Best Cavalry Tactics

[Imperial Eagle]

What is your best/favorite historical cavalry tactic?

Mine is a reputed Mongol use of beating drums quieter as they got closer to the enemy, making it sound like they were going, when they were really coming.

[Boyar Son]

which ever one that beat the mongols.

[D.B. Cooper]

which ever one that beat the mongols.

The Mongols were actually beaten at their own game. Fell for a feigned retreat and then annihilated. See the battle of Ayn Jalut.

[Boyar Son]

The Mongols were actually beaten at their own game. Fell for a feigned retreat and then annihilated. See the battle of Ayn Jalut.

haha! such irony!

[OneArmedScissor]

charge

[gaius valerius]

haha! such irony!

Well it was a considerably weakened army anyway figthing against a similary fashioned army without the vice of being weakened. What really beat the Mongols was gunpowder, doesn't fit this picture though.

[TRSjarmen]

Alex did alright with the hammer and anvil I think it was called.

[Lysimachus]

Too bad that strategy is now over-used to brutal efficiency in RTW and M2:TW.

[Iskender-bey]

http://www.shsu.edu/~his_ncp/Stradioti.html

"The stradioti continued the Balkan traditions of cavalry warfare, which used hit-and-run attacks, ambushes, feigned retreats, counterattacks and other tactics little known to western armies of the time."

These tactics were also employed by Skanderbeg, whose armies were more than half cavalry. There's one instance, when in Italy, an Anjou force was enticed into leaving its camp to pursue Skanderbeg's cavalry, when an ambush was sprung and the Anjous were surrounded on three sides.

[Brain_in_a_vat]

What is your best/favorite historical cavalry tactic?

Mine is a reputed Mongol use of beating drums quieter as they got closer to the enemy, making it sound like they were going, when they were really coming.

The cavalry charge.

[Excelsior]

In ancient times, the psychological impact of striking at infantry flanks and rear (notably Alexander and Hannibal) could have been very effective. Further on, the ability to strike at standing infantry was probably similar in effect, such as Sarmatians, knights (as of the 12th century?) and Polish hussars.

But yes, Mongol tactics of calculated missile power supported by heavier charging cavalry, once their enemy was seriously softened up, must have seemed for some time unstoppable.

[gaius valerius]

But yes, Mongol tactics of calculated missile power supported by heavier charging cavalry, once their enemy was seriously softened up, must have seemed for some time unstoppable.

Not to mention the rigid discipline they handled in manoeuvring...

[Spartan JKM]

Whoops, wrong thread - sorry, I keep doing that! My post count should be about four or five less. I need to preview my posts before posting in the correct thread.

Yes, gaius: the articulated relay methods the Mongols exploited with their missile barrages must have been devastating.

I'll state quickly, while I'm here, that one of the greatest displays of utilizing the essentials of missile power, shock, and logistics by an exclusively mounted army was effected by the Parthians at the Battle of Carrhae: with the actual or threat of shock action by the cataphracts upon the legionnaires, the Roman infantry was compelled to keep ranks, hence keeping for the more numerous horse archers a larger, more static target. Bringing along 1,000 or so camels laden with a sufficient surplus of arrows illustrated tremendous foresight on the part of General Surena.

Thanks, James

[Spartacus the Irish]

the actual or threat of shock action by the cataphracts upon the legionnaires, the Roman infantry was compelled to keep ranks, hence keeping for the more numerous horse archers a larger, more static target.

Akin to Napoleonic 'rock-paper-scissors' warfare whereby cavalry was used to keep infantry in square formation whence they were raked with murderous artillery fire, or attacked by infantry in line.

Didn't a feigned withdrawal at Carrhae lead to the death of Publius, Crassus' son?