Cavalry Charge in France 1918

[Chris Boonzaier]

There are many claims for "the last cavalry charge" and admittedly there are some charges on horseback that took place after the one described below, but for me this "last charge" is special.

it was not carried out by irregular mounted units, but by British cavalry on a European battlefield.

The men did not just use their horses to get into position, they used them to carry out their assault, and when they reached the enemy the weapon in their hands was the P08 cavalry sword.

[Chris Boonzaier]

Of course, the other reason that this action is special to me is the fact that I have the MC and bar group (pictured above) to Captain A.B.P.L. Vincent (pictured below in the 1930s) who led the 3rd Dragoons in the charge. I aslo visited the Villeselve and was able to take some photographs. it was amazing that the area has changed very little since 1918. The Farm houses are still there, the field was freshly ploughed and planted just as it was on the day of the charge... even the copses are still there.

Other than a tar on the road to Villeselve, it was like going back in time.........

The description of the fight is taken from the Regimental history.

[Chris Boonzaier]

The exhausted men of the 20th and 36th Divisions were however in a very poor state when the enemy broke the line at Ham, on the 23rd March. They fell back in good order, forming a succession of firing lines every 500 yards or so, but the pressure was so great, with the enemy continually throwing in fresh troops, that the situation became most serious. Villages were in flames and roads blocked by transport, troops, walking-wounded, and refugees; while the open country was full of field-artillery batteries, moving into action. The clouds of dust raised both by the road traffic and the guns was thickened by a dense pall of black smoke caused by exploding ammunition dumps. The roar of guns and mortars, and the crack and whine of small-arms fire never ceased for a moment.

.............The 6th Cavalry Brigade mounted detachment, which consisted of fifty men apiece from the 3rd Dragoon Guards, l0th Royal Hussars, and Royals, and was commanded by Major Watkin Williams of the l0th, was ordered at about 2 p.m. on the 24th March to make a mounted attack on some enemy infantry and machine-guns, who were in action in front of two copses on the rising ground just west of Villeselve. The detachment, which was formed into three regimental troops, of which that of the 3rd Dragoon Guards was led by Lieutenant A. B. P. L. Vincent, moved off immediately along the road to Villeselve with the 3rd Dragoon Guards troop leading.

[Chris Boonzaier]

Orders were given to the troop leaders on the march, after which the squadron rode on at a steady trot, turning left off the main road and taking a sunken track leading north into Collezy. It then came under heavy machine-gun fire from the direction of Golancourt, but took cover behind a number of large farm buildings. Here it was between elements of British infantry who were in action east of the farm, and elements of French infantry lining the sunken track in rear.

pictured here is the farm as seem from the field they attacked over, they must have come around the building on the left the 3rd dragoon guards riding towards the bottom left of the photo, the rest towards the bottom right.

[Chris Boonzaier]

Wasting no time, as the orders had already been given, the squadron passed through the British infantry and began to gallop towards the two copses with troops in line; the 3rd Dragoon Guards against the right-hand copse and the l0th Hussars against the left-hand copse, with the Royals 150 yards behind. They started knee-to-knee, across about 600 yards of ground, of which the last two hundred were ploughed. They came under heavy machine-gun fire immediately and this, as well as the fast pace, caused them to open out, so that when the charge was sounded they were fairly well extended. The moral effect on the enemy was very surprising. The moment the men cheered, and the swords came down to the "sword in line", they either put their hands up or else bolted into the copses. This did not save them, for once cavalry had been launched to the charge it was always far too late for the enemy either to run or to make placatory gestures. They were ridden down and 100 sabred, while the 3rd Dragoon Guards troop, on reaching the right-hand copse, dismountedand chased them through the trees, bringing twelve back alive.

in the photo below the charge would have come over the ground in the bottom left corner, the 3rd Dragoons going towards the woods on the right hand side.

[Chris Boonzaier]

In this attack, besides the 100 sabred, 107 Germans were captured as well as 4 machine-guns. The infantry, which had followed up closely, having completely recovered their spirits, captured many more; for the Germans continued to surrender freely, although before the attack they had held the initiative. Casualties to the squadron amounted to seventy-five all ranks. This was half its strength, but out of the total only one officer and a few men were killed, and the wounds of the majority were slight, so that in most cases they were able to continue at duty. Had the infantry attempted to cross the 600 yards of ground they would have been decimated to no purpose. It was enfiladed by at least five machine-guns- only one of which escaped capture- while some 500 riflemen were covering it from in front, with mortars and artillery at call. The exploit was in fact only practicable to cavalry at the gallop.

Although only a very small affair on this vast battle front, the charge at Villeselve had most important immediate results. It enabled the exhausted and disheartened infantry to advance and retake an area of great tactical importance, and it secured the left flank of the 14th Division, thus preventing a major breakthrough at a most awkward and shaky part of the line.

Seen coming from the farm, this is the right hand copse as it looked to the 3rd Dragoons coming over the field. it has a slight U-shape with a hollow in the middle.

[Chris Boonzaier]

gtt

[Chris Boonzaier]

Does anyone know of any Units that could claim to have made a later charge in the European theater?

[Chris_Baker]

30 March 1918. Moreuil. Canadian Cavalry charged at Moreuil Wood. Gordon Flowerdew won the VC.

[ianw]

My Grandfather's old regiment , the 19th Q.A.O.R Hussars catastrophically charged retreating German units as late as 8th October 1918. I think it was the case of a perceived last chance for glory. It is confirmed that they got amongst the enemy with the sword. The result was 3 officers and 15 other ranks killed for no real good reason. The C.O , Lt-Col. G D Franks got his last glorious charge but paid with his life and is buried at Brancourt close to where the action took place..

Grandfather had been commissioned into the A.S.C some months earlier, otherwise as Colonel's trumpeter, he may well have suffered the same fate as his C.O. I often think how sad he must have been when he heard of this action - sadness tinged with a bit of regret that he was not there perhaps.

[Chris Boonzaier]

I am quite suprised at how lightly the cavalry got off in this charge! Of course, the regimental history says " it only goes to show... still place for the horse on the battlefield..."

[Ciaran Byrne]

I am quite suprised at how lightly the cavalry got off in this charge! Of course, the regimental history says " it only goes to show... still place for the horse on the battlefield..."

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Even after the war Haig argued this point. The fact that Allenby and the cavalry did so well in Mesopotamia probably didn't help matters but even so, the fact that heavy artillery and machine gun use was so widespread did not put them off.

To be fair, even during WWII some Polish cavalry units did achieve local successes against German units. In the book "The Long Walk" by Slavomir Rawicz who was a Polish Cavalry officer says that the massed cavalry charge spread panic against the German lines but in the end their concentrated machine gun and artillery fire decimated their numbers.

[Jerrymurland]

Chris what was the date of this charge?

Jerry

[Jerrymurland]

OK I'm blind, got it now!! Sorry

[POC]

Does anyone know the names of those who were killed during the charge? I know about Cubitt, who died on the day from his wounds, but it's the ordinary men I am interested in.

[razu]

From Constantin Kiritescu ,on Romanian Front at Olt, 7/20 November 1916

"

The Charge at Robanesti

Between the numerous episodic actions of the fights in Jiu and Olt ,by which the Romanian troops in retreat were trying to dam the advance of the German torrent ,to give time to set in defence the line of Olt River ,it deserves to not be forgotten the episode of the "Charge at Robanesti".

At Caracal was finding ,in the day of 7/20 of November ,the 2nd Rosiori Brigade-of the 1st Romanian Cavalry Division-made out of Regiments 4th and 9th ,with the mission of covering the left wing of the troops -Division 1/17-which was retreating from Jiu in direction Slatina ,pursued by Schmettow Cavalry .Advanced Escadrons come into contact with German patrols.The 2nd Rosiori Brigade receives from the Defence Group of Oltenia the task to fall in the flank and back of the enemy which was advancing from Craiova in direction East to attack the line of the most trialed 1/17 Division ,situated in the trenches between Robanesti and Cimpuri.

In the morning of 23rd of October ,the Brigade occupies Bujoiu Village ,setting on the run the enemy and advances towards West ,in Sector Lacrita-Robanesti-Pirsani,at the South of railway between Pielesti and Bals.Two Battalions of the enemy from 11th Bavarian Division ,solid entrenched ,opened violently from the edge of the Pirsani Forest and Robanesti Village .The 4th Rosiori Regiment(Cavalry) ,unmounted ,fights heroicly to crush the resistance ,but without success;the officers of the Regiment fall ,one after the other .At the left flank ,the 9th Rosiori Regiment did not succeed either to acomplish the mission of turning the right enemy wing ,such that it would ease the fight of the 4th Regiment.Then,Colonel Calinescu ,the Commander of the Regiment sends order that an Escadron to charge the enemy battery at the edge of the Pirsani Forest.

Captain Al. Filiti offers himself to execute this charge in the temple of 3rd Escadron.

The Escadron was reduced at only 110 swords and had no other officers but only the Commander,to which has added Lieutenant Mora ,which reconnoitred the position of the battery and Lieutenant Iuliu Rosca ,the adjutant of the Regiment,as volunteer.In the same Regiment was fighting ,as volunteer Seargent ,the old man Donici ,member of an old Moldavian family.With all his advanced age -almost 70 years-the oldman ,which made also the 1877 Romanian Campaign against Ottoman Empire ,did not thought much;he was making the campaign in the Platoon Commanded by his nephew,as in the Independence War of 1877 made it under the Command of the father of this one.Old Donici addressed to the Captain:

-What task you may give me ,Mr. Captain?

-Will you charge next to me?

-Thank you ,I am ready -answered short the old man,thrusting himself into the saddle near his Captain".

In five minutes ,the Escadron was ready .Filiti gives the order:"For attack! lance hang in balance,march,march!" Out of more than one hundred throats started the same shout:Uraa! and the Escadron dashed in gallop in the thunder of hundreds of hoofs .The German battery was sheltered behind the ridge of the hill of the clearing of Pirsani Forest;at the sight of the Escadron which was climbing in great speed the ridge ,the artillerists retreat in haste the cannons ,to hide in to the valley ,behind the infantry .As the Escadron continued the pursuit in descend now,the German machineguns ,hidden behind a straw stalk ,begin to cut down ,as a Company of Infantry -one file on their knees ,one standing-placed in the trench of the driveway Craiova-Piatra ,fires in full from front.Horses and riders fall in heaps ;the field is scattered by the dead bodies of men and animals.Captain Filiti ,Liutenants Mora and Rosca are amongst badly wounded.Near his Captain ,Donici has charged with the sword in the scabbard ,waving his hat in his hand like a flag-at his advanced age he did not want to kill-and falls dead ,pierced by bullets between the firsts.

The Escadron is entirely wiped out.

The rest of the 7th Regiment -reduced at two Escadrons -esalonated in depth to sustain the action of the 3rd Escadron ,is received in a very strong fire of artillery and retreats by Robanesti in direction Bals ;the same move is done by the 4th Regiment as well,which remained with uncovered flanks.

The 1st Cavalry Division has taken part in the fights for defending of Olt line ,cooperating with the Division 1/17 ,fighting when mounted ,when on foot,in a series of local engagements .Always harassed ,tired ,she has left the fields of battle scattered with the dead bodies of the fighters ,without being able to dam the advance of the enemy.

The Charge at Robanesti was an anacronism against the technical means of the modern war.General Kuhne classified it as "a madness!".This reminiscence of the old horsemen spirit of knights ,characteristic for the spirit souling the fighter on horse back in the times when a charge could have decided the fate of a battle ,has brought into evidence the elan and spirit of martyr of which is capable the Romanian soldier, in dfending his lands."

Andrei

p.s. for some reason your pictures are not viewable.

[barney5042]

A full scale advance of nearly the entire British Cavalry Corps took place on 8 August 1918. Several regiments charged that day. The most successful were the 5th Dragoon Guards, capturing a railway train, 2 field guns, 1 howitzer, 2 anti-aircraft guns, 20 officers, 740 other ranks, 50 horses, and 5 transport wagons while charging retreating Germans. The regiment's casualties were 1 officer killed, 1 wounded, 6 other ranks killed, 42 wounded, and 8 missing. They were awarded 1 bar to the DSO, 1 DSO, 5 MCs, 5 DCMs, and 17 MMs for this charge. The 5DG definitely used their swords during the charge. I wrote an article about this that appeared in the April 2008 Medal News.

The battle at Honnechy on 9 October 1918 was the last large-scale action involving British and Canadian Cavalry. It's a bit unclear from the account whether the other ranks used their swords (of course, officers always would have) or functioned as Mounted Infantry (i.e. primarily used their rifles).

The 7th Dragoon Guards can probably lay claim to the last small-scale mounted action of World War I, one squadron galloping about 10 miles, capturing a bridge and the villiage of Lessines (as well as 106 Germans) just as the Armistice was taking effect at 11 AM on 11 November 1918.

The attached image is from a painting still on display at the 5DG officers' mess.

Barney

[Guest goldback81]

Hi,

My great-great-grandfather Daniel Casey served in the 5th Dragoon Guards. He arrived at the Front in December 1914 and served until December 1918 occupying Germany. He wrote memoirs of his time during the war. The memoirs were written some time between 1955 and his death in 1958. The following is taken from his description of the Battle of Amiens:

It was after midnight when we rode through the shell-wrecked and empty desolate town of Amiens. It was a bright moonlight night and we were able to see how the Germans had destroyed the cathedral, railway station, and shops. It was like riding over something that was dead. I had rejoined my troop and had long since handed over the Hotchkiss gun to another man so now I only had my own horse to consider and care for.[1] This was quite a change for me as for months I had always had two horses to groom. The one I was riding was a mare and I called her Cinderella and she knew her job, she was a good jumper and could gallop as good as any in my troop. I saw that there was plenty of cavalry Regiments riding through the streets of Amiens that night.

In the dawn we were formed up near St Quentin, and I saw we had massed artillery besides the heavy siege guns, but none of us had been ‘briefed’ on what we had to do, yet I could sense it was something out of the ordinary. But all through the years of this war all cavalry jobs had been dismounted work, but this was to turn out to be something different, for at half past four that morning every gun opened fire in a ceaseless drum-fire that alone must have made the Germans get under-ground and must have smashed their barb wire entanglements then in open order I saw the tanks go forward. But then we got the order “trot-gallop” and we were past the tanks. “Draw swords” was the order, and then we were leaping over the German trenches, and Germans were surrendering before we were near them in hundreds. We had come to open country and on we went one long line of British Cavalry with drawn swords.

We passed the big-gun on the railway, the gun called Big Bertha. But all the German artillery men had left their guns eager to surrender. We saw the concrete pillar-boxes that each contained a machine gun, but these gunners when they saw horses leaping over their trenches were too petrified to fire.[2] Our captain [3] had gone too far in front of our squadron and the boy trumpeter could hardly keep up with him, which was just as well, because a tall German officer came out of a dug out and aimed his pistol at our leader’s back. “Look out sir” shouted the boy. [88] Our captain and his horse turned as if on a turntable, and he shot the German dead centre between the eyes. Then we saw the long line of German transport. I had the job along with others of making this transport turn round towards our lines. There was lorries, waggons, carts, in fact every kind of vehicle, and some of the drivers must have been grand-fathers for they had grey whiskers.

Our casualties were mostly leg wounds,[4] but the infantry especially the Australians were very busy collecting wrist watches and other articles from the Germans who were being herded along in hundreds. I saw also on our way back that big gun we had passed in our charge on the Germans, now had a chalked sign that read “Captured by the Australian infantry” when in fact we were the first to pass that gun and make the gunner put up his hands. Of course none of us had any knowledge of how important that cavalry charge was, until later in the day we were visited by Lord Rawlinson [5] who was in command of the Fourth Army and Field Marshall Sir Douglas Haig. They both told us as we were assembled on parade, that the day’s events had already had its repercussions in Berlin. Haig also said we were going to drive the enemy right into Germany, but there was still a lot of fighting to do before that was possible.[6]

The full text of the memoirs can be found at: http://danielcaseyww1.blogspot.co.uk/

I do need to update some of the footnotes on the page based on more recent research I have done.

Dave

[1] Daniel Casey later identifies this man by the name Brock.

[2] This is the Battle of Amiens, which took place on the 8^th of October 1918. More than 500 tanks too part in the attack and large areas of territory were taken as well as many German prisoners. There is a detailed account of the battle in the Regimental Diary of The 5^th Dragoon Guards.

[3] The captain of B Squadron at this point was Captain LF MITCHELL MC.

[4] According to the Regimental Diary of The 5^th Dragoon Guards for the 8^th of August 1918, the regiment suffered the deaths of one officer (Lieut J. Jordan) and six other ranks, whilst 1 officer and 42 other ranks were wounded and 8 other ranks were missing. Meanwhile, 122 horses were killed, wounded, or missing. In terms of prisoners the regiment captured 20 officers, 740 other ranks, 50 horses, 5 transport wagons, and numerous weapons. Those who died were Lance Corporal John Adams (552), Lance Corporal Sidney Bailey (19554), Lieutenant J Jordan, Sergeant JR Miles (D/7880), and Privates Albert Ernest Entwistle (9236), William Arthur Hudgeon (13382), Robert Millar (12312), Fred Morton (75705), J McGarva (D/13293), and C Thornton (7605).

[5] Lord Henry Rawlinson (1864 – 1925) played an important roll at both the Somme (1916) and Amiens (1918).

[6] According to the Regimental Diary of The 5^th Dragoon Guards, it was on the 14^th of August 1918 at 3.30 pm that Douglas Haig visited the regiment at their bivouac in Longeau, France, to the South East of Amiens. It states: “The Commander-in-Chief, Field Marshall Sir Douglas Haig, rode round the lines and congratulated all officers, NCOs, and men of the Regiment for the achievement carried out by the Regiment on August 8^th. He also remarked how well the horses were looking.”

[sjustice]

9 October 1918 - Canadian Cavalry Brigade engaged in multiple full charges and shock actions at Gattigny Wood, Maurois, Honnechy, Reumont, Troisvilles and la Sotiere. 6th Cavalry Brigade also engaged in the latter five; 'killed many Germans with the sword'. The charge of the 6th Cavalry Brigade involved the entire force galloping through the narrow railway bridge and hurtling through the village of Honnechy. Terrifying.

 

Cheers,

SMJ

 

 

[joerookery]

Having just returned home from a trip I discovered this thread.   We wrote a book called: The Last Great Cavalry Charge – it was about Halen  in August 1914. The title originally came from a publishers agent but I went along with it. Boy oh boy while the book was very well received, there was a lot of umbrage about the title. Chronologically this was not the last but we focused on the word great, as four German cavalry regiments made eight goes of it.  The size of this endeavor dwarfed all others that came later. It might have sold a few copies but boy did I take some heat for the title! 

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cavalry-Charge--Battle-Silver-Helmets-Halen-12/dp/1781551839/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1472386002&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Last+Great+Cavalry+Charge

[ianw]

With Great War relatives in the Hussars, I continue to lay claim to 8th/9th October 1918 for the 19th Hussars and the 10th Hussars respectively. If you lose men and horses and get amongst the enemy with the sabre - and lose your CO at the head of the charge as the 19th did - you've ticked all the boxes.

[jannerXI]

For large scale mounted actions one need look no further than the Russo-Polish War (aka the Polish-Bolshevik War) and the battle of Komarów in particular.