The Dayton forum. [volume] (Dayton, Ohio) 1913-1949, 1918-10-11
General Foch Used French Horse
men to Advantage in
Big Drive.
PROVE GOOD FIGHTERS AFOOT
Rides 30 Miles in Day and Relieves
Hard-Pressed British In Flanders
Makes New Place for
Self In Warfare.

tactics ever since he took over control
Of the allied armies as supreme com
mander, according to information
reaching military circles here. The
horsemen have played an important
role in the whole battle Of 1913, as
the struggle which began March II
with the first German drive has come
to be known.
The employment of swift-noving
columns In the present connter-stroke
from the Aisne-Marne line has been
noted In the dispatches. Again Cen
eraI Toch took advantage of the great
mobility of the mounted arm 10 throw
| 1t in wherever his advancing infantry
units threatened to lose touch with
each other IN the heat and confusion
of the contest. No gaps have been left
where the enemy might strike back,
! eor always the horsemen came UP TO
| fill the hole until the infantry line
onld be rectihed and connected IN
solid front.
The same tactics marked the first
l use Of French cavalry In the battle Of
Picardy, when the French took over
| IS miles Of front from the British
to permit the latter to mass reserves
lit seriously threatened points Oh the
| line farther north.
Cavalry Fights Afoot.
| A French cavalry corps complete
iwitll light artillery. armored cars and
cyclists arrived first on the scene In
Picardy and relieved the British. They
/ fought IT out afoot until the heavy
| French infantry arrived and took over
\ the task.
| Three days later the horsemen were
on the move again, this time hnrryfng
| 10 the front, where the enemy was
hitting hard ait the Lys line. The cay
lalry rode hard as tile advance guard
of the French infantry columns march
ed toward St Omar. In the first
! IA hours, despite the long strain
of fighting in Pieardy, they covered
| 80 miles without losing a man or q
horse on the way. In GO hours they
had transferred their whole corps over
125 miles and arrived east Of Mont
| CaSsel.
1T was d wonderful sight" writes
! the chief Of staff of division. "The
horses were in fine condition; the men
were cheerful and went singing, In spite
4 of the sufferings and privations they
4 had to endure.
IN truth, our boys looked a little
tired, but they were nil very proud
that such an effort had been ASKED
! of them and all were bearing it cheer
fully
The cavalry corps stood In support
Of the British for ten days In ArrH
nfter the enemy had forced the lire
/ held by the Portuguese division Tt
maintained communication between
two British armies and organized the
ground from Mont Cassel to Mont
KENNEL, while the French army
moved up behind 1t. AS the French
Infantry came into line the cavalry was
drawn Off to the left In the
Mont KENNEL region, and for five days
the horsemen, fighting afoot with two
Infantry divisions, withstood the ter
rife assaults of the Germans who
sought to hammer way through be-
hind Ypres at any cost.
1 They stood steady bombardment for
i days, and when the infantry was hem.
med In on top Of Mont KENNEL.
the cavalry drove forward In counter
attack aud held off the shock divisions
of the enemy while the French gum
ners got their pieces away.
Later, at the battle Of Locre, the
cavalry also shared fully with the in
fantry, blocking gaps in the line, and
the final definite occupation Of the
town for the allies was accomplished
by cavalry battalion. A sergeSalt
and handful Of dragons drove 40
Germans out of the town, and at an
other point q cavalry officer and 20
men backed up the infantry at d
critical moment, the officer waving a
pistol IN enc hand and shovel In
the other as he led the dash which re-
stored the situation.
Defend compeigne.
A few days later the same cavalry,
after another long ride, met the en-
envy advance against Villers-Cotterets
woods In the Aisne sector, where the
fighting today Is waging fiercely, and
where the horsemen again are en-
gaged. When the Germans drove for
ward in their effort to get around the
forest to Compeigne, the horsemen
blocked the road between the wooded
region and the River Ourcq.
In view Of this record for swift and
dashing attack afoot, the cavalry ap-
pears to have established d new place
for Itself In modern warfare. They
are the light reserves; the men who
are always hurled first into the point
. OF danger to hold until the slow-m0s-
ing infantry arrives. They huSs
learned trench warfare completely
and General Foch is making use q
them Id any move that insures then
q glorious chance when the day coI.es
for this allies to iriye back all aloDe
4aan aazaa.