From Horses to Horsepower

The Mechanization and Demise of the U.S. Cavalry, 1916-1950

by Alexander Bielakowski

Imprint: Fonthill Media

208 Pages, 6.75 x 9.75 in, B&W

Hardcover
9781781557211
October 2019
In Stock

$40.00

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Following World War I, horse cavalry entered a period during which it fought for its very existence against mechanized vehicles. On the Western Front, the stalemate of trench warfare became the defining image of the war throughout the world. While horse cavalry remained idle in France, the invention of the tank and its potential for success led many non-cavalry officers to accept the notion that the era of horse cavalry had passed. During the interwar period, a struggle raged within the U.S. Cavalry regarding its future role, equipment, and organization. Some cavalry officers argued that mechanized vehicles supplanted horses as the primary means of combat mobility within the cavalry, while others believed that the horse continued to occupy that role. The response of prominent cavalry officers to this struggle influenced the form and function of the U.S. Cavalry during World War II.

Alexander M. Bielakowski is a former U.S. Army reserve officer who has published on such diverse topics as Polish Americans in the Civil War, African Americans in World War II, Dwight D. Eisenhower as the first commander of Nato, and Vietnam War movies. He has authored or co-authored three monographs as well as edited a two-volume reference work. He spent more than a decade educating military officers at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Currently, He is editor-in-chief of the peer-reviewed journal ‘U.S. Military History Review’ and a professor at the University of Houston-Downtown.

"Lavishly illustrated and arrestingly succinct, From Horses to Horsepower delivers a valuable message and history about the mechanization of the U.S. cavalry." ~Journal of Military History

"...an enlightening study of doctrine, weaponry, logistics, and contemporary debates over World War II." ~Michigan War Studies Review

"Bielakowski lavishly illustrates From Horses to Horsepower with photos from 1900 to the late 1940s showing the cavalrymen of the U.S. Army drilling, participating in equestrian competitions, caring for horses, and practicing with sabers. It is a subtle commentary on the esprit enjoyed in the U.S. Army’s sable arm even as it had outlived its usefulness." ~Military Review

"...offers a well-written analysis of the last days of the U.S. Cavalry... this book is sure to please both cavalry and armor buffs." ~Journal of America's Military Past