Lancer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For other uses, see Lancer (disambiguation).
A lancer (uhlan) was a cavalry soldier who fought with a lance.
Although cavalry had used lances for thousands of years, lancers in the modern European sense originated in Poland in the 18th century. Polish lancers serving with the French Army proved highly effective during the Napoleonic Wars, and by the end of the war all major European states had established lancer regiments of their own.
Although the lance had its greatest effect in the charge, Lancers were vulnerable against other cavalry, as the lance proved ineffective (compared to the sabre) in close quarters. By the mid-19th century, most cavalry formations consisted of lancers in the front rank and sabres in the second, the lances for the initial shock and sabres for the mêlée.
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 of the Imperial German Army were trained to lower their lances when scouting on hill tops.
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 lances were carried by all dragoon and some light cavalry units.
Prior to the outbreak of war there had been fierce controversy as to whether lances or sabres were the most effective "white" 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.
Some cavalry units today are still designated as Lancer regiments, even if they now go to war in armoured fighting vehicles.In the present-day British Army there are two regiments that retain the distinction of being designated Lancer regiments -- the 9th/12th Royal Lancers and the Queen's Royal Lancers. The Lancer regiments are grouped in the Line Cavalry order of precedence with Dragoons and Hussars, all of which are below Dragoon Guards. The two remaining Lancer regiments act in the Formation Reconnaissance role, employing the Scimitar light tank.
In the Polish and German languages, the lancer is known as the Uhlan.
