THE NEW CAVALRY

Evening Star, Issue 22891, 24 February 1938, Page 15

THE NEW CAVALRY

IN BRITAIN'S ARMY THE RISE OF THE MACHINE While the American Army expert* meats with a proposed hew infantry division, British military authorities have turned their attention chiefly to cavalry, writes Sam Brewer from London to the ‘ Chicago Tribune.’ . Famous cavalry regiments in Great Britain are being mechanised despite the howls or sentimentalists who mourn' the passing of their magnificent horses. By the end of the year only ten of the twenty-two British cavalry regiments will be horsed, and most of those are scheduled to begin mechanisation later. Among units being spared, at least temporarily are the R-oyal Soots Grays, famous for , dappled . grey horses. Rumours that this organisation was to be mechanised raised an outcry m Scotland, and it was announced tie grey horses would be kept for the prosent. ' ■ Mechanisation has brought • new problems and the British have been experimenting with a “ mobu© division ” to get the best out of their new mechanised cavalry. Originally the division was composed of one tank brigade (four battalions of mixed! tanks), two mechanised cavalry brigades (each made up of two motorised cavalry regiments), and a cavalry light tank regiment, and divisional artillery,; engineers, and headquarters staff. (Then the cavalry brigades were changed. For the 1937 mandauvrea they were mad© up of two cavalry light tank regiments instead of one and each had a motorised infantry battalion.

MORE ARTILLERY SUPPORT. This year the division will include the tank brigade { two cavalry brw gades each containing three light tank regiments, a brigade of mechanised artillery, and divisional troops. Many, officers think it still does not have enough artillery support, and inclusion of a second brigade of mechanised! artillery is being considered. _ Some cavalry units are to be used, as a sort ‘of mounted' infantry, equipped with a newly-designed troop earner—a truck with length-wise benches. Before reaching the front the men sit facing each other. Near the front they face outward so that they can jump off and deploy rapidly. Armoured cars are being supplied to the former divisional cavalry,. hussars, and dragoons, and to the infantry machine - gun battalions. Baades machine-guns they will have trench mortars. Each infantry brigade now" has three instead of four rifle battalions and a machine-gun battalion equipped with armoured cars, truck* to carry the men, heavy machine-guns, and trench mortars. Each division thus" has three machine-gun battalions. Two are attached to .the divisional command, and ono directly to tha corps command. ■ . ■ .. . Each rifle battalion—nine m all in the division —has one scouting platoon. Men of the scontmg platoon* ride in three-man caterpillar machinegun carriers, armoured, and. carrying a Bren machine-gun, an anti-tank rifle, and ammunition. The rest o$ the battalion .rides in trucks, one truck to a section. . , . It is considered significant that ih India tanks and armoured cars have been found more effective against border tribesmen .than, aeroplanes.