"Cavalry and Sabers" Topic

Were SCW cavalry issued sabers and trained to use them on horseback, or did they operate more like mounted infantry?

Same for Spaniards and Moroccans?

Thanks!

Peter Kemp in his autobiography ("Mine Were of Trouble") describes being issued with a sabre – of very poor quality steel – when he joins the requete cavalry, but the only time he uses it is when his squadron mistakenly charges a flock of goats.
Hemingway, in For Whom The Bell Tolls, describes cavalry in action in quite some detail (this is fiction but Hemingway was present as a reporter during the SCW). He describes the cavalry as using firearms and operating basically as mounted infantry.
There are reports of a cavalry charge during the battle of Teruel, but it seems to have been a speedy advance to occupy territory rather than an actual charge. Kemp describes the cavalry as advancing 'widely extended across the plain' as though they were a scouting advance guard. Other nationalist accounts of the battle emphasise how useful the cavalry were in difficult terrain where vehicles cannot go.
I have seen a contemporary drawing of a triumphal procession by Franco in which Moroccan cavalry carry both lances and sabres. But all the actual accounts I can find show cavalry being used as mobile mounted infantry with Carbines and LMGs.

cool, thanks for this! I'll be trying to build a large force of Morrocan cavalry in the near future. Giminez writes of one such mass cavalry charge against the Durruti Column on the Aragon Front. Anyone know of good models in 1/72 or decent conversion fodder? I know irregular miniatures makes Moorish cav in 1/72.

I'm using PP 15mm heads to convert 15mm PP cavalry.

Might you do the same with Minairons cavalry and separate heads?

Or, Irregular 20mm figures?

Does Bandera (Rolf Hedges in UK) have Moroccan cavalry?

I'm also trying to source some Moroccan cavalry. They seem to have worn trousers rather than riding breeches, so I can't just do a head swap on Empress's excellent SCW cavalry. I'm looking at Siberia Miniatures' Basmachi cavalry at the moment.

I should say that I'm looking at 28mm rather than 1/72.

There was definitely at least one classic cavalry charge by rebel cavalry. It was during the battle of Teruel, a massive cavalry charge broke through the loyalist forces.

I am very skeptical about the massed cavalry charge at Teruel. I think it is Nationalist propaganda from after the battle, romanticising a rapid advance led by mounted skirmishing troops.
Wikipedia and similar sources mention a cavalry charge, but I can't find a reference to a contemporary account, and my impression is that they are all copying each other.
Peter Kemp was present at Teruel, he was an ex cavalryman and describes the cavalry as advancing in open order in front of the infantry. He doesn't describe a charge or even cavalry being in a formation where they might charge.
There was a journalist from the New York Times present with Republican forces. The NYT mentions fighting between Moorish and Spanish cavalry (squadrons it says specifically) and American Internationals. It also mentions hard riding packets of cavalry encircling republican forces.
None of the NYT stuff I can find is inconsistent with Kemp's account, and the impression I get is of a massed advance by Nationalist cavalry, occupying terrain and taking advantage of their rapid movement.
I'd be very interested if anyone knows of a different account.

Gengulfus, Thomas also mentions the charge. This from the 1986 edition of his history -

"Monasterio's cavalry swept all before it in the most spectacular cavalry charge of the civil war, perhaps the last, great cavalry action in the history of war."

nnascati, I assume you mean Hugh Thomas – he's a historian not an eyewitness. I haven't got his book, does he reference any eyewitness accounts of a cavalry charge?

No, it doesn't seem so.

@jhancock I don't think Bandera has morrocan cav or much cavalry at all, but the others arent bad ideas.

I don't have much money and often just buy a bunch of plastic, then cut it up to my liking. Shipping from Europe has gotten expensive and my last shipment from Europe (ordered early november) still hasn't showed up. So I'd been eying this set of Bengal lancers, imagining I could use the knife to reduce the some of the headwear:

link

Gengolfus mentions Basmachi, I had considered this set for my Makhnovist cavalry last year but ultimately decided against it. Do you think it would be useful for conversion to Scw Moroccans?

link

Interesting discussion on the nationalist cavalry charge. I'll find the page and maybe an excerpt of the Morrocan charge I referenced from Sons of the Night and post back here in a few days.

To be honest, this Basmachi set looks as though it would take a bit of work to convert to Moroccans, largely because of the coats. The Bengal lancers look like a better starting point because their blouses look more like pictures of Moroccan cavalry.

My thoughts as well, thanks gengulfus. I'll likely work on that this spring, and will share photos, and probably ask for more help …
As for the cavalry charge I mentioned earlier, I looked into Sons of the Night, and the author described a cavalry charge on the town of Farlete, Aragon. Gimenez and others of the international group of the Durruti Column rush to reinforce an overwhelmed garrison, trying to hold off a nationalist assault. Morrocan Cavalry in white djellabas charged the line, turned back by machine gunsand a plane, which dropped a bomb right on the cavalry. Gimenez describes the battle briefly on page 78, and the editors quite usefully compare his account to many others on pages 284-292. I didn't see any mention of sabers. The cavalry were clearly trying to advance quickly, but they were also charging machine gun positions in horseback.

p178 of Giminez describes a skirmish between Durrutti column militia and Nationalist cavalry. The cavalry shoot at their opponents, but when one closes with the militia he draws his sabre to strike.