Dikke Bertha Posted 13 June , 2004 Share Posted 13 June , 2004 Hello In 1914, all cavalry had machine guns attached. Funcken shows French cavalry machine guns on the move but does anybody know how the German cavalry machine guns kept up. Were they towed, or in waggons or on horseback or ? Also in the German organisation, Jaeger battalions were attached to the cavalry divisions. How did they keep up with the cavalry? Regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoplophile Posted 15 June , 2004 Share Posted 15 June , 2004 In 1914, there were two types of machinegun units in German cavalry regiments - the machinegun companies of Jaeger battalions and the independent machinegun detachments. The former were organised in the manner of infantry machinegun companies - the men walked while the machineguns and ammunition were transported in small wagons. The latter were custom-tailored to the needs of the cavalry division. The wagons were larger, allowing the men to ride. (Those that did not ride in the wagons rode on horses, much like the gunners of a horse artillery battery.) When a cavalry division was moving rapidly, the Jaeger battalion(s) attached to it were moved by trucks (aka motor lorry.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dikke Bertha Posted 16 June , 2004 Author Share Posted 16 June , 2004 Dear Hoplophile, Thank you very much for your response. I was not aware of the fact that the Jaegers (or the infantry regiments for that matter) used wagons to move their machine gun units. I have never seen Jaegers moved in trucks. Do you know of any picture references. I would be very interested. Regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoplophile Posted 16 June , 2004 Share Posted 16 June , 2004 I'm afraid that I have no pictures of the trucks that were used to carry the Jaeger. (The regimental histories that I have seen often used "stock" illustrations rather than custom-drawn ones. Those that contained photos, moreover, tended to have group photos and posed individual photos rather than action shots.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Dunlop Posted 16 June , 2004 Share Posted 16 June , 2004 Stosstruppen were also transported into action via trucks on some occasions. The most famous photograph is members of the Marine Division Sturmabteilung debussing from a truck near Nieuport. There is a link between Jaegers and stosstruppen. Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dikke Bertha Posted 17 June , 2004 Author Share Posted 17 June , 2004 Dear Hoplophile and Robert Dunlop. Thank you both very much. I have seen the photo of the stosstruppen de-bussing but I was more interested in August 1914. I have never seen pictures or heard references before to trucks in August 1914. I will have to keep looking. Thanks again Regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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