GERMAN CAVALRY 1914 IN BELGIUM AND FRANCE

The German cavalry – the fierce lancers known as Uhlans, in their distinctive spiked ‘Pickelhaube’ helmets, – struck terror into the hearts of the terrified civilian populations of Belgium and France as they struck deep into the heart of Flanders, ranging far ahead of the main advance of the German armies in August 1914. The Uhlans acted as scouts – the eyes and ears of the army – and in the days before air warfare and the formation of the trench lines developed, these cavalrymen were an invaluable part of the army’s intelligence, although in many senses the 1914 campaign was the cavalry’s last hurrah before the mechanised warfare of the 20th century took hold and made mounted warfare obsolete
This fascinating book tells the story of the German cavalry’s role in that summer campaign. Written by an author who as a Lieutenant General and Inspector of Cavalry was an authority on his subject, it gives a minutely detailed day by day, almost minute by minute account of the campaign and will be of interest to anyone fascinated by the Great War in general, and by the history of cavalry warfare in particular.