Best ever cavalry

[Leaper]

Hello there Sir/m'am!

I have a problem, Im writing a report on the impact of Cavalry. (Cavalry on horses, ect.) And I whould like to know witch ones was the best of all times.

I´ve heard of the Swedish Karoliner and Alexanders Cavalry, but that's about it. Please, if you can, help me, educate me, witch Cavalry is the best of all times? And please, link me some source sense I must present all of my sources. Thank YOU in advance

/Leaper

[Tebryn]

That doesn't make any sense...
The best cavalry ever ? Nowadays armor brigade !

[Leaper]

Oh sorry!

As I wrote, Cavalry on horses ect. (Camels,Mooses,Cows of Chickens)


Then again, sorry.

[Dragonscript]

Which time period? Which part of the world? Melee or Ranged calvary? There are too many variables to take into account to answer your question as it stands.

[Mordoror]

ah a "what is the best" thread, it missed me p-)


The best "ever something" is by definition the unit, equipment or men who do what they were intended to, at the proper timing and the expected efficiency .... anything else is litterature

such kind of thing is impossible to be answered at
How to compare Scythes archers, Sarmatians cataphractii, Macedonians Hetairoii, Quades and marcomanni germanic cavalry, Parthians mounted archers, Huns, Mongols, Winged Polish Hussard, french napoleonian hussards/cuirassiers/mamelouks, Russian Guard cavalery, Stuart or Grieson american civil war cavalery ..... etc

not the same period, equipment, tactics and function although all were fully successfull in their respective historical period

So now, tell me which is the ever best cavalry ?

[Tebryn]

Well I'm sorry to say that it doesn't change anything. Why would you compare roman cavalery and napoleonic one as they never met each other ? As a student in history I think that those kind of question is absurd.
But well, let's see what will happen in this topic...

[Tebryn]

Ok, everybody around here agree : the question is impossible to answer.

[Leaper]

Okay...thank you guys to tell me that, never thought of that. p-)

Lest say at the time of 1600-1800. Does that help?

[derf]

Perhaps you could answer this partly by drawing a table of all the different cavalry types that have ever existed, or even of a certain period and beside each one, the total number of combat kills each has achieved.

But even then, it's a question of tactics. One type could have been misused throughout its existance, so you'd end up underestimating their ranking.

Putting together such a table is impossible I think. We simply don't have that data, and as we all know, the victor writes the history books. We all know of some famous cavalry types, but "fame" doesn't equal "best" does it?

[Leaper]

You got me again. Im startng to think I got an ocean over my head...

Thank you guys anyway

[California Joe]

"Best" anything threads always fail miserably. You need to focus your efforts in a certain area, or time period or tactic. Entire books have been written on single cavalry units. Pick one and talk about their strengths and weaknesses and what made them more effective than their contemporaries. Americans will suggest Nathan Bedford Forrest or J.E.B. Stuart or John Buford or Phillip Sheridan... Brits might suggest The Scots Greys, the 17th/21st Lancers, of any of their other famous cavalry regiments, Napoleons cavalry was brilliant...it's all relative. Heavy vs. light cavalry and their impacts on certain battles...you need to narrow it down a great deal.

[Leaper]

Thank you thank you thank you sir!

This helped me more that you can ever imagine.


Feel free to lock this thread and throw it in the ocean!

[Jaguar]

Well, at least the most successfull is known: Chingis Khan Mongol Cavalry. Of course, it depends on how one defines succes ....

[perdurabo]

Leaper check Polish-Lithuanian Hussars cavalery 150 years without single defeat (from second half of 15 century till first half of 17 century) and more than 250 years of service, stunning victories like Klushino, Kirholm where their charges completly derstoryed much stronger enemy (klushino 5,5thousand of hussars and 1000 of support troops aginst 35 000 of russian and swedish troops, kirholm 2400 cavalery and 1000 infantry aginst 11 000 of swedes - Lithuanian(Poland and Lithuania where union at that time) side lost only 100 men while swedes almout 7 000), very intresting tactics -quiute diffrent than normal cavalery charge... and their image:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/Husarz1.jpg
i realy doubt if you can find more impressive cavalery.

[Mordoror]

Leaper check Polish-Lithuanian Hussars cavalery 150 years without single defeat

part of the legend ....

no unit is invincible
and altough is it possible that in major battle they were never defeated (but pinpointing the fact that in major battle they were not alone and that they were supported by infantry and/or artillery) you cannot convince me that in some instance they were not defeated (for example in low scale battles or skirmishes)

Beside that they were of course very efficient horsemen but are not more impressive that some other units (waht about a heavy cavalry charge of full armored teutonic knights or a charge of Mongol heavy cavalry just following a rain of arrows launched by swirling light horses or a what about some excellent other horse riding people like Tibetans, Cossacks, even some tribes of native americans.....)

[seraosha]

Well since we are playing subjective favorites...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2nd_Cavalry_Regiment_%28United_States%29

[Clayton Gold]

Best and most fearsome cavalry ever:

http://www.bookofrevelation.net/ch6-4horsemen_pastorpack_small.jpg

[James]

I don't like these threads.

BTW, I'd have to say modern cavalry is far more capable and lethal than antything in recorded human history.