Cavalry in Future Wars

Commander of the Seventh Division of the German Army
Author of 'With General French and the Cavalry in South Africa' Editor of 'The Empire and the Century'
With an Introduction by
LONDON JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET, W. 1909
First Edition, October, 1906 Second Edition, April, 1909
I ventured to express the opinion in my book, 'With General French and the Cavalry in South Africa,' that if a high ideal of the duties and possibilities of Cavalry is set before our officers, and the means of instruction and training are placed within their reach, we shall possess in our next great War a force which, if led by men of the stamp of General Sir John French, will prove to the world that the day of Cavalry is far indeed from being past.
In other words, I am convinced that, with good leadership and the right material in men, which the South African War has shown we possess, all that we need to perfect our system is a proper recognition of the changed conditions of modern Warfare, and a resolve to break with the old and adapt ourselves to the new situation.
Reforms such as this would necessitate must affect all arms of the Service, but no branch more than the Cavalry, whose task in future will be more difficult, yet whose compensation lies in the possibilities of successes possessing greater significance than any hitherto attained.
The South African War has roused the Cavalry into a renewal of activity, and has caused their leaders to encourage the study of Cavalry literature likely to develop the capacity of the officer for writing on these special subjects.
As a step in that direction, I gave whatever little co-operation I could to the formation of the Cavalry Journal , in the hope that it may be conducive to the creation of a class of literature in which our Service is peculiarly deficient.
It is of the first importance to realize the conditions that are revolutionizing the conduct of Modern Warfare.
Such knowledge can alone enable us to appreciate the task which is given to the Cavalry, and to estimate the increased difficulties of their function. As their range of activity has become restricted in certain directions, their sphere of usefulness in others has largely increased.