British Cavalryman vs German Cavalryman

Belgium and France 1914

Alan Steele, Raffaele Ruggeri

• Publisher: Osprey Publishing
• Year: 2022
• Print ISBN:
  9781472848826
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9781472848819
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: French History
• Index: History

Fully illustrated, this book casts light on the utility and role of the German and British cavalry in the early stages of World War I on the Western Front.

In the early months of World War I, before the fighting degenerated into static trench warfare, there was a brief period of mobile combat as the German Army advanced through Belgium and northern France, forcing the French and British forces facing them to retreat. Both sides in the escalating conflict deployed substantial numbers of cavalry units to screen their infantry forces, conduct reconnaissance and harness their superior mobility to undertake aggressive combat operations. In the summer of 1914, the British cavalry had the difficult task of covering the withdrawal of the British Expeditionary Force and the German cavalry, the equally demanding task, after weeks of combat and forced marches, of maintaining contact with a rapidly retiring enemy.

In this book a comparative assessment is made of each side's doctrine, organization, equipment and training, followed by a detailed analysis of their actual performance in three key encounter actions: Casteau/Soignies (22 August), Cérizy/Moÿ (28 August) and Le Montcel/Frétoy (7 September). This analysis is supported by carefully chosen photographs and specially commissioned full-colour artwork and maps.

The Opposing Sides

ORIGINS AND RECRUITMENT

German

The Imperial German Army was formed in 1871 on the creation of the Second German Empire from the unification of a confederation of over 20 independent German states under Prussian leadership. The new army inherited a host of proud traditions from the militaries of these German states, all of which could trace continuous histories of service going back many centuries, from the Franco-Prussian War through the Napoleonic Wars (1796–1815) and the Seven Years’ War (1756–63) to the Thirty Years’ War (1618–48). Among German cavalry officers, almost all of whom were drawn from the nobility, there was a strong emphasis on chivalrous mounted combat. This emphasis was imparted to the rank-and-file troopers during training by the celebration of great German cavalry leaders of yore. Cavalrymen were taught the history and past exploits of the different German cavalry regiments, and celebrated cavalry actions. In short, the German cavalry had a long and proud tradition of exemplary service in war and an ethos that emphasized mounted combat, whether against enemy infantry or cavalry, as the pinnacle of cavalry achievement.

The German Army was a conscript army, with recruits mostly drawn from the countryside and with an average age of 20 at call-up. Owing to the prolonged time required – two years – to produce fully trained cavalrymen, the length of full-time national service in the cavalry was three years, as opposed to two years for other arms. Thereafter there was a 4½-year commitment to service in the Reserve, after which cavalrymen served in the Landwehr (militia) until they turned 45. In addition to those who were conscripted, there were the Einjährig-Freiwilliger, men with a higher degree of education who volunteered for a year’s military service in a unit of their choice. Owing to the cavalry’s prestige, there were always enough volunteers for the arm, which, therefore, did not struggle to recruit sufficient NCOs, unlike the other arms.

During the Franco-Prussian War, Generalmajor Ferdinand von Bredow led Kürassier-Regiment 7 and Ulanen-Regiment 16 in what became known as the Todesritt (‘death ride’) against French infantry and artillery at Vionville during the battle of Mars-la-Tour on 16 August 1870. The two regiments suffered almost 50 per cent casualties in the charge, but it became a celebrated episode in German cavalry history. The German cavalry held commemorative services on 16 August 1914 during the advance through Belgium and the Todesritt was frequently referenced by German cavalry commanders as a model of the selfless sacrifice to which cavalrymen should aspire. (Getty Images/clu)

Imperial German Army cavalry regiments bore designations that in some cases dated back centuries. Here, uhlans (lancers) participate in an exercise in 1884, at which time only units designated as uhlans carried lances. In 1890, all German cavalry regiments were re-armed with the Stahlrohrlanze (‘steel-tube lance’). (Ludwig Boedecker/ullstein bild via Getty Images)

Published in 1900, this illustration depicts the 21st Lancers charging in the battle of Omdurman, 2 September 1898, during the British conquest of the Sudan. This charge, mounted by some 320 men against an unshaken force of over 1,700 Dervish infantry, was one of the most celebrated British cavalry actions in ‘the small wars of empire’. The lancers managed to fight their way through the Dervish infantry, in the process suffering 21 men killed and 50 wounded, with 119 horses killed or wounded, but without shaking or dispersing the enemy. It was only when the lancers dismounted and opened fire with their carbines that the Dervishes withdrew. Within 18 months of this famous charge, the British cavalry and yeomanry operating in South Africa during the Second Anglo-Boer War were using very different tactics, having been forced to adopt the methods of their Boer adversaries who were essentially mounted riflemen. (Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

British

The British cavalry also had a long and admirable history, stretching back to the time of the Civil Wars between the Crown and Parliament (1638–60). In the European wars of the 1700s and 1800s the British cavalry, although gallant and often effective, gained a reputation for impetuously ‘galloping at everything’. Throughout the 19th century, however, the British cavalry found itself opposed to a variety of foes in the small wars of empire, and it had to be flexible in the application of tactics to be able to operate effectively against a wide variety of enemies from Zulus in Africa to Sikhs in India.

The most salutary lessons for the British cavalry came during the Second Anglo-Boer War when they were opposed by a highly mobile force of mounted riflemen who ran rings around them. It became apparent how poor the troops were at scouting – a traditional cavalry role – as compared with the Boers. Moreover, the British cavalry found very few opportunities for shock action and, as the war progressed, they were compelled to adopt Boer tactics as mounted riflemen. Furthermore, British cavalry horsemastership was shown to be execrable, with thousands of horses dying or being rendered ineffective through saddle sores. By the end of the war in 1902, the reputation of the British cavalry was very low (Barrow 1942: 111f). Their horsemastership was appalling, their weapons were ineffective and their ability to provide timely intelligence about the enemy was non-existent. Amid calls for wholesale reform, there were even some who called for the complete disbandment of the cavalry and the creation of a force of mounted riflemen in its stead (Badsey 2008: 143ff). This particular threat was averted, but the message was clear: the days of the enthusiastic impetuous amateur ‘Cavalier’ were over; the time of the sober professional cavalryman had come.

The British Army did not take conscripts but enlisted volunteers who, in the cavalry, served a minimum of seven years in the Regular Army, followed by five in the Reserve after leaving the Regulars (Maitland 1951: 119). The majority of recruits were townsmen, and few had any experience or knowledge of horses until they joined the cavalry (Van Emden 1996: 21).

British cavalry moving up to Mons, August 1914. This photo shows the hard pavé road surfaces that proved such a bane to the cavalry on both sides during the opening phases of World War I in Belgium and France. (Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

WEAPONS AND TACTICS

German

At the beginning of the 20th century cavalry officers across Europe were engaged in a fierce debate as to the primary tactical function of cavalry in war and, depending on what this was deemed to be, the primary weapon with which cavalry should be equipped. For the German cavalry the decision about its primary weapon, and, therefore, its primary tactical function, was resolved in 1890 when all German cavalry regiments, irrespective of their traditional role and armament, were equipped with the new Stahlrohrlanze. As a secondary weapon the cavalryman also had a straight-bladed sword, the Modell 1889 Kavalleriedegen or, if a cuirassier, the Modell 1883 Pallasch.

The standard firearm of the German cavalry in 1914 was the 7.92mm-calibre Mauser Karabiner 98AZ (Kar 98AZ), which was introduced as a shortened carbine version of the standard infantry rifle in 1908. Some Reserve cavalry units were still issued with the even shorter and older cavalry carbine first introduced in 1898 and, confusingly, also designated the Karabiner 98. The Kar 98AZ was an effective and accurate weapon, but the general standard of musketry in the German Army as a whole was not high. The Germans did not teach their infantry to shoot at ranges over 400m (437yd) and only officers were taught to judge distances and indicate targets. Rapid fire for the Germans was 8–9rd/min and not all soldiers were trained to that standard (Creagh 1915: vii). This ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Table of Contents
• Introduction
• The Opposing Sides
• Casteau
• Cerizy–Moÿ
• Le Montcel
• Analysis
• Aftermath
• Unit Organizations
• Bibliography
• eCopyright