Kazachya Sotnya (SBX05) Cavalry is almost as old as warfare itself, but still remains important even in the age of Blitzkrieg. While there is little scope for cavalry in densely populated Europe where excellent roads make motorised vehicles superior, cavalry still play an important part in operations on the Eastern Front.

The Soviet Union is vast and much of it remains roadless. The Pripyat Marshes, an area of swampy forest the size of a small country, sitting astride the main route from Moscow to Berlin, are practically impenetrable to motorised vehicles. These factors, combined with a universal shortage of trucks, make cavalry very attractive to all participants on the Eastern Front.    Whereas a tank army in the West uses motorised and armoured infantry to support armoured breakthroughs, the Red Army has formed Cavalry-Mechanised Groups. The ability of the cavalry to traverse terrible terrain and forage for their own supplies often enables them to outrun motorised forces tied to roads and vast supply lines.

Whilst their operational mobility is a major asset, cavalry do have some serious tactical weaknesses: vulnerability to fire and a lack of mounted firepower. The Red Army has two solutions to these problems. The first is simply to dismount and fight on foot when close to the enemy, however this negates the cavalry’s one big tactical advantage, speed.    The second is to accompany the cavalry with tachanka machine-gun carts, mortars, and artillery.

The tachankas race alongside the cavalry and turn and halt when in range to give covering fire. The mortars and artillery pound the enemy positions. Before the enemy can recover the cavalry is upon them. This solution retains the speed of the cavalry, while increasing their firepower, making cavalry truly deadly in the hands of a skilled commander. See Ostfront for rules on how to field a Soviet Kazachya Sotnya (Cavalry-Mechanised Group) in Mid War For Late War see: Guards Cossacks...

Box Contains: • 5x Cossack Command teams. • 1x Cossack Komissar team. • 8x Cossack Rifle/MG teams. • 2x Tachankas Machine-gun wagons. Designed by Evan Allen Painted by Jeremy Painter