Washington sentinel., 1899-10-28
SUR EIeN NEW S
translated and Selected I1Oss leading
HSIobSGn6G6sYJgOS tie SKNTINKL
ENGLAND.

The CAVALRY OF THE RUSSIAN ARMY.
4Ad,siyaEtv GAd Horse Guards Gazette.
1t seems impossible to doubt that in
the event oil a conflict betwee the
forces of the Dual and Triple Alliances,
a conflict which, in the opinion Of many,
IS sooner or later inevitable, the cavalry
Of Russia would play a role of the first
magnitude, by virtue not only OF its
numerical superiority over the combined
cavalrles of Germany and Austria
Hungary, to which It would be opposed,
but also owing to the unique organiZa
ton, training, and methods of action
which differentiste it from the cavalry
OF any OF the great neighbOring powers,
not less than from that Of RussIa's allv,
France. To begin with, Russia is a
country extremely rich in horses, the
number OF which has been estimated by
Colonel Soukhotine at 20, 1000, 900, of
which at least one million are saddle
horses fit for the purposes Of war, while
the author of La CGVG EsTie RNSSs,
basiug his calculations on official returns
OF 1913 squadrons and 10000 horses in
the army, shows that the cavalry of
European Russia would, on mobilization,
exceed the combined cavalries OF Austria
Hungary and Germany by $4,000 men.
The France Nilitaiys also, which has
devoted considers BILE attention to the
subject, AYERS that it is not owing to the
consciousness OF this numerical advan.
tage alone that the Russian cavalry feels
itself to have a crushing superiority over
all possible adVersaries. 1t has boldly
catered upon an entirely new path as
regards organization and military train
ing, there being now LETT in that huge
body OF mounted troons, il we exclude
the twelve regiments Of the guard,
only two types of csvalrymen-ths
dragons and the Cossack. AS regards
the former, to whom il is more and more
sought to assimilate the Cossack, the
ideal steadily kept in view is 10 make
him an equally efficient fighter, whether
mounted or dismoupted, in the shock
action oil the charging horsemsn as in
the fire action OF the combatant on foot.
This dual role, only reluctantly
accepted BY cavalry in other armies, Is
one for which the Russian is fitted by
nature and by the traditions OF his race
but the new organization has for all that
been scathingly attacked by German and
| Austrian-e especially by German
military writers, whose contention is
that a tool intended for two quite differ
ent purposes is good for neither, ano
that for cavalry fighting on foot car
never be anything other than exceptiona
and abnormal To arguments OF this
kind the Russians reply that cavalry, a:
cavalry, is fully equal to that OF any othe
power, whilst at the same time, owinl
to its peculiar organization and training
it IS equal, when fighting on foot, to this
performances of special tasks with which
German or other cavalry would b'
unable to grapple. 1t is asserted tha
this advantage joined to their Dumerica
superiority would enable the Russian
cavalry to score important successes
against any hostile cavalry. at all event.
IN the early stages of operations tina
follow mobilization. 1t is general,
admitted, according to the authoritie
whom we have cited above, that Russij
could put in the field $4,000 cavalry t,
the II7,ooo Of Germany and Austria
Hungary combined. On the other hand
the Germans claim that their cavalry }
capable OF effective action, even agains
regular infantry armed with the per
fected weapons Of the present day. an
a IoTfioys, against cavalry fighting o
loot and hampered by the care OF thei
horses. German military crlticisr
further asserts that the introduction c
Cossack regiments into the divisions {
the regular Russian cavalrY--a regimen
of Cossacks to each division Of cavalr
has acted periodically upon the man
oeuvnng power of the latter, especial
in view of the difference Of pace whic
exis Is between dragon horses an
Cossack horses, and moreover that ii
Russian troop horse, carrying as he doe