Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Horseshoe.

This is coolbert:

From the PBS television series "Bullets, Boots and Bandages"and thanks to the BBC we have this most interesting item.

"Napoleon's failure: For the want of a winter horseshoe"

That army of Napoleon retreating from Moscow [1812] having their horse transport reduced to near zero, the animals as shod with the wrong horseshoes, organized transport in the traditional and normal manner of that period made negligible.

"Of all the challenges faced by generals through history, moving armies has been one of the greatest - and Napoleon Bonaparte's invasion of Russia 200 years ago illustrates just how badly things can go wrong when it is underestimated".

"Having entered Russia in June, and anticipating a short campaign, his [Napoleon] horses were still shod with summer shoes."

"But with the brutal Russian winter fast approaching, this tiny logistical oversight was to cost him dear. Winter horseshoes are equipped with little spikes that give a horse traction on snow and ice, and prevent it from slipping."

"Without them, a horse can neither tow a wagon uphill, nor use them as brakes on the way down."

There not being enough farriers [those craftsmen that shoe horses] and proper numbers of spiked horseshoes to fit the horses to begin with. An unanticipated calamity without mitigation the result.

During that period of the American Civil War an army of 100,000 men  requiring about 2,500 wagon loads of supply per day for sustainment, not even during conditions of battle!! WAGONS OF COURSE PULLED BY HORSES!

Fodder for the horses during the extreme cold of the Russian winter being nil, campaigns typically during the Napoleonic era [and that time of the American Civil War for that matter] traditionally ceasing during that time of cold!!

coolbert.

1 comment:

  1. The cavalry was an important arm of red army at war, WW-2 to the end.
    1936 Red Army had fifteen (15) Cavalry Division.
    3-4 pieces, they formed the cavalry division, comprising the army with the municipalities, the municipalities and the Cossack army.
    Red Army relied on cavalry, even if you already ww-1 during the machine guns were maailam battlefield cavalry destroyed almost completely.

    Also, the Spanish Civil War cavalry suffered devastating losses in the fire by tanks. Similarly, German and Polish war tanks crushed the Polish cavalry, who attacked German armor against.

    Winter War, Finland had a number of fronts in the Russian ratsuväkidivisioonia, even though many do not directly touch the battle.

    Germany attacked the Soviet Union, Red Army had seven (7) cavalry divisions, and German have one.

    After the Second World War era cavalry interim red rose army, and in 1943 consisted of
    82 cavalry divisions, which had more than 600,000 men. The same year, the number was reduced to 26 cavalry divisions.

    In no other war has not been used so much cavalry.
    In combat, the cavalry was the leg man. In a number of battles with the blockade of the Red Cavalry
    attacked the fleeing Germans attacked by a saber as a weapon.
    Red cavalry division consisted of 3-4 cavalry regiments, one mechanized (tank) regiment and one field artillery regiment.

    1936 Ratsuykmentti consisted of four (4) eskardoonaa saber, and one (1) eskardoona machine gun. Crew 100, which is the same as the Infantry Company.

    Cavalry Regiment, was the same man as the strength of the infantry battalion.

    The cavalry division included mechanized regiment (armored regiment) consisted of a tank eskardoonan with 10 BT-5 and BT-7 tanks and the miniature tank eskardoonan of 16 T-27 cars.

    Later the T-27 vehicles were replaced by BT-wagons, tanks and increased in number.
    1940's regiment was the BT-64 tanks.

    ReplyDelete