Igor
Posts: 184
Joined: 12/11/2000 Status: offline
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You're quite right that they are used incorrectly; but it isn't really a case of them not being used as dragoons. For the most part, the problem is that they are being assigned wrong.
Generally speaking, European cavalry only appeared on the battlefield in rear areas when fighting partisans; or on the Eastern Front where the Soviets used them in much the same way as motorized or mechanized forces (fire brigades, exploitation forces, and such like) because they didn't have enough of either. In both cases, they stayed mounted because the mobility outweighed the threat.
Besides, as Dragoons they would keep losing all their horses to mortars and suchlike every time the enemy spotted the largely immobile handlers; and I'm not sure the game engine can handle transport which can't be rallied, and takes casualties like infantry instead of as a single object.
Take them into a long or a generated campaign, however, and cavalry gets assigned to battles as if it were infantry; into tactical situations for which it is completely unsuited. Basically, a Cossack is asking to be regularly slaughtered unless he keeps buying a lot of support troops to hide behind.
As for the PTO; I'm playing a generated campaign as a PLA commander. There's roughly a company of cavalry in my light regimental force; and they do very good work on the flanks or as a reserve. I frankly have no use for them as dragoons; the horses would have to be left so far to the rear that the men would just be another bunch of light riflemen (an MOS the Chinese aren't short of) which cost a heck of a lot to replace.
The opposition, whether the KMT or the Japanese, lack that certain element of firepower you see in the ETO which makes stand up battles so hazardous to horseflesh...so I can get away with this.
[This message has been edited by Igor (edited January 09, 2001).]
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