Last of a dying breed: Footage from 1917 shows American troops training their cavalry for WW1 battle shortly before horses were replaced by tanks

By Chris Pleasance
via The Daily Mail

Fascinating footage has emerged showing American cavalry units being trained in 1917, ready for deployment during the First World War..Fascinating footage has surfaced showing American cavalry preparing for service in the First World War.

Video from 1917 shows horses forming up as their riders practice mounting and dismounting in unison, charging the enemy and moving over rough terrain.

Cavalry units were viewed as an essential attacking weapon at the start of the war and used extensively by all forces, though by the time America joined in April 1917 they were fast being replaced by tanks.

One of the last cavalry charges of the war happened at the Battle of Moreuil Wood on March 30, 1918, six months before armistice.

Canadian cavalry charged at German positions, managing to defeat a superior force despite the fact that they were supported by machine guns.

But while the battle was technically a victory, three-quarters of the mounted units involved were killed.

The charge at Moreuil Wood was an execption rather than the rule at this point in the conflict, however.

Because of their vulnerability to modern weapons, and a shortage of replacements, horses were largely put to work away from the battlefield.

Read the entire article on The Daily Mail web site here.

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