Figure 1.-- The horse was still used for ceremonial purposes in World War II, espcially in Germany. Here we see acene somewhere in Germany during 1938. But this was not the primary use during the War. The Wehrmcht, despite the imgage of modernity and mechanization, was dependentbon horses for logistics. The soldiers driving into the Soviet Union were prmarily on foot and their supplies delivered by horse power, just as was the case in Napoleon's and the Kaiser's invasion.

The principal animal used in warfare had for milennia been the horse as well as related mules and donkeys. Horses revolutionized ancient war. And pack animals, first the donkey, enabled ancient armies to invade other countries. The hrse fom the European Steppe was first used in chariot warfare, but eventully calvalry forces were developed with the advent of the stirup. Horse calvalry had been proven largly obsolete in World War I, but draft amimals were extensively used. American trucks changed this on he Allied side, but the Germans had very few trucks. And officers continued to ride horses for ceremonial events during World War I and II. There were calvalry units utilized to a minor extent during World War II, mostly by the Soviets on the Eastern Front. More importantly, horses were used as draft animals. This was a major part of the logistic train for the both the Germans and the Soviets. German industry did not have the capability of fully mechanizing the Wehrmacht. Vehicles were requisitioned throughout German-occupied Europe for Opperation Barbarossa. Even so horse power carried German supplies east. The German soldiers mostly advnced east on foot. The reliance on horses became a real problem for the Germans as large numbrs did not survive the first Russian winter. Britain and the United States were the only two countries entering the War with fully mechanized armies, although the U.S. Army stll had mules. Shortages of petroleum forced the Germans to continue using horses. The lumbering Red Army suffered at the hands of the more mobile Wehrmacht. This began to change when American trucks laden with supplies began reaching the Red Army in numbers (1943). The United States did use mules and donkeys, but only when operating in rugged teraine where mechanized vehicles could not operate, primarily Italy. Stalin wanted to ride a nagnificent white stallion in the Soviet Moscow victory parade, but was afraid of horses.

Historical Background

The principal animal used in warfare had for milennia been the horse as well as related mules and donkeys. Horses revolutionized ancient war. And pack animals, first the donkey, enabled ancient armies to invade other countries. The horse fom the European Steppe was first used in chariot warfare, but eventully calvalry forces were developed with the advent of the stirup. Horse calvalry had been proven largly obsolete in World War I, but draft amimals were extensively used. American trucks changed this on he Allied side, but the Germans had very few trucks.

Usage

Officers continued to ride horses for ceremonial events during World War I and II. There were calvalry units utilized to a minor extent during World War II, mostly by the Soviets on the Eastern Front. More importantly, horses were used as draft animals. This was a major part of the logistic train for the both the Germans and the Soviets. We see some calvary units. The Poles had calvalry units, butvthere usage is over emphazized in the literature. The greatest use of clvaley was on the Eastern Front, primarily by the Soviets. The most important usage of horses was as draft animals. They were xtensibly used by the Germans which began the war without bing fully mechnized. This did not show up much in the est as the cmpigns were so short and the relatively small battlefilds meant tht logistics were not major problem. The East was a very different matter. Logistics became a huge problem because of the length of the front and the distances involved. The Germans did not have the vehicles required. Horses had to be used as fraft nomals in lrge numbers.

Species: Eqqus

Donkeys and horses look fairly similar. They have many features in common do have some things in common, they are distinct. The donkey in particular is much smaller. They both belong to the genus Equus, but they are different species. They're both four-legged, hoofed mammals. They have long faces, large ears and long backs with tails at the end of them. Their eyes and ears are positioned in similar locations and they both have manes running along the tops of their necks. They have, however, many destinct physical and behavioral differences. Mules also figure into the Eqqus group. A mule is the offspring of a male donkey (jack) and a female horse (mare).There are also hinnys, the offspring of a demale donkey and and a male horse. Mules are much more common. The size of a mule and work to which it is put depend largely on the breeding of the mule's female parent (dam). Mules like horses can be lightweight, medium weight, or when produced from draft horse mares, of moderately heavy weight. In World War II, horses were the dominant animal and widely used.

Country Trends

German industry did not have the capability of fully mechanizing the Wehrmacht. Vehicles were requisitioned throughout German-occupied Europe for Opperation Barbarossa. Even so horse power carried German supplies east. The German soldiers mostly advnced east on foot. The reliance on horses became a real problem for the Germans as large numbrs did not survive the first Russian winter. Britain and the United States were the only two countries entering the War with fully mechanized armies, although the U.S. Army stll had mules. Shortages of petroleum forced the Germans to continue using horses. The lumbering Red Army suffered at the hands of the more mobile Wehrmacht. This began to change when American trucks laden with supplies began reaching the Red Army in numbers (1943). The United States did use mules and donkeys, but only when operating in rugged teraine where mechanized vehicles could not operate, primarily Italy. Stalin wanted to ride a nagnificent white stallion in the Soviet Moscow victory parade, but was afraid of horses.

Mechanization

Germany after the United States, Germany was the greatest industrialized country in the world. This gave it an enormous ability to build arms -- a potential it did not fully capitalize on for a variety of reasons. A major problem for Hitler and the NAZIs, however, was that the automobile industry was not a major part of German industry. America at the turn-of-the 20th century was the leading industrialized country in world, but only a little above Germany and Britain. It was the automobile industry led by Henry Ford and the Model-T Ford that propelled America into the industrial stratosphere. The automobile and internal combustion engine are not themselves actual weapons, but are essential for modern warfare, because of the importance of mobility. This began to show in World War I when trucks, aircraft, and tanks played an important role. But it was in World War II that motor vehicles and the internal combustion engine would play a decisive role. And thanks to none other than NAZI Propaganda Minister, Josef Goebbels, this is not well understood. Goebbels was a film addict and for his propaganda films he loved to have tanks photographed. No country filmed tanks more than Germany. This has left us with a poor understanding of the German Army. We are left with countless images of German Panzers rolling over Poland, the Low Countries, France and then the western Soviet Union. Fortunately for humanity, filming tanks and manufacturing them are two very different matters. The United States and the Soviet Union both greatly out produced the Reich in tanks and other motor vehicles. The the Panzer Divisions and mechanized infantry were less than 20 percent of the German Army. Some 80 percent of the Ostheer moved east on foot with horse-drawn cars carrying their supplies and often moving their artillery. Goebbels wasn't, however, as enamored with horses and his photographers were instructed to focus on tanks. Much of this film footage survived, unlike the tanks, and plays an enormous role in World War II documentaries even today. Goebbels film footage gives the impression that the Germany Army was an ultras-modern modern, highly mechanized force. It was not. And part of the reason for this was that the automobile sector was a small part of German industry. When Hitler and Stalin launched World War II by invading Poland (September 1939), there were 47 Germans for every motorized vehicle. Germany's Axis allies were in even worse shape. There were 104 Italians for every motor vehicle. The situation in Britain and France was very different. There were some 14 Brits for every motor vehicle and 8 Frenchmen. And most prominently just 3 Americans. [Whitaker] We do not have data on the Soviet Union, but its motor vehicle industry was substantial -- few cars, but large numbers of trucks, and tractors. And like NAZI Germany they were producing substantial numbers of tanks and aircraft before the War. (The Soviets had the world's largest armored and air foirce at the time of the NAZI Barbarossa invasion.) After Hitler invaded they also received huge numbers if American trucks through Lend-Lease. Of course Britain and France in 1939 were just beginning to use that capacity that capacity to build arms in 1939. And America was even further behind. But large motor vehicle industries had enormous implications. It meant there were great factories building vehicles and engines in large numbers as well as all the ancillary industries to support those factories. As importantly the needed petro-chemical industries to fuel and maintain large fleets of vehicles. And vitally those factories could be converted to war production in a relatively short period of time. Hitler because of enormous military spending and imaginative, if ghastly immoral, generals who invented Blitzkrieg had a huge advantage, the potential to win the War by over running poorly prepared countries before they had built up their defenses. His gamble succeeded with France, but failed with Britain. And Hitler soon found himself fighting not only Britain, but the Soviet Union, and the United States. The Channel and Atlantic Ocean protected America and Britain, but when Hitler invaded the Soviet Union, the great bulk of the Ostheer, Goebbels film footage not withstanding, moved east on foot with horse-drawn carts. The Soviet Union had adopted American-styled production techniques to produce trucks and tractors as well as tanks. And unlike France had the time and space to absorb the initial German blow. The mechanization story did not end there. The NAZIs overran much of Europe. This gave them access enormous productive power and resources. But the NAZIs never converted that potential into actual production. They did in Czechoslovakia, but not in highly industrialized France, Belgium, and the Netherlands which could have more than double their motor vehicle production.

Deutsche Ostheer

N AZI Germany invaded the Soviet Union as part of Operation Barbarossa (June 1941). Until that the Germam Army was mostly deployed in the West and had not sustained major casualties. Beginning With Barbarossa The German Army was primarily committed to the East --the Ostheer. The Ostkrieg bevame the decisive campaign of the War. The German Army is often represented as a throughly mechanized, modern force. Nothing could be futher from the actual situation. They certainly had some powerful Panzer dividsions with motorized infantry. As the war progressed, the tank compliment of the divisions stradily declined. These modern, mechanized units, however, were a small part of the Ostheer. This would be about 20 percent of the Ostheer. (Here we are comuting the number of divisions. If you calculate theb numbrr of soldiers the unmotorized infantry is an even larger number because the number of soldiers vin an infantry division is larger than in a Panzer division. The rest, the great bulk of the Ostheer, was unmotorized infantry which moved east with horse-drawn carts carrying their supplies as well as moving artillery. This is all well documented. Military History Visulaized has created visual depictions of this includung the nuber of men along with the vehicke and weapoins compliment. This is why that 0.6 million horses were part of Whermacht infantry divisions, including the Barbarossa force. This was not the officials images you see in OPropaganda Minister Goebbels' news reels. All those thorses also meant that German logistics had to include using valuable transport shipping space for the huge quantity of fodder needed for those horses. Notice that German war films give little attention to the unmotorized infantry and horses. Rather the official photohraphers focused on the Panzers and Luftwaffe. Not doubt they had orders to do this. It was not the image that Goebbels wanted to depict in thee weekly newsreels--'Die Deutsche Wochenschau'. He eanted images of the fast moving, action-packjed Panzer divisions--not dradt hioeses plodding along. But it means that existing footage gives the wrong impressiion. Rarely pictured was the great mass of the Ostheer moving east on foot. Images do exist, but mostly the snapshots taken by individual soldiers who brought their cameras along. And it does not take much industry to build horse carts. A major reason for this was that most of German industrial production supported the War in the West. [Weinberg] This left the Ostheer poorly equipped and supplied. And it meant that they were vulnerable as the Red Army recovered from the Barbarossa disasters and began to become increasingly well armed and led.

Sources

J. Whitaker & Sons. Whitaker's Almanack (London: 1939).

Created: 8:56 PM 2/27/2018
Last updated: 12:58 AM 2/6/2023