1919-06-18 — Page 7

R

THE

Further, a defensive policy involves the Cambrai at the close of 1917, when the

were of the greatest service:: loss of the initiative, with all the consevntry quent disadvantages to the defender. The while throughout the whole period of enemy is to choose at his own con- trench fighting they constituted an iux Venkat the time and place, of his at-portant mobile reserve.

tacks. Not being influenced himself by At a later date, when circumstances the threat of attack from his opponent,ound us operating once more in cons he can afford to take risks, and by greatly puratively open country, cavalry proved i weakening his front in some places cuz | themselves of value in their true rôlé. concentrate na uverwhelming faren also. During the German offensive in Marchi, where with which to attack. The de 1945, the superide mobility of cavalry. fender, on the other hand, beeoing almost fully justified their existence. At the entirely ignorant of the dispositions and evanescenient of the battle, cavalry plans of his opponent, who is thus in u were used under the Filth Army ever position 15 ffrer a surprise. This was wide fronts. So great, indeed, became "clearly raemplified during the fighting o the need for pounter men that certaja

1015. As long

as the enemy, was attack units which had but recently heer dir ing. he brained fairy full information. inunted were hurriedly provided with regarding our dispositions. Captured horses and did' splendid service, » Fres deemerits how that, as wort as he was quently, when it was inapossible tj aiova thrown once it on the defensive and forward, other trags in time, our inourt. the initiative returned to the Allies, heed troops were able to fill gaps in our linaj was kept in comparative ignorance of and restore the situation. one plays and "dispositions. The cus hostile cavalry at this period was a mark; mene was that the Allies were able to ed feature of the batts Had the Ger Surprises, both strategie and ufu command had at their disposal even two or three-trained cavalry divi- As a further effect of the loss of the signs, a wedge might have been driven initiative and ignoraner of his oppon-between the French and British Armies. ent's intringes, the defender finds it if their presence could not have failed to fault avoid a certain dispersal of bis have added greatly to the difficulties of forves though for a variety of reasons,

our task. including the act that we had lately been en, the offensive, we werd by no means entirely ignorant - the enemy's inten trous as the spring of 191, the unavoid- abs SHORTRAINTS resulting for a tem- jagary Rix of the mitinge did have the fet af preventing & complete" concen tration of wop reserves leftd the point of the enemy's attack.

efs y

tactical.

The absence of

"In the action's already referred tu erst of Arens, the cavalry were again, able to demonstrate the great advantage which their power of rapid concentration gives them in a surprise attack. Dperat ng in close concert with both arinoured cars and infantry, they pushed ahead of the latter, and by anticipating the arrival, An additional trusun, peculiar to the of German reserves assisted materially in Ciprianstances of the present war, which four success. In the battle of October 8th, in itselt compelled me to refuse to adopt a they were responsible for saving the Cam purely defensive attitude so long as any bra Le Chateau St. Quentin Railway other was eers to me, is to be found introm complete dextraction. Finally, dur the geographical qusition of our Arming the culminating operations of the For reasons stated by me in my despatch. war, when the German armies were fall- of Jai goth, 1915, we could not afford to ing back in disorganised masses. a new give much ground on a part of our situation arose which demanded the use of front. The experience of the war has mounted troops. Then our cavalry, press. shown that if the defence is to be maining hurd upon the enemy's heels. haster- tained successfully, even for a limited rd his retreat, and threw him into worse tim, it must be flexible: ་ ་

4)

THE END OF THE WAR.

Te the views set out by me in the preced. in paragraphs are accepter, it will he regnised that the war dis not follow any rapresedented course, od that, its

et was neither sudden air should it have been unexpected.

the rapid collapse of Germany's aldinary powers in the latter half of

ronfusion. At such a time the mural effect of cavalry is overwhelming, and is in itself a sufficient reason for the reter- tion of that arm.

On the morning of the armistice, two British Cavalry Divisions were

on the

arch east of the Scheldt, and before the or Jars to stop reached them they had ready, gained a line ten miles in front of our infantry outposts. There is no

as the logical outcome of the Eght doubt that, had the advance of the been allowed to continue, the

cavalry

in the previous two years, It would

nt have taken place but for that periodemy's disorganised retreat would have

heen turned into a rout.

VALUE OF MECHANICAL CONTRIVANCÈS,

A remarkable icature of the present war has been a number and variety o

hanical contrivances to which it has

washers rettrition which used up "th reserves of the German armies. while the constant and growing pres sare of the blockade sapped with mure sadly insistence from year to year at the strength and resolution of theen, birth, or has brought to a higher German people: It is in the great state of perfection. Besides the great in. battles of 1916 and 1917 that "we have ereise in mobinly made possible by -to work for the secret of dar victory in the development of atotor transport,

1019,

heavy artinery, trench mortars, machine- Doubtless the end might have come gun, aeroplanes, tanks, gas, and barbed Soner had we been able to develop the|wire have in their several spheres ot inilitary resources of our Empire more action Brayed very prominent parts in rapidly and with a higher degree of operations, and as a whole have given a oncentration, or had not the defectionreater ariving power to War. The bel of Russia in 1017 given our enemies agerent possessing a preponderance of new lease" of "life. So far as the military uch mechanical contrivances Das tound ination is concerned, in spite of the nimsalt in a very favourable position as great Recession of strengtli which Germany compared with his less well provided received as the result of the defection o opponent, Abe general superiority of the Russia, the battles of 1916 and 1917 had | Allies in this direction during the cap-| so far weakened her armies that the effort ending stages of the revent struggle un- they made in 1918 was insufficient to secure doubtedly contributed powerfully to their victory. Moreover, the effect of the battle of 1976 and 1917 was not confined to loss of German man-power. The moral effects of those battles were enormous, both in the German army and in Ger By their means cur soldiers es Baldi-head over the German soldier a moral superiority which they held in an ever- increasing degrer until the end of the war, even in the difficult days of March and April, 1018.

דתי

1,

success. In this respect the Army,owes a great debt to science and to the cis- Linguished scientific men who placed their learning and skill at the disposal of their country.

it should never be forgotten, however, that weapons of this coacter are aneup- "ame of enetelve independent action. They uo fut in themselves" possess the power to deession, their real function

Uud

servat tu

Lo their best,enect.

being to exist the liftmatry to get to grips VALUE OF CAVALRY IN MODERN WAR.

with weir opponents. 10 face in them From time to time as the war of posi-a reliance out or proportion to their real tion ragged on and the enemy's trench aunty, to maglue, for example, that systems rituained unbroken, while ques talks and aeropianes can take the place tions of pan-power and the shortage of u uttry and artillery, would be to who have the shipping beraue Leute, the, wisdom of necessity of aiutaining any large formuture or these new weapons-most ut peurt' of mounted nen was freely discussed. by robbing them on the power to use them

In the light of the full experience at the war the decision to preserve thu Cavalry Corps has been completely justified. It has been proved that cavalry, whether used for shock effect under suitable conditions or as mobile infantry, have still an indispensable part to play in modern war, Moreover, it cannot safely be assumed that in all future wars the flanks of the opposing forces will rest on neutral States or impassable obstacles. Wherever such a condition does not obtain opportu- nities for the useof cavalry must arise frequently.

Every mechanical device so far pro ducea is depenant for His must cutsave use upon the crusest possible association with other arms, and in particular with infantry and artillery. Aeroplanes must rely upon intantry to prevent the enemy, from overrunning their aerodromes, and, despite, their increasing range and ver satility of action, are clearly incapable in themselves of bringing about a deci zion. Tanks require the closest artillery support to enable them to reach their objectives without falling victims to the enemy's artillery, and are dependent upon Throughout the great retirement the infantry to hold the position they 1914, our cavalry covered the retirement have won. and protected the flanks of our columns as an instance of the interdependente against the onrush of the enemy, and on of artillery and tanks, we may take the frequent occasions prevented our infantry actions fought erst of Amiens on August from being overrun by the etiemy 9th, 1018, and following days. A very cavalry. Later in the same year at large number of tanks were employed in! Ypres, their mobility multiplied their these operations, and they carried out value as a reserve, enabling them rapidly their taaks in the most brilliant manner. to reinforce threatened portions of our Yet a scrutiny of the artillery amimani- fing. During the critical period of position returns for this period discloses the tion warfare, when the trial of strength fact that in no action of similar dimen- between the opposing forces took place. sions had the expenditure of ammunition the absence of room to maneuvre made been so great.

the importance of cavalry lem spparent. Immenso as the influence of mechanical Even under nach conditions," however. devices may be, they cannot by themselves vable results may he expected from the decide a campaign. Their true le is employment of a strong force of cavalry that of as-isting the infantryman, which when, after there has been severe fight they have done in a most admirable ing on one or more fronts, a surprimanner. They ennnot replace him. "Only attack is made on another front. Such by the rifle and hayonet of the infantry. an occasion arore in the operations before man can the decisive victory be won.

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