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The last cavalry charge

Or how tactical combat obsolescence

There is something inexplicably

exciting and, in some way, beautiful in a cavalry charge. Impressive in ancient times, brutal in the Middle Ages, suicide since the advent of gunpowder. Maybe this last component is the one that has been covered in an aura of heroism riders of recent times. Yes, we are, become a hero to suicide, but what can we do. And then say that romance is dead.

As already guess, cavalry charges have been from time immemorial. Is estimated to have been used to wage war from the domestication of horses ... And that date may be around from 4,000 to 3,000 BC in the steppes of Asia. "Soon" is shifted to the horse and cart as a weapon of war, which became something like, the bad and soon, the tanks of ancient times (although the term "tank" is incorrect, something that probably explain in another article). This tactic lived with light cavalry, harassing, who threw spears or arrows at the enemy to weaken, or carried the same with their spears ... But they were very vulnerable in combat, yes, they were quick to open, but if they engage in combat, it was difficult to overthrow the rider, which used to be his death sentence.

The solution to this was the invention of heavy cavalry to 500 BC in Persia. With more robust horses that could withstand the armor of the rider and his own, that problem was solved. Perhaps the paradigm of the armored cavalry were cataphracts old (whose name comes from the Greek and means literally "fully covered / protected"). And this, along with new formations of infantry (phalanx and legion) sentenced to death in the car.

In the Middle Ages was refined heavy cavalry (Hastings, Crécy, etc.), But again the infantry was able to evolve to counter this power. First, some as old as the horse itself was improved: the walls of spears. More Later, with the first development of archery and soon with the popularity of the crossbow, heavy armor became less effective. Finally, put the gun end to the devastating cavalry charges. Rider and horse were too big a target and vulnerable even to the primitive guns, let alone for muskets and the like in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The age of the knights had happened.

However, we must recognize honorable (and late) exceptions, such as the load of three thousand Polish lancers at the Battle of Vienna in 1683, led by Jan III Sobieski, the "winged hussars."

Polish Winged Hussars . Less battleships in the Middle Ages, but still retain their armor. In addition to strength, they brought some spectacular

However, the popularity of firearms did not end with the light cavalry. In fact, the burdens of this type of horse, sometimes also armed with guns (the famous dragons) were very common in the wars of S. XVIII. Without going any further, wars Napoleonic, American Civil War or the Franco-Prussian War. Although there were also big, huge setbacks, that made the war theorists consider increasing the use of these weapons. In particular comes to my head the burden of the Light Brigade of British cavalry in the Crimea, the clearest example of suicidal charge of the story. They won, but at the expense of a great price. And all for a communication error. One of many throughout history.

With the advent of machine guns, automatic weapons and artillery more effective, the reason for the cavalry was slowly disappearing. In the First World War took place some burdens, but few were successful. What sense does charge an entrenched enemy with machine guns? These bodies became, over time, mounted infantry.

So we approach the tail of this tactic. Again, the Poles returned to the scene in the Polish-Bolshevik War of 1920, a Polish cavalry charge, the sources said most of history, in Komarov, destroyed the Soviet cavalry. This fact is significant because since the body passed a flat segundísimo Russia.

But let's focus. The article is about the last cavalry charge in history. If asked, most people will not have any idea. A few others, I would call it work, again, the Poles, when charged the Panzer in the invasion of Poland in 1939. They are wrong.

Polish Cavalry by 1936. Pay close attention to the spears. Some things do not change over millennia

Although not walk misguided. As it also happened in the Second World War, but with other actors. Poles were not charged against tanks, a senseless act that only succeeded in creating the myth of Polish cavalry. Jan Sobieski Perhaps they thought they would throw a hand. Perhaps all this will never happen. In fact, the myth of the load to the Panzer was a misunderstanding of the German propaganda, arrived the next day, they saw dead horses and chariots, and associated ideas. Sought to ridicule and humiliate the enemy (who carried spears said they thought that the armored cars were really only a metal plate that covered them), but they created a myth and, unwittingly, a glimmer of hope for the Poles. So neither loaded into tanks, much less did with swords and spears (and except for the spears used on rare occasions, it used to be against infantry, even in those days). What happened is that the Polish cavalry charged into the flank of a German reconnaissance unit. The result is as expected, despite being equipped with firearms (software) and even anti-tank rifles, could do little against the curtains of machine gun fire. But succeeded in delaying the German advance just enough to to cease its persecution and friendly troops could reorganize.

The fact that our interest was nearly three years after these events, August 23, 1942. The Savoy Cavalry regiment, composed of 600 Italian riders charged into the positions occupied by some 2,000 infants Soviets around the river Don, passing them over, literally.

The Savoy Cavalry regiment. Though by no means be seen, is said carrying black crosses on their helmets and red scarves, a tradition that came from far and remains to this day, though no longer ride horses

This is considered the last great cavalry charge and the last successful. However, other sources point to two other charges, such as the death throes of this practice. One of them also stands as the Italian players when a unit charged against Yugoslav partisans in the Balkans in late 1942. The other, by, once again, riders Poles came in the aftermath of the war, March 1 1945 in Pomerania, the Red Army service, but cheating: in the evening they were forced to dismount.