- Armoured cavalry
Armoured cavalry can refer to several different general types of
troops .During the Ancient period and the Middle Ages in Europe armoured cavalry referred to any horse-mounted troops that used
chain mail or plate armour for protection, and often added this to their mount's furniture also.Between the late 17th and mid-19th centuries armoured cavalry referred to those
cavalry regiment s that retained thecuirass , and were commonly known ascuirassier s. At a later date they we sometimes calledheavy cavalry which referred to their large horses and not the weight of the cuirass.After the
First World War cavalry units were mostly converted from horses to either armoured cars ortank s and became known as either mechanised cavalry fulfilling a reconnaissance role, or armoured cavalry serving in the offensive role that seeks to break through the enemy defences.In October 1928, a new era began for the cavalry of the British Army when the
11th Hussars became the first regular cavalry regiment to "mechanise", to change from a horsed cavalry role to a motorised one, re-equipping with armoured cars previously used by the Royal Tank Corps. Other regiments followed suit; in April 1939, theRoyal Armoured Corps was formed to encompass the eighteen mechanised cavalry regiments of the line alongside the eight battalions of theRoyal Tank Regiment , but did not include the Household Cavalry. The remaining two regular cavalry regiments were based in Palestine, and following the outbreak of war retained their horses until 1940 (theRoyal Dragoon Guards ) and 1941 (theRoyal Scots Greys ). Following mechanisation, the few remaining distinctions of unit type became meaningless; cavalry regiments moved between the heavy and light armoured roles regardless of their names.ee also
Current British cavalry regiments in armoured role
*The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers and Greys)
*The Royal Dragoon Guards
*The Queen's Royal Hussars (The Queen's Own and Royal Irish)
*The King's Royal Hussars
*2nd Royal Tank Regiment *
List of US Army armored cavalry regiments
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