Sabers Through the Reich: World War II Corps Cavalry from Normandy to the Elbe
Description
In Sabers through the Reich, William Stuart Nance provides the first comprehensive operational history of American corps cavalry in the European Theater of Operations (ETO) during World War II. The corps cavalry had a substantive and direct impact on Allied success in almost every campaign, and served as offensive guards for armies across Europe, conducting reconnaissance, economy of force, and security missions, as well as prisoner of war rescues. From D-Day and Operation Cobra to the Battle of the Bulge and the drive to the Rhine, these groups had the mobility, flexibility, and firepower to move quickly across the battlefield, enabling them to aid communications and intelligence gathering, reducing the Clausewitzian "friction of war."
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About the Author
William Stuart Nance is an active duty armor officer. He taught military history at the United States Military Academy and the United States Command and General Staff College.
Reviews
"An armor officer with a doctorate in history, Nance throws fresh light on a very neglected branch of the US Army in World War II, the cavalry. This is a very valuable addition to the literature on the war in Europe, not to mention the history of the cavalry." -- NYMAS Review
"What makes this such a particularly important work is that the corps cavalry clearly did extraordinary work with execrable equipment. Without the ability of these small, ill-equipped units to screen the flanks of main line infantry and armored units, the US Army could not have been as successful as it was in breaking the German ground army." -- Williamson Murray, author of Moment of Battle: The Twenty Clashes That Changed the World
"This work fills a significant gap in the historiography of the US cavalry in World War II, and makes a significant contribution to understanding the cutting edge synergy between mass and mobility that defined the US Army's outstanding combat record in the European Theater of Operations." -- Dennis Showalter, author of Hitler's Panzers: The Lightning Attacks That Revolutionized Warfare
"Nance's description and analysis of the contribution of US Army cavalry groups significantly sharpens our understanding of one of the most significant military campaigns in U.S. history." -- Journal of Military History
"Nance succeeds in his well-organized, well-researched, and well-written account of this underdeveloped topic. The book's blow-by-blow account reveals the extensive research Nance conducted to improve the historical record." -- Armor Magazine
