The Rise of the Empire

Although the Boers have fewer troops, they can mobilize tens of thousands of cavalry. (Including militia-type troops) It stands to reason that it is not a big problem to break through these nodes, and the logistics supply pressure of the troops is not too great. After all, ordinary Boer infantry units have enough horses for transportation, and cavalry units have two horses per man. One horse is used for riding, and the other is used for carrying ammunition and supplies.

The biggest problem is the problem of casualties! Simply put, the Boers can't afford to die! This kind of inability to die is not only reflected in the almost disproportionate population gap between the two sides, but also in the difficulty of tackling tough problems. After experiencing the Sino-Japanese War of 1899-1895, Kalipmei realized very clearly that simple cavalry did not have much advantage when facing infantry. The saber used by the cavalry can only be an auxiliary weapon, and the spear should be thrown into the garbage dump of history. Cavalry infantry is actually more effective than cavalry, and the advantage of cavalry is reflected in strategic mobility, rather than slashing with sabers.

"I am very pessimistic about the effect of guerrilla warfare on the British in the usual sense. I am very familiar with the fighting methods of the Boer Knights. They generally choose unprotected transport teams and unguarded villages and towns. It is more like a battle than a battle." This kind of looting is the correct choice for a small army with dozens or even only a dozen people, but when our cavalry has a scale, or even a division-level scale, such a selection tendency and The effect is wrong!" When facing Pershing and Kruger, Caliput expressed his concerns very bluntly.

Small-scale guerrilla warfare is piecemeal, focusing on self-protection. of a harassing nature. But if you mobilize a large number of troops, and after the entire Boer Army has paid a lot of war costs for such a mobile force, you still focus on piecemeal, then it is a waste! It can even be said to be a crime. Just imagine, thousands of cavalry galloping in the wilderness, and the daily consumption of feed alone is tens of tons! Thousands of military horses and no less than this number of livestock are used to transport supplies. If a certain strategic purpose cannot be achieved, then such consumption is obviously not worth the candle!

So how is it worth it? Caliput gave two answers: The first answer is to be able to destroy the British cavalry corps! The second is a transportation hub that can destroy the British, such as a station! The former is a consumption of the British mobile corps, and the British are not stupid. The Boers know how to use light cavalry to harass the opponent's rear, and the British naturally understand.

The reason why the harassment of the British has not yet flourished is that on the one hand, the number of British cavalry is still relatively limited, supplies are difficult, and the frontal battlefield cannot meet the demand, let alone support cavalry for long-distance raids. On the other hand, the British fundamentalist melee cavalry really can't beat the mounted infantry of the Boers... . Equipped with mortars and semi-automatic rifles, the Boer cavalry easily defeated their opponents in several skirmishes.

As for the second point, it is to completely paralyze the logistics and transportation of the British. At that time, the main mode of transportation was through railways, so the focus of the attack was naturally railways. The easiest way is to lift the rails directly, and if you are more dedicated, destroy part of the land base, but this is of no use to the British! This kind of damage is done quickly, and the repair is also fast. The land foundation is piled up randomly, and then the steel rails are laid on the top.

Even if you destroy the rail and pull it out, so what? If you can't take it away, you can only bury it on the spot.... The British just dig it out with a bit of effort.

How to paralyze a railway quickly, history tells people the answer is marshalling yards and stations! These hubs not only provide a place for vehicles to replenish boiler water and coal, nor are they just a place for people to rest, but more importantly, they are a center for arranging the operation of vehicles! They are the nerves and brains of the railway line. Knocking down a station is much more powerful than pulling down dozens of kilometers of railways!

But as far as the current situation is concerned, it is difficult for the Boer cavalry to complete these two tasks. The fundamental reason lies in the casualties. If the cavalry fights, the Boers may indeed have a certain tactical advantage, and the exchange ratio will be better, but this exchange ratio will be swallowed by the huge number of British cavalry. The result is getting weaker and weaker. Slow suicide, and the attack on the railway station is even more so. The British, who were good at learning, had deployed machine guns, artillery, barbed wire and minefields around important nodes. And if you're unlucky enough, you'll run into an armored train...  

Facing such a stronghold with a combination of fixed bunker fortifications and mobile defense forces, isn't it courting death if you fight with cavalry? Maybe there are not many troops defending each stronghold, but relying on machine guns and a large number of fortifications, the defender can bring terrible damage to the attacker! From the point of view of loss, the gain outweighs the gain.

And now, Caliput's task is to build a cavalry unit that can complete these two combat tasks! A unit that can completely crush the British cavalry in normal combat, and a cavalry (mountain infantry unit) capable of attacking fortifications. It was the most challenging job of Caliput's career as an officer.

As a veteran soldier, Caliput worked as a cavalryman, as an infantryman, and accompanied his old boss, Prince Leopold, in the artillery, and finally went to the Bavarian General Staff. Both practical experience and theoretical experience are very rich. He is very familiar with the operation of the cavalry, and knows the limitations. Although the maneuvering speed of the cavalry is much higher than that of the infantry, compared with the infantry of the large corps, which is only 30 kilometers per day, the speed of the cavalry is at least double. But overall, the maneuvering speed of the cavalry is still much lower than that of their predecessors, let alone compared with the nomads of that period.

The fundamental reason is that the weight of the equipment carried has increased. On this plane, the great powers who have seen the power of rapid-fire artillery and machine guns have equipped their troops with these equipment, and the cavalry is no exception. The British cavalry is equipped with some artillery and machine guns . The same goes for the Boers. Although it is a 57mm gun or a 37mm gun, these guns and ammunition are a big burden in themselves.

Coupled with the relatively difficult supply, most of the cavalry marched slowly or even dismounted and walked on foot during the day's maneuvers, and galloping on horses rarely happened, unless it was a combat state of charging or chasing. However, if a large corps carries a small amount of artillery and ammunition, it will move slower.

Of course, some people have proposed the idea of ​​supporting war with war, but the problem is that in the entire British southern Africa, there are only more than 4 million blacks and whites far less than this number, and millions of square kilometers of land are just like this There are so many people, and most of them are huddled in the city, how can there be so many things for you to grab?