13. CAVALRY

13.1 Cavalry¹⁹ is any Personnel unit Riding a horse, and is symbolized by placing the Personnel Counter directly atop the Horse Counter. The instant Cavalry dismounts it is treated as Infantry with a separate Horse counter. Any Personnel unit that mounts a horse is considered qualified Cavalry.

13.2 STACKING: Cavalry stacking limits are equal to those for Infantry. There is no limit to the amount of unmounted horses in a hex.

13.3 MOVEMENT: Cavalry is not vehicular in nature; it has no VCA, and expends MF (not MP) as per the Cavalry column of the Terrain Chart. This column also lists all terrain types in which Cavalry/horses are NA (though movement through building hexes via Infantry Bypass is allowed; see D.2). The normal cost for Cavalry to move along a TB in woods is 3 MF. Cavalry may make a Minimum Move like Infantry [EXC: both the Cavalry unit and its horse become CX; Cavalry does not pin (13.52)]. Cavalry cannot receive a leader-MF bonus (see also B3.4), but a Cavalry leader may provide a leader-MF bonus (4.12) to Infantry if they all move as a stack throughout their MPh. See also 13.5 and 13.7. Q&A

13.31 MF COSTS: (Dis)mounting a Horse counter costs one MF of the basic 4-MF allotment of any Infantry unit (4.11), but is NA during the APh. When (dis)mounting, the unit also loses one MF of its basic MF allotment for every 25% of the horse's current MF allotment (i.e., 12, 16 or 20 MF; 13.34, 13.36) that the latter has already used/lost during that MPh, and the horse loses 25% of its current MF allotment for each MF expended (not lost) by the Infantry/Cavalry unit in that MPh prior to and during this (dis)mounting. Q&A

EX: An Infantry SMC that moves into an Open Ground hex (one MF) and mounts a SMC Horse-counter (one MF) leaves the horse with six MF remaining out of its current 12-MF allotment. If he then declares a Gallop, he increases the horse's current MF allotment to 16 and its available MF to 10. If he wishes to dismount in the same MPh, however, he can expend no > 4 more Cavalry MF before doing so, because he must expend one MF to dismount and will also lose another MF for the 1-4 MF expended by the horse while he was Riding it.

EX: A Cavalry unit that declares a Gallop at the start of its MPh can expend no more than 15 Cavalry MF if it wishes to dismount in the same MPh, because dismounting will cause the horse to lose five MF (25% x 20 [current MF allotment] = 5 MF).

13.32 CAPACITY: A Horse counter with three horse depictions can carry only one squad-equivalent plus any number of SMC, while one with two horse depictions can carry only a HS-equivalent plus < four SMC. A single animal (one horse depiction) can carry just one or two SMC. See also 13.33. If a single Infantry unit can and wishes to mount a Horse counter that is too "large" for it, that Horse counter first automatically either Deploys into two HS Horse-counters (if that Infantry unit is a HS or crew) or creates a SMC Horse-counter (if that Infantry unit is a SMC) [EXC: no SMC horse is created if the SMC will mount a Horse counter that is already carrying its capacity of MMC]. In addition, a Cavalry SMC may create a MC Horse-counter from its MMC Horse-counter at any time during its MPh in order to move separately from the latter. Otherwise, a squad Horse-counter can be split into two HS Horse-counters only to satisfy losses or when the squad Riding it Deploys. Horse counters may Recombine when their HS Riders do (1.32), or whenever the proper number occupy the same Location while un-mounted and "accompanied" (13.7).

13.33 PORTAGE: The IPC of Cavalry equals that of Infantry, and is the maximum amount of SW it may carry. Cavalry may not dm a SW (but all SW it carries must be dm if possible), possess a Gun or Recover a SW/Gun, but may Transfer SW between friendly units if otherwise allowed. A Cavalry SMC cannot add his IPC to that of another unit.

13.34 MF ALLOTMENT: A Horse counter's basic MF allotment is 12 MF.

13.35 ENEMY UNITS: A Cavalry unit may move into/through an enemy-occupied Location during the MPh only if all enemy units therein are Unarmed/Disrupted/Concealed - (see 12.15/G.4), or if it is Charging (13.6).

13.351 FPF: DEFENDER Infantry using TPBF vs Cavalry are also considered to be using FPF (and thus Area Fire). Infantry manning a Gun must use OVR Prevention (C5.64) if possible, as if the Cavalry in their hex were a vehicle conducting an OVR.

13.36 GALLOP: Cavalry may increase its MF allotment by eight (to 20) by declaring a Gallop at the start of its MPh, or by four by declaring a Gallop during its MPh, and placing a CX counter on the Horse counter [EXC: Gallop declaration is NA while in a marsh, deep stream, or fordable Water Obstacle, or if the Cavalry/Horse is currently CX]. Galloping Cavalry may not Bypass, or move into woods (unless on a road), marsh, crag, graveyard, deep stream or a fordable Water Obstacle, across an Abrupt Elevation Change, or onto a one-lane bridge. Q&A

13.4 FIRE EFFECTS: Cavalry FP is halved as Mounted Fire except in CC or a Charge. Cavalry cannot use SW [EXC: MOL (22.6); Thrown DC (23.6)], cannot use Assault/Spraying Fire, and cannot place SMOKE.

13.5 VULNERABILITY: Cavalry is always subject to a -2 IFT (or ordnance TH) DRM when fired upon [EXC: minefield attack]. However, this DRM is not cumulative with the FFMO/FFNAM DRM. Cavalry is not eligible for Assault Movement, nor can Infantry after dismounting use it in the same turn. Wall/hedge TEM is NA to Cavalry; shellhole/entrenchment TEM (and Hazardous Movement) is NA to Cavalry and horses.

13.51 MC: Horses have no inherent Morale Level and are not affected by MC. If Cavalry breaks, it must Bail Out (D6.24); its Horse counter is considered to have bolted or been destroyed and is removed from play [EXC: if any of the Cavalry on that Horse counter remain mounted, a Horse counter just sufficient in size to carry the unbroken Cavalry remains in play].

13.511 Horses, whether mounted or not, are attacked using the ★ Vehicle Line of the IFT in addition to, and at the same time as, fire against any Cavalry unit(s) riding them. Horses are not subject to the -2 DRM for Cavalry or to FFMO/FFNAM. If the Final IFT DR is < the ★ Vehicle Kill #, a number of Horse counters up to the highest KIA # listed in that column (7.308) are eliminated. If the Final IFT DR equals the ★ Vehicle Kill #, one Horse counter (unless Random Selection results in a tie) suffers Casualty Reduction; all others are unharmed. Random Selection determines the Horse counter(s) affected and can include those that have just bolted (13.51) due to a MC vs their Riders. The Rider of an eliminated horse must Bail Out (D6.24) after all MC/Reduction caused by that same attack have been resolved. If a squad Horse-counter is Reduced, randomly determine which HS Horse-counter each SMC-Rider/SW was Riding; if the squad Riding that Horse counter is unaffected by that attack, it immediately Deploys in order to have one of its HS (randomly determined) Bail Out. Q&A

13.52 PIN & HEAT OF BATTLE: Cavalry and horses do not take PTC/LLMC/LLTC, and are not subject to Pin/Heat-of-Battle results.

13.6 CHARGE: Cavalry may Charge a Known-enemy-occupied Location, provided it declares a Charge vs that Location while in the LOS of and at a range of ≥ three hexes from it, is Galloping (or declares a Gallop) when it declares the Charge, can Gallop into that Location, and pays three MF (simultaneously with the cost to enter the target Location) to make the attack. After undergoing all Defense/Subsequent First Fire/FPF (see also 13.351), if then (if still able) attacks its target(s) with TPBF/MOL - (if available), neither halved for Mounted Fire nor penalized by the horse's CX status. Thereafter it need not declare a further Charge during that MPh until it actually enters a new target hex. Each Charging unit attacks separately unless moving as a stack (/Cavalry Wave; 13.62) with ≥ one other Cavalry unit, in which case they attack together.

13.61 POST-RESOLUTION: After resolving its Charge attack, Cavalry may remain mounted in its current hex, dismount, or enter another Location (even declaring another Charge against that Location), provided it has sufficient MF remaining to do so. If it remains in an enemy-occupied Location, it is not yet considered in Melee (although it may attack and can be attacked in the upcoming CCPh) and should be marked with a CC counter. A unit that declared a Charge in its MPh may not attack, etc., during the ensuing AFPh even if currently dismounted, and at the end of its MPh is marked with a Prep Fire counter as a reminder of its status.

13.62 CAVALRY WAVE: Cavalry may make Human Wave attacks as per 25.23-.231 (and E1.423) except as stated otherwise. Any nationality may make a Cavalry Wave attack. To declare a Cavalry Wave, at least one squad-equivalent of Cavalry must occupy each hex of the chain, no unit in the chain can be within three hexes of an enemy unit, at least one unit in the chain must be within 16 MF of and have a LOS to an enemy unit, and all units must immediately Gallop. An average of ≤ one MMC per hex of the chain and at least one leader must participate. The morale of Cavalry does not increase during a Cavalry Wave. At least one participating unit must Charge an enemy unit during that MPh. Each Charging unit need not end its MPh upon entering an enemy-occupied hex. Cavalry and Infantry cannot make a combined Human Wave attack.

13.7 HORSES: Horses are units, but are never considered enemy units. A Horse counter may be captured in the same manner as a SW via Recovery (4.44), but need not be Recovered by the side that last possessed it. No horse may be transported by vehicle [EXC: LC; G12.12], portaged, or moved in the APh or by Assault Movement. Aside from LC movement, an unmounted horse may move only if accompanied by Infantry/Cavalry, and does so at no extra MF cost to either the Infantry (using Infantry MF costs) or the horse/Cavalry (using Cavalry MF costs), but still may not enter terrain prohibited to Cavalry except via Bypass. Each unbroken Infantry/Cavalry unit can "lead" Horse counters equal to triple its own size (i.e., a SMC may lead ≤ three SMC Horse counters, a HS or crew may lead a squad Horse-counter plus a HS Horse-counter, etc.). A unit leading a Horse counter may eliminate that counter as if it were a SW. A horse itself cannot carry a SW [EXC: Animal Pack; G10], and its being CX does not affect its Rider's (non-)CX status (e.g., non-CX Cavalry on a CX horse would not generate a +1 CX Ambush drm as per 11.4). See also 13.2-.52. Q&A