Cavalry in Twilight 2000

[bobcat]

the US does have a small breeding program located at Fort Sill. other units may also have informal horsemanship programs. by the 90's its is probable that most US special forces have their own horsemanship and breeding programs to support their operations.

also Mules will likely be used more than horses to transport material. and in some cases men. while they are slower than horses the amount they can move is much higher thereby allowing a mule unit to move more supplies faster than an equally sized horse unit.

[Targan]

James, I just thought of an appendix you could include in your PDF for cavalry operations in Thailand, Vietnam and some other parts of SE Asia and the Sub-Continent - elephant-mounted forces! Not as easy as horses to obtain, train, care for and feed but imagine the shock value. And it's a damn sight harder to shoot a mahout's mount out from under him than a horse cavalryman's.

Granted, it's a limited geographic area that elephant cavalry could be found in, but there have been a few discussions over the years about campaigns set in SE Asia. Imagine a group of foot or truck mounted infantrymen facing down a troop of the Royal Thai Elephant Cataphract Corps! I'd be fetching my brown trousers.

[James Langham]

James, I just thought of an appendix you could include in your PDF for cavalry operations in Thailand, Vietnam and some other parts of SE Asia and the Sub-Continent - elephant-mounted forces! Not as easy as horses to obtain, train, care for and feed but imagine the shock value. And it's a damn sight harder to shoot a mahout's mount out from under him than a horse cavalryman's.

Granted, it's a limited geographic area that elephant cavalry could be found in, but there have been a few discussions over the years about campaigns set in SE Asia. Imagine a group of foot or truck mounted infantrymen facing down a troop of the Royal Thai Elephant Cataphract Corps! I'd be fetching my brown trousers.

Now that will be a mammoth task to research...

[WallShadow]

Now that will be a mammoth task to research...

A mammoth _tusk_ to research
No doubt you'd come away with a trunk full of data!

[Legbreaker]

Now that will be a mammoth task to research...

A mammoth _tusk_ to research
No doubt you'd come away with a trunk full of data!

*SLAP!*

[Targan]

A jumbo round of elephant puns I'm all ears.

[Canadian Army]

James, I just thought of an appendix you could include in your PDF for cavalry operations in Thailand, Vietnam and some other parts of SE Asia and the Sub-Continent - elephant-mounted forces! Not as easy as horses to obtain, train, care for and feed but imagine the shock value. And it's a damn sight harder to shoot a mahout's mount out from under him than a horse cavalryman's.

Granted, it's a limited geographic area that elephant cavalry could be found in, but there have been a few discussions over the years about campaigns set in SE Asia. Imagine a group of foot or truck mounted infantrymen facing down a troop of the Royal Thai Elephant Cataphract Corps! I'd be fetching my brown trousers.

In Challenge #52; Going on Safari it has the following unit:

1st Alternative Cavalry Regiment
This unit was formally organized in May of 2000. What makes it unique is that instead of relying on tanks and APCs for transportation, members of the first rides elephants. The elephants, originally belonging to the Bishop Brothers Circus, were set free in Bellingham, Washington in late 1999 when the crew and performers fled into the countryside. Many of the animals died in the interning months. Roberts found the elephants grazing in a field in April and rounded them up with the aid of an infantry platoon subordinate to the 47th Infantry Division. In May Roberts went to the divisional HQ with his idea for an elephant-borne "cavalry" unit-and was surprised to find his idea readily accepted. Roberts was given command of the 1st Alternative Cavalry Regiment. Including leaders, the regiment consists of 45 members (20 Veteran, 15 Experienced and 10 Novice NPCs).

[Lundgren]

Interesting thread

There was a comment about the problem of maintenance of bicycles. But with so many other things, it is when you look at the modern variants. Something like this tend to keep working http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedish_military_bicycle but it is sure not as fun to use as a more modern one. The royal guard regiment was just getting rid of them back in 1992. But there was still a few that we could borrow, to get to a supermarket nearby, if we had some free time.

They were used back in the days for infantry units, and they trained to be towed behind a tractor or a work horse. Basically the same tactics used by our northern brigades to tow infantry on skis during winter.

Might be a good option for infantry units working together with cavalry units.

[headquarters]

bicycle troops

We had bicycle mounted dragoons in the 1950s and 1960s in my old regiment. Apparently they were quite effective as they could outpace and outcarry regular marching troops easily.

I can definently see horse/bicycledragoons and cavalry scouts coming back in a T2K setting.

I also think melee weapons like sabres, maces and other sharp and pointy things being reintroduced.To save ammo for one - why shoot an unarmed prisoner when he can be hacked to death without spending a bullet

As for the cavalry charge I dont know. The LMG was pretty much the end of that as far as I can understand. But if modern automatic weapons were running out of ammo and parts..maybe it could be reintroduced.

Interesting thread

There was a comment about the problem of maintenance of bicycles. But with so many other things, it is when you look at the modern variants. Something like this tend to keep working http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedish_military_bicycle but it is sure not as fun to use as a more modern one. The royal guard regiment was just getting rid of them back in 1992. But there was still a few that we could borrow, to get to a supermarket nearby, if we had some free time.

They were used back in the days for infantry units, and they trained to be towed behind a tractor or a work horse. Basically the same tactics used by our northern brigades to tow infantry on skis during winter.

Might be a good option for infantry units working together with cavalry units.

[Tombot]

[QUOTE=headquarters;52759]

I can definently see horse/bicycledragoons and cavalry scouts coming back in a T2K setting.

I also think melee weapons like sabres, maces and other sharp and pointy things being reintroduced.To save ammo for one - why shoot an unarmed prisoner when he can be hacked to death without spending a bullet


I am absolutely convinced about these two points.
In my games a lot of people carry sharp and pointy things and having a bicycle (even if they just carry their load on it).

[Olefin]

There are a couple of other small cavalry units that you missed in your writeup or at least units still using horses.

You have the Caisson Platoon of the Third Infantry Regiment in DC - dont know if they survived the nuclear attack though.

Connecticut has a very interesting unit - 1st and 2nd Company Governors Horse Guard - its a state militia unit that is an actual cavalry unit that is trained in military tactics and small arms (specifically 9mm and 45's).

They very likely are now being used as for real cavalry, most likely with the addition of carbines or perhaps Uzis to their pistols for arms.

[Medic]

The Finnish non-mechanized infantry (Infantry Brigade type 80) usea bicycles and agricultural tractors as means of conveyance of a great deal of its troops and by the time I was in service, the bicycle marches were very common (not to mention formation drills with bicycles and skis).

I would not mock a bicycle as a means of conveyance, as it saves the military a bunch on resources. You have to feed only the rider and veterinary services are provided by a couple of bicycle mechanics (in Finnish nicknamed as "pumppuluumu", literally a pump prune), who are often the not-so capable soldiers in the Headquarters and Supply Company (when I was in service, the conscript bicycle mechanics and others in support or supply roles were mostly either very much uninterested in serving or the slightly impaired ones - poor sight, cognitive problems etc.).

Last horses in the Finnish Army were sold in late 90'ies. The military slang said, the army horses had "service days on their asses" - they had a registry number shaved on their behinds. Nowadays the Army Dragoon Band is the only unit to use horses, but as far as I know, the horses are privately owned.

[James Langham]

There are a couple of other small cavalry units that you missed in your writeup or at least units still using horses.

You have the Caisson Platoon of the Third Infantry Regiment in DC - dont know if they survived the nuclear attack though.

Connecticut has a very interesting unit - 1st and 2nd Company Governors Horse Guard - its a state militia unit that is an actual cavalry unit that is trained in military tactics and small arms (specifically 9mm and 45's).

They very likely are now being used as for real cavalry, most likely with the addition of carbines or perhaps Uzis to their pistols for arms.

Useful info thanks.

Any particular reason why Uzis

[James Langham]

The Finnish non-mechanized infantry (Infantry Brigade type 80) usea bicycles and agricultural tractors as means of conveyance of a great deal of its troops and by the time I was in service, the bicycle marches were very common (not to mention formation drills with bicycles and skis).

I would not mock a bicycle as a means of conveyance, as it saves the military a bunch on resources. You have to feed only the rider and veterinary services are provided by a couple of bicycle mechanics (in Finnish nicknamed as "pumppuluumu", literally a pump prune), who are often the not-so capable soldiers in the Headquarters and Supply Company (when I was in service, the conscript bicycle mechanics and others in support or supply roles were mostly either very much uninterested in serving or the slightly impaired ones - poor sight, cognitive problems etc.).

Last horses in the Finnish Army were sold in late 90'ies. The military slang said, the army horses had "service days on their asses" - they had a registry number shaved on their behinds. Nowadays the Army Dragoon Band is the only unit to use horses, but as far as I know, the horses are privately owned.

Again really useful info, I am far from being an expert on the Finnish forces but will add some detail in the next rewrite.

[James Langham]

Interesting thread

There was a comment about the problem of maintenance of bicycles. But with so many other things, it is when you look at the modern variants. Something like this tend to keep working http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedish_military_bicycle but it is sure not as fun to use as a more modern one. The royal guard regiment was just getting rid of them back in 1992. But there was still a few that we could borrow, to get to a supermarket nearby, if we had some free time.

They were used back in the days for infantry units, and they trained to be towed behind a tractor or a work horse. Basically the same tactics used by our northern brigades to tow infantry on skis during winter.

Might be a good option for infantry units working together with cavalry units.

Nice bit of technical detail, thanks.