THE LAST GREAT CAVALRY CHARGE: The Battle of the Silver Helmets, Halen 12 August 1914

1-252360

Analyzes how the charge was staged so that the German Fourth Cavalry Division, which was magnificently equipped and trained, would charge into glory with sabers rattling. Instead, 24 German officers, 468 men, and 843 horses were lost during no less than the eight separate charges that were conducted that day. The entire right wing of the imperial German Army included only nine cavalry brigades in the well-known Schlieffen Plan, and in one battle, two of those brigades were seriously impacted. An understanding of the battle explains why large-scale cavalry charges would not be attempted on the Western front again. Contains 44 illustrations.