(The article was published in the German version of the Croatian military history magazine "Husar" N2-2016)
At the beginning of the First World War, all countries counted on a quick victory and applied different approaches to this.
Historians disagree on the role of cavalry in World War I, especially on the Western Front. On the contrary, in the vast expanses of Eastern Europe, where there was no dense network of good roads, cavalry played an important role even in World War II. This picture, taken in 1914-15, is a perfect example: Austro-Hungarian cavalry in the southern Russian steppes, turning into a sea of mud during the spring thaw. 30 years later, it became impassable even for German armored divisions.
The Austro-Hungarian aggression against Serbia began on August 12, 1914, with the crossing of the Sava and Drina rivers. The leadership of the empire hoped to defeat the small Balkan state within a few weeks, so that later they could turn all their forces against a powerful enemy - the Russian Empire. Germany hatched similar plans: first, the defeat of France in the west, then the offensive of all forces in the east. France, which held most of its forces on the border with Germany, was taken by surprise by the German advance through Belgium and Luxembourg ("Schlieffen Plan"). This brought Great Britain, which was the guarantor of Belgium's neutrality, into the camp of France and Russia. Russian plans called for a decisive offensive against Germany in East Prussia and against Austria-Hungary in Galicia. Russia wanted to defeat both opponents as quickly as possible, since it was not ready for a protracted war.
In Galicia there were three Austro-Hungarian corps: I - in Western Galicia, X - in central and XI - in Eastern Galicia and Bukovina. Already on July 31, they were put on high alert. The transfer of additional troops by rail was also started. Since the trains could not reach speeds higher than 15 km / h, the transfer was delayed.
On August 6, Austria-Hungary declared war on Russia, and on the 15th, large cavalry formations began to move forward for "strategic reconnaissance." The high command (AOK-Armeeoberkommando) did not expect the Russian counter-offensive until 26 August due to the long period of mobilization. This was true in principle, but the Russians launched an offensive without waiting for the completion of mobilization. Already on August 18, they crossed the border of Galicia. This was followed by several oncoming battles in the area between the Vistula and the Dniester. This period of the war, which lasted until September 21, is called the "Battle of Galicia". A characteristic feature of that time was "Cossack fear" generated by true or fictitious reports of Cossack attacks on villages, small detachments and high-ranking commanders. The formations of the Russian 3rd Army crossed the border on August 19 with the aim of occupying Krakow. In the vanguard of their columns, advancing along the Lvov-Tarnopol line, defended by the XI Corps of the Austro-Hungarian Army, the 9th and 10th cavalry divisions moved with the task of reconnaissance and covering the main forces. Here, near the village of Yaroslavice, on August 21, the 10th division clashed with the 4th Austro-Hungarian cavalry division, which became the first major battle in this sector of the front and the last cavalry battle in history.
Austro-Hungarian cavalry
Ulan 12th Lancers Regiment.
By 1914, the uhlans retained their traditional cap, but parted with their pikes, unlike the Russians. Only the headgear had a distinctive regimental color. The 1st ("yellow") and 13th ("blue") regiments took part in the battle at Yaroslavitsy.
Before the outbreak of the First World War, cavalry was an important component of all the armies of the world and enjoyed respect in society. Austria-Hungary was no exception. Never had her cavalry been so numerous, had such good horses and beautiful shape, as in the period before the war. The cavalry was the elite, but also the most expensive part of the k.u.k army. The armed forces of the Dual Monarchy consisted of practically three different armies: the Imperial Army (k.u.k. Gemeinsame Armee), Landwehr (k.k-Landwehr) and Hungarian Honvedsheg (Landwehr) (m.k. Honvedseg). The imperial army was subordinate to the Imperial War Office, and both Landwehr were subordinate to their own ministries. The Imperial General Staff was responsible for the defense of the Dual Monarchy, but each of the three armies had its own inspection, headquarters, budget, command personnel, organization and recruitment system.
The general imperial army consisted of 49 infantry and 8 cavalry divisions, the Austrian Landwehr - 35 infantry, 2 mountain infantry, 3 Tyrolean infantry and 6 Uhlan regiments and 2 cavalry infantry divisions (battalions). Honved had 32 infantry and 10 hussar regiments. They were divided into 18 corps, making up six armies. In peacetime, 450 thousand people served in all three armies, in case of mobilization their number increased to 3 350 000. Before the war, the All-Imperial Army had 15 dragoon, 16 hussar and 10 uhlan regiments. In the Austrian landwehr there were 6 Lancers regiments and 2 cavalry rifle divisions (battalions), manned by immigrants from Dalmatia and Tyrol. Hungarian Honved had 10 hussar regiments. In total, there were 50 cavalry regiments with about fifty thousand troops.
Trotting Austro-Hungarian horsemen. Judging by the clipped ponytails and bare trees, it is springtime. Moving with such a gait, the cavalry could cover long distances. At least ten times more than the infantry, sometimes becoming the only mobile reserve.
The cavalry was traditionally divided into dragoons, lancers, and hussars, although the only difference between the two was form. Armament and tactics were identical. Lancers abandoned their peaks at the beginning of the 20th century and were, like dragoons and hussars, armed with carbines, pistols, sabers or broadswords. Each cavalry regiment consisted of a headquarters, two divisions (half-regiments), similar to battalions in the infantry, including three squadrons (analogous to an infantry company), machine-gun and engineer companies and a telegraph command. According to the states of peacetime, the squadron consisted of 5 officers and 166 non-commissioned officers and soldiers. Only 156 of them were fighters, the rest were non-combatants (baggage train and other services). Each squadron consisted of reserve officers, 18 non-commissioned officers and soldiers, and 5 horses. The machine-gun company was divided into two platoons and had eight Schwarzlose machine guns (8-mm-Schwarzlose-MG05). In contrast to the picturesque uniforms of the cavalrymen, the machine gunners wore a simple gray-blue uniform.
According to wartime states, each cavalry regiment consisted of 41 officers, 1093 non-commissioned officers and soldiers, and had 1105 horses. Two regiments formed a brigade, and two brigades formed a cavalry division. The cavalry division also included a cavalry artillery division, consisting of three batteries of four 75-mm cannons of the 1905 model each.
For service in the cavalry, horses were selected aged from four to seven years and a height at the withers from 158 to 165 centimeters, and in horse artillery - from 150 to 160 cm. The duration of their service was 8 years in the cavalry and 10 in the artillery.
The composition of the 4th Cavalry Division under the command of Major General Edmund Ritter von Zaremb, who participated in the battle at Yaroslavitsy, was as follows:
-18th Brigade (commander - General Eugen Ritter von Ruiz de Roxas - 9th Dragoon Regiment "Archduke Albrecht" and 13th Uhlan Regiment "Böhm-Ermolli";
-21st Brigade (commander - Colonel Count Otto Uin; 15th Dragoon Regiment "Archduke Joseph" and 1st Lancers Regiment "Ritter von Brudermann";
- horse artillery division - three batteries (12 guns in total).
The division's task was initially to defend the border, and then to cover the advance of the 3rd Army under the command of General Brudermann of the cavalry and reconnaissance.
Russian cavalry
This authentic drawing speaks for itself - the Cossacks were born horsemen, and such tricks were not something special for them. They knew all this even before being called up for military service.
The Russian Empire, a huge power with 170 million people, had the most numerous armed forces in the world, but they were poorly armed and trained. Already in peacetime, the size of the army was 1.43 million people, and after mobilization it was supposed to increase to 5.5 million. The country was divided into 208 districts, in each of which an infantry regiment was formed.
Presentation of the battle banner to the Russian hussars. It is noteworthy that the first ranks are armed with pikes.
By 1914, there were 236 regiments, divided into Guards, Grenadier and 37 army corps. Also, the cavalry of Russia was the most numerous of the cavalry of all the belligerent countries. The cavalry was of four types: guards, line, Cossack and irregular. The Guard consisted of 12 cavalry regiments in two separate divisions. In the line - 20 dragoons, 16 lancers and 17 hussars. The Don Cossack army nominated 54 regiments, the Kuban - 33, the Orenburg - 16. The irregular cavalry consisted of people from the Caucasus and Turkmenistan. In total, the Russian cavalry included 24 cavalry divisions and 11 separate Cossack brigades. Each division was divided into two brigades: the first included the dragoon and uhlan regiments, the second - the hussar and the Cossack. The divisions also included horse artillery batteries with six 76, 2-mm guns of the 1902 model each. The cavalry regiment consisted of 6 squadrons (total of 850 cavalrymen), a machine-gun company with 8 machine guns and a sapper company. Unlike the Austro-Hungarian ones, the Russian lancers, who made up the first ranks of the squadrons, retained their peaks.
Private of the 10th Novgorod Dragoon Regiment.
The regiments of the Russian cavalry differed from each other in the identification color of narrow stripes and the number of the regiment on the shoulder straps. There were only five distinctive regimental colors: red, blue, yellow, green and pink.
The soldier in the illustration is dressed in a khaki shirt-shirt, model 1907, and a cap, arr. 1914. Armed with a three-line dragoon rifle of the 1891 model (8 cm shorter than the infantry one) and a saber arr. 1887 with a bayonet attached to it.
Russian dragoon saber of the 1887 model with a bayonet.
The 10th Cavalry Division under the command of General Count Fyodor Arturovich Keller fought near Yaroslavitsa. Its composition was as follows:
1st Brigade - 10th Novgorod Dragoon and 10th Odessa Uhlan Regiments;
2nd Brigade - 10th Ingermanland Hussars and 10th Orenburg Cossack Regiments;
-3rd Don Cossack artillery battalion, consisting of three batteries (18 guns in total).
Battle
On August 20, at about 21.00, Corporal Habermüller delivered to the headquarters of the 4th Cavalry Division, located in the town of Sukhovola, a message that the Russian 9th Cavalry Division, reinforced by infantry and artillery, had passed the town of Zaloshche and was moving in two columns in the direction of the village Oleyov. The latter was located about 40 kilometers from the headquarters of the 4th cav. divisions. The closest Austro-Hungarian forces were dispersed over a large area: the 11th Infantry Division was located 70 kilometers south of Brzezan, and the 8th Kav. division in Tarnopol, about the same distance to the southeast. The Russians marched at the junction between the three Austro-Hungarian divisions, and it became clear that they would try to cut the rail link at Zborov. To surround them, all three Austro-Hungarian divisions had to act together.
2nd class gunsmith of the Austro-Hungarian horse artillery in full dress. Armed with a pistol Steyer arr. 1912 and saber arr. 1869
August 21, at 3 o'clock in the morning, 4th cav. the division was alerted and ordered to march. Two battalions of the 35th Landwehr Regiment, subordinate to the division, were to take a position at height 388 south of Lopushan and cover the cavalry from that direction. The infantry set out at about midnight, and three hours later the cavalry followed. At dawn the 4th kav. the division was moving in a marching column south of Nushche. Its goal was to occupy a height of 418 northeast of the Volchkovtsy. In the vanguard was the 15th Dragoon Regiment with the second squadron at the head. Lagging by about twenty minutes, the main forces of the 15th dragoon were followed by the 3rd squadron of the 13th lancers, followed by the machine-gun company of the 1st lancers and the 1st and 3rd batteries of the 11th cavalry artillery battalion. The main forces of the division moved behind them: the headquarters, the baggage train and sanitary services, the 13th and 1st lancers and four squadrons of the 9th dragoon. Two battalions of the 35th Landwehr Infantry Regiment advanced towards Hill 396 to cover the left flank. There were no Russians nearby, and at about 6.30 the exhausted infantrymen entered Lopushany. Local residents informed the regiment commander, Lieutenant Colonel Reichelt, that they had seen Cossack patrols the previous day. Reichelt led his men to Zhamny Hill (Hill 416), where there was a convenient position to cover the division's flank. Olejov was not visible from this height, Yaroslavice was about 3000 steps to the southeast, and Volchkovitsy was in the west, in the valley of the Strip.
Austro-Hungarian 8-cm rapid-firing field gun "Skoda" mod. 1905.
Gun caliber: 76.5 mm.
Combat weight: 1020 kg.
Projectile weight: 6, 6 kg.
Firing range: 7000 m.
Rate of fire: 12 rounds per minute.
Three batteries of four guns each and a detachment of four shell carts made up the cavalry artillery division of the cavalry division. In total, as of 1914, there were 11 horse-artillery divisions - according to the number of cavalry divisions.
Simultaneously with the arrival of the infantry at height 396, at about 5.00, 4th cavalry. the division reached a height of 418 southeast of Hukalowice, where it stopped. The height provided a good view, but the Russians were not visible. The expelled patrols also returned with nothing. For greater safety, one company was sent to the Zhamny Hill with the order to occupy it by 5.45. At about 6.00 a cannonade was heard. General Zaremba decided that the 8th cavalry. the division entered into battle with the Russians and, without waiting for the results of reconnaissance, at 6.30 ordered the division to march south towards Yaroslavitsa. He was confident that the 11th Infantry Division would soon arrive from this direction. Two regiments, the 9th Dragoon and the 13th Uhlan regiments, moved in front of the battle formation, the 15th Dragoon - with a ledge to the left, and the 1st Uhlan - to the right. The artillery and the wagon train were moving in the center. The 1st Squadron of the 9th Dragoon was supposed to occupy the Zhamny Hill together with the 35th Infantry Regiment. However, what was taken for cannonade was the sounds of explosions with which the Orenburg Cossacks destroyed the railway.
At 7.30 the vanguard reached a height of 401 southeast of Kabarovets, where it stopped. There was still no sign of the 11th Infantry's approach. Meanwhile, the patrol of the chief lieutenant Count Ressenhauer, sent to Oleiov in the morning, with a message about the large forces of the Russian cavalry northeast of Oleiov, returned to the headquarters of General Zaremba on lathered horses. Soon Lieutenant Gyorosh from the 9th Dragoon arrived with the news of the numerous Russian cavalry with artillery at the Berimovka Hill (height 427). The position of General Zaremba became difficult: on the one hand, the Russian cavalry with artillery on the heights, on the other, the town of Zborov, where three rivers converge. The last message delivered by Lieutenant Earl Sizzo-Norris that the Russians were installing eighteen guns forced Zaremba to take immediate action. He ordered the division to retreat to Hill 418 northeast of Yaroslavitsa, the best position to repel the enemy. The regiments unfolded sequentially and galloped at maximum speed to Yaroslavitsa. Two horse batteries took up a position 500 meters southeast of Yaroslavitsa to cover the retreat.
Russian 76, 2mm guns of the 1902 model.
Combat weight: 1040 kg.
Projectile weight: 6, 5 kg.
Firing range: 8000 m.
Rate of fire: 12 rounds per minute.
The batteries had 6 guns each. Two or three batteries made up a battalion. Each cavalry division had one artillery division. The photograph shows the location of the guns in a position typical of all belligerents. The artillerymen are on their knees under the cover of shields, the teams are visible from behind.
At about 9:15 am, the Russian artillery fired four sighting shots and covered the ambulance convoy and the machine-gun company, which fled. The carts of refugees from Yaroslavice and the collapsed wooden bridges made it difficult for the Austro-Hungarian forces to withdraw in an organized manner. The fire of eight Austro-Hungarian guns (against eighteen Russians) silenced them for a while, which allowed the dragoons and uhlans to retreat at a gallop through the village to the height of 411. Some of the Russian guns transferred the fire to the Austro-Hungarian batteries, and some to Yaroslavitsa, where the fires began … The Austro-Hungarian artillery was forced to retreat, losing part of its personnel, ammunition carts and horses. One of the commanders, Major Lauer-Schmittenfels, was seriously wounded. At an altitude of 411 they stopped and fired several volleys at the Russian artillery. Their further retreat to height 418 was accompanied by Russian fire from Makova Gora (height 401), but it was ineffective.
When the first Russian shells began to burst over the 1st Uhlansky, other guns from the height 396 occupied by that time opened fire on the positions of the infantry and the 1st squadron of the 9th Dragoon at the height of Zhamna. When the dragoons and infantrymen saw that the 4th cav. the division was retreating, then they also began to retreat. By 0900 hours, the entire division had assembled east of Volchkovitsy, on the river bank, which the Russians could not see, and formed again. It was only by a miracle that the losses were less than expected: about 20 people and 50 horses.
Attack of the 13th Lancers Regiment.
General Zaremba ordered to settle behind heights 418 and 419. He assumed that he was opposed by as many as two cavalry divisions and wanted to build a reliable defensive position. He continued to hope for the approach of the 11th Infantry and 8th Cavalry Divisions. The machine gun company of the 15th Dragoon was sent to Hill 419 to cover the flank. Five hundred meters, in the rear, under the cover of heights, he placed in two lines one after the other the 1st Lancers (commander - Colonel Weis-Schleissenburg) and 9th Dragoon (Colonel Kopechek) regiments. Immediately beyond the height of 419, the 13th Lancer (Colonel Count Spanochchi) and the 15th Dragoon took position. Machine-gun companies and artillery were located directly on the heights. Zaremba also sent a courier to the 35th Infantry Regiment, which had just crossed the river, with orders to occupy Volchkovitsa and cover the division's flank. The courier managed to find only two companies of the 2nd battalion, which managed to take a position in time and prevent the passage of one hundred Orenburg Cossacks.
The 1st Lancers and 9th Dragoons took the first position. They were followed by the 15th Dragoon, moving towards the heights along the road along the river. Colonel Count Spanochchi led his 13th Lancer by a roundabout route through Hill 418. Two batteries were to follow them, but for some unknown reason they got stuck on the banks of the Strypa. Perhaps they were delayed by the appearance of the Orenburg Cossacks. In the vanguard of the 13th Lancer rode the first division of three squadrons, half of the 3rd squadron and a machine-gun company. At a distance of several hundred meters behind them galloped the second division under the command of Major Vidal, consisting of the 1st and the second half of the 3rd squadrons. One squadron remained to cover the 3rd battery.
Cossack of the 8th Don Cossack Regiment with the Order of St. George.
Thanks to their pikes, the Russian cavalry had an advantage over the Austro-Hungarian. The great disadvantage of the Cossacks was their unreliability. Faced with a stubborn foe, they fled at the first sign of failure.
At that moment, when the 1st division disappeared behind the height of 418, and the 15th dragoon was just approaching it, to the right of Lipnik, at a distance of about 1000 meters from the 2nd division of the 13th lancers, a column of Russian troops appeared. It was the 10th Cavalry Division. In the vanguard, two squadrons of Novgorod dragoons were galloping, followed by three squadrons of Odessa lancers, and in the rearguard were horse-sapper and machine-gun companies. Vidal immediately made a decision with his one and a half squadrons to detain the Russians until the main forces of the division took their positions. He trotted towards the Russians.
The lancers, as in a parade, turned from the column into a line and, at the signal of the trumpet, rushed to the attack. The Russians were stunned, but quickly recovered. From the column, their squadrons, to the left in the direction of movement, turned into a line, and went into an oncoming attack. In a swift head-on collision, the Russians, whose horsemen of the first ranks were armed with pikes, had the advantage, and many Austrians were driven out of their saddles. Among the first casualties were squadron commanders Kitsinski (wounded) and Mikhel, as well as about a dozen lancers. In the dump that followed, when the opponents literally touched the stirrups, the lancers' sabers were more effective, and more and more Russians began to fly out of the saddles. The general chaos, dust, pistol shots, the cries of people and the neighing of horses continued for several minutes, after which the lancers were forced to retreat under pressure from a superior enemy. Most of them managed to retreat towards the 15th Dragoon, who was just approaching the battlefield. A small group led by Major Vidal, which the latter managed to break away from the enemy, retreated in the same way as it came, but was intercepted by the Cossacks on the way and after a short battle was taken prisoner. Russian dragoons tried to pursue the retreating lancers, but were repulsed by the fire of the 15th Dragoon's machine guns from a height of 419. Thus, the battle ended in a draw.
The attack by Vidal's lancers was not part of the plans of Zaremba, who hoped to take positions before the Russians approached. Instead, he was forced to send the 15th Dragoon to rescue the lancers.
Attack of the 15th Dragoon
Soldier of the Austro-Hungarian 15th Dragoon Regiment.
The regimental color is white.
By the beginning of the war, the Austro-Hungarian cavalry, like the French, remained true to traditions. These traditions, like the elite status of the cavalry, did not allow them to adapt to the realities of the twentieth century, like the Russians, Germans, and Italians.
The cavalry remained faithful to their red and blue uniforms, while the infantry and artillery changed in accordance with the requirements of the times. The collars and cuffs of the uniforms had a distinctive regimental color. The 15th "white" and 9th "green" dragoon regiments took part in the battle at Yaroslavitsy.
The rider in the illustration is armed with a Monnlicher M1895 carbine and a saber mod. 1865. His inlaid helmet arr. 1905 has been leading history since Napoleonic times. Every second rider on the march carried a barrel of water for the horses, and every seventh rider carried a shovel.
Colonel Uyna's "white" dragoons climbed the high ground with the 1st, 4th and 6th squadrons in the first line, flanked by the 2nd and 5th. Uin decided to accept such a formation, since he did not know the number of the enemy and, in case of his superiority, he wanted to have protection from the flanks. When he saw that two Russian squadrons were threatening him from the right wing, he ordered the 2nd squadron of Major Malburg to attack them, and he himself rushed into the attack with the remaining four. The lancers of the 13th regiment joined the attack, who managed to come to their senses and form a battle formation. General Zaremba and the two brigade commanders, von Ruiz and Uin, rode with the staff officers at the head of the regiment. The Russians were again briefly stunned, but quickly reorganized and launched a counterattack, and it all happened again. Russian pikes knocked the first Austrians out of their saddles, then they broke into the ranks of fighters in khakis, round caps and pikes and began to chop them down with sabers.
Russian 7, 62-mm revolver of the Nagant system, model 1895
Pistol Steier M1912.
Its 9mm bullets were heavier and more penetrating than the more common Parabellum.
Weight: 1.03 kg.
Bullet muzzle velocity: 340 m / s.
Length: 233 mm.
Magazine capacity: 8 rounds.
There are some written memoirs about the battle, which tells about the numerical superiority of the Russians, a fierce slash and clouds of dust. One of the Russian officers held the reins in his teeth and fired from both hands with revolvers. The sergeant-major Polachek snatched a pistol from another Russian officer and shot nine Russian horsemen. One of the officers, presumably the chief lieutenant of Count Ressegauer, broke his saber, and he continued to fight with a pistol until a horse was killed under him. Even after that, he continued to shoot from the ground, was wounded by a lance, but managed to escape on foot. Dragoon Knoll was awarded for having managed to save his wounded commander, Colonel Uyne, from a group of Russians. And there were many such scenes during the battle.
The battle lasted about 20 minutes, when the trumpeters gave the signal to withdraw. Almost simultaneously with this, the shells of the Russian artillery began to burst, firing, regardless of their own. Shrapnel killed both Russians and Austrians. The dragoons retreated in the same way as they came - through the village of Volchkovice. The Russians did not pursue them and in turn retreated to Lipnik. Some Russians fired in pursuit, climbing the trees, others dismounted and lay down in the field among the wounded and dead.
Cossack of the 10th Orenburg Cossack Regiment.
The Cossacks were semi-regular cavalry. For their twenty years of service, the Cossacks received land plots as a reward.
The Cossack in the illustration, like all Russian cavalrymen, is armed with a rifle and a saber. A leather bandolier for 30 rounds is worn over the shoulder. He also has a whip (the Cossacks did not use spurs).
The distinctive color of the Orenburg and Terek Cossacks was blue. This can be seen from the stripes and the number on the shoulder straps. The color of the Don Cossacks was red, the Ural Cossacks were purple, the Astrakhan Cossacks were yellow, etc.
While the battle was still going on, three hundred Orenburg Cossacks suddenly attacked the third battery of Captain Taufar, which was stuck up to the nostrils on the swampy bank of the Strypa. The crews quickly unharnessed the horses and managed to escape, abandoning their guns and carts. Noticing this, the 1st Battery of Captain von Stepski deployed its guns and opened fire on the Cossacks, but it itself could not leave the sea of mud. The retreat of the 15th dragoon and the appearance of Russian dragoons, in addition to the Cossacks, forced the artillerymen of the 1st battery to abandon their guns and retreat.
The 9th Dragoon and 1st Lancers did not take part in the battle, as they stood in the depths and did not orientate themselves in the situation in time. They also did not receive orders, since the division commander, both brigade commanders and staffs themselves rushed into the attack. General Keller and his men also left the battlefield, but after learning about the capture of the guns, he returned to collect trophies. Then he returned to Lipik. The Austro-Hungarian horsemen stopped and took up a position behind Volchkovitsy.
Non-commissioned officer of the 9th Dragoon Regiment "Archduke Albert"
He is armed with a Steyer M1911 pistol. Steier's pistols were excellent weapons. They had almost twice the firing range, a larger magazine capacity and a more powerful cartridge. Thanks to them, the Austro-Hungarian horsemen had an advantage over the Russians, armed with Nagant revolvers.
Epilogue
Until the end of the day, the 11th Infantry and 8th Cavalry Divisions did not appear. The losses of the 4th division were great. The 15th Dragoon lost about 150 people and even more horses. The 13th Lancer Major Vidal, claiming 34 killed and 113 wounded, were taken prisoner. The total Austro-Hungarian losses, together with the infantry, amounted to 350 people. The losses of the Russians were also in the hundreds. Thanks to better intelligence, they managed to catch Zaremba by surprise. Until the end of the battle, he had no idea about the forces of the enemy. The Russians held the initiative throughout the battle and constantly attacked decisively. The threefold superiority of the Russian artillery made it possible to assume that the 9th Cavalry Division was also involved in the case. On the other hand, Zaremba had 64 machine guns, but they were used very limitedly. Machine guns in the Austro-Hungarian army in 1914 were still a novelty, and there was not enough experience in their use. The cavalry was no exception here.
Many historians consider the battle at Yaroslavitsy to be the last instance of the use of cavalry in the style of the Napoleonic Wars. It did not bring any results other than fame for the participants on both sides. General Keller himself admired the courage of the Austro-Hungarian horsemen, with only one and a half squadrons attacking an entire division. He thought he had faced an entire 4th division and therefore left the battlefield.
Literature
Translator's note
For those interested in the topic, I advise you to read the essay by A. Slivinsky - a participant in the battle, an officer of the headquarters of the 10th division. (https://www.grwar.ru/library/Slivinsky/SH_00.html)
If you compare these descriptions, you get the impression that we are talking about different events. Judging by them, each side considered itself taken by surprise and said that it had no idea about the opposing forces. If Slivinsky writes that they were attacked by an enemy ready for battle, who attacked in a deployed formation 6-8 squadrons wide, followed by two more echelons of cavalry, then the author of the above article claims that the attack of one and a half squadrons of the 13th Lancer was a spontaneous attempt to delay the enemy and buy time by giving your division the opportunity to line up. Equally forced and spontaneous was Zaremba's decision to throw the 15th Dragoon into battle to help the lancers. In addition, the Croatian author does not at all mention the episode so advantageous for the Austrians when they (according to Slivinsky) broke through the Russian front and went to the rear of the battle formation. And only the decision of General Keller to throw the only reserve into battle - staff officers, orderlies and a Cossack platoon of protection - saved the division from defeat.
