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132:) had become a common sight in the majority of European, Ottoman, and Indian cavalry forces during this time, but, with the exception of the Ottoman troops, they increasingly discarded the heavy armour to give greater freedom of movement in combat. The Polish "winged" lancers were amongst the last European units to abandon their armour. There was debate over the value of the lance in mounted combat during the 17th and 18th centuries, with most armies having very few lancer units by the beginning of the 19th century.
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262:), just below the lance head. The pennons were normally removed or wrapped in a canvas cover during active service . With the improved range and accuracy of infantry muskets and rifles, the high profile presented by lancers with their conspicuous weapons became a problem. Lancers were trained to lower their lances when
391:
The French army did not have lancer regiments as such, but steel lances 2.97 meters (9.7 ft) in length were carried by the twenty-six dragoon regiments and some light cavalry units in 1914. The French had earlier tested the Indian bamboo lances used by the
British cavalry, but had rated them as
441:
During the 1920s and 1930s, the use of lances ceased for active service in most armies. The German cavalry retained the lance as a service weapon until 1927, as did the
British cavalry until 1928. Some other armies retained lance-armed cavalry units for ceremonial purposes only. The
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became clear. During the wars, the Poles became a ready source of recruitment for several armies, willingly or unwillingly. Polish lancers served with distinction in the
Austrian, Prussian, Russian, and French armies, most famously in Napoleon's
377:) 3.2 meters (10 ft) in length, as their primary weapon. As late as 1914, half of the troopers in each Russian regular cavalry regiment (hussars, uhlans, and dragoons) carried lances on active service, as did all
212:
armies were composed of troopers with lances, as primary weapons, in the front rank and horsemen with sabres only in the second: the lances for the initial shock and sabres for the ensuing
181:, French lances were "nearly 3 metres (9.8 ft) long, weighed around 3 kilograms (6.6 lb), and had a steel point on a wooden staff," according to historian
149:
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Some modern armored cavalry units are still designated as lancer regiments for historical and ceremonial reasons. There are examples in the armies of
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horse squadrons carry lances on mounted parades, as do many cavalry regiments in South
America such as Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru.
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did not discard the lance as a weapon until 1934 or 1937 and continued to use it for training and ceremonial purposes until the outbreak of
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armies, among others. Almost all German cavalry branches (cuirassiers, hussars, dragoons, and uhlans) retained steel tube lances (
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regiments still in existence until 1920 carried the 1870 model of ashwood lance, noted for its balance and manageability.
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Ronald Strom, page 154, "Great
Regiments", SBN 297.17647.3, published by Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London 1969
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Rodolfo
Puletti, pages 54–55, "I Lancieri di Milano 1859–1985", published by Editrice Militare Italiana 1985
224:
438:, mounted cavalry still had a role and lances saw limited use by the Russian, German, and Austrian armies.
185:. He adds that they were "terrifyingly efficient." Commander of the French 1st Corps, 4th Division General
388:; but a conservative revaluation led to its reintroduction as an active service weapon from 1909 to 1928.
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Rodolfo
Puletti, page 54, "I Lancieri di Milano 1859–1985", published by Editrice Militare Italiana 1985
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193:, would write later, "I had never before realized the great superiority of the lance over the sword."
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The
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parade detachments armed with the lances carried as combat weapons until 1920.
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651:'s "Men at Arms Series British Cavalry Equipment 1800–1941" illustration G 1.
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5th
Lancieri di Novara, 6th Lancieri di Aosta, 8th Lancieri di Montebello
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422:(i.e. mêlée weapons) for cavalry, but neither proved a match for modern
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862:. Men–at–arms No. 138 (revised ed.). Oxford: Osprey Publishing.
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271:
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Christian Tollet "Les
Dragons 1914" Histoire & Collections 2009
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portraying a charging Don Cossack using a lance as a shock weapon.
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Cavalry Tactics and Combat in the Napoleonic Wars: Lancers !
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in a mêlée. By the late 19th century, many cavalry regiments in
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Polish Lancer (left) and Austrian Cuirassier (right) in a mêlée
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being too fragile for the shock of encounter. The six Italian
48:. Lances were used for mounted warfare in Assyria as early as
319:
In 1914, lances were still being carried by regiments in the
205:
200:, lancers could be more vulnerable to other cavalry units in
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45:
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after initial clashes in France and Belgium in 1914. On the
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1er Regiment de Chevau-Legers-Lanciers de la Garde Impériale
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Niels M. Saxtorph: "Warriors & Weapons of Early Times"
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246:
715:
John Terraine, page 68, "Mons. Retreat to Victory", 1960,
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p150, Volume 16, Encyclopædia Britannica, Eleventh Edition
462:
British lancers taking part in a homecoming parade in 2008
562:(5th Cavalry Regiment "Lancers"), and the United States (
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256:). Their lance usually had a small swallow-tailed flag (
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Men at Arms Series British Cavalry Equipment 1800–1941
189:, who saw the battle from the high ground in front of
550:(2nd Tank Cavalry Regiment "General Paz's Lancers"),
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Vladimir Littauer, pages 115–116, "Russian Hussar",
577:(1st Guards Regiment) and the elite soldiers of the
810:Steven J. Zaloga, page 5 "The Polish Army 1939–45"
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armed with lances take down a border marker in 1914
647:For an illustration of a fully armed lancer, see
564:National Lancers, Massachusetts Organized Militia
232:Lancers typically wore a double-breasted jacket (
16:Type of light or heavy cavalry armed with a lance
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731:Nick Cornish, page 5 "The Russian Army 1914–18,
104:Charge of the Polish uhlans at the city of
196:Although having substantial impact in the
161:The charge of the British 16th Lancers at
52:and subsequently by India, Egypt, China,
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569:Although not classified as lancers, the
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852:The Battle; A New History of Waterloo,
544:1st/15th Royal New South Wales Lancers
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482:(the King's Lancers Troop of the
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854:Walker & Co., New York 2005,
826:Alan Larsen & Henry Yallop,
747:Alan Larsen & Henry Yallop,
474:on public duties in Rome in 2019
228:Imperial French lancer from 1812
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84:in the early 19th century.
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412:Prior to the outbreak of
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575:Dragões da Independência
858:Chappell, Mike (2002).
579:Colombian National Army
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512:1/3rd Lancers Battalion
21:Lancer (disambiguation)
688:Barbero, pp. 161, 163.
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135:However, during the
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312:The War Illustrated
283:Spanish Royal Guard
912:Combat occupations
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70:Middle Ages
68:during the
891:Categories
659:References
624:Cataphract
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272:combatants
171:Anglo-Sikh
167:28 January
128:, French:
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94:See also:
42:cavalryman
830:, p. 76,
548:Argentina
536:Australia
428:artillery
365:Argentine
191:Papelotte
868:48783714
603:See also
583:Lanceros
524:Pakistan
516:Portugal
470:Italian
424:firearms
394:lancieri
379:cossacks
349:Japanese
333:Prussian
299:dragoons
268:hilltops
264:scouting
241:plastron
210:Eurasian
72:and the
902:Cavalry
845:Sources
508:Belgium
426:and/or
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361:Belgian
357:Ottoman
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341:Chilean
337:Italian
321:British
297:German
187:Durutte
177:At the
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66:Eurasia
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329:French
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259:pennon
253:czapka
235:kurtka
206:sabres
198:charge
163:Aliwal
118:Polish
106:Poznań
60:, and
58:Greece
54:Persia
50:700 BC
38:lancer
917:Lance
635:Notes
560:Chile
528:Italy
496:India
480:Spain
214:mêlée
130:uhlan
96:Uhlan
46:lance
864:OCLC
832:ISBN
812:ISBN
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733:ISBN
717:ISBN
673:ISBN
588:The
502:and
247:sash
126:Ulan
122:ułan
62:Rome
573:'s
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