Here the paces must be hammered into the troops till they become
mechanical habit, and the several forms of movement and attack be
practised, so that they can be executed in any direction, whether the
squadron has been told off or not. No matter how hasty the rally may
be, the troop must charge at the moment and without hesitation.
The only difference that can arise here will be due to the
individuality of the Leader, and all are good which lead to the
required end, only the Regulations are not quite clear as to
practising the charge, and the guiding points might be laid down with
rather greater precision.
In the charge against Cavalry cohesion is the first and dominating
condition. It must be absolutely impossible for the horses to swerve
either to right or left. Accurate dressing and the maintenance of the
two ranks come only in the second place. Against Infantry or
Artillery, on the other hand, the essential is that every horse should
have room to gallop in his own form, so that no crowding or jostling
arises, thus giving the horses a chance of avoiding or jumping clear
over falling men or animals. Hence, although on the level drill ground
the requirements of Regulations as regards dressing and the
maintenance of the two well-defined lines must be attended to, one
must remember that it may be impossible to comply with these demands
across country and be prepared in such cases to stick to the spirit,
not to the letter, of the law.
In both cases it will hardly be of advantage to lay too much stress on
dressing and touch. Against Cavalry it is rather a case of jamming the
files together by pressure from the flanks, and the men must hold as a
vital article of faith that only the closest knee-to-knee riding will
guarantee either victory or their personal safety. Against Infantry,
on the contrary, the files must be loosened, and every horse go in his
normal stride, as in hunting; nor must anyone allow himself to be
squeezed out of the ranks to the rear or remain behind as long as the
strength of his horse holds out.
Utmost speed consistent with closely-locked files against Cavalry, a
natural extended gallop against Infantry or Artillery--these are the
two cardinal points to be observed in attacking. Maintenance of
dressing or of the ranks become positive evils if the above are
sacrificed to either. There, in my opinion, should be the essentials
to guide the decision of superior officers in their criticisms.
With these exceptions the lines for the squadron training are so
closely drawn that differences in practice can scarcely arise. The
matter, however, assumes quite a different aspect with the regiment,
and still more with the higher units.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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