Cavalry in Future Wars

Bernhardi, Friedrich von, 1849-1930Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.2

Word count: 541K words
Chapters: 55

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Cavalry in Future Wars by Friedrich von BernhardiAuthor: Bernhardi, Friedrich von, 1849-1930,Language: English, Class: UE: Military science: Cavalry, Armor, Release Date: Mar 9, 2009

Editor's review

Cavalry in Future Wars is a work of military theory by the German military writer Friedrich von Bernhardi, classified under cavalry and armored forces military science. Bernhardi is known for his studies of modern warfare and tactics, and this book focuses on the role and use of cavalry in future wars, discussing how traditional cavalry should adjust its organization, tactics, and missions against the background of increased firepower and changing battlefield conditions. For today's readers, its value lies not in offering tactics that can be directly applied, but in showing how a pre-mechanized-era military thinker anticipated the evolution of war; it is a text for observing European military thought from the late nineteenth to the early twentieth century. The tactical assumptions in the book have been tested by history, and readers should approach it from the perspective of military history and intellectual history, taking care to distinguish its historical limitations. The free electronic edition from Project Gutenberg is convenient for searching and comparative research, suitable for military enthusiasts and history researchers to read by topic rather than straight through.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in modern European military history and cavalry tactics
Readers studying the evolution of military thought who need original texts for comparison
Deep readers who enjoy reading public-domain military literature and taking notes
Military enthusiasts concerned with how technological change affects the role of service branches

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking practical modern manuals on cavalry or armored forces
General readers hoping for light, story-driven content
Beginners with little patience for military terminology and old-fashioned prose

Reading tips

Read the table of contents and introduction first to identify the chapters on branches and tactics that interest you.
Note the author's predictions as you read, then test them against actual military history afterward.
Look up old-style military terminology before continuing so as not to misread the author's intent.
Read alongside other modern military works to compare different authors' judgments on the future of cavalry.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Are the cavalry tactics discussed in this book still useful today?

This book was written when cavalry was still regarded as an important branch, and its specific tactical assumptions have been largely overtaken by later forms of warfare; they cannot be directly applied. However, its way of thinking about how increased firepower forces a branch to adjust its missions still has reference value for understanding the evolution of military thought, and it should be read as a historical text rather than a practical manual.

Can I read it without a military background?

The book is dense with terminology and written in the style of old military discourse, so readers with no foundation at all will find it tough going. It is advisable to first acquire some general knowledge of modern European military history or start with chapters that interest you; if you only want a rough grasp of the author's views, read the introduction and conclusion first, then decide whether to go deeper.

Why is selective reading recommended over reading straight through?

The book discusses the use of cavalry in future wars by topic, and the chapters are relatively independent; reading straight through makes it easy to lose the focus amid repetitive discussion. Reading selectively according to the branch roles, organization, or tactical questions that interest you, and comparing with historical materials, is more efficient and makes it easier to form your own judgment.

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About the author

Bernhardi, Friedrich von, 1849-1930 Author

Friedrich von Bernhardi (1849–1930) was a German military writer and cavalry officer; public information about his life and career is limited. Three of his works are held in the collection, with Germany and the Next War, Cavalry in Future Wars, and Cavalry as representative titles. His writing centers on military strategy, the use of arms of service, and the prospects of war, and is especially known for discussing the role of cavalry in modern warfare, while also addressing war predictions marked by strong nationalism. Such works had a certain influence on early twentieth-century European military thought and public opinion, and are often used by later generations to examine prewar German strategic ideas and military debate.