Evening star., 1937-05-22
Continued From Page B-l.)

one time or even in single year"
Maj. Grow said in an article he pre-
pared for the Cavalry Journal, they
would, indeed, have been considered
revolutionary. They are no less so in
their effect, though they have re-
suited from steady, but rapid pro-
gression.
The outstanding feature of the
picture Is the iron horse The in
crease in automatic arms is but mod
ernization Of older weapons The
abandonment Of animal-drawn trains
and the use of fighting vehicles is
more. 1t is a substitution of the new
for the old.
The age-old comradeship between
man and horse, which has so long
been synonymous with Cavalry, has
reached a partial parting of the ways.
The iron horse has arrived. He is, by
no means, perfect substitute for
our equine friend. He is not so
nimble footed, he cannot see, he lacks
the heart of our warm -blooded COM
panion. But our new horse is sturdy,
fast and tireless. and he dares face
the deadly machine gun. He Is a new
breed whose blood lines go back only
to the World War. Although he will
always lack the heart and nerve of his
animate predecessor, we may conf
IDENTIFY expect the breed to improve
under the expert hands of our tech
nicians."
THE World War, it was pointed out,
emphasized two things above all
others-the fact that all World War
armies were deficient in highly mobile
troops of great fighting power at crit
ical times, and the pre-eminence Of
fire power as decisive element in
battle.
One of the principal reasons for the
success Of some Of the great armies OF
the past was that from ne-sixth to
one-fourth Of their fighting strength
was composed Of highly mobile units,
Maj Grow pointed out. These units
not only served to cover the strategic
and tactical maneuver of the main
force, but also exerted decisive in
fluence in battle at the critical time
and place.
The highly mobile fighting element
Of an army is its cavalry" Maj. Grow
explained. The long accepted deflni-
tion Of cavalry as troops mounted on
horseback is likely to lead the unwary
student astray. The application of
mechanization to warfare has not al
faroN v,,{cc{nre hl1f ifc ovr1irofiop ~
cavalry has materially assisted the
latter to carry out its missions We
hear of 'moto- mechanical divisions.
mobile divisions. the 'Panzer Corps
etc. It seems to be the fashion Of the
times to apply a mechanical name to
these units. But have new missions
been developed for them? Not at all,
they are designed to carry out cavalry
missions.
Many may dispute this statement,
saying that the mission Of cavalry is
reconnaissance and similar functions.
Such reasoning is superficial and not
based on the fundamental conception
Of properly balanced military forces or
upon the history Of cavalry. Recon-
naissance and its attendant duties are
often Of primary Importance for time
and are rightly delegated to cavalry,
but when the critical battle Is entered
upon, the skillful commander has his
cavalry in hand for its primary mis-
sion, to fight"
Maj. Grow said that American Cav
airy Is fully aware OF the demands to
be placed upon it, and within the past
20 years 1t has cast aside traditional
arms and equipment and taken on
every tested device and improvement
that an inventive people could pro-
duce to render 1t more effective
fighting force.
How rapidly the machine can re-
place the horse only time can TELL"
Maj. Grow said. within two decades
we have satisfied ourselves that it has
earned place in each and every cav
airy regiment for some special purpose
and, even more, that in part Of our
regiments it can completely replace
the horse Few believe that any Of us
will see the horse eliy' ,~ated from the
battlefield, but still lever doubt that
improved breeding Of the iron horse
will rapidly fit him for much more
extensive and more effective USE"
A LONG with the iron horse, how
ever, the flesh-andblood steed
has improved-"more in the past 20
(almost within the past 10} years than
during the entire history Of our coun-
try" The mobility Of horse cavalry,
Maj. Grow said, Is greater today than
ever in spite Of the increase in num-
bers Of pack loads.
1T Is with mingled feelings Of regret