Line Of Fire - Cambrai 1917 - Part Four of Five

Cambrai

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[lectocom]

General Harper deserved to be shot.

[Travers54]

Thank you Ketch! great tank videos.

[chaz1453]

Are you sure you're not getting Harper confused with some 18th Century American Revolution general?

[jimbob926]

is george harper dumb?

[amartinjoe]

so what the hell was up with these British officers in WW1 anyhow? how the hell did they get promoted? by royal decree or something ? shit.

[fp470]

@guysmiley00 4th and last. The focus on squaring off on an open field was indeed consigned to the Napoleonic wars, in the Crimea and Franco-Prussian vast armies moved within a few miles of oneanother without one army knowing it. Cavalry in WW1 when encountering armies in the open had remarkable success, I refer you to the battle of Romani where British and Anzac mounted forces engaged an Ottoman army in the open. WW1 in M.East, E.Front and W.Front (1918) showed cavalry in the open were effective

[fp470]

@guysmiley00 3. Your focus on small arms is over-stated. Cavalry in the late 19th century were not just high-born sword wielding yahoos, but indeed rifle and lance (or sabre) armed forces with attached horse guns. WW1 gave cavalry divisions horse machine guns (the Hotchkiss light machine gun horse mounted) as well as portable light machine guns. The mobilty and superior recon value of cavlary divisions would make them hard to fix and force a general engagment. (part 4 on tactical level).

[fp470]

@guysmiley00 2. In slowing it this would allow the infantry fronting the enemy positions to attack and deny the defenders the much needed artillery and reserve support since they would be trying to hunt down the cavalry division and engage it for a major action (the only way to dislodge a cavalry force). Conceiving of a battle 'field' is narrow for WW1, the idea is fairly sound, the problem is executing it. In 1918, when the lines were able to be pierced this is what happened. (part 3 to come)

[fp470]

@guysmiley00 A fewthousand horseman, or more accuratley 10s of thousands since we are talking in terms of divisions and corps would cause a general withdraw by the german lines. YOur right its not like napoleon's day, they arent fighting on a field but across hundreds of miles of mutually supporting lines. A major penetration by a cavalry division would make the rearlines untenable and cause a withdraw. Also cavalry (mounted and dismounted) would prevent and/or slow such a withdraw (continued..)

[guysmiley00]

@fp470 What about the strategy? I, for the life of me, can't see why they thought getting a few thousand horsemen into the German rear would do that much good. Sure, they could act as raiders, but the infantry had repeating rifles now - it wasn't like in Napoleon's day, when a soldier would have maybe 1 shot before he was overrun. Am I missing something, or were they completely off their heads about the value of cavalry in a world of reliable, accurate, rapid-fire small arms?

[SatoTM3]

General Harper you bloody fool >=(

aalso: germans kind of inventing anti-tank weapons in 1 day and being on top again. dude. germans just rule in warfare dont they >.<

[uchio]

A lot of Harper's mistakes are pure stupidity. But his refusal to reinforce his own Seaforth Highlanders is beyond merely stupid, it is a criminal betrayal of the men under his command.