The Poles defended with mounted cavalry.
The Maginot Line
- Thread starter MadchesterCity
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feelymcfeel
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burning blue soul
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"History!..... it's just one thing after another!!"
To be fair they were very effective against tanks. So Drone told me anyway.
The concept, planning and strategy was heavily influenced by the first world war, long before blitzkreig, when german artillery was dependent on horses-drawn transport. German intelligence knew every inch of the Maginot line before hostilities broke out. There are many examples on both sides of doomed plans persevered with to save face of the generals no matter the casualty count. Hitler ordering ordering 6000 troops to fight on despite having no ammuniton or fuel, Gallipoli, Balaclava, the Falaise Gap.
Hindsight, through the eyes of the culpable, cannot be relied on. T'was ever thus.
Hindsight, through the eyes of the culpable, cannot be relied on. T'was ever thus.
metalblue
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Despite being hopelessly out equipped they put up one hell of a fight.
I watched the movie “April 9th” a while back, about the German invasion of Denmark, the so called 6 hour war, definitely worth a watch.
BrianW
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War is a damned, chancy thing, which is why you are better off avoiding it.
The UK had an extremely mechanised army in 1939 (contrary to popular opinion) whereas the Germans still relied heavily on horses (contrary to popular opinion.) However, the British tanks were hopeless and our generals were out-thought in tactical terms.
According to my Dad, our tanks were still pretty poor in 1944 and we had to deploy self-propelled guns to counter the German tanks. Later some Shermans were equipped with British guns and they were about the best kit we had. Luckily we (and the Yanks) had an endless supply of tanks, while the best German ones were in short supply.
It's easy to laugh at military mistakes, but history is full of them.
The UK had an extremely mechanised army in 1939 (contrary to popular opinion) whereas the Germans still relied heavily on horses (contrary to popular opinion.) However, the British tanks were hopeless and our generals were out-thought in tactical terms.
According to my Dad, our tanks were still pretty poor in 1944 and we had to deploy self-propelled guns to counter the German tanks. Later some Shermans were equipped with British guns and they were about the best kit we had. Luckily we (and the Yanks) had an endless supply of tanks, while the best German ones were in short supply.
It's easy to laugh at military mistakes, but history is full of them.
NeilYoungIsBack
Well-Known Member
There were stories that the Poles charged against German tanks with cavalry but I am pretty sure this is based on a myth (or German/Russian propaganda).
About 10% of the Polish army was on horseback but most of these were mounted infantry, not cavalry. The idea was that mounted infantry could quickly get to where they needed to be across difficult terrain, but then dismount to fight when needed. Some of these troops will have encountered German tanks, but I don't believe there is any evidence they charged at them.
Both German and Russian armies used mounted troops on the Eastern front between 1941-1945 for patrolling and scouting. It made a lot of sense given that the road network was sparse and the distances are vast. Also, the Russians were usually short of trucks and the Germans short of fuel. The Germans also used vast numbers of horses to haul their artillery around throughout the war.
Damn.