Different cavalry types?

[chuckster]

I already know what a Dragoon is, but what's the difference between a Hussar, a Lancer, an Uhlan, and a Cuirassier?

[The Dane]

Hussars are light and Cuirassier's are heavy basically, don't know the last one.

[Britboy]

Aren't Cuirassiers v heavy, due to a big breastplate?

Lancers used Lances I should think, at least back in the day - they probably moved to carbines or such at some stage but retained the title - just like there are Lancers, Hussars, Dragoons etc today but they all ride in AFVs.

There are also Dragoon Guards, and they are not Guards as in the Household troops/royal bodyguard meaning of the word, I think.

[The Dane]

Today in Denmark Dragoons are heavy cavalry(tanks) while our Hussars are light calvary(recce).

[Britboy]

Interesting, as I understood it, back in the day Dragoons were almost 'mounted infantry', on horseback but dismounted to fight, not heavy cav?

I suppose it is historical version of IFVs/APCs and Armoured/Mech Inf today - infantry with mobility?

[The Dane]

, as I understood it, back in the day Dragoons were almost 'mounted infantry', on horseback but dismounted to fight, not heavy cav?

That's correct but the regiment is from 1670 and have change roles many times and my guess is that it soon will change again.

But i guess you could call dismounts in units like USMC LAR battalions Dragoons of today..??

[Britboy]

I suppose so, they are dismounted cavalry after all, and armd recce types in other armies do dismount too, for OPs as I understand it. But then the US has it's own Cavalry and Scout traditions... I suppose there is not too much to separate dismounted cav from mounted inf really!

Was the Leopard 1 DANSQN (that gave a kicking to their adversaries in the Balkans) Dragoons then?

Regards
BB

[The Dane]

Yup........:)

[Britboy]

A good show by them, if the article I read is anything to go by:)

[eques]

Hussars are light and Cuirassier's are heavy basically, don't know the last one.
Hussars were orginally light cavalry, but in Polish-Lithuanian state in XVI and XVII century they became heavy, elite cavalry, also Russian Hussars were heavy armed, but they weren't well trained, and never became elite.

[Indiana Jones]

I already know what a Dragoon is, but what's the difference between a Hussar, a Lancer, an Uhlan, and a Cuirassier?
I don`t have much time, so just a platitude-level introduction;
There are variations, and of course we are talking about a very long, unspecified timeframe, which saw considerable changes in the application and armament of cavalry. Much also depended on the theatre (ie.: Turks vs Western armies, etc.),
Anyways, generally, the hussars (not to be confused with the Polish Husaria which is an entirelly different beast) were light, fast cavalry, typically armed with sabres, carbines and pistols and primarily employed for recconaissance, foraging, and preventing desertion. Their role on the battlefield proper was typically limited to diversional maneuvers and pursuit.
A lancer is just that, a Lancer, of which Uhlan (Ulan) is the "German"/Polish version. They were especially useful for confrontations fighting infantry in skirmishing order and artillerymen as their longer reach permitted them to kill men on the ground, the typical modus operandi of dispersed light infantry in the face of cavalry attack being to simply go to ground where their sabre-wielding opponents could not easily reach them. Their merits vis-à-vis heavy cavalry are subject to much contention, especially when fighting in formation.

The cuirassier genre, nomen est omen, is typified by the armour (usually, but not always a metal breast-and backplate), the cuirasse, of its wearer. The primary weapon of the cuirassier arm was the sabre augmented by pistols, and earlier on, the carbine; also, most armies additionally equipped their cuirassiers with some sort of helmet. They served as multirole heavy battlefield cavalry.

[The Dane]

I suppose there is not too much to separate dismounted cav from mounted inf really!


Biggest differense are number of dismounts and distance to the vehicles i guess.
Cavalry dismounts work close together with the vehicle crews while infantry normally train fighting without vehicle-support(AFVs) also, therefore the greater number of troops.

[The Dane]

A good show by them, if the article I read is anything to go by:)

This article is accurate.

http://www.milhist.dk/post45/boellebank/boellebank_uk.htm

[gaijinsamurai]

I believe lancers and uhlans are basically the same thing, just called by different names in their perspective countries.

[SkyUS]

^
Yep in Poland they were called Uhlans

[The Dane]

This is actually a pretty good source.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cavalry

That author have put some time into it!

[SkyUS]

Original colour footage of Polish Uhlans on May 3rd1939 in Warsaw
http://youtube.com/watch?v=peCUU8H2qNo

[The Dane]

Danish Hussars in action in Helmand.

http://www.youtube.com/v/pMSIjye2ykw

[gaijinsamurai]

British 11th Hussars uniform, Prussian Lancer (Uhlan) pickelhaub, a WWI German Hussar, British Hussar, and Caton-Woodville's portrayals of the Light Brigade at Balaclava, in the Crimean War.

[The Dane]

Danish Hussars horse squadron(for royal escorts).

http://forsvaret.dk/NR/rdonlyres/5BE3C604-7B5D-414D-A2D4-192F9EF1044C/0/eskorte_2.gif

[gaijinsamurai]

British 17th/21st Lancers regimental badge, Saving the Guns at Maiwand, by Caton-Woodville (2nd Afghan War):

[The Dane]

Light Dragoons, Herrick.

http://www.youtube.com/v/9XL31EddJOU

[Mr.Flint]

a simple breakdown for these who are too lazy to read.

Hussars - Light Cavalry - Scouting, foraging, harassment of enemy skirmishers, and flankers.

Uhlans/Lancers - Light Cavalry with lances, partook in similar actions as Hussars but more commonly employed against enemy cavalry. Russian cossacks are essentially a type of Lancers.

The above types were provided with lightest and fastest horses.

Dragoons - Medium Cavalry - mounted fast response heavy infantry. rarely shot from horseback, always dismounted prior to combat.

Cuirassiers - Heavy Cavalry - Armored riders armed with what is essentially a heavy longsword. The last remnants of the "Knights" heritage. employed the heaviest horses possible, such as Percherons.

[The Dane]

a simple breakdown for these who are too lazy to read.

Hussars - Light Cavalry - Scouting, foraging, harassment of enemy skirmishers, and flankers.

Uhlans/Lancers - Light Cavalry with lances, partook in similar actions as Hussars but more commonly employed against enemy cavalry. Russian cossacks are essentially a type of Lancers.

The above types were provided with lightest and fastest horses.

Dragoons - Medium Cavalry - mounted fast response heavy infantry. rarely shot from horseback, always dismounted prior to combat.

Cuirassiers - Heavy Cavalry - Armored riders armed with what is essentially a heavy longsword. The last remnants of the "Knights" heritage. employed the heaviest horses possible, such as Percherons.

Yup.... You should post that on wiki...:)

[chuckster]

Original colour footage of Polish Uhlans on May 3rd1939 in Warsaw
http://youtube.com/watch?v=peCUU8H2qNo

I watched that video. They look very impressive on horseback, especially with that patriotic music playing. Of course, against Nazi armor I'm sure it was a different story.

[SkyUS]

I watched that video. They look very impressive on horseback, especially with that patriotic music playing. Of course, against Nazi armor I'm sure it was a different story.

I see Nazi propaganda is still alive and kicking.

check this links out:

http://www.mapleleafup.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3481

http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?t=43625

Edit:
I have found something quite interesting and very much relevant to this misinformation
http://youtube.com/watch?v=GzuypvnmCBw

This is my personal attempt to change the lie about Polish uhlans charging with sabers against German tanks. This is a German propaganda movie Kampfgeschwader Lutzow (banned in Germany) which shows a charge of Polish cavalery against tanks. Movie was made in 1941 and it was the source of the lie that exists today.Captured Polish equipment was used to make this. "Uhlans" in this movie is Slovakian Cavalry in polish uniforms.

In reality uhlans were well armed and fought dismounted with antitank guns and antitank rifles. Time to give them back their pride... from his video website link

Check out all of his videos
http://youtube.com/user/Pathe39


Guess what we had tanks as well
http://youtube.com/watch?v=DKNPT2_mwNg

I am not going to derail this topic further, if you would like to carry this conversation further let's take it to PM

[Britboy]

This article is accurate.

http://www.milhist.dk/post45/boellebank/boellebank_uk.htm

Thats the one I read... good stuff indeed.

[Smok]

I already know what a Dragoon is, but what's the difference between a Hussar, a Lancer, an Uhlan, and a Cuirassier?

Hussar - light cavalry of hungarian origin or polish heavy cavalry (in Poland we say huzar to describe light hussars and husarz to describe heavy hussars)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hussar
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_Hussars
Lancer - light cavalry armed with a lance
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lancers
Uhlan - polish light cavalry
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uhlan
Cuirassier - heavy, armored cavalry
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuirassier

[nemowork]

I watched that video. They look very impressive on horseback, especially with that patriotic music playing. Of course, against Nazi armor I'm sure it was a different story.

Maybe but their anti-tank gunners had a pretty good reputation especially in the defence of warsaw.

I seem to remember the Polish cavalry did some very nasty work on the German advance infantry as well.

Used properly Cavalry could still be very effective, for example the Britsh cavalry in the breakout from the trenches at Amiens in 1918.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1582562/The-mighty-Warrior%2C-who-led-one-of-history%27s-last-ever-cavalry-charges.html?pageNum=2

[Mat_fr]

a reenacting french cuirassier, during the Austerlitz celebrations (2005) :

http://img399.imageshack.us/img399/8519/43220310ov6.jpg

mat

[boreal]

http://img235.imageshack.us/img235/9449/vistadelprimerrelevosemoz4.jpg

Our lancers

http://www.ejercito.mde.es/desfiles/desfile_fiesta_nal_05/imagenes/guardia_real/guardia_real_2.jpg

Also with Harley Davidson