Cavalry Doctrine
Posted: Thu May 02, 2019 8:19 am
Considered obsolete by some experts, cavalry still has its moments of glory in the Eastern campaign.
The Soviets in 1941 have loads of brigade size cavalry units - and no idea how to use them. Romanians have some cavalry recon units with limited combat abilities (finishing off running enemies.)
Germany historically had just one cavalry division that seems best in the role of mobile infantry, a part of some sort of a ''cavalry and mechanized group'' as the Soviets would call it. Of course cavalry cannot keep up wit tanks and trucks on a good road - but it is still fast, and needs no fuel.
Since the motorized divisions are only brigade size, a corps/army commander may use them as one division size battlegroup (and get an Elite division in his panzer corps if lucky) so cavalry force is a useful addition to any panzer corps.
The historical path for 1st cavalry division would be Minsk - Smolensk - Kiev - Bryansk - Tula, as a part of 2nd Panzer Group.
The Soviets in 1941 have loads of brigade size cavalry units - and no idea how to use them. Romanians have some cavalry recon units with limited combat abilities (finishing off running enemies.)
Germany historically had just one cavalry division that seems best in the role of mobile infantry, a part of some sort of a ''cavalry and mechanized group'' as the Soviets would call it. Of course cavalry cannot keep up wit tanks and trucks on a good road - but it is still fast, and needs no fuel.
Since the motorized divisions are only brigade size, a corps/army commander may use them as one division size battlegroup (and get an Elite division in his panzer corps if lucky) so cavalry force is a useful addition to any panzer corps.
The historical path for 1st cavalry division would be Minsk - Smolensk - Kiev - Bryansk - Tula, as a part of 2nd Panzer Group.