Horses have been used in war for thousands of years, but it wasn't until the Egyptians that a force of horsemen was organized to assist the army. The cavalry filled a need for speed, but also shocked the opposing forces through well organized charges. Alexander the Great deployed his cavalry to great effectiveness in his conquests, but as riders' equipment and armor became heavier, new horses capable of carrying great loads in battle were bred. The Romans raised their own cavalry, but generally it was an afterthought to the organization of the legion.
The Middle Ages saw the rise of the knight, a fully armored individual riding into battle on a noble steed, but the appearance of cannons and rifles spelled the end of medieval warfare. Cavalry came into their own to range far and wide behind enemy lines and cause chaos. In the United States, the horse was instrumental in the spread of American military influence, and though cavalry rarely fought each other head on, it remained an essential unit within an army.
The machine guns and barbed wires of the First World War spelled the end of the cavalry. Unable to ride through and accomplish the promised smashing of the enemy line, horses were instead hitched to carriages to transport ammunitions and the wounded. The Second World War saw the last vestiges of horse warfare when the Polish cavalry charged the German tanks invading in September 1939. Horses continue to play a role in military units, but this has been greatly diminished, and the cavalry now rides tanks.
Fans of military history will appreciate this concise book and the information it provides about conflicts and the evolution of the horse's role in the military.
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