Charge!!
Polish Lancers
World War II was the first highly mechanized war, but horses and mules were still used as cavalry, field artillery draft animals, and in supply trains. This would be the last war that equines had a significant role in. By the end of the war, only Germany still had many horses. The other countries had become fully mechanized.
Horses had been effective in war for thousands of years due to their size, strength, and speed. However, they could not withstand modern weapons that the world wars brought into play. Yet horses served a role on both sides. The US Army still had its 1st and 2nd Calvary Divisions. The number of horses used, however, decreased each year. The US Coast Guard used about 3,000 horses in 1943 for beach patrol. They were looking out for German submarines and boats. The last remaining US cavalry regiment to serve was the 26th in 1942. Its' 250 horses and 48 mules sadly met their end when they were slaughtered to become food for the starving army.
Germany had about 1.1 million horses that they used on all fronts. Japan, too, relied heavily on horses. The Soviet Union also had a cavalry. China did not have many horses and Britain hardly used any at all.
At the beginning of the war, the Russians, Poles, and Romanians had the world’s greatest cavalries. In fact the first battle of World War II featured a cavalry. Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. Poland used the 18th Lances of the Pormoska Cavalry Brigade against Germany. The horses and riders could not compete with the German tanks and machine guns. They were massacred.
A mule is a cross between a male donkey and a female horse. While they may have had a reputation for being stubborn, no army in World War II could have survived without the mule. They could carry anything- from weapons to medical supplies- and they could travel places that no horse or vehicle could go. In fact most soldiers believed mules were the best transportation for anything but open country. They were used in North Africa, the mountains of Italy, and the jungles of Burma. Without mules, necessary supplies could not have reached the fighting men.
Click here to learn more about World War II's horses and mules.
Horses had been effective in war for thousands of years due to their size, strength, and speed. However, they could not withstand modern weapons that the world wars brought into play. Yet horses served a role on both sides. The US Army still had its 1st and 2nd Calvary Divisions. The number of horses used, however, decreased each year. The US Coast Guard used about 3,000 horses in 1943 for beach patrol. They were looking out for German submarines and boats. The last remaining US cavalry regiment to serve was the 26th in 1942. Its' 250 horses and 48 mules sadly met their end when they were slaughtered to become food for the starving army.
Germany had about 1.1 million horses that they used on all fronts. Japan, too, relied heavily on horses. The Soviet Union also had a cavalry. China did not have many horses and Britain hardly used any at all.
At the beginning of the war, the Russians, Poles, and Romanians had the world’s greatest cavalries. In fact the first battle of World War II featured a cavalry. Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. Poland used the 18th Lances of the Pormoska Cavalry Brigade against Germany. The horses and riders could not compete with the German tanks and machine guns. They were massacred.
A mule is a cross between a male donkey and a female horse. While they may have had a reputation for being stubborn, no army in World War II could have survived without the mule. They could carry anything- from weapons to medical supplies- and they could travel places that no horse or vehicle could go. In fact most soldiers believed mules were the best transportation for anything but open country. They were used in North Africa, the mountains of Italy, and the jungles of Burma. Without mules, necessary supplies could not have reached the fighting men.
Click here to learn more about World War II's horses and mules.