Will CMBB feature cavalry?

[Falkao]

I was just wondering (and sorry if this has already been covered on another thread) if due to the relevant part played by russian/german/hungarian cavalry in this theatre it will be present in the final release of CMBB...

Thanks

Falkao

[Andreas]

Yes, but they are dismounted.

I.e. CMBB models Cavalry squads for all nations that fielded them, but not horses.

[Kuma of Finland]

I followed the discussion of the cavalry earlier, and I was told horses aren't available due lacks of the game engine (just like multi-turret tanks, multi-store buildings, etc.).

Just have to wait for CM2 (Ehem, buy CMBB anyways so I can whip (or more likely to be whipped by) you in PBEM fight! )

/kuma

[Foxbat]

On the grand scale of things people learned really quickly that horseback charges weren't very expedient in the face of automatic weapons or armour :eek: cavalry on the Ostfront was therefore mainly mounted infantry.

Soviet Cavalry was used as a makeshift way of having mobile infantry, highly important in the overall scheme of things but not really relevant at the CMBB level (although it would be nice to simulate nonetheless ).

German cavalry was also used mainly for mobility reasons, to have highly mobile light infantry to fight partisans in the rear. Again a nice-to-have feature...

[Andreas]

Correctly used (i.e. not in foolish charges), cavalry in the east had tremendous potential. The best Soviet commander was probably Pliev, commander of 1st Guards Cavalry Corps (about a division worth of men & equipment). Cavalry Mechanised Groups were hugely important in exploitation. The mobility afforded in the poorly developed countryside was a major asset.

ISTR the last Soviet cavalry division only was taken off the roster in 1955.

[Andreas]

Blast from the past:

Originally posted by Louie the Toad:

Dear von Paulus, Andreas and Panzer.

I know we won't have mounted cavalry.

The factor that makes them special is not cavalry charges, but the ability to move fast, faster than other infantry and not tire like other infantry. That can be very important in a tactical battle.

Dismounted they are not special, so why bother taking the time and energy to put them into the game?

Just trying to be understood. Toad

Louie, I believe that on a CM map they are unlikely to be dismounted (unless you are looking at huge maps) anyway, since they would put themselves to much at the risk of an ambush while transferring from one position to another. The high speed of cavalry is an operational advantage, not necessarily a tactical one. Tactically, you could be inviting desaster moving on horseback. One unspotted gun or HMG in your path, and your unit is up the proverbial without a paddle.

See picture below for operational movement:

The picture below shows a tactical situation. The comment to this picture explicitly states: 'Dismounted assaults are made from all directions'.

Can someone tell me where Golubovka is/was?

Both pictures from 'The Red Army Handbook'.

According to Zaloga, a Soviet cavalry regiment had ~1,150 men (in 4 mounted Squadrons , 1 MG Squadron, 1 Mortar Squadron and 1 Regimental Battery). They were therefore about the size of a (maybe) slightly reinforced US or Commonwealth late-war infantry battalion . The cavalry regimental battery had 123 men, and that would be additional to infantry BN TO&E. A US Armored Inf BN had 1,001 men, and a regular Inf BN had 836 men according to John Salt's 'USORG' document. The Commonwealth Motor BN (armoured inf) had 800 men in 1943, and the infantry battalion had 845 men.

So the battle you see on this map is an upper-end CMBB battle.

[Falkao]

Thanks everybody for the quick and enlightning answers...

Looking forward to playing with you (against you) in my politically-correct western-european CMBB copy

[Elmo]

Andreas

There is a Golubovka in Ukraine and one in Kazakhstan. I presume the former is the one you want.

Elmo

[Battlefront.com]

Andreas is correct, except he used a negative "unlikely" instead of a positive "likely" in his first sentence

Mounted cavalry was, for the most part, an operational asset. Very much like truck mounted infantry. The purpose was to be able to move faster than foot infantry but with less logistical requirements and tactical flexibility than motorized infantry. And to some degree this worked great, especially in bad terrain like the vast marshes and forests found in the central front.

Mounted cavalry was not good at the tactical combat level. Horses present rather large and hard to conceal targets for just about anything the enemy fieled. It was not difficult to stop a mounted charge by even a couple of guys with rifles and perhaps a LMG. Then the horses, at least, would be lost and therefore the operational mobility reduced/removed. And for what? For nothing.

The German Cavalry Squad was designed to be broken up into two main pieces. One were considered "handlers" and it was their job to take the dismounted horses away to safety. They would then group the horses and establish a defensive parimeter around them. The remaining part of the squad would then fight dismounted.

German Cavalry Scout Squads were different. They were missing the handlers and LMG. Instead, they were just eyes mounted on horseback. They were not supposed to engage in combat at all. Just simply observe and report back. Nothing more.

Hope that helps clarify things. A SEARCH of the CMBO Forum will turn up a lot more information.

Steve

[audace]

Our 3rd Cavalry Regiment "Savoia Cavalleria" made one hell of an attack to break through enemy forces, and liberating friendly forces near Isbscenskij.

Probably (but I'm not so sure about it), it was the last charge of WW2.