Book description
The U. S. Cavalry, which began in the nineteenth century as little
more than a mounted reconnaissance and harrying force, underwent
intense growing pains with the rapid technological developments of the
twentieth century. From its tentative beginnings during World War I,
the eventual conversion of the traditional horse cavalry to a
mechanized branch is arguably one of the greatest military
transformations in history. Through Mobility We Conquer recounts the
evolution and development of the U. S. Army's modern mechanized
cavalry and the doctrine necessary to use it effectively. The book
also explores the debates over how best to use cavalry and how these
discussions evolved during the first half of the century. During World
War I, the first cavalry theorist proposed combining arms coordination
with a mechanized force as an answer to the stalemate on the Western
Front. Hofmann brings the story through the next fifty years, when a
new breed of cavalrymen became cold war warriors as the U. S.
Constabulary was established as an occupation security-police force.
Having reviewed thousands of official records and manuals, military
journals, personal papers, memoirs, and oral histories -- many of
which were only recently declassified -- George F. Hofmann now
presents a detailed study of the doctrine, equipment, structure,
organization, tactics, and strategy of U. S. mechanized cavalry during
the changing international dynamics of the first half of the twentieth
century. Illustrated with dozens of photographs, maps, and charts,
Through Mobility We Conquer examines how technology revolutionized U.
S. forces in the twentieth century and demonstrates how perhaps no
other branch of the military underwent greater changes during this
time than the cavalry.
"Winner of the LTG Richard Trefry Award given by the Army
Historical Foundation." --
