to quote the Cryptonomicon "Just kill the one with the sword first." "Ah...Smarrrt-you target them because they're the officers, right?" "No, fuckhead! You kill 'em because they've got fucking swords! You ever had anyone running at you waving a fucking sword?"
But I like the idea. The tradition to equip officer with "weapons of last resort" starts rather early. Since the 18th century both officers and even sergeants had different weapons than the common soldiers (which also meant they that they were not really supposed to engage personally to engage in direct fights against common soldiers, unless in case of emergency). The officer leading a charge with a sabre in his hand must have faded away in WW I, but ceremonial sabres were still quite common in WW II and to a certain extent even until today. Mr. Putin has even re-introduced them for his guards, which he clothed as czaristic operetta soldiers .
Carolus Rex or a certain period,the pistol even was the main weapon of the cavalry.but this tactic failed to use velocity in on optimal way.and was abandonned again.
***** The pistols were no weapons that were used when the cavalry moved with high speed. I think this is a movie thing. They were usually used, when the horses had either stopped or only moved slowly, either a melée or as a part of the caracolla tactic of the 16th century, I referred to before.
It's kind of cool seeing footage of (small) cavalry charges, since it's the closest we'll get to seeing what a cavalry charge during the Napoleonic Wars looked like.
+Ivan Chen I bet he just used ponies. First one to make a My Little Pony joke will be put up against a brick wall...and will be made to proclaim Luigi Cadirna the best general ever.
Well, Cadorna actually ordered cavalry charges against the Austrians. On the Alps. Fact is, the last italian cavalry charge was the Carica di San Pietro Novello on June 19, 1918.
Fun Fact: The last major cavalry charge happened in 1944 Russia, when the 700 horsemen of the Italian 3rd Cavalry Regiment "Savoia" charged against 2,500 entrenched infantrymen from the 812nd Siberian Regiment of the Soviet 304th Infantry Division at the village of Isbuscenskij during the First Battle of Don. And the Italian cavalry won. They routed the 812nd Regiment and captured 500 prisoners.
Robs "copied" well the only thing the Germans really copied from Russia was the T-34's slanted armor. Keep in mind, it took nearly a decade and a shit load of money and resources, not to mention top secrecy, for the Soviet Union to develop the T-34. Germany simply didn't have the resources or time necessary to spend on a single tank design like that, the Panzer 1 didn't even start production until 1934-35 after all, thanks to the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. On the other hand, to this day WW2 Russian small arms are rated as some of the worst in the war. The Mosin Nagant's bolt action design was so terrible in comparison to that of the Gewehr 98 that basically all bolt action rifle designs (meant for marksmen and and snipers, mostly) took after the 98's design exclusively, and the Nagant didn't even have the advantage of the Lee Enfield design and its rapid follow-up shots. In other words, it was one of the worst rifles in the war. And then of course there's the joke that was the RPD. And if you your definition of "copying" is so loose as to include slanted armor, then the Soviets also copied the concept of the general purpose mass production assault rifle from the German Sturm Gewehr. The Russians were capable engineers alright, but you'd be very much mistaken if you were under the impression that the Soviet government prioritised quality over cheapness or ease of production with their military equipment. After all, Russian engineers figured out early jet technology not long after the Germans. Yet, when the jet-powered and dominant Me 262 was fighting with near sonic speeds to defend the skies of the fatherland, the Soviet government was still ordering further production of inferior piston planes.
I know it's a small thing, but I love how Indie always encourages the audience to "look it up yourselves to get a better idea," like he's not just telling us to take his word for it he directs to you sources where you can learn more. Fantastic stuff, all
Mounted cavalry continued in combat use through WWII and the Korean War. Both sides -- Japanese and Russian -- employed cavalry at Khalkhin Gol. The Wehrmacht included two cavalry divisions in the invasion of Poland. An American cavalry unit defended the Philippines when the Japanese invaded. The Chinese threw away a cavalry brigade in an attack on the Turks in Korea. I recall a training film for US cavalry troops made in 1940 (as I recall). It demonstrated the proper cavalryman form for a charge. Sword point thrust forward over the horse's head, wrist turned over (back of the hand facing inward) so that the blade was up, standing in the stirrups, and leaning forward. It struck me that this pose turned the sword into a mini-lance. It's curious, isn't it, that the successful charge at Beersheba was not made by a cavalry unit but by mounted infantry? PS La Legion Etrangere used mules to great effect in the Rif Wars of the 1920s. They assigned a mule to every pair of infantrymen. One marched and the other rode. At every break in the march, the pair exchanged places. They still fought as infantry, but the addition of mules doubled their daily march.
2:29 illustrates one of the main duties given to the cavalry, which was the job of escorting prisoners from the front to POW cages in the rear areas. The photo shows French cuirassiers escorting German POWs near Goeulzin, in August 1914. Cavalry was used for three reasons: 1) Being mounted it was hard for disarmed men to overpower them. 2) Mounted troops could easily run down any escapees. 3) Available. The realities of war reduced many cavalrymen to just waiting for the BIG BREAKTHROUGH until manpower shortages forced them into the line as defacto infantry. Some interesting details to be seen: Though the French troopers have carbines, they are escorting their prisoners with sabers drawn, except for one - probably the officer in command who holds a revolver at the ready. At least one of the POWs is himself a cavalry trooper. The man on foot on the left who looks directly at the camera is wearing the double-breasted tunic of a Polish uhlan (lancer) in German service.
A shot-down American bomber crewman in northern Germany in 1943 was marched to a police station or armed forces centre by a German civilian on horseback who kept the American covered with a pistol while he marched on foot. Probably a horse was used to deter the American from running. The American thought his not very friendly guard might be planning to shoot him, so he made a point of offering him a cigarette, and perhaps for that reason he was handed over to the authorities without any problems. Re the photo, the Uhlans were not necessarily Poles although they were originally a type of Polish cavalry. The Red Baron was originally an Uhlan officer and continued to wear the uniform as a pilot, similar to this captured Uhlan's uniform, because the German Air Service had no special uniform. Other German pilots continued to wear the uniforms of their earlier service, which might have been infantry, artillery or even the navy.
Patton spent time at the French cavalry school after his participation in the 1912 Olympic Games at Stockholm. He became fluent in French. Despite chasing Pancho Villa on horseback in Mexico, and having invented the last saber of the US Cavalry, he realized that tanks were the future and not only conducted the US Tank School at Bourg, France, he led tanks in battle from the front lines.
+The Great War god no. Pleas dont use the new intro. Just use the last, it was simpel and looked good. Dont use the higly edited new one. Not trying to be offensive but personali i realy didnt like it. Greatings from Norway :)
This made me remember the video Ian from Forgotten Weapons made about WW1 machine guns. He read a short snippet from a book on how cavalry looked down upon the machine gun as a common infantry weapon.
I'm glad to hear that the Australian Light Horse will be getting a shout out. We're not taught enough about it even in Australia. Anything after Gallipoli goes largely ignored. A shame really.
8 лет назад
The great thing is that even when it's a "sponsored" episode, you made it clear at the beginning and are honest with it. A lot of channel should do the same, to me sponsoring is not a problem as long as it's honest and clear ! Plus it brings cool stuff.
Sooo I guess there's going to be a special on artillery at some point? The difference in French and German artillery development from 1871 on, for example, is actually really interesting.
The tassels and cordage were decorative, but also served a purpose. Properly called a sword knot, they were basically lanyards. They helped prevent the sword from being lost when it was jarred out of their hand. See Scholiagladiatoria or Ipostswords, for more on this.
Thank you Indie and crew for this channel. I enjoy learning about history immensely, and I am especially interested about the early 1900s. The Great War is sadly largely forgotten or ignored despite its great importance. To see the research put into the shows, and the great respect you have for this war and the men and women who served is heartening. I am hoping to get this question answered: What inventions came from the war? Not just military innovations, but inventions that were used after the war? An example would be Silly Putty coming as a result from rubber rationing during World War 2. Hope I hear from you!
So that's what felt so weird about that video. There was no djuuuuu-dang-djoooooo-ding-djeeeeeeeeeeeee-bala! Also, no thousands of people dying, which is rare outside biography videos.
What kept the horse cavalry active into the 20th century was roadless terrain and no budget. Many armies, the Greeks, Poland and Russia relied ton their cavalry force. To name a few. Even today North Korea still maintains a cavalry force. and it's noteworthy that the first batte of the 21st, century, taking Basar al scharrif, was taken in a cavalry charge.
New animated intro is a nice upgrade along with the improved segment animations and graphics. Keeps getting better and better. You guys are creating a new genre in media and I'm anticipating a number of spinoffs across many topics, not just in history, but in all disciplines of education. In the long term, I envision this new educational media evolving into university extension courses on RU-vid. Nice cutting edge work, Indy & crew.
I'm from the regiment that led the charge at Moreuil Wood (Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians)). It's one of the proudest moments of my regiments history and I'm glad to see you give a mention to that battle.
Half a league, half a league, Half a league onward, All in the valley of Death Rode the six hundred. "Forward, the Light Brigade! "Charge for the guns!" he said: Into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred.
If the infantry know the other side's cavalry doesn't have artillery or mortars or machine gun or rifle fire of their own, and the cavalry aren't firing with carbines, it probably still made sense to form a formation like an infantry square or line with bayonets fixed. Especially if the cavalry was at a short range and could still make it, that could be pretty devastating if the infantry was in open order, especially if the infantry don't have machine guns.
Hi Indy. Love the show. You used, in today’s video on Calvary, a common misstatement relative to the arms upon swords. “Family Crest”, as far as Heralds are concerned, do not exist. The crest is unique to an individual and placed atop the helm. You should have said “family arms”, “coat of arms,” “arms”, or “shield” instead. It is a common mistake by those not familiar with Heraldry. Great show, watch every episode.
I really hope you guys do another vid on this topic because there is SO much more awesome stuff to learn about cavalry in WW1! Especially the cavalry's relationship with tanks and logistics - many fine cavalry horses were simply used as transport animals when they were not relegated to reserve (which was most of the time). Also, although cavalry proved basically ineffective for most of the war on the western front, it was able to find some use once tanks were able to break the stalemate on certain lines. (hehe sorry I did my senior paper specifically on the development of heavy weaponry in ww1 and it's effect on cavalry on the western front - so I'm understandably a little crazy about it )
I was wondering the same thing myself, I think that the most logical reason was that it thrown up there as a result of an exploding artillery shell. Close enough to kill the horse and throw it into the tree but far enough to not have blown it to pieces.
It dripped and didn't pay any attention to which direction it was falling, so it accidentually fell upwards. More importantly: Where can i get an undress sword? Mine, sadly, has the opposite effect. Well at least i don't have a rapier,...
Fun fact: on the very first concentrated engagement of the Mark I tank, out of around 42 tanks that were allocated, only 8 or so made it to their goal, around ten not setting off, the rest breaking down, getting stuck, or poisioning their crews with CO, and yet they were wildly effective against the enemy positions and made if not a sizeable hole in the enemy lines, a very hole-like hole. The cavalry that had been allocated to exploit a breakthrough sat out of artillery range sulking until several hours after they were supposed to have reached the front. By the time they actually got there, the breach had been nearly closed and the remaining tanks had already fallen back, lest they be captured the first time they went out en masse.
When talking about cavalry , you should probably mention the bulgarian general I.Kolev and his 1st cavalry division , which were famous for their crucial role in the battle of Dobrich (07-09-1916)
I have my great grandfather's Spurs from WWI. My father passed on his storied too. A few months in to the war, he soon found himself dismounted as it became clear the cavalry would have very limited uses! He was British by the way.
Just a an FYI for anyone wanting to dig a little deeper into the subject. 'Troop, Horse, & Trench" by R. A. Lloyd is a very readable day to day account of an enlisted Household cavalryman during the war. Not at all dry and even humorous in places.
One case where cavalry did come in handy was at Vittorio Veneto, where Italy won the war. Once the city fell to Caviglia's 8th Army, his infantry and Arditi were sealing the trap shut north of the city but it was proving time- consuming late on the 28th of October 1918. diaz then sent his cavalry in his ear wheeling around the north of the city a fast as they could go to finish cutting off any possible retreat. n Nearly 400,000 enemy soldiers were taken prisoner.
On 13th of June 1915 Polish 2nd Uhlan squadron of 2nd brigade of the Polish Legions (which fought under Austro-Hungarian protection at that time) actually managed to break the entrenched Russian guard grenadiers at village of Rokitna. Also the history of white weapons that Indy shown, is a bit simplification. I'd say that cavalry always chooses more curved blade because it's easier to slash opponent while riding. Exception to that is heavy cavalry that always wore heavy and long "palashes".
Thought you were going to mention the times when cavalry sometimes got behind the lines, and were effective at causing chaos. They were also used to mop up behind tanks, and to get infantry into the breach tanks opened up.
I am very impressed about you knowledge over the Cavalry in WWI, another great German author about German Cavalry in WWI is Maximilian von Poseck. After WWI he wrote some great works about the use of Cavalry. Also what you have made about General Kolev, it blow me away. My whole life i am doing Cavalry, but i must admit i didn't know hime. China is the country that has still cavalry in use in inner Mongolia. And still i believe in the weapon of cavalry. You has to visit our Dutch Cavalry museum in Amersfoort the Netherlands. We have the Dutch cavalry in our museum from 1574, till this day. Your sincerely, Henk Koelewijn
Hey Great War team, I'm not sure if this will been seen, but i just want to say I am watching all your videos and trying to get caught up, This new intro is amazing. and just wanted to say all the content you guys/gals provide is awe inspiring.
Depends on the conflict if cavalry was effective or not. As Australia showed, cavalry was victorious in attacking combined defences of machine guns, artillery and planes.
Kraśnik is a great example of a major battle in which cavalry played a decisive role. It would not be a exaggerating to say infantry and artillery were secondary to the cavalry here. It was at Kraśnik that Mannerheim won great distinction that would propel his career, he was commanding cavalry. I live not far away, in Lublin,. There is a nice little museum there that details the battle. If you ever happen to be in the area I would recommend it.
It is worth noting that many of the British Army Commanders were so persistent in their use of cavalry because before the war they came from cavalry regiments like Haig, French, Gough, Allenby and Robertson; whilst the continual commitment saw the efficient use of cavalry on open plains which Haig and French thought would translate. Also the FSR set out that, and many divisional commanders used Calvary as yeomanry who would dismount seen as by the 2nd Indian Calvary division charging High Wood during the Somme (14th July 1916) then holding it as infantry - Historian Gary Sheffield likens them to an early form of WW2 paratrooper in correct situations. Also regarding today at Sandhurst, commissioning officers are offered the chance to buy a ceremonial saber for about £400 which they can use during passing out and parading instead of holding a rifle. A sword of honour is also given to best cadet.
at 4:05 rifles showed aren't cavarly carbines, the first is a Carcano 91/38, the second is a steyr m95 stuzen rifle and the third is a sort of huning carbine made by a Carcano 91 ts
Wont lie, my father pass on his sword (ADF Officer) to myself and is a saber, it is traditional for it to be passed down. but i wont lie since i am a type 1 diabetic, i feel regret that i cant serve on the field, but i will do what i can as a engineer.
99 years ago, my great grandfather's uncle, Trooper Sloan 'Scotty' Bolton DCM, would be recovering from the Australian Light Horse's charge at Beersheeba, at which he singlehandedly stopped the Germans from destroying the water supplies, and captured an Ottoman artillery gun. The Light Horse's charge is seen as the last succesful horse charge of all time.
There are few more contenders for the last successful horse charge of all time according to our community. We will talk about Beersheba next year for sure.
Yes as the team for the great war said, there where successful mounted charges in the Russian Civil War, and Russian Polish war in the 1920's and the Italians mounted a successful cavalry charge on the Eastern Front in WW2. You can read more about that right here! -> en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charge_of_the_Savoia_Cavalleria_at_Isbuscenskij
The ALH wasn't a cavalry unit, but rather light horse/mounted infantry regiments. Unlike cavalry their role was reconn, as well as provide guards for infantry columns. Their horses weren't a mechanism for charging enemies, rather a mechanism for getting an infantry regiment quickly to a position or allowing them to quickly cover territory. Their traditional tactic (when using horses anyway) was to ride to a start point, dismount, leave (up to 5) horses with ALH men (designated "horse holders") while the remainder participated in action as infantry. One of the reasons for the success of Bersheeba was that the machine guns were set/calibrated to take out the ALH at their usual "start" position distance, so the riders were quickly under the fire of these guns. Another point to note about the charge, the ALH regiments involved used long bayonnets instead of swords as swords were not part of their kit. Another (personally) interesting aspect of the ALH - they had attached field ambulances. Each ambulance provided dressing station and receiving station services to its associated brigade, a distant relative served in 1ALHFA.
