Читать книгу Our Cavalry - Michael Frederic Rimington - Страница 11

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1. In the mounted attack of cavalry on cavalry that side will win which makes use of a wall of mounted men, advancing knee to knee with no intervals showing. Two means of quickly forming and launching this wall are as follows: 1st. The head of the squadron column is directed towards the enemy, and line is formed to the front. 2nd. The head is led obliquely to the enemy’s advance, and at such a distance as will enable the troops to wheel into line, get up pace, and attack.

2. Forming to the Front or to the Flank.—The first plan is that which the beginner almost invariably adopts; the enemy’s squadron has a fatal attraction for him; he distrusts himself and imagines that there is not time to manœuvre. This attack generally “leads to undecided cavalry duels.”

The second plan is that which is always advocated, as, though it demands more sang-froid, practice, and experience on the part of the squadron leader. Its advantages are considerable; they are as follows: (a) It gives more space and consequently more time to the leader. (b) The enemy’s squadron, if already formed, will usually shoulder towards the attacker, and thus become disintegrated. (c) The movement does not entail the disorder consequent on front forming; on the contrary, a wheel into line generally ensures well-ordered and cohesive ranks. (d) The squadron is usually successful in striking the flank of the enemy.

Von Schmidt says:

An attack direct to the front must be an exceptional thing; to advance and at the same time gain ground to a flank must be the rule.

General Sir D. Haig says:

The efficacy of flank attack is so universally admitted as to need no argument to support it. A more difficult question is—how should we protect our own flanks from attack?

3. Defensive and Offensive Flanks.—Usually the best protection is afforded by either a defensive or an offensive flank; that is, a portion of the unit, say, a troop from a squadron, a squadron from a regiment, should drop back or be ready to drop back in echelon; or, on the other hand, should be thrown forward. The duty of the defensive flank is to act against an enemy overlapping or taking in flank the unit in front. The object of the offensive flank is to threaten even more completely than with the remaining force the flank of the enemy, who will be tempted to edge across to meet it.

What is true for a squadron is true for a regiment, and is still more true for a brigade, because with this comes in the question of artillery fire.