horses

Discussions on all (non-biographical) aspects of the Freikorps, Reichswehr, Austrian Bundesheer, Heer, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Fallschirmjäger and the other Luftwaffe ground forces. Hosted by Christoph Awender.
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ziggy wiseman
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horses

#1

Post by ziggy wiseman » 26 Oct 2002, 01:22

perhaps someone can tell us how many horses were "used"by the german army in ww2?

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Indra Ross
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Horses in WWII

#2

Post by Indra Ross » 26 Oct 2002, 06:38

Does that include the ones eaten by the starving soldiers on the Eastern Front.

I do have a plaque that was given to every person that contributed a horse to the war effort.

If you have read anything about the Eastern Front particularly the time period of the Stalingrad assault, the German soldiers were starving and suffering from dysentery.

So when a dead horse was encountered on the steppes of Russia, soldiers would attempt to recover the meat.

However quite commonly a Russian's snipers bullet would respond......


Thanks Indra


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Christoph Awender
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Horses...

#3

Post by Christoph Awender » 26 Oct 2002, 07:49

Hello!

After WWI the germans had problems because many horses were killed in the war. Nevertheless until 1939 germany had built a stock of 3.800.000 horses.

Peace-army: 180 000 horses and mulies
additional at mobilization : 393 000
from Remonte-offices: 15 000
replacements during the war: 267 000
From germany in Total: 855 000

captured:
NL, B, FR: 80 000
Poland: 30 000
Russia: 310 000
jugoslavia: 10 000
italian: 5 000
Total: 435 000

taken from occupied territories: 1.450.000
bought from neutral states: 10 000

Makes a total of: 2.750.000

Source: KTB OKW April 1945

Christoph

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White Leopard
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Equine Power

#4

Post by White Leopard » 26 Oct 2002, 18:52

For supposedly "modern" and mechanized army, the Wehrmacht still had a very large number of horses doing the work. I have seen numerous photographs of horse and mule-drawn cassions schleping over the plains and roads of WWll Europe.

The American Army was reluctant to abandon the horse. Cavalry units were maintained up until the outbreak of WWll. Fort Leonard Wood was the home base of the horse cavalry for many years. Ceremonial cavalary units are still maintained there. The US Army also had to employ mules to pack supplies in parts of the Italian campaign.

When I was in the service a general retired and insisted on having a review of troops as his last offical action. We WACS and several male companies were drawn up on the parade ground to satisfy his wish. This fellow did not pass by us in a jeep or car. He reviewed the units the old-fashioned way, on horseback, as he started, dressed as a horse cavalry officer of the late 1930's. A sentimental farewell to the way he orginally entered the service. The armed services can harbor great nostalgics in their ranks.

The horse isn't entirely finished in modern warfare either. Some units in Afghanistan are riding horseback in the mountains to hunt Al-Queda.

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Christian Ankerstjerne
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#5

Post by Christian Ankerstjerne » 26 Oct 2002, 20:01

Also, the amount of horses used in Germany increased over the war years...

Christian

Logan Hartke
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Re: Equine Power

#6

Post by Logan Hartke » 26 Oct 2002, 20:09

White Leopard wrote:The American Army was reluctant to abandon the horse. Cavalry units were maintained up until the outbreak of WWll. Fort Leonard Wood was the home base of the horse cavalry for many years. Ceremonial cavalary units are still maintained there. The US Army also had to employ mules to pack supplies in parts of the Italian campaign.
But we were still the first major army to give them up.

Logan Hartke

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Daniel L
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#7

Post by Daniel L » 26 Oct 2002, 20:21

But we were still the first major army to give them up.
Hmm, as if that is something good. I think horses could be very suitable in some terrain even today.

regards

Logan Hartke
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#8

Post by Logan Hartke » 26 Oct 2002, 20:46

charlie don't surf wrote:Hmm, as if that is something good. I think horses could be very suitable in some terrain even today.
It is something good. Can you imagine Desert Storm with 25% horses?!?! *shudder*

Logan Hartke

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Daniel L
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#9

Post by Daniel L » 26 Oct 2002, 21:13

Well, the desert wasn't the type of terrain I was thinking of. What I had in mind was rather mountain terrain and dense forests.

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Logan Hartke
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#10

Post by Logan Hartke » 26 Oct 2002, 21:40

For mountains, we have this...
Image

...and for forests we have these...

Image

Logan Hartke

Mark V
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#11

Post by Mark V » 26 Oct 2002, 22:16

charlie don't surf wrote:I think horses could be very suitable in some terrain even today.

regards
Agree to some extent.

It is hard to believe how Wehrmacht would have survived through Russian rasputitsa without their horses. Horse-drawn vehicles were only thing that was moving after all roads had become bottomless mud swamps. Only motorized vehicles that could cope such enviroment were Steyr RSO fully tracked trucks, but these were available only at later stages of eastern campaign and never at sufficient quantity.

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Daniel L
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#12

Post by Daniel L » 26 Oct 2002, 22:39

Logan if you think that hummer could cope the italian mountains you're wrong- just look at the width of that thing. I have a hard time imagining how you could get the artillery piece to shoot that shell into a dense forest. :roll:

regards

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Marcus
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#13

Post by Marcus » 26 Oct 2002, 22:48

This is not the place to discuss the present day military so get back on topic.

/Marcus

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Daniel L
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#14

Post by Daniel L » 26 Oct 2002, 22:56

The german military horses didn't accept any kind of food, during the russian winter that became a problem. The horses taken from russian farmers ate anything, like the stitch roofs, and the problem was solved.

regards

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tigre
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Re: horses

#15

Post by tigre » 27 Nov 2015, 20:05

Hello to all :D; something on this........................

Cavalry units in Poland!

Source: http://odkrywca.pl/luska,646377.html.

Cheers. Raúl M 8-).
Attachments
image006.jpg
Mounted troops at rest outside a Polish town ........................
image006.jpg (33.18 KiB) Viewed 3413 times

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