Cavalry; A Popular Edition of "Cavalry in War and Peace," by General Friedrich Von Bernhardi, with a Preface by Field-Marshal Sir J. D. P. French (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1914 Excerpt: ...been made more intelligible to all officers from the first than could be done by general instructions of this nature. The cavalry has now a demand made upon it by Regulation which, although it can be met on the drillground, will be impossible of fulfilment in war. It will therefore be necessary to discard in war what we have taken such pains to learn, a thing which frequently happens in manoeuvres, and even on the exerciseground. In the formation for attack and the deployment, the Regulations follow the logical sequence of their point of view that, in the attack upon cavalry, no second line is necessary, and in this matter adhere to, the directions laid down in the old Regulations. From my point of "The principles laid down for action against cavalry can be applied, mutatis mutandis, in the matters of pursuit, melee, and rally." "Such attacks are carried out in accordance with the principles of para, 113. "The strength of a regiment renders it impossible to attack the objective inNseveral lines. The officer commanding will give orders as tohether the front line is to be in single rank, and as to whether the rear lines are to be in a similar formation or in closed double rank. "In attacking infantry, the lines must not be at too great a distance from one another. In attacking artillery, the distance between lines is determined by the effective area of the burst of shrapnel (300 metres = 330 yds)." view, this does not seem to correspond at all with the necessities of the fight. In my "Reflections on the New Cavalry Drill Regulations" I laid down "that it should always be possible for cavalry to change from the manoeuvre column straightway into attack formation with flank protection, without first forming line, as h...