The Red Army has two solutions to these problems. Whilst their operational mobility is a major asset, cavalry do have some serious tactical weaknesses: vulnerability to fire and a lack of mounted firepower. The ability of the cavalry to traverse terrible terrain and forage for their own supplies often enables them to outrun motorised forces tied to roads and vast supply lines. Whereas a tank army in the West uses motorised and armoured infantry to support armoured breakthroughs, the Red Army has formed Cavalry-Mechanised Groups. These factors, combined with a universal shortage of trucks, make cavalry very attractive to all participants on the Eastern Front. The Pripyat Marshes, an area of swampy forest the size of a small country, sitting astride the main route from Moscow to Berlin, are practically impenetrable to motorised vehicles. The Soviet Union is vast and much of it remains roadless. While there is little scope for cavalry in densely populated Europe where excellent roads make motorised vehicles superior, cavalry still play an important part in operations on the Eastern Front. ![]() Cavalry is almost as old as warfare itself, but still remains important even in the age of Blitzkrieg.
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