Tag Archives: horse mounted cavalry

Hold your horses

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In 1919, the peacetime British Army was authorized to retain three regiments of household guards cavalry and 28 regiments of line Dragoons, Hussars, and Lancers– all horse-mounted, including three full brigades based in the home islands and others stationed around the Empire. This didn’t even include 14 volunteer part-time mounted Yeomanry regiments in the Territorials, or units in the British Indian Army.

This would soon change dramatically.

Most British regular cavalry regiments were mechanized between 1928 and the outbreak of World War II, with younger men and officers moving on to the new type of service and older ones, well, not.

This sunsetting led to Brig. Gen H. Clifton-Brown, Tory MP for Newbury and the former commander of the 12th Lancers, lamenting in March 1935, “I am sorry that we cannot go on clinging to the horse, but I hope we shall cling to him as long as we can.”

The last British line cavalry to hand over their horses was the 2nd Dragoons (The Royal Scots Greys), who were seen as a sort of household Scottish cavalry regiment and treasured their nationally renowned grey mounts, famous for their role at Waterloo.

While the more or less “English” household cavalry was allowed to keep at least some of their horses, a lobbying campaign by Scottish Members of Parliament, bowing to public opinion against the War Office’s plans, kept the Greys mounted into May 1941, only then moving to American-made Grant medium tanks.

By this time, even the household regiments had moved over, keeping just a few horses for the Guards’ ceremonial duties.

Riders in the “Farewell Grey Horse Race” in Ramle, Palestine, 1941, where the Greys were based at the time.

Ironically, the last British mounted force to unsaddle was a territorial yeomanry unit, the Queen’s Own Yorkshire Dragoons, which were converted to an armored role on 1 March 1942. 

While the BEF lost 28,314 War Department vehicles and another 20,588 impressed civilian vehicles at Dunkirk, they had no horseflesh to leave in France.

Well, enter the world of stranger things, where everything old is seemingly new again, from NATO Battle Group Poland, –a U.S.-led battle group, in partnership with Great Britain, Romania, and Croatia– comes these images of the British Army’s Royal Lancers on Op CABRIT, conducting a “low profile mounted recce” with elements of the Polish 2nd Lubelska Brigade.

80 years Ago: Hanging up the saddle

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21 February 1942. The “Brave Rifles,” 3d Cavalry Regiment troopers at Ft. Myer lead their trusty mounts to the railroad for the trip to Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, one of the last evolutions involving a regiment of horse-mounted cavalry in U.S. service.

Once there, the mounts were turned in and the troops began training for World War II.

Note the spurs

The troopers seem to be wearing the M1926 pattern Winter Service Uniform with coats and black four-fold service neckties. Note the late-pattern Campaign service hats, which were put to pasture for general use after 1941. Notably, they are also seen with newly-issued M1 Garands, some carried “Russian style” i.e. slung over the body.

The old 1912 Pattern cavalry gear, which still included much leather equipment as well as a distinctive chain saber attachment and bandoleer, is long gone, replaced by the more modern M1923 gear. The enlisted men wear the tall russet leather lace-up cavalry boots which were authorized in 1930.

The M1918 Mounted Cartridge Belt with 1907 Equipment Suspenders; Double Magazine Pocket; the M1912 Mounted Holster, and the M1910 1st Aid Pouch can all be seen if you look hard enough.

The wear of service breeches was halted across the Army in 1937, except for those in mounted units.

Model 1913 Cavalry Saber (also known as the Patton Saber) was the last cavalry saber used by the U.S. Army, was withdrawn in 1935 on orders from MacArthur.

Of the men shown above, almost all of the officers and troopers of the 3d Cavalry– regular Army men– became cadres for National Guard divisions. The 3d was then filled with draftees and cadre from the 4th (horse) Cavalry and was reorganized into what became the 3d Cavalry Group (Mechanized) while its 1st Squadron became the 3rd Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, and 2nd Squadron became the 43rd Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, all centered around M8 Greyhounds.

After two years of training, they landed in France in June 1944 as a reconnaissance element of the XX Corps, U.S. 3rd Army.

Today, the Brave Rifles still exist, recently celebrating their 175th anniversary. They are based at Fort Hood and maintain an excellent regimental museum, from which these images are supplied.

As for the Cavalry’s horses? Many were turned over to the U.S. Coast Guard and used for Beach Patrol during the conflict, then sold at auction in 1945.

1943. Guardsman on patrol somewhere along the Atlantic coast is shown in the new uniform of the U.S. Coast Guard Mounted Beach Patrol.

Members of the Coast Guard’s mounted beach patrol cross an inlet during their patrol on the West Coast.

Enter the horsemen

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The Italian cavalry has a long and rich marital tradition reaching back to the days of the Roman legions.

They held on to the tradition longer than most, fighting several horse-mounted engagements in the Second World War.

It was the 250-year old Italian 3rd Dragoons Savoia Cavalleggeri (Cavalry Regiment) of the Prince Amedeo Duke of Aosta “Fast” (Celere) Division that, while fighting the Soviets on the Eastern Front, made possibly the last great all-horse cavalry charge. That day in 1942, the three mounted squadrons of the Savoia swept over a Soviet infantry regiment’s positions and carried the day.

Other Italian horsemen, the Gruppo Bande Amhara, fought a losing war in the North African desert from their saddles

Lancieri di Montebello cerimonal troops

So it should come as no surprise that the Italian military has now re-equipped the 8th Cavalry Regiment “Lancieri di Montebello” with horses to be used by reconnaissance units in an upcoming NATO deployment to Kosovo.

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Now the Lancieri, originally founded in 1859 as a horse cavalry unit but had switched to armored vehicles in 1942, has long maintained a troop of horsemen for ceremonial duties.

itlain army horses

But the Lancieri to be sent to Kosovo will very much be combat troops.

On horses.

Impetu hostem perterreo! Caricat!