lancer

A lancer (uhlan) was a type of cavalryman who fought with a lance. Lances were used in mounted warfare by the Assyrians as early as 700BC and subsequently by Greek, Macedonian, Persian, Gallic and Roman horsemen"^[1] The weapon was widely used in Asia and Europe during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance by armoured cavalry before being adopted by light cavalry, particularly in Eastern Europe.

17th-19th century

The lancer, (called ułan in Polish and Ulan in German), had become a common sight in almost every European, Ottoman and Indian army during this time, but with the exception of the Ottoman troops, increasingly discarded the heavy armour to give greater freedom of movement in combat. The Polish "winged" lancers were amongst the last to abandon the armour in Europe. There was a widespread debate over the value of the lance in mounted combat during the 18th and 19th centuries and most armies had abandoned the use of lances by the Napoleonic Wars. One notable exception was again Poland where the lance was retained as a traditional weapon of choice of the Polish peasant due to the expense of firearms. During the wars the Poles became a ready territory for recruitment by several armies, willingly or unwillingly, and served with distinction in most of these armies, including Napoleon's French Imperial Guard.

At Waterloo, French lances were "nearly three meters (nine feet) long, weighed three kilograms (seven pounds), and had a steel point on a wooden staff," according to historian Alessandro Barbero. He adds that they were "terrifyingly efficient." Commander of the French 1st Corps, 4th Division General Durutte, who saw the battle from the high ground in front of Papelotte, would write later, "I had never before realized the great superiority of the lance over the sword."^[2]

In the Siege of Los Angeles, during war between Mexico and the United States, a company of Californio lancers temporarily recaptured the town, expelling a company of U.S. Marines.

Although the lance had its greatest impact in the charge, lancers were vulnerable against other cavalry, as the lance proved a clumsy and ineffective weapon (compared to the sabre) at close quarters. By the late 19th century, many cavalry regiments were composed of troopers with lances (as well as sabres or other secondary weapons) in the front rank and men with sabres in the second, the lances for the initial shock and sabres for the mêlée.

Lancer's equipage

Lancers typically wore a double-breasted jacket (kurta) with a coloured panel (plastron) at the front, a coloured sash, and a square-topped Polish cap (czapka). Their lances usually had small swallow-tailed flags (known as the lance pennon) just below the spearhead. The use of these pennons was originally intended to disconcert the horses of opposing cavalry in close combat but they eventually became a decorative parade item, normally removed or wrapped in a canvas cover on active service. With the improved range and accuracy of infantry rifles the high profile presented by lancers with their conspicuous weapons became a problem. The uhlans, as lancers are known in the Polish and German languages, of the Imperial German Army were trained to lower their lances when scouting on hill tops.

20th century lancers

In 1914 lances were still being carried by regiments in the British, Indian, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Japanese, Turkish, Belgian and Russian armies, amongst others. Almost all German cavalry (hussars, dragoons and cuirassiers as well as uhlans) retained a steel lance as their primary weapon. The British lancer regiments lost this weapon for all but ceremonial use following the Boer War but a conservative backlash led to its reintroduction for active service from 1908 to 1928. The French army did not have lancer regiments as such but steel lances 2.97 metres 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 being too fragile for the shock of encounter^[3].

Volunteer Representative Squadron of the City of Poznań in the uniform of the 15th Uhlan Regiment of Poznań from 1939

Prior to the outbreak of war there had been controversy as to whether lances or sabres were the most effective "armes blanches" (that is edged weapons) for cavalry but neither proved to be a match for modern firearms. Lances continued to be carried throughout World War I but seldom saw use on the Western Front after initial clashes in France and Belgium in 1914. On the Eastern Front mounted cavalry still had a role throughout the war and lances had some limited use by the Russian, German and Austrian armies.

During the 1920s lances ceased to be used as a weapon for active service in most armies, being retained for ceremonial purposes only. An exception was the Polish cavalry who did not discard the lance as a weapon until 1934 and who continued to use it as a training device until the outbreak of World War II^[4].

Current lancer units

Some cavalry units today are still designated as Lancer regiments, even if they now go to war in armoured fighting vehicles. There are examples in the British ( the 9th/12th Royal Lancers and the Queen's Royal Lancers ), the Indian (2nd Lancers (Gardner's Horse), 20th Lancers), the Belgian, Portuguese (2nd Lancers Regiment), Pakistani, Italian and Australian Armies, and elite troops of the Colombian National Army are called "lanceros". The Italian Lancieri di Montebello occasionally parade honour guards and other dismounted ceremonial detachments in the regiment's nineteenth century blue uniforms, armed with the lances carried until 1920.

See also

• Demi-lancer
• Chevau-légers
• Polish cavalry
• Cataphract

References and notes

Sources

• Barbero, Alessandra, The Battle; A New History of Waterloo, Walker & Co., New York 2005,

Further reading

External links

• Cavalry Tactics and Combat