A lifesize model of a Swedish 1850s horse artillery team towing a light artillery piece in full gallop. A full battery could have a combined front of riders over 50 men strong. If it was mistaken for cavalry, the enemy could potentially receive an unpleasant surprise when the towed batteries wheeled around, unlimbered, sighted and opened fired in less than a minute.

Horse artillery was a type of light, fast moving and fast firing artillery unit which provided highly mobile fire support to European armies from the 17th to the early 20th century. A precursor of modern self-propelled artillery, it consisted of light cannons and howitzers pulled by light but sturdy carriages, with their crews riding either the horses or the carriages into battle. Once in position they were trained to quickly dismount, deploy and sight their guns, then fire rapid, concentrated barrages at the enemy. They could then just as rapidly limber (undeploy) the guns, remount, and be ready to move to a new position (much like the modern shoot-and-scoot tactics of mobile artillery). Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2592 × 1944 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2592 × 1944 pixel, file size: 1. ... Artillery with Gabion fortification Cannons on display at Fort Point Continental Artillery crew from the American Revolution Firing of an 18-pound gun, Louis-Philippe Crepin, (1772 – 1851) A forge-welded Iron Cannon in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. ... A U.S. M109A6 Paladin self-propelled howitzer Self-propelled artillery (also called mobile artillery or locomotive artillery) vehicles are a way of giving mobility to artillery. ... Not to be confused with Canon. ... 19th century 12 pounder (5 kg) mountain howitzer displayed by the National Park Service at Fort Laramie in Wyoming, USA A howitzer is a type of artillery piece that is characterized by a relatively short barrel and the use of comparatively small explosive charges to propel projectiles at trajectories with... The term shoot and scoot refers to an artillery tactic of firing at a target and then immediately moving away from the location where the shots were fired. ...

Horse artillery was highly versatile and functioned well as a rapid and flexible reserve that could support cavalry by breaking up tight infantry formations such as the infantry square, leaving it vulnerable to cavalry charges. High mobility meant that it could subdue traditional foot artillery by outmaneuvering it and could also outflank lighter battlefield fortifications. It also had the potential to provide instant fire support to cover advances and retreats of slower units. If attacked by superior forces, even cavalry, the battery would not be sitting ducks, but could limber their guns and retreat quickly. An infantry square is a battle tactic of infantry when faced with cavalry. ...

History

Essentially a hybrid of cavalry and artillery, irregular horse artillery units were first used during the Thirty Year's War by Lennart Torstenson, one of Gustavus Adolphus' generals, to provide cavalry with the fire support it needed to deal with massed infantry formations without sacrificing their speed and mobility. Gustavus Adolphus had previously tried inter-spacing infantry units between his cavalry, and this was reasonably successful since the cavalry at that time did not charge the enemy at full gallop. Others tried novel cavalry tactics such as the caracole, but these kept the speed of the cavalry down and proved largely ineffective. The best solutions involved creating hybrid units of mounted infantry, most notably dragoons. Although they proved highly useful and versatile troops, whether they fired mounted or dismounted they still had to slow down or stop (at least temporarily) again, losing their main advantages as cavalry. // This article is about a biological term. ... French Republican Guard - May 8, 2005 celebrations Cavalry (from French cavalerie) were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback in combat. ... Artillery with Gabion fortification Cannons on display at Fort Point Continental Artillery crew from the American Revolution Firing of an 18-pound gun, Louis-Philippe Crepin, (1772 – 1851) A forge-welded Iron Cannon in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. ... The victory of Gustavus Adolphus at the Battle of Breitenfeld (1631) The Thirty Years War was a conflict fought between the years 1618 and 1648, principally on the territory of todays Germany, but also involving most of the major continental powers. ... Count Lennart Torstenson (August 17, 1603 - April 7, 1651) was a Swedish soldier and military engineer and the son of Torsten Lennartson, commandant of Älvsborg Fortress. ... Gustav II Adolf King of Sweden Gustav II Adolf (also known as Gustaf Adolf the Great (Swedish Gustav Adolf den store, Latin Gustavus Adolphus Magnus), or Gustavus II Adolphus; December 9, 1594 – November 6, 1632 O.S.), widely known by the Latinized name Gustavus Adolphus and referred to by contemporary... Infantry of the Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme in World War I. Infantry are soldiers who fight primarily on foot with small arms in organized military units, though they may be transported to the battlefield by horses, ships, automobiles, skis, bicycles, or other means. ... The caracole or caracol (from the Spanish caracol - spiral) consists of a manoeuvre on horseback in dressage and, previously, in military tactics. ... Mounted infantry were soldiers who rode horses instead of marching, but actually fought on foot with muskets or rifles. ... French dragoon, 1745. ...

In the early 18th century the Russian army began equipping cavalry formations with small units of light horse artillery equipped with 2-pound cannons, and portable 3-pound mortars which were transported on horseback. Though not decisive in of themselves, the units inflicted losses on Prussian troops that influenced Frederick the Great to form the first regular horse artillery unit in 1759. Frederick had quickly understood that the greatest danger to massed infantry was artillery. He realized that even small, relatively light guns, if they could be brought in close enough and fire often enough, could have a disruptive or downright devastating effect on the ranks and files. But since even light foot artillery still traveled at foot speed, the solution was to make every artilleryman a part-time horseman. Through relentless drills and discipline Frederick emphasized mobility and speed in all phases of their operations. It consisted of a battery of six 6-pound cannons and 48 men, including 3 officers. The battery was wiped out and reformed twice in that same year at the Battle of Kunersdorf and the Battle of Maxen. Despite the setbacks, the new arm had proved so successful that it was quickly reorganized and by the start of the French Revolutionary Wars in 1792 consisted of three companies of 605 men and batteries consisting of eight 6-pound guns and one 7-pound mortar each. Frederick II (German: ; January 24, 1712 – August 17, 1786) was a King of Prussia (1740–1786) from the Hohenzollern dynasty. ... The battle of Kunersdorf was fought on August 23, 1759 during the Seven Years War near Kunersdorf, east of Frankfurt an der Oder. ... The Battle of Maxen was a battle fought on November 21, 1759 during the Seven Years War. ... Combatants Great Britain Austria Prussia Spain[1] Russia Sardinia Ottoman Empire Portugal Dutch Republic[2] France The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states. ...

The popularity of the new type of unit caught on quickly several as other armies began forming horse artillery units. Austria organized a limited amount of "cavalry artillery" in 1778 where most of the gun crew rode specially designed, padded gun carriages called Wursts ("sausages"), rather than separate horses, into battle. Hannover formed its first cavalry batteries in 1786 and the Hannoverian general Victor von Trew performed several trials in 1791 which proved the great speed and efficiency by which an all-mounted crew could operate. At this time the Danish army had also formed mounted artillery units and by 1792 Sweden had formed its first regular riding batteries, followed by Great Britain in 1793 and Russia in 1794. The largest and probably most efficient horse artillery of any nation was however that of the French revolutionary army which was first formed in 1792. The French units were especially well-trained and disciplined since the newly formed arm had proved very popular and could draw on a considerable amount of recruits. By 1795 it had grown to eight regiments of six six-gun batteries each, making it the largest horse artillery force ever assembled.^[1]

French artilleryman, engineer and general Jean Baptiste de Gribeauval had served with the military mission to Prussia as well as fought against Frederick in the Seven Years' War. After the war he made numerous technical improvements to French cannons which made them lighter, faster and much easier to sight. These improvements proved a great advantage to horse artillery as well. Later, the British army officer Henry Shrapnel invented a deadly new type of ammunition that was put to effective use by horse artillery units. The unit was now more lethal as well as faster and more accurate. During the Napoleonic Wars, horse artillery would be used extensively and effectively in every major battle and campaign. In the Mexican-American War, the horse artillery, or "flying artillery", of the US army played a decisive role in several key battles. Lieutenant General Jean Baptiste Vaquette de Gribeauval (15 September 1715 - 9 May 1789) was a French artillery officer and engineer who introduced various technical improvements to French cannon, providing them with an advantage during the early years of the Napoleonic wars. ... Motto Suum cuique Latin: To each his own Prussia at its peak, as leading state of the German Empire Capital Königsberg, later Berlin Government Duke1  - 1525–68 Albert I (first)  - 1688–1701 Frederick III (last) King1  - 1701–13 Frederick I (first)  - 1888–1918 William II (last) Prime Minister1,2... Combatants Kingdom of Prussia Kingdom of Great Britain Electorate of Hanover Kingdom of Portugal Electorate of Brunswick Electorate of Hesse-Kassel Archduchy of Austria Kingdom of France Empire of Russia Kingdom of Sweden Kingdom of Spain Electorate of Saxony Kingdom of Naples and Sicily Kingdom of Sardinia The Seven Years... Henry Shrapnel (1761 - March 13, 1842) was a British Army officer and inventor Henry Shrapnel was born in Wiltshire, England. ... Combatants Austria[1] Portugal Prussia[1] Russia[2] Spain[3] Sweden United Kingdom[4] Ottoman Empire[5] Holy Roman Empire[6] French Empire Holland Kingdom of Italy Kingdom of Naples Duchy of Warsaw Bavaria[7] Saxony[8] Denmark [9] Commanders Archduke Charles Prince Schwarzenberg Karl Mack von Leiberich Gebhard von... Combatants United States Mexico Commanders Zachary Taylor Winfield Scott Stephen W. Kearney Antonio López de Santa Anna Mariano Arista Pedro de Ampudia José Mariá Flores Strength 78,790 soldiers 18,000–40,000 soldiers Casualties KIA: 1733 Total dead: 13,271 Wounded: 4,152 AWOL: 9,200+ 25,000...

As technology advanced and the firepower of infantry and foot artillery increased, the role of cavalry, and thus horse artillery, began to decline. It continued to be used and improved into the early 20th Century, seeing action in and in between both world wars. As cavalry began to disappear from armies so did horse artillery, to be replaced by tanks and self-propelled artillery. As with the cavalry, though, certain artillery units, for instance the Royal Horse Artillery, retain their old designations. Among the the last genuine regular horse artillery units were the Wende Riding Artillery of the Swedish Army, which was finally disbanded in 1927. A form of riding artillery using heavy machine guns called tachankas were used by the Polish and Russian in World War I, the Russian Civil War and the German Invasion of Poland and the German army used tachankas for anti-aicraft defense throughout World War II. A U.S. M109A6 Paladin self-propelled howitzer Self-propelled artillery (also called mobile artillery or locomotive artillery) vehicles are a way of giving mobility to artillery. ... The Royal Horse Artillery (RHA) is a corps in the British Army. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... “The Great War ” redirects here. ... Combatants Red Army Latvian Riflemen White Army (Monarchists) Ukrainian Peoples Republic Green Army (Cossacks) Black Army (Anarchists) Blue Army (Peasants) Czechoslovak Legion Allied intervention Other anti-Bolshevik forces Commanders Leon Trotsky, Mikhail Tukhachevsky, Sergei Kamenev, Semyon Budyonny, Mikhail Frunze Alexander Antonov, Anton Denikin, Alexander Kolchak, Lavr Kornilov, Pyotr Wrangel... Polish Defensive War of 1939 Conflict World War II Date 1 September - 6 October 1939 Place Poland Result Decisive German and Soviet victory The Polish September Campaign or Defensive War of 1939 (Polish: Wojna obronna 1939 roku) was the conquest of Poland by the armies of Nazi Germany, the Soviet... American troops man an anti-aircraft gun near the Algerian coastline in 1943 Anti-aircraft, or air defense, is any method of combating military aircraft from the ground. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

Notes

1. ^ Hedberg pp. 11-13

Sources

• Kungliga artilleriet: Det ridande artilleriet (1987) editor: Jonas Hedberg (summary in English) ISBN 91-85266-39-6

Further reading

• Bidwell, Shelford (1973) Royal horse artillery (Famous regiments) ISBN 0-85052-138-6

See also

• Fire support

Fire Support is a military term referring to long-range firepower provided to a front-line unit. ...

External links

• Royal Horse Artillery - Battle Re-enactment and Living History
• Italian Horse Artillery - Voloire