French cavalry during World War I

To replace the shako, a dozen helmets were tested between 1879 and 1913 in several hussar and chasseur regiments: initially of the "policeman" type, or with crest, in leather (sufficient to protect against saber blows), then in metal (steel and copper or aluminum).

In such cases, horses were left behind under guard, while the soldiers formed skirmish lines (referred to as "foragers" in cavalry terms), taking cover wherever possible and firing with their carbines.

[29] The recall of reservists from these corps was ordered on the evening of August 1, and the first troop trains transporting units from their barracks to their deployment zones were reserved for the "coverage divisions."

Consequently, half of the French cavalry was deployed just before the mobilization was officially declared to form a protective screen, with each squadron accompanied by an infantry battalion:[30] At the same time, the 1st Division, composed of regiments stationed in Paris, Versailles, and Vincennes, boards trains on August 1 (the two Parisian cuirassier regiments were scheduled to leave on July 31 but were held back by government order for an additional day due to fears of protests).

Together, they form the "Cavalry Corps" on August 2, which deploys as a cover in the Ardennes department, protecting the left flank of the French forces and standing ready to conduct reconnaissance in Belgium if necessary.

The initial engagements are skirmishes between patrols, tasked with probing enemy dispositions and gathering intelligence by interrogating civilians and capturing prisoners to identify opposing units.

However, on August 31, Captain Charles Lepic (of the 5th Chasseurs, 5th Cavalry Division) reported from Gournay-sur-Aronde (north of Compiègne) that a German column had abandoned the road to Paris and was heading southeast.

[note 17] This intelligence was confirmed in the following days by other patrols (Captain Fagalde recovered a German staff map) and by aerial reconnaissance from the Paris fortified zone.

After the battles on the Marne, cavalry units were logically sent ahead for the pursuit, but their progress was extremely slow as the horses were utterly exhausted, barely managing to round up a few stragglers.

[56] During this raid, a squadron of the 16th Dragoons (commanded by Lieutenant de Gironde) succeeded in attacking an automobile convoy transporting aircraft on the evening of September 11 near the Mortefontaine Plateau.

[59] On September 10, two cavalrymen from the 3rd Hussars (3rd Cavalry Division) captured the flag of a Saxon regiment after attacking a group of about fifteen isolated Germans in Mont-l'Évêque.

[63] Once the front stabilized, reconnaissance missions were exclusively assigned to aviation, while the capture of prisoners (to gather intelligence) was left to shock troops during raids.

[66] Orders dictated that they remain "ready, as soon as the breach appears sufficiently wide, to promptly send one or several divisions through it, which must then sweep east and west to strike the rear of the enemy's second line.

[70] Unable to fight on horseback, cavalry units were primarily tasked with traffic control and policing within the army zones, supporting the gendarmerie provosts due to the lack of more specialized roles.

These were modified civilian vehicles based on the chassis of small trucks or large cars (from manufacturers such as Renault, Peugeot, Delaunay-Belleville, De Dion-Bouton, or White Motor Company).

Therefore, it is necessary to particularly modify its methods of marching, stationing, and combat.From this point onward, mounted units near the front were required to remain in open formations, with riders spread out and staggered across the terrain.

The Allied offensives that began in the summer of 1918 consisted of successive blows against the German frontlines, each stopping at the limit of artillery range, with no attempt to break through.

Certainly, this is no longer a pursuit like those of the past, one of those high-speed chases that were essentially the work of cavalry accompanied by horse-drawn batteries: dragoons and hussars scattering columns of fugitives, cutting off roads, slashing at teams of horses.

[107] In French West Africa (AOF), the general based in Dakar had very limited cavalry resources in 1914: the only squadron of Senegalese Spahis[note 22] (119 men, including 16 European officers) stationed in Saint-Louis had been deployed to Morocco since 1912.

[111] The conquest of the German colonies of Togoland and Kamerun was conducted without cavalry support, as the tropical forest climate, poor road conditions, and limited food supply rendered it impractical: "Animals were of no use to the column—not the packhorses nor the artillery mules.

This led to revolts throughout the Hoggar and Tassili des Ajjers regions, with French goumiers and camel-mounted units (mainly Châamba recruits) regaining control only near the war's end.

[117] The French response included establishing the "Supreme Command of Saharan Territories" (spanning Algeria and AOF) on January 12, 1917, under General Laperrine,[118] and organizing military columns.

From May to July 1916, French columns restored order in the rebellious Ouadaï and Dar Sila regions (the British conducted similar operations in Darfur).

With the Ottoman Empire entering the war in October 1914 on Germany's side, the Allies decided during the winter of 1914–1915 to form the "Mediterranean Expeditionary Force" to capture Constantinople.

The cavalry remained there (at the Zahiria camp and later Victoria College, east of the city)[130] due to a lack of landing equipment (the infantry used rafts).

This brigade was deployed to Dojran (on the Macedonian-Greek border) starting December 11 to act as a rearguard for the retreating army[137] and later to Koukouch to cover the entrenched camp at Salonika.

With the crossing of the Vardar at Veles blocked (due to clashes between Serbian and Bulgarian forces), the brigade entered the Goleshnitsa mountain range, traversing it in four days via goat trails through Drenovo, Paligrad, and Dratchevo[152] to arrive above Üsküb (the Turkish name for Skopje) on September 29, 1918.

This deployment was requested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which aimed to include these units in the conquest of Syria, an Ottoman territory expected to fall under French influence per the 1916 Sykes-Picot Agreement.

[159] A final reinforcement group, the 5th squadron of the 4th Tunisian Spahis from Sfax, faced disaster when their British horse transport ship, the SS Hyperia, was sunk by a German submarine (UB-51)[160] on July 28, 1918, 84 nautical miles northwest of Port Said.

General Maurin questioned whether "cavalry is still a rapid maneuver element today," noting that "paved roads now constitute a serious obstacle for horse movement [...].