Cavalry charges

[Domen]

It wasn't a matter of training, it was an issue of technology finally obsoleting massed cavalry formations.

But traditional cavalry was obsoletted by technology not before late 19th century - the introduction of machine guns & bolt-action rifles.

After all in the Napoleonic Wars and also later (even in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 - 1871) heavy cavalry (Cuirassiers) was still used, and was often successful on the battlefield vs infantry, despite its supposedly increasing rate of fire and - to a much smaller extent - accuracy.

Just to mention the devastating (for enemy infantry) charge of Prussian cavalry at Mars-la-Tour and Gravelotte in 1871.

Or another example (a bit earlier) - the battle of Striegau of 1745 in which a cavalry charge carried out by the Bayeruth dragoon regiment (10 squadrons) in some 15 - 20 minutes disrupted a many times numerically superior enemy force of 20 battalions of fusiliers and 14 companies of grenadiers, capturing 2500 prisoners and 5 artillery guns.

While the decline of Husaria was in 18th century - 100 years before heavy cavalry as such was definitely obsoletted.

So it was not caused by technology, even if technology could be one of factors causing that decline.

Radoslaw Sikora - author of the above linked article about Klushino in English (he also wrote entire book about this battle but in Polish) explains the reasons why Husaria declined while for example Cuirassiers survived for the next 100 years in one of his books.

The primary reason of decline of Husaria was huge decline of its own quality and quantity. Not improvement of enemy technology.

Plus Husaria was always an expensive formation (this was a price for its awesome efficiency) with very limited manpower recruiting base. The biggest amount of Hussars serving in the Polish army at one time was 8,000 - but this was really "the peak of all peaks" of its strength.

Yet for most part of the second half of 17th century number of Hussars in entire Poland only occasionally exceeded 1,000.

For the battle of Warsaw in 1656, Poles were able to deploy only ca. 800 Hussars. No surprise they couldn't change the course of the battle (despite the fact that their lonely charge against much more numerous Swedes - without support from other Polish troops - initially succeeded).

It was during the reign of Jan III Sobieski (and the battle of Vienna in 1683) when their number once again approached over 3,000.

After Sobieski it was yet only worse - not only quantity rapidly decreased, but also quality of training, command and everything else.

But during the Great Northern War Husaria still had some combat value (and proved this in the battle of Kalisz in 1706).

In the battle of Klissow in 1702 only 260 Hussars actually carried out a reconnaissance charge (not a real attack), which was halted by anti-cavalry obstacles - not by musket fire. After that, the Polish commander ordered his forces to retreat - they did not take part in the battle.

Only the times of August III Sas (1733 - 1763) saw the final and embarrassing decline of Winged Hussars.

After August III Sas, Husaria existed for a few more years until 1770s, but was used only during parades and funerals... Even soldiers of other types of Polish cavalry at that time (1750s+) laughed at Husaria calling it "funeral cavalry", instead of admiring it as it always had been before.

In 1776 (if I remember correctly) - during reforms of the Polish army - Husaria was finally dissolved as a military formation.

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Check this (excellent read on the battle of Klushino - in English):

http://www.radoslawsikora.republika....ly/Kluszyn.pdf

Here also links to a few more articles of dr. R. Sikora in English (the link to his "How the Hussars Fought" article was already given):

Battle of Lubar 1660 (one part of this article is dealing with "How did hussars charge?" issue basing on good sources):

http://www.radoslawsikora.republika....aly/Liubar.pdf

Author also proves that Hussars while charging were able to alter (loosen / tighten their ranks) their formation.

Battle of Chocim 1621 (here explanation why Turkish armies were always so massive. Answer: they were THAT massive only "on paper"):

http://www.radoslawsikora.republika....Chocim1621.pdf

Winged Hussars at Vienna part 1:

http://www.radoslawsikora.republika....ly/Vienna1.pdf

Painted horses of Winged Hussars:

http://www.radoslawsikora.republika....ntedhorses.pdf

Battlefields of Winged Hussars (mainly photos and maps):

http://www.radoslawsikora.republika....ttlefields.pdf