The Last Great Cavalry Charge

The Battle of Halen transformed modern warfare, revealing cavalry's dwindling relevance amid costly, decisive miscalculation.

The engagement was orchestrated on the previous successes of the cavalry of Frederick the Great. It was staged so that the German Fourth Cavalry Division, which was magnificently equipped and trained, would charge into glory with sabers rattling. Hundreds of horses would thunder into combat. Instead, 24 German officers, 468 men and 843 horses were lost during no less than the eight separate charges that were conducted that day. The entire right wing of the imperial German Army included only nine cavalry brigades in the well-known Schlieffen Plan, and in one battle on 12 August 1914; two of those brigades were seriously impacted. The battle has not been explored in the English language because it took place before the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) landed in the channel ports and well before any American involvement. British historians have generally focused on Germany's efforts to enter Belgium through the forts at Liège, which are east of Halen. But the Battle of the Silver Helmets impacted century-old cavalry tradition. An understanding of the battle explains why large-scale cavalry charges would not be attempted on the Western front again.