Calvary units in the Wehrmacht?

[Panzerfaust XxX]

Were there any Calvary units in the Wehrmacht (or Waffen SS)? If so what actions did they take part in?

[Miha Grcar]

Yes, there were. I'm talking from my memory; there was the SS-Kavallerie Brigade, later upgraded into the 8. SS-Kavallerie Division Florian Geyer. The Heer also had some cavalry units; the 1.,3. & 4. Kavallerie Brigade. 3. & 4. cavalry brigades were later upgraded into the 3. & 4. Kavallerie Divisions. The 1. Kavallerie Brigade was upgraded into the 24. Panzer Division in November 1941 and met its fate in Stalingrad.

best,
Miha / Nibelung

[Malbork]

1 Cavalry Division saw service in Russia (Minsk, Kiev, Bryansk) in 1941 before becoming 24 Panzer Division.

3 Cavalry Division raised in February 1945 from 3 Cavalry Brigade action in Hungary and Austria.
4 Cavalry Division raised in February 1945 from 4 Cavalry Brigade action in Hungary and Austria.

1 Cossack Division raised in August 1943, became SS division in December 1944 and saw action In Poalnd and Croatia. Surrendered to teh British who then handed them back to the Russians.

Florian Geyer fought in Russia, Smolensk, Rzhev, Oryol, Dnyepr, then Croatia and Hungary.

22 SS Volunteer Cavalry (Maria Theresa) raised in April 1944 in Hungary and destroyed in the siege of Budapest in February 1945.

37 SS Volunteer Cavalry raised in February 1945, fought in Hungary.

[Leo Niehorster]

There were far more horsed and cavalry units in the Germany Army and the Waffen-SS than is normally supposed.

Horse and Cavalry units within Army Infantry Divisions.
Many infantry regiments had a recon platoon which was often a horse mounted unit. Initially, many of the infantry divisions' recon units were mounted on horses.

Larger independent Army formations formations:
The Army had the 1st Cavalry Brigade, which was enlarged to the 1st Cavalry Division, and which was in turn converted to the 24. Panzer-Division late 1941.

Starting 1942, once again new independent cavalry units were raised, using horse recon units of infantry divisions, namely:
- Armee-Reiter-Regiment 1 (Apr 42 - Jul 42 Hgr. Mitte)
- Armee-Reiter-Regiment 2 (Apr 42 - Jul 42 Hgr. Mitte)
- Armee-Reiter-Regiment 3 (Apr 42 - Jul 42 Hgr. Mitte)
- Armeekavalleriekommando zbV (9th Army March through July 42)
- Reiterverband von Winnig (42 - 43)
- Reiterverband von Boeselager (Hgr. Mitte 43 - 43)
- Kavallerie-Regiment Mitte (April 43, Hgr. Mitte)
- Kavallerie-Regiment Nord (mid-43, Hgr. Nord)
- Kavallerie-Regiment Süd (mid-43, Hgr. Süd)
- Kossaken-Reiter-Regiment Platow (42 - 43)
- Kossaken-Reiter-Regiment von Jungschulz (42 - 43)
- Reiterverband von Pannwitz (Nov 42 - 43)
- numerous "Ostreiter" and "Kosaken" battalions

Kalmückische Kavalleriekorps (Aug 42
1. Kosakendivision (43)
Kavallerie-Brigade 3 (mid 44, ex- Kav.Rgt. Mitte --> becomes 3. Kavallerie-Division Feb 45)
Kavallerie-Brigade 4 (mid-44, ex- Kav.Rgt. Nord & Süd --> becomes 4. Kavallerie-Division Feb 45)
2. Kosakenkavalleriedivision (Nov 44)

Waffen-SS
SS-Totenkopf-Reiterstandarte (1939, spilt into 1. & 2.)
SS-Totenkopf-Reiterstandarte 1 (May 40 - Feb 41)
SS-Totenkopf-Reiterstandarte 2 (May 40 - Feb 41)
SS-Kavallerie-Regiment 1 (Feb 41)
SS-Kavallerie-Regiment 2 (Feb 41)
SS-Reiter-Brigade Fegelein (1941 - 42 becomes SS-Kav.-Brig.)
SS-Kavallerie-Brigade (becomes SS-Kav.Div.)
SS-Kavallerie-Division (becomes 8. SS-Kav.Div.)
8. SS-Kavallerie-Division
22. SS-Kavallerie-Division
37. SS-Kavallerie-Division
The two Kosakenkavallerie-Division (as well as a corps hedaquarters with corps troops) were transferred to the Waffen-SS in the Winter 44/45, but not redesignated as such. A third Kosakenkavalleriedivision was being raised in 1945 when the war ended.


Note that not all of these existed at the same time, and many were used to form other cavalry units. There could be a few I have missed.
Cheers
Leo

[Bubbles]

What was the tactical purpose of a Cavalry Brigade or Division? Why did the Germans raise so many of them? And how did the horses fair when facing artillery, mortar or cannon fire near them?

Thanks for any answers.

[Christoph Awender]

What was the tactical purpose of a Cavalry Brigade or Division? Why did the Germans raise so many of them? And how did the horses fair when facing artillery, mortar or cannon fire near them?

Thanks for any answers.

The tactical purpose was tactical speed in the field which was an advantage in several types of terrains and situations.
Were there many? This is a matter of definition I guess.
The horses were trained to be used to loud noises and being under fire. Otherwise a cavalry unit would make no sense. This is a basic principle of all "war-horses" since hundreds of years that they are trained to get used to circumstances of combat.

\Christoph

[maxxx]

I once heard the number of 600000+ horses in the wehrmacht (both as riding and limber horses) CHristoph may have the exact number.

[Panzerfaust XxX]

This maybe a little off topic but a book entitled "SPECIAL OPS" says there was a case were a Army Special Forces (Green Beret) requested a book on Calvary tactics from SOCOM in Afganistan.

[Bubbles]

Thank you Chris.

Seems to me the amount of fire faced in WWII would dwarf any kind of training they would have been prepared for, based on prior conflicts. But hey, you know better.

[Christoph Awender]

Thank you Chris.

Seems to me the amount of fire faced in WWII would dwarf any kind of training they would have been prepared for, based on prior conflicts. But hey, you know better.

Well obviously it worked otherwise there wouldn´t have been cavalry and horse-drawn units if the horses wouldn´t have done their job also in bad situations. The horses of the Wehrmacht pre and early war were trained for years and well prepared in the Remonteämter. Sometimes the commanders sent back whole age classes of horses because they were not the expected quality.
The captured russian, czech etc.. horses were very robust and were good for drawing horses while the german Remonteämter concentrated to bring out good riding horses.

Horses in total:

Peace Army: 180.000
Plus at Mobilization: 393.000
Plus during the war: 282.000
Total from Germany: 855.000

Holland, Belgium, France: 80.000
Polish: 30.000
Sowjet: 310.000
Yugoslavian: 10.000
Italian: 5.000
Captured Total: 435.000

Raised from occupied countries: 1.450.000
Bought from Neutral or friendly countries: 10.000
Horses in TOTAL: 2.750.000

\Christoph

[cecilmac]

Does anyone know what "last battalion CDR" means

[Jan-Hendrik]

Last Battalion Commander

Jan-Hendrik

EDIT:

22 SS Volunteer Cavalry (Maria Theresa) raised in April 1944 in Hungary and destroyed in the siege of Budapest in February 1945.

22.SS-Frw.Kav.Div. had no name!!!!!!!!!!!

EDIT2:

SS-Kavallerie at PAF

Kavallerieverbände des Heeres ab 1942 at PAF

Jan-Hendrik

[Kurti]

Hey,
I have read this Thread and wondering, whats exactly the word "Ostreiter" means?
Is this just another word for units made of cossacks or were this mixed units formed with POW's?