irit'
is opposed to the idea of dismounted action. They hold that the
Cavalry disdain to dismount, and they see in riding the end instead of
the means. They consider that events in the Far East teach us that we
must render our Cavalry less devoted to 'manoeuvres' and to
'tournaments,' in order to enable them to fit themselves to take part
in modern fighting; that the times have come when the methods of
Warfare should be changed; and that the Cavalry must determine to
defeat the enemy by dismounted action entirely.

I cannot speak with any certainty as to what has happened in European
Armies, but as regards the British Cavalry, I am absolutely convinced
that the Cavalry spirit is and may be encouraged to the utmost without
in the least degree prejudicing either training in dismounted duties
or the acquirement of such tactical knowledge on the part of leaders
as will enable them to discern when and where to resort to dismounted
methods.

How, I ask, can the Cavalry perform its role in war until the enemy's
Cavalry is defeated and paralyzed? I challenge any Cavalry officer,
British or foreign, to deny the principle that Cavalry, acting as such
against its own Arm, can never attain complete success unless it is
proficient in shock tactics.

Cavalry soldiers must of course learn to be expert rifle shots, but
the attainment of this desirable object will be brought no nearer by
ignoring the horse, the sword, or the lance. On the contrary, the
'elan' and dash which perfection in Cavalry manoeuvre imparts to large
bodies of horsemen will be of inestimable value in their employment as
mounted riflemen when the field is laid open to their enterprise in
this role by the defeat of the hostile Cavalry.

That the Cavalry on both sides in the recent War did not distinguish
themselves or their Arm is an undoubted fact, but the reason is quite
apparent. On the Japanese side they were indifferently mounted, the
riding was not good, and they were very inferior in numbers, and hence
were only enabled to fulfil generally the role of Divisional Cavalry,
which they appear to have done very well. The cause of failure on the
Russian side is to be found in the fact that for years they have been
trained on _exactly the same principles_ which these writers now
advocate. They were devoid of real Cavalry training, they thought of
nothing but getting off their horses and shooting; hence they
lamentably failed in enterprises which demanded, before