, 97 
 Charle-sur-Marne, 123 
 Charles XII, 91 
 Cherfils, 13 
 Chetwode, 149 
 Civil War, American, 81, 134, 
 
 139, 149 
 
 Civilian ideas, cavalry work, 
 9, 10 
 
 Clauswitz, von, 65 
 
 "coddling" men, 40 
 
 Colonial dismounted attack 
 formations, 183, 184 
 
 Colonial mounted attack for- 
 mations, 182, 183 
 
 Column, ammunition, British 
 cavalry division, 186 
 
 Column, veterinary, mobile, 73 
 
 Combat, mounted ; see "Attack, 
 mounted" and "Charge" 
 
 Combat, cavalry in, 142 to 150 
 
 Combat, cavalry training for, 
 116 
 
 Commander, patrol, 178 
 
 Commander, position during 
 combat, 144 
 
 Commendation, 28 
 
 Communication, air service 
 and mobile troops, 158 
 
 Competition, 28; spirit of, 27 
 
 Concealment, effect on air 
 service of, 152, 155 
 
 Conde, 91 
 
 confidence, lack of, 61 
 
 cooperation, necessity of, be- 
 tween branches, 60 
 
 control of the air, hostile, 152 
 to 154 
 
 Corps, Cavalry, Fromel, 141 
 
 Cossacks, 135 
 corporals, responsibility, 18 
 
 Cromwell, 96 
 
 Cronje, 130 
 
 crowd, psychology of, 40 
 
 crowd mind, 45 
 
 Cuirassiers, 2nd German, 146 
 
 cyclist units, 199 
 
 Damascus, 102 
 Darius, 107 
 De Brack, 96 
 
 Dedeagatch, Battle of, 134 
 defile, passage through, 148 
 de Lisle, 125, 140 
 Desert Mounted Corps, 128 
 disadvantages, cavalry, 109 
 disciplinary drills, 34 
 discipline, necessity of Ameri- 
 can type of, 33 
 
INDEX 
 
 205 
 
 discipline, of intelligence, 33 
 of habit, 34; danger of too 
 
 much of, 34 
 real. 41 
 
 dismounted attack, 197; also 
 see "attack, dismounted" 
 
 dispersion, cavalry, 145, 146 
 
 divisions, infantry, 75 
 cavalry, 75 
 
 cavalry, basic duty of, 75 
 cavalry, marching speed of, 
 
 77 
 
 cavalry, assignment of aux- 
 iliaries to, 77 
 
 cavalry, advantages over in- 
 fantry division, 136 
 
 cavalry, British proposed, 
 184, 185 
 
 cavalry, German Second, 
 
 Sixth and Eighth, 139 
 documents, patrol must gather, 
 
 174 
 
 Doyle, Conan, 140 
 
 dragoon principle, 7 
 
 Dragoons, I3th German, at 
 Mars-la-Tour, 98 
 
 Dragoons, i6th German, at 
 Mars-la-Tour, 99 
 
 Dragoons, 24th Guard Regi- 
 ment, German, 105 
 
 Dragoons, I7th and i8th Ger- 
 man, 146 
 
 Dragoons, First Guard Regi- 
 ment, German, 147 
 
 Dragoons, Fourth Guard, Brit- 
 ish, at Solesmes, 135 
 
 dress, effect of, 47 
 
 drill, danger of excessive, 33 
 
 drill, mounted, need of analyz- 
 ing value of, 37 
 
 Drill Regulations, Cavalry, 
 German, 137 
 
 Eastern front, cavalry on, 9 
 Efficiency records, officers, 62, 
 
 63 
 
 Eighth Australian Light Horse 
 
 Regiment, 146 
 Eighth Turkish Army, 128 
 Eighteenth Cavalry Brigade, 
 
 German, 104 
 El Afule, 122 
 El Burj, 138 
 El Mughar Ridge, 102 
 enemy, best time to observe, 
 
 176 
 
 enthusiasm, lieutenant's, devel- 
 opment of, 19 
 
 Esdraelon, Plain of, 103, 131 
 esprit de corps, 44 
 Es Salt, 146 
 Es Sir, 126 
 example, effect of, 45 
 
 fatigue duty, interference with 
 
 training, 29 
 field glasses, use in patrolling, 
 
 174 
 Fifteenth Cavalry Brigade, 
 
 103 
 Fifteenth Cavalry Brigade 
 
 (Imperial Service), 104 
 Fifth Cavalry Brigade, British, 
 
 126, 149 
 Fifth Cavalry Division, British, 
 
 charge of, 95 
 
 Fifth Cavalry Division, Ger- 
 man, 141 
 Fifth Division, British, 1914, 
 
 125 
 
 fire action, 114 
 fire action, cavalry, 29, 107 
 fire action, cavalry, mounted, 
 
2O6 
 
 INDEX 
 
 fire power, augmentation of 
 cavalry, no 
 
 fire power, cavalry, need of, 
 SO* 
 
 fire, volume of, 109 
 
 firing problems, faults in, 117, 
 118 
 
 First Army, German, 127, 130, 
 141, 174 
 
 First Corps, British, 123, 140, 
 149 
 
 First Cavalry Brigade, British, 
 140 
 
 First Cavalry Corps, German, 
 141 
 
 Fontaine Fauvel, 123 
 
 Forbach, Battle of, 132 
 
 forces, economy of, 167 
 
 formations, patrol, 174 
 
 Fourth Cavalry Division, Brit- 
 ish, 130; at Lejjun, 103 
 
 Fourth Cavalry Division, Ger- 
 man, 104, 141, 146 
 
 Fourth Turkish Army, 129 
 
 foxhunting, 50 
 
 Franco-Prussian War, 98, 
 142 
 
 Frederick the Great, 35, 91 
 
 French, Field Marshal, 3, 4, 
 11, 54, 126, 129, 130, 139 
 
 Fretoy, combat at, 105, 147 
 
 Froeschwiller, Battle of, 128 
 
 Frommel, 141 
 
 gallopers, 86 
 
 Gaza, 153 
 
 General Staff, German, 195 
 
 German Cavalry Drill Regula- 
 tions, 79 
 
 German Cavalry; see "Cavalry, 
 German" 
 
 Germans, 86, 95, 121, 126 
 
 Germans, seize bicycles to aid 
 
 cavalry, 109 
 
 Gettysburg, Battle of, 135 
 Goltz, von der, 137 
 Gough, 125, 126 
 Grenfell, 83, 125 
 ground, reporting on, 175 
 groups, combat, Belgian cav- 
 alry, 192 
 guard duty, interference with 
 
 training, 29 
 Guards, Brigade of, British, 
 
 140 
 Guards, Cavalry Division, 
 
 German, 141 
 Guards, First and Second Life, 
 
 British, 138 
 Guards, Royal Horse, British, 
 
 138 
 Gustavus Adolphus, 91 
 
 Haelen, combat of, 146 
 
 Haifa, 103, 104 
 
 Haig, Field Marshal, 3, 4, 140 
 
 Hampshire Battery, 104 
 
 headquarters, regimental, Brit- 
 ish, 185 
 
 Hejaz, 134 
 
 heliograph, 86 
 
 Hindenburg, withdrawal of, in 
 1917,. 157 . 
 
 hobbies, individual, 16 
 
 Hood, 134 
 
 horse artillery; see "artillery, 
 horse" 
 
 horse, as weapon, 78 
 
 horse, breeding, 12 
 
 Horse, Jacobs, 104 
 
 horse, led; see "led horses" 
 
 horse, cause of losses in cam- 
 paign, 7, 73 
 
INDEX 
 
 207 
 
 horse bowmen, Parthian, 92 
 
 horse, soldier's responsibility 
 for, 67 
 
 horse, stimulation of soldier's 
 interest in, 67 
 
 horse training, degree of, 67 
 scope of, 66 
 training for war, 66 
 
 horses, German, cavalry, 195 
 
 horses, losses in German cav- 
 alry, 198 
 
 horses, care of, in night opera- 
 tions, 180 
 
 horsemanship, practical value 
 of, 49; effect on physi- 
 cal well being, 50 
 
 Hotchkiss guns, 185 
 
 howitzers, with British cav- 
 alry division, 186; with 
 German cavalry division, 
 198 
 
 Huj, 103 
 
 Hussars, I5th British, 140 
 
 Hussars, i8th British, 125, 
 
 147 
 
 Hussars, I5th and i6th Ger- 
 man, 104 
 
 Hussars, 9th Regiment Ger- 
 man, 104, 105 
 
 Hussars, loth German, at 
 Mars-la-Tour, 99 
 
 Hussars, First German Life 
 Guard, 101 
 
 Hussars, Royal Bucks, 102 
 
 imagination, need of, 55 
 infantry, mounted, 91, 93 
 initiative, abuse of term, 18; 
 its relation to training, 18; 
 should spring from knowl- 
 edge, 51 
 
 inhabitants, attitude of, 164; 
 information from, 175 
 
 information, 145 ; negative, 
 167, 176; transmission of, 
 180, 181 ; valueless unless 
 transmitted, 161 
 
 instruction, practical, 64 
 
 interest, effect on memory, 35 ', 
 especial value in cavalry 
 training, 35 ; means of 
 producing in cavalry, 36; 
 value of, 35 
 
 interpreter, with patrol, 178 
 
 Irish Horse, The, 140 
 
 Italian Army, bicycles in, 
 198 
 
 Jacobs Horse, 104 
 Jaegar, 121, 126, 129, 198; bat- 
 talions, 7th and 9th, 146 
 Jackson, Stonewall, 32, 164 
 Jaffa, 138 
 Japanese Cavalry at Sandepu, 
 
 H5 
 
 J Battery Royal Horse Artil- 
 lery, 149 
 
 Jerusalem, 154 
 
 Jordan, 128, 130 
 
 Judea, 129 
 
 Kaukab, 101 
 
 Kauwukah, 138 
 
 Kluck, General von, 4, 5, 86, 
 
 126, 130, 134, 174 
 Kumanovo, Battle of, 134 
 
 Ladmirault, General, 173 
 lance, German, 195, 196 
 lance, the, 197 
 Lancers, I2th, 149 
 Lancers, i8th, 103 
 Lancers, 2nd, at Lejjun, 103 
 
208 
 
 INDEX 
 
 Lancers, Jodhpur Regiment, 
 
 103 
 Lancers, Mysore Regiment, 
 
 104 
 
 Lancers, 29th, 104 
 Lancers, 20th, at El Afule, 
 
 122 
 
 Lancers, 9th, 83, 125, 147 
 Langlois, 60, 78 
 leaders, importance in cavalry 
 
 of, 52 
 
 leaders, necessity of, 14 
 leaders, qualities necessary, 14 
 leadership, definition of, 57; 
 
 test of, 20 
 led horses, 109, 112, 113, 116, 
 
 117, 118; attack of, 99; 
 
 British handling of, in 
 
 Palestine, 184; cover for, 
 
 T " 45 
 
 Lejjun, 103 
 
 lieutenant, responsibility, 18 
 
 Lille, 105 
 
 localities, attack of, 148 
 
 loyalty, cultivation of, 40; 
 
 necessity for, 39 
 Ludendorff, General von, 4, 6 
 Lys River, 4 
 
 MacMahon, 128, 179 
 
 machine guns, British cavalry 
 division, 187; in mounted 
 attack, 98; machine guns, 
 75; also see "automatic 
 weapons" 
 
 Makt Abu Naj, 104 
 
 Makt Fathallah, 104 
 
 major, opportunities for con> 
 mand, 24 
 
 major, cavalry, French, 188 
 
 maps, 175, 180 
 
 Manchuria, 135 
 
 march outposts, 163 
 
 marechal des logis, 188 
 
 Marne, Battle of the, 5, 123, 
 126, 131, 139, 147 
 
 Mars-la-Tour, Battle of, 98 
 
 Marwitz, von, 5, 127, 130, 141 
 
 Megiddo, 130 
 
 melee, the, 98 
 
 memory, effect of interest on 
 soldiers', 35 
 
 Mesopotamia, 9, 159 
 
 messages, coded, 86 
 
 messengers, 177 
 
 Mexican border, 10, 61 
 
 Militdr lYochenblatt, g 
 
 mission, patrol, 176 
 
 mission, reconnoitering, neces- 
 sary to define, 164 
 
 Mischenko, 135 
 
 mobile reserve, 108, 136 
 
 mobility, loss of, 76, impor- 
 tance of, 106, 147, 148; 
 taking advantage of, 113, 
 114 
 
 Modder, 130 
 
 Moltke, von, 54 
 
 Mons, Battle of, 5, 125 
 
 morale, effect of, 31 ; German, 
 31 ; in peace, necessity for, 
 31 ; constituents of, 31 ; 
 enemy, inability of aero- 
 plane to judge of, 151, 154 
 
 motor cycles, with advance 
 guard, 122; with cavalry, 
 
 85 
 
 Mount Carmel, 103, 104 
 
 mounted attack ; see "attack, 
 mounted," and "charge" 
 
 mounted infantry; see "infan- 
 try, mounted" 
 
 mounted reserve, 115; see also 
 "mobile reserve" 
 
INDEX 
 
 209 
 
 movements, visibility of, 175 
 Mukden, Battle of, 129, 135, 
 
 142 
 Murat, 73 
 
 Nansouty, 73 
 
 Napoleon, 31, 108, 120, 160 
 
 Nazareth, 103 
 
 newspaper, report of cavalry 
 operations, 9, 10 
 
 night operations, and aircraft, 
 I S 2 ^ 1 SS I reconnaissance, 
 179, 180 
 
 Ninth Australian Light Horse 
 Brigade, 146 
 
 Ninth Cavalry Division, Ger- 
 man, 141 
 
 non-commissioned officers; see 
 also "officers, non-commis- 
 sioned" ; French, 188, 189; 
 importance of, 18; coop- 
 eration with, importance 
 of, 46; British, 57; selec- 
 tion of, 20; responsibility, 
 20; as trainers of indi- 
 viduals, 20 
 
 Northern Corps, N i e m a n 
 Army, German, 139 
 
 Novikov, Russian Cavalry Di- 
 vision of, 142 
 
 obedience, 57; reasons for 
 failure in, 58 
 
 offensive, value of, 88, 95 ; 
 German, March, 1918, 6 
 
 officers, cavalry, definition of, 
 52; as group leaders, 20; 
 cavalry, American, 88 ; 
 combat, development of 
 responsibility, 18; efficiency 
 records of, 62; see also 
 efficiency records, officers; 
 
 junior, training of, 26; 
 junior, training for higher 
 command, 27; keeping fit, 
 51 ; keeping mentally fit, 
 51 ; necessity of tactical 
 training for, 51, 53; must 
 know individual soldier, 
 42; need of specialization, 
 57; National Guard and 
 Reserve, 12; Reserve, 
 training of, 26; tactical 
 training tests in, 53; re- 
 sponsibility towards men 
 of, 42; gating of, based on 
 unit, 64 
 
 officers, non-commissioned, im- 
 portance of, 19; selection 
 of, 20; as trainers of indi- 
 viduals, 20; training of, 
 26; duties not to be 
 usurped, 56 ; increasing 
 prestige of, 20; see also 
 "non-commissioned offi- 
 cers" 
 
 open warfare, value of, 9 
 Orchies, 105 
 
 organization, principles of, 56 
 outer lines, advantage of, 99 
 Oyama, Field Marshal, 129 
 
 Palestine, 9, 80, 90, 97, 101, 122, 
 126, 128, 129, 130, 133, 138, 
 139, 152, 154, 159, 182 
 
 paper chases, 50 
 
 Papen, von, 129 
 
 Parker, General, 89 
 
 patrol leader, action before 
 start of, 172, 178, 179; 
 pointers for, 173 to 179; 
 knowledge required, 172, 
 178 
 
2IO 
 
 INDEX 
 
 patrolling, by successive loops, 
 165, 166 
 
 patrols, outpost, 164; strength 
 of, 177; when to fight, 179 
 
 Pelet-Narbonne, von, 135 
 
 Peninsular Campaign, 98 
 
 Pershing, General, 4, 5 
 
 perspective, necessity of 
 proper, 30 
 
 physical training, 46 
 
 pigeons, 86 
 
 pistol, as an American weapon, 
 92, 93; as a shock weapon, 
 93; and sabre, compared, 
 92, 101 
 
 platoon, cavalry, Belgian, 192, 
 193; cavalry, French, 187 
 
 policy, combat for cavalry, 15; 
 training, for cavalry, 15 
 
 polo, 50 
 
 position warfare, 199; impor- 
 tance in future wars, 2 
 
 prisoners, aid to information 
 of, 162, 163; inability of 
 aeroplane to take, 152, 
 155 ; rendering harmless, 
 177 
 
 private, developing sense of 
 responsibility in, 27; sol- 
 dier, means of advance- 
 ment, 20 
 
 problems, firing for cavalry, 
 117 
 
 Provisional Cavalry Squadron, 
 American Forces in Ger- 
 many, no 
 
 psychology, 37 
 
 punishing power, misuse of, 40 
 
 pursuit, 127 to 133 ; by fire, 
 132; danger of reckless, 
 132; magnifying number^ 
 in, 132 
 
 raids, 133 to 135 
 
 railroads, 133 
 
 rallying, 96 
 
 Ramleh, 130, 153 
 
 rating cards, for individual 
 training, 23 
 
 rear-guards, 124 to 126 
 
 reconnaissence, 151 to 181 ; ad- 
 vance guard, 165, 166; 
 avoiding duplication in, 
 168; air, 197; independent, 
 163 ; contact, 163 ; prelim- 
 inary to charge, 98; 
 protective, 163; protective, 
 distances in, 163, 164; of 
 retreating force, 166 ; 
 strategical, sphere of air 
 service, 157, 158; tactical, 
 sphere of cavalry, 157, 158 
 
 recruits, system of receiving, 
 
 25 
 
 Rederns Brigade, 1870, 146 
 regiment, cavalry, Belgian, 
 193 ; cavalry, American, 
 not tactical entity, 16; 
 cavalry, British, 185, 186; 
 cavalry, French, 188; cav- 
 alry, American, readiness 
 for war, 24, 25 ; cavalry, 
 American, loss of officers 
 and non-commissioned offi- 
 cers, 26; cavalry, Ameri- 
 can, training scheme, 
 
 25 
 
 remounts, system or receiving, 
 30; service, Palestine cam- 
 paign, 73 
 
 Rennenkampf, 135 
 
 rencontre, 176 
 
 reports, 173, I74> 177, 181 ; 
 newspaper, of cavalry op- 
 erations, 9, 10 
 
INDEX 
 
 211 
 
 reserve, mobile; see also "mo- 
 bile reserve"; 108 
 
 reservists, lack of trained, in 
 American cavalry, 25 
 
 resisting power, advance guard, 
 121 
 
 riding, cross country, 50 
 
 rifle, influence on cavalry tac- 
 tics, 7 
 
 Richthofen, von, 141 
 
 Rimington, 14, 19 
 
 Royal Horse Artillery, J Bat- 
 tery, 149 
 
 Roye, 134 
 
 Rumania, 105; operations in, 
 
 9 
 
 Rupert, Prince, 96 
 Russian campaign, Napoleon's, 
 
 7.3 
 Russian cavalry, 9, 105, 134, 
 
 197 
 
 Russo-Japanese War, 129, 150; 
 cavalry in, 195 
 
 sabre, advantage of, in ren- 
 contre, 95 ; experience of 
 Australian forces with, 94; 
 German opinion of, 195; 
 improper training in, 93; 
 need of better American, 
 
 94 
 
 Sadowa, Battle of, 128 
 Saloniki, 134 
 Saumur, French Cavalry 
 
 School at, 188 
 Sandepu, Japanese cavalry at, 
 
 142 
 
 Saulchery, 143 
 San Quentin, 126, 134 
 Scharnhorst, 16 
 Schmid, von, General, 35 
 Scots Greys, 149 
 
 scout, qualities necessary to, 
 168; subjects trained in, 
 168 to 172 
 
 scouting, night operations, 169 
 
 screen, cavalry. 140, 141, 166, 
 167 
 
 season habit, in American cav- 
 alry training, 25 
 
 Second Cavalry Brigade, Brit- 
 ish, 125, 140, 147 
 
 Second Cavalry Corps, Ger- 
 man, 141 
 
 Second Cavalry Division, Ger- 
 man, 141, 146 
 
 Second Corps, British, 1914, 
 138, 139, 140 
 
 Second German Army, 130, 141 
 
 Second Light Horse Brigade, 
 126, 133, 134 
 
 section, Belgian cavalry, 192; 
 too few men for, 29; 
 leader, importance of, 29 
 
 security, 114, 121 
 
 self-respect, 41 
 
 sergeant, responsibility of, 18 
 
 Seventh Army, Turkish, 128, 
 129 
 
 Seventh Brigade, British, in 
 
 I9H, 139 
 
 Seventh Cavalry Brigade, Brit- 
 ish, 138 
 
 Seventh Cavalry Division, 
 French, 179 
 
 Seventh Division, British, 138 
 
 Seventh Mounted Brigade, 
 British, 139 
 
 Seventy-fourth Infantry Di- 
 vision, 138 
 
 Shellal, 138 
 
 Shenandoah Valley, 91 
 
 Sheridan, 91, 140 
 
 Sherman, 135 
 
212 
 
 INDEX 
 
 Siberia, 10 
 
 signals, for patrols, 174; with 
 advance guard, 123 
 
 signal service, 85, 86 
 
 soldier, as individual, 22; cav- 
 alry, requirements, proper 
 training of, 21 ; American, 
 points of superiority, 36; 
 practical nature, 37; stand- 
 ards, 41 ; lack of uni- 
 formity in training, 22; 
 cavalry, developing self- 
 reliance of, 27; see also 
 "private soldier" 
 
 Solesmes, 125 
 
 Sordet, 139 
 
 South African War, 130; see 
 "Boer War" also 
 
 speed, essential in training, 28, 
 
 US 
 
 sports, mounted, their impor- 
 tance, 49 
 
 squad, cavalry, French, 187; 
 too few men for training 
 in, 29 
 
 squad-leader, 119 
 
 squadron, the importance of 
 the, 23; cavalry, British, 
 185 ; cavalry, French, 
 187 
 
 squadron commander, as ad- 
 viser, 19 
 
 standardization of training, 17, 
 18 
 
 standards, training for cav- 
 alry, 15 
 
 Stuart, "Jeb," 135, 148 
 
 stubbornness, danger of, 150 
 
 study, value of, 54 
 
 suggestion, use of, 44 
 
 surprise, fullest effect from, 
 148 
 
 surprises, in World War, in 
 spite of air service, 156, 
 157 
 
 sword; see "sabre" 
 
 sympathy, necessity of, 43 
 
 Syria, 9, 159 
 
 tactics, cavalry with horse ar- 
 tillery, 81 
 
 tanks, 75, 86, 87 
 
 tanks, whippet, 67 
 
 target, furnished by dismount- 
 ed man, 89 
 
 target, furnished by mounted 
 man, 90 
 
 Tarnakova, Battle of, 142 
 
 teaching, officer must have 
 ability in, 59 
 
 teamwork, application to train- 
 ing of, 38 
 
 Tenth Australian Light Horse 
 Regiment, 146 
 
 tests for training, 16 
 
 tests of officers, 62 
 
 Third Cavalry Brigade, Brit- 
 ish, 125, 126 
 
 Third Division, British, at 
 Solesmes, 125 
 
 training, standardization of, 
 17; weekly compared to 
 seasonal, 26 ; individual, 
 rating cards for, 23 ; indi- 
 vidual proficiency, ^3 
 
 trains, 143 
 
 transportation, modern means, 
 ii 
 
 troop, importance of, as unit, 
 23; cavalry, British, 186; 
 disciplinary standing of, 
 tests for, 63 ; duty, increas- 
 ing prestige 'of, 64 ; train- 
 ing, tests for, 63 
 
INDEX 
 
 213 
 
 troop commander, 19, 21 
 trucks, caterpillar^ 77 
 Turco-German air forces, 153 
 Turenne, 91 
 Turkish Armies, 7th and 8th, 
 
 128, 153 
 Turks, 103 
 
 Uhlans, 95 
 
 Uhlans, Bavarian Brigade near 
 La Garde, 101 
 
 Uhlans, First Guard Regi- 
 ment, 101 
 
 Uhlans, Third Guard Regi- 
 ment, 101 
 
 Uhlans, Ninth Regiment at 
 Haelen, 146 
 
 value, battle, of cavalry, 159 
 Verdun, surprise attack 
 
 against, 1916, 157 
 Villers Faucon, 95 
 volunteer system, evils of, 25 
 
 Wadi Jamus, 102 
 
 War, Civil, American, 81, 134, 
 
 139, 149 
 
 war efficiency, main object, 28 
 war, main issue for army, 65 
 War, South African, 60, 72, 
 
 90, 130; see also "Boer 
 
 War" 
 warfare, position, 199 
 
 warfare, trench, disregarded 
 
 in future plans British 
 
 cavalry, 185 
 Wellington, 98, 167 
 Western front, cavalry on, 9, 
 
 129; type of warfare on, 
 
 ii 
 
 Wheeler, 134 
 wireless sets, 197, 199 
 wireless with cavalry, 86 
 Wood, Field Marshal Sir 
 
 Evelyn, 54 
 work, and results, difference 
 
 between, 58 
 
 work, mechanical, evils of, 59 
 Worth, Battle of, 145 
 
 Xenophon, 27 
 
 Yeomanry, British, armament, 
 182 ; dismounted attack 
 formations, 183, 184; or- 
 ganization and attack for- 
 mations, 182, 183 
 Yeomanry Division, 138 
 Yeomanry, Dorset, 102 
 Yeomanry, Middlesex, 104 
 Yeomanry, Warwick and 
 
 Worcester, 102, 103 
 Ypres, Battle of, 5, 136, 138 
 
 Zones, reconnaissance, 161, 162 
 Zulu, 92 
 
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