The cavalry returns: Polish and British soldiers train together on horseback

@DefAviation ES 8·06·2023 · 22:01 0

It seemed that the mounted cavalry had been relegated to the history books, but it is not so. At least not in Poland.

The Polish Army uses the cavalry to defend its borders once again
The myth of Polish cavalry charges against tanks in September 1939

Poland is like the Rohan of Europe, a people who love horses and even dedicate one of their national holidays to chivalry. After all, one of their most important and decisive military victories of the 20th century, the Battle of Warsaw, was achieved thanks to the cavalry in 1920, a victory against the Red Army that the Polish Army commemorates every August 15 by celebrating its Armed Forces Day.

Furthermore, it so happens that the terrain of eastern Poland, with many marshes, is very suitable for the use of horses. Perhaps for this reason, two years ago we already saw here that the 2nd Lublin Brigade of the Territorial Defense Force (WOT) of the Polish Army once again resorted to horses to patrol the borders between Poland and Belarus against the migration offensive of the Lukashenko dictatorship, an offensive that continues to this day. Currently, the aforementioned Polish brigade continues to carry out patrols on horseback.

In recent months, British soldiers deployed on Polish territory, within the framework of NATO's eFP Battle Group Poland, have been training with horses alongside the Polish Army. In March this year, the Polish Territorial Defense Force announced that its 2nd Lublin Brigade, which pioneered the use of cavalry to patrol the border with Belarus, is now using its horses to transport weapons and equipment to hard-to-reach places.

This time, the Polish horsemen were not alone: The Royal Lancers, an armored cavalry regiment of the British Army using FV510 Warrior infantry fighting vehicles, has returned to its roots to train on horseback with their Polish allies. On July 24, this regiment has published new photos of these joint training sessions on horseback. You can see them here.

A horsewoman from the 2nd Lublin Brigade of the Polish Territorial Defense Force riding in a rural area during joint training with the British Army in March.

Polish and British horsemen in a wooded area in eastern Poland, in March. Horses are ideal for moving on this type of terrain.

A Polish soldier on horseback, and a British soldier on foot during joint training published by The Royal Lancers in July.

A Amazon from the Polish Army during the training done in March. Although there is the myth of the Polish cavalry charges against German tanks in 1939, in reality these charges never happened, but were a hoax of German propaganda. The Polish resistance did use horses to move through forested areas of occupied Poland during World War II.

A British soldier from The Royal Lancers on horseback in Poland in March, in a wooded area. Like Poland, the United Kingdom has a long tradition of mounted cavalry, using it until World War I. During World War II, the British still had a few mounted units for reconnaissance and mobility missions, with only a token role in the war.

Polish and British soldiers on a forest road in eastern Poland, during these joint training sessions. In addition to their mobility on this type of terrain, horses add the advantage of their stealth, as they are quieter than combustion engine vehicles.

A British soldier (left) and a Polish soldier (right) during these joint drills, in a beautiful photo taken at sunset.

A British soldier on horseback aiming his rifle, a Colt Canada L119, if I'm not mistaken.

Three British soldiers and a Polish soldier (right) on horseback on a plain at sunset.

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Photos: Wojska Obrony Terytorialnej / The Royal Lancers.