The use of horses in the North African Campaign?

[Sid Guttridge]

Was there any use of horses in the North African Campaign?

Both the Italian and German Armies were heavily reliant on them elsewhere. Did they forego them entirely in North Africa?

I presume there were a few Italian colonial cavalry, at least initially.

(I here exclude the white stallion reportedly kept for Mussolini to ride in the victory parade in Cairo!)

Cheers,

Sid.

[David W]

Hi Sid, how are you?

As I understand it, the answer is no. Primarily due to the total lack of foraged fodder available and the massive water needs of equines.

Certainly I have never seen a photo or written reference to horses. Camels, yes, horses, no.

I think Italian colonial cavalry may have had horses in East Africa, but that is not my area of expertise.

Kind regards,
David.

[Sheldrake]

The Australian journalist Alan Moorhead mentioned donkeys loose in the Italian camps around Sidi Barrani in November 1940.

I wonder if the 334nd Infantry Division had horse drawn transport in Tunisia? The French certainly used horses in that part of the world.