Light Cavalry Research Articles

Копейный бой в военном искусстве калмыков и джунгар XVII – начала XIX вв.

Introduction. The article examines the features of the formation and evolution of the Oirat light cavalry armed with spears of the Late Middle Ages and early Modern times. The purpose of the study is to identify the role of spear fighting in the military practice of the Dzungars and Kalmyks of the XVII – early XIX centuries on the basis of a comprehensive analysis of written, pictorial and material sources. Results. It has been established that in the Central Asian region for centuries shock spears and pikes remained mainly the weapons of armored cavalry, while light nomads without armor used them only sporadically. During the military transformations carried out by the Oirat and Mongol military leaders of the second half of the XVI–XVII centuries, mounted archers were equipped with shock spears and pikes, which led to the emergence of a new type of cavalry composed of lightly armed spearmen capable of conducting both remote and close combat. During the military campaigns of the Oirats, which covered most of steppe Eurasia, the idea of mass light cavalry with spears was adopted by many peoples of the Great Steppe, including Russian Cossacks and Turks of Eastern Europe (Nogais, Crimean and Polish-Lithuanian Tatars). In turn, the battle on the spears of the Polish-Lithuanian Tatars (Lipkov) formed the basis of the military practice of the Polish lancers, which became a model of such cavalry for the countries of Central and Western Europe of the XVIII – early XIX centuries. Based on the analysis of Mongolian, Oirat, Ottoman, European and Qing written sources, the original name of the Oirat long–barrel weapon of the XVII–XVIII centuries was revealed, which sounded like “jida” (“dzida”). The design features of the Oirat spears were established, the spear fighting technique and tactics of mounted Kalmyk and Dzungarian warriors armed with spears were reconstructed. Conclusions. The collected materials indicate that spears and pikes were the main type of melee weapons of the Oirat warriors of the XVII – early XIX centuries. Spear fighting was one of the key elements of the military art of the Dzungars and Kalmyks of this period. The Oirats had a significant impact on the development of the practice of equestrian spear fighting among the peoples of Eurasia of the XVII–XVIII centuries.

Последняя победа Крымского юрта: Бой у урочища Мигея 7 (18) июня 1769 г.

The article is devoted to one remarkable and dramatic, but still completely unknown combat episode from the history of the initial period of the Russo-Turkish war of 1768–1774, the battle at Migeya Tract in the summer of 1769 between two regiments of light cavalry of the Russian 2nd army and the vastly superior cavalry forces of the Crimean Khanate. As a result of the mistakes of their command and the fatal coincidence of a number of circumstances, the Russian regiments were surrounded by Tatars on the banks of the Southern Bug and tried to defend themselves in wagenburg. Despite of their fierce resistance, it was taken by storm, and most of the Russian detachment was destroyed. This was the last victory in history of the armed forces of the Crimean Khanate in a field battle. The tragedy at Migeya led to an official investigation of the surviving officers and lower ranks of the two defeated Russian regiments. The materials of their interrogations contain valuable factual and psychological details related to the events of that battle. The circumstances of the fighting at Migeya reflected both: some of the strengths of the armed forces of the Crimean Khanate in the last period of its existence, and natural shortcomings of semi-regular cavalry units guarding the borders of Russian Ukraine – Company Cossacks and settled lancers regiments. Also, the events at Migeya are a remarkable episode from the history of the command of General Count P.A. Rumyantsev of the Russian 2nd army in Ukraine in the campaign of 1769, and his reaction to what happened adds new details to his portrait as a commander and a human. The article is based on previously unpublished documents from the collections of the Russian State Military Historical Archive (RGVIA). The most important of them, Rumyantsev’s report and an extract from the interrogations of the participants of that battle, are published in the appendix to the article.

The weapon complex of the Northern Altai population in the Xianbei period (on materials from the necropolis of Karban-I)

The paper is aimed at introducing into the scientific discourse and complex interpretation of the weapon items discovered during excavations of the sites of the Bulan-Koby archaeological culture of the Karban-I ne-cropolis. This site, which comprises a series of burial mounds of the Great Migration Period, was partially investi-gated by the expedition of Barnaul State Pedagogical Institute in 1989–1990. The complex is located on the left bank of the Katun River, 1.7 km north-west of Kuyus village, in Chemalsky District of the Altai Republic. Weapons were found in five undisturbed male burials of the Xianbei period (mounds № 9, 11, 14, 33, 39). The finds ana-lyzed include long-range and close-range weapons: five compound bows; 14 iron arrowheads; four iron combat knives; and one dagger. Morphological analysis and classification of the objects, as well as their comparison with known artefacts of the last quarter of the 1st mil. BC — the first half of the 1st mil. AD from the sites of Central, Inner, and North Asia became the basis for conclusions concerning the determination of the dating of the pro-ducts. It has been found that the complex of weapons of the nomads who built the necropolis of the Bulan-Koby Culture at the mouth of the Karban River, was aimed at efficient countering of a lightly protected enemy and was appropriate for light cavalry and infantry. It includes both the already well-known (Xiungny) and new (local) modifi-cations of the offensive weapons. In terms of its diversity and level of development, this set of weaponry was sig-nificantly inferior to the military arsenals of the Xiongnu and Xianbei periods, as well as that of the population of the Bulan-Koby Culture of the late 3rd — 5th c. AD. The body of the conclusions made permits it to assume that the considered corpus of weapons reflects the initial stage of the evolution of the armament of the Altai population in the first half of the 1st mil. AD. The published materials expand the source base for the study of warfare of the population of Northern Altai in the Xianbei period. The obtained results of the chronological interpretation of diffe-rent categories of weapons can be used to refine the periodization of the sites of the Belo-Bom stage (2nd — 1st half of the 4th c. AD) of the Bulan-Koby Culture.

The battle of dragoon hole: Imagined histories and mythical memories

ABSTRACT The first major battle of the Second Jamaican Maroon War began on 12 August 1795, when the Trelawny Town Maroons ambushed a column of British light cavalry or ‘dragoons’, militia, and volunteers who were attempting to invade their semi-autonomous community. This battle was a favourite topic for British colonial historians and is still referred to in mythologized legends about a Maroon ambush at a site locally called Dragoon Hole. Drawing on archival, ethnographic, and archaeological evidence, I propose that while colonial histories about this battle were influenced by imperial politics, local community memories about Dragoon Hole were shaped through generations of social interactions within a sacred and archaeologically abundant landscape.

Издание о роли молодежи в государственном управлении на рубеже 1920–1930-х гг.

This publication reviews a collective monograph on participation of the Soviet youth in the implementation of measures of control aimed at combating red tape and bribery and overcoming negative trends in the work of state and professional institutions. “Light Cavalry” is considered a successful, if flawed, project for preparing young people for management via communist education system. The focus is on detailed analysis of the tasks assigned to the youth organization and on the researchers’ conclusion about the impact of expanding cavalry assignments on the content and feasibility of the “Light Cavalry” plans. The results of the study are most valuable on the issue of perception of the “Light Cavalry” by the population. The authors demonstrate an abundance of myths and conflicting assessments of the organization’s activities in the mind of significant part of society. The reviewer underscores the value of the assessment of youth participation in mass political purges. The authors of the monograph conclude that unreasoning adherence to the pursued policy and unscrupulousness of the youth not only blighted and undermined the work of public and state structures, but also resulted in social tension. Quite logical, according to the reviewer, is the conclusion on ambiguous attitude of party and Komsomol functionaries towards the “Light Cavalry” activists, pulled apart by two opposing trends to independence and initiative and to compliance to the party and Komsomol control; the solution to this dilemma was not found in the 1920s. Unsurprisingly, as reviewer believes, the “Light Cavalry” did not find its place in the complex system of socio-political institutions. The failures gave rise to disappointment and disbelief, producing unfavorable effect on its composition. The situation only slightly improved in the 1930s, when the initiative of the young people was restricted, and their activities acquired greater control and planning. The reviewer concludes that the monograph is undoubtedly relevant, as it focuses not only on the problems of the youth movement of the 1920s–30s, but also on unconditional success of the “Light Cavalry” in developing the creative potential of the Russian youth; it manifested in identifying internal reserves of the industries, in increasing the efficiency of enterprises and organizations, all of which is in demand today.

Russian Modernism in the Memories of the Survivors: The Duvakin Interviews, 1967–1974 By Slav N.Gratchev, MargaritaMarinova, IrinaEvdokimova. Translated by Slav N. Gratchev and Margarita Marinova. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2021, xii + 234 pp. $80.00. ISBN 978‐1‐4874‐2725‐9

Russian Modernism in the Memories of the Survivors: The Duvakin Interviews, 1967–1974 By Slav N.Gratchev, MargaritaMarinova, IrinaEvdokimova. Translated by Slav N. Gratchev and Margarita Marinova. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2021, xii + 234 pp. $80.00. ISBN 978‐1‐4874‐2725‐9

Untold Stories of Polish Heroes from World War II

Untold Stories of Polish Heroes from World War II

“Light Cavalry” of Komsomol in Mid-1930s: a Change of Priorities

The activities of the youth movement of young controllers “light cavalry” in the mid-1930s are analyzed. On the basis of archival documents and publications of the 1930s, the features of the solution of new tasks in production by the “light cavalry”, the participation of detachments in the organization of the Stakhanov movement were revealed. The specificity of the work of special youth associations in railway transport, in rural areas is shown. It is revealed that thanks to the efforts of the “light cavalry” to organize the Stakhanov movement, persistent actions aimed at increasing the efficiency of industrial and transport enterprises, protecting collective farm crops and property, its solid creative potential is demonstrated. Particular attention is paid to the attempts of the “light cavalry” since 1934 to restructure the work, strengthening the implementation of educational functions and the exchange of experience. It is noted that by the end of the period under study, the activity of the “light cavalry” was more understood as a school for educating a new person. It is concluded that the widespread opposition to many undertakings of the members of the organization, coupled with a lack of material interest and a workload of other assignments, leveled the decisive attitude not only of many activists, but also of those who were called upon to follow their example.

1857 Uprising: ‘The Outburst’ in Haryana

A study of the events at both Ambala and Meerut indicates that the sepoys’ plan was to rise in revolt while the Europeans were attending the Sunday church services. They wanted to catch them, unaware and unguarded. The uprising of the sepoys at Ambala in the morning and at Meerut in the evening is explained by this fact. The rest of the details of the uprising were to be worked out locally by the leaders in the two cantonments. The existence of a premeditated plan of rising at Meerut—the 20th N.I. and 11th N.I. would rise and the 3rd Light Cavalry would follow them after releasing their fellows from the jail, was confessed by a native officer of the 3rd L.C. to Lt. Gough. The final part of the plan involved going to Delhi after completely destroying the Europeans at the two stations. The British were, however, too alert to be caught napping at Ambala, and the sepoys failed to translate their plans into action. But they succeeded at Meerut. Had the Ambala troops succeeded like those at Meerut, the British would have found their work of a century undone overnight.

Light Cavalry and Main Battlefield: A Study of the New Mainstream Media Personal Studio System

The new pattern of international public opinion and the new development of in-depth media integration have put forward higher requirements for mainstream media to adhere to the correct political direction, value orientation, and public opinion guidance in internal and external communication, so it is imperative to build a new type of mainstream media. As China’s state news agency with global reach, Xinhua News Agency is exploring the development path of the mainstream media in the background of media integration and transformation. With the advantage of being small and fast, Xinhua has introduced the personal studio system to achieve remarkable results in both mainstream values transmissions internally and public opinion struggle externally. Taking Xinhua News Agency as an example, this paper analyzes the development characteristics and optimization path of the mainstream media personal studio system from the perspective of communication form, content, effect, and media management, to provide a reference for the transformation and development of mainstream media in the new era.

THE ROLE OF THE "ENGLISH" THEME IN ONE OF THE EPISODES OF L.TOLSTOY’S NOVEL, ANNA KARENINA

The article examines the development of the "English" theme in L.Tolstoy’s novel, Anna Karenina. This topic is traced in various episodes of the work, particularly in the scene of races and preparations for them. It is reflected in vocabulary, everyday realities; it arises based on associations and in subtext. During the races, Alexey Alexandrovich Karenin comments with respect about English civilisation, British self-discipline, perseverance in achieving the goal, about the cavalry business in Great Britain. In the XVIII-XXVIII chapters of the second part of the novel, there are parallels between Vronsky’s inclinations and preferences and the life style of an English gentleman: the love of horses, the desire to participate in the races. After all, it was in Britain where equestrian sports especially developed; it became the main national hobby. To prepare for competitions, Vronsky finds jockey-trainer Cord with a "speaking" surname (in English, a cord is a rope used in horse training). The horse chosen by the hero is the English blood mare Frou–Frou. In the scene in which Vronsky and Cord visit the stables, English words and expressions that give a specific colour are included in the text immediately before the races take place. However, Tolstoy saw the hero’s wish to win as an ambitious desire to be the first, and the races - as an ostentatious action. This situation is echoed in the well-known episode of the Battle of Balaklava on October 13 (25), 1854, during the Crimean War, when, as a result of misunderstandings in issuing the order to attack, the British Light Cavalry Brigade self-confidently opposed the Russian forces and suffered heavy losses. Alexey Alexandrovich Karenin, for whom everything English is a benchmark, close to the ideal of Victorian morality, arrogant, filled with the consciousness of his significance, is also connected with the "English" topic, with the fatal attack. However, he will soon fail. The development of the "English" theme in episodes of races and preparation for them serves as false values, the ephemeral virtues of the modern Tolstoy society, pride and arrogance. Its primary role is to deploy and implement the moralistic installation of the novel. It expands the meaningful space of the work, along with other themes, determines the image of the dramatic pattern of the era.

No borders for innovations: A ca. 2700-year-old Assyrian-style leather scale armour in Northwest China

The first millennium BCE was pivotal for the environment and for human societies in Central and Eastern Eurasia because transformations accelerated and altered natural and cultural landscapes to hitherto unknown dimensions. Among the major driving forces was the increasing use of horse riding, which extended range of movement significantly and led to the development of cavalry units as a part of large armies. Empires with enormous outreach and gravitational pull formed and disintegrated in close dependence. The wide spread of military technologies demonstrates their bonds, though mostly in the form of metal objects due to the inherent survivability of their materials. Equipment and protective clothing of organic material, albeit produced in large numbers and thus an economic and environmental factor, are rarely preserved. In Yanghai cemetery site, Turfan, the remains of one leather scale armour were discovered. In this study, the results of the AMS radiocarbon dating as well as the construction details of the Yanghai find are presented and compared with a contemporary armour of unknown origin in the Metropolitan Museum of Art New York (MET) and with finds and depictions from the Near East, the adjacent northern steppe areas and the territory of China. The armour, datable to 786–543 cal BCE (95% probability), was originally made of about 5444 smaller scales and 140 larger scales, which, together with leather laces and lining, had a total weight of ca. 4–5 kg. Our reconstruction demonstrates that it can be donned quickly and without the help of another person by wrapping the left part around the back, tying it to the right part under the right arm and fastening with thongs crosswise over the back to laces at the opposite hip parts. Fitting different statures, it is a light and highly efficient defensive garment. In age, construction details and aesthetic appearance it resembles the MET armour. The stylistic similarities but constructional differences suggest that the two armours were intended as outfits for distinct units of the same army, i.e. light cavalry and heavy infantry, respectively. As such a high level of standardization of military equipment during the 7th century BCE is only known for the Neo-Assyrian military forces, we suggest that the place of manufacture of both armours was the Neo-Assyrian Empire. If this supposition is correct, then the Yanghai armour is one of the rare actual proofs of West-East technology transfer across the Eurasian continent during the first half of the first millennium BCE, when social and economic transformation enhanced.

At Hetmans’ Service: Natives of the Balkans and Podunavlje in the Mercenary Regiments of Cossack Hetmanate in the Mid-Seventeenth through Early-Eighteenth Centuries

Abstract The Cossack revolution of the mid-seventeenth century gave an impulse to a wave of conflicts over the Cossack lands that involved almost all Eastern European countries. These companies created a huge demand for Balkan and Podunavljean mercenaries—the armies of all participants hired them. The Cossack Hetmanate had a special interest in recruiting new people because its leaders were working on forming an alternative to their current army based on old military elite. These new recruits were mostly Serbs, Wallachians (Vlachs or Volochs), and Moldavians serving in light cavalry. The campaigns they joined stretched in time; therefore, some of the mercenaries got rooted in the Cossack army, their job transformed into a hereditary service, and their leaders proceeded from military to political matters and grew into the new elite of the Hetmanate.

Хан Джелаледдин и татары в Грюнвальдской битве

This article is a translation from Polish of the scientific work of the Polish historian of the Crimean Tatar origin Selim Chazbijewicz “Khan Jelaleddin and the Tatars at the Battle of Grunwald”. It examines the role of the Tatar cavalry and the significance of the Battle of Grunwald for Poland and Lithuania. The Tatars played a special role in the military history of Poland and Lithuania in the XII–XIV centuries. Their ubiquitous presence in wars and battles in Eastern Europe was well known to their contemporaries, who perfectly understood that without their military assistance, no belligerent side could claim victory over its opponents. Their decisive role in battles can be explained mainly by their use of nomadic light cavalry, which was practically invincible in those centuries. The Battle of Grunwald took place on July 15, 1410 during the Polish-Lithuanian-Teutonic War. The union of the crown of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, headed by King Vladislav II Jagaila and Grand Duke Vytautas, finally defeated the German-Prussian knights of the Teutonic Order, headed by Grand Master Ulrich von Jungingen. Most of the leaders of the Teutonic Knights were killed or taken prisoner. The Teutonic Order will never regain its former power again, the financial burden of war reparations caused internal conflicts and economic recession in the territories under their control. The battle altered the balance of power in Central and Eastern Europe and heralded the rise of the Polish-Lithuanian alliance as the dominant political and military power in the region.

«Легкая кавалерия» и «чистка» государственного аппарата на рубеже 1920-1930-х годов

The paper aims to reveal influence of the “light cavalry” youth movement on the course and consequences of “purges” of the end of the 1920s - the beginning of the 1930s. Scientific originality of the study is conditioned by the fact that the researcher tackles the poorly investigated issue of the “light cavalry” activity, introduces archival materials, eyewitnesses’ testimonies into scientific circulation and interprets historical facts through the lens of modern vision. The conclusion is made that consequences of the “light cavalry” involvement in “purges” were basically negative. The author believes that ambitious purpose of establishing workers’ control over the state apparatus does not correspond to the outcomes.

Special pattern swords of the 7th (Queen’s Own) Hussars 1857 to 1900

The use of special pattern swords by cavalry officers of the British and Indian Army is well documented. Whilst these swords were usually custom made to meet the requirements of individual officers, others bore regimental insignia and, more rarely, are known to have been approved as regimental patterns in lieu of the then current regulations. To date there has been very little documentation to show to what extent, if any, special patterns were widely adopted by officers of the 7th (Queen’s Own) Hussars. This paper describes extensive searches of the Wilkinson Proof Records held at the Royal Armouries, Leeds which were made in an attempt to identify such officers and to determine any uniformity in the specifications of their swords where these departed from the regulation pattern for light cavalry. Two 7th Hussars special patterns were found corresponding to periods 1857 to 1858 and 1893 to 1900, both of which gave rise to design features adopted by officers of other regiments.

Meanders of the Polish Military Revolution — Standardization of Cavalry Units

The objective of the article is to show the phenomenon of the internal standardization of the units of the Polish cavalry in the 16th century. The references to this process, during which the diversisty of arms and equipment of soldiers was abandoned, are scarce in descriptive sources and are only reflected in normative acts. The only type of sources which enables to reconstruct the combat potential of units is inspection (rejestry popisowe). Consequently, the process of specialization of units and of formation of different types of cavalry was basically marginalized. In the Crown, as late as the 1530s, cavalry rotas were very diverse. They consisted of lancers, Polish winged hussars (later: hussars) and light cavalry combined in various proportions. This state of affairs is connected with three factors. Firstly, the units of Permanent Defense (obrona potoczna) in their structure referred to Mass Mobilization (pospolite ruszenie). Secondly, provisions of law were not used for standardizing the arms and armor; on the contrary, at least by the 1530s they stimulated the internal diversification. Thirdly, the Crown professional units were internally divided into towarzyszes and pocztowys, which prompted the diversification of armament inside a unit. The text shows the changes which occurred in the 1540s and 1550s, and brought about a situation in 1557, when the rate of standardization was as high as 82.93 %. The transformations were dynamic but were not top-down planned reforms, representing instead a bottom-up initiative of rotmistrzes.

Weapon Technology in the Qara-Qaraqoyunlu: Weapons and Equıpment Used in the Army

Kara-Koyunlular, yaklaşık bir asır boyunca Doğu ve Güneydoğu Anadolu, İran, Irak ve Kafkasya’da hâkimiyet kurdular. Birçok alanda selefleri Celâyirli ve Timurluların teşkilât yapısından etkilendikleri gibi silah teknolojisinde de bu devletlerin mirasını sürdürdüler. Konar-göçer hafif süvarili askeri yapısı ile Ortaçağın geleneksel silah ve teçhizatlarından yararlanarak bu coğrafyada hâkim güç haline geldiler. Başlangıçta hafif süvari esasına dayanan bozkır savaşçı tipi, zamanla ağır silahlar ve muhasara araçları ile donatıldı. Bu çalışmada XV. yüzyıl itibariyle Doğu Anadolu ve İran coğrafyasında önemli muharip güç haline gelen Kara-Koyunluların, seleflerinden intikal eden klasik silah ve teçhizatların üretimi, üretim mekânları, kullanımı ve silah tipolojilerinin askeri teşkilâttaki uygulama alanları tarihi kaynaklar ışığında değerlendirilecektir.

Первые «налеты» «легкой кавалерии»

The paper identifies specificity of activity of the Komsomol “light cavalry” at the end of the 1920s paying special attention to the regional aspect. Scientific originality of the study lies in the fact that the authors try to answer the question whether the provisions declared by the supreme Komsomol bodies represented the actual state of affairs. Previously unknown archival documents are introduced into scientific circulation. The research findings are as follows: the authors show that in the last years of New Economic Policy, the “light cavalry” had a controversial impact on the society, but the “cavalrymen” definitely aspired to develop its creative potential.

«Legkaya kavaleriya» v seredine 1930-h gg.: vozrozhdaya nadezhdy na spravedlivost'

The experience of the Komsomol's “light cavalry” in the mid-1930s is investigated. During this period the priority directions of the “light cavalry”'s activities were the control of the quality of consumer services for workers, overcoming of the local bureaucracy's arbitrariness, and the exposure of the unreasonable administrative and managerial expenses.