Sabers through the Reich: World War II Corps Cavalry from Normandy to the Elbe

Battles and Campaigns

by William Stuart Nance, Robert M. Citino (Foreword)

Before the Allies landed on the beaches of Normandy in June 1944, their aerial reconnaissance discovered signs of German defenses on the Iles St. Marcouf. From these two coastal islands, German artillery could bombard the 4th US Infantry Division and repulse a crucial thrust of Operation Overlord. With the fate of the war on the line, the 4th Mechanized Cavalry Group navigated the islands' minefields and reported no trace of German soldiers. Their rapid and accurate intelligence gave the Allies the necessary time and concentration of forces for the D-Day invasion to succeed.

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, serving as offensive guards for armies across Europe and 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 and reducing the Clausewitzian friction of war.

"

Genres: World War II, Military Fiction, Military History

366 pages, Hardcover

Published May 8, 2017

Reviews

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very well written and informative book about Corps mechanized cavalry from Normandy to VE Day, small units that really punched above their weight in the fight across Europe conducting numerous types of missions including but not limited to recon, screening, security patrolling, economy of force, direct action, and maintaining contact and communication.

The book follows the war in Europe chronologically in stages with each chapter, discussing each Army and its Corps in sub chapters but tying them together (like the cav did…) to fit all the pieces of the puzzle together. As the war progressed and the Army expanded more cavalry units joined the fight and therefore more and more units are discussed as the book continues. As Corp level cavalry were involved in all operations in Europe except Op Market Garden the book is in a way a primer for Eisenhower’s broad front strategy in addition to its examination of the corps cavalry.

As a relative was in the 117th Cav I had a special interest in this book, but I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in WW2.

[Stephen Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

The mechanized cavalry groups usually appears as side notes in histories. Nance's focus on them is certainly intriguing. It helps flesh out the operational details of the US Army in the European Theater. The handicap is that the reader must have a good grasp on the overall history of the NW European Campaign. At times this requirement makes the narrative more opaque than it might be, as you struggle to recall particular details. Nance makes a good case for their utility and general success, although organizational differences might have improved them. The drawbacks to the book are Nance's approach of considering operations on an army-by-army basis, usually not in a geographically consistent manner. For instance, the last chapter, covering the Rhine crossing and operations in Germany, starts with the 3rd Army, then the 1st, then the 7th, and finally the 9th. So coverage of major operations, such as the Ruhr, is split oddly. The maps are also less than helpful.