Cavalry

[The Rock Doctor]

Gran Colombia currently has four cavalry corps in its army.  These are a holdover from the previous rule set, where a minimal amount of cavalry was required at certain army tech levels, rather than because I saw a need for them.

Fact is, Gran Colombia occupies a lot of ground that isn't conducive to cavalry operations.  There's a lot of rain forest and jungle on borders with Surinam and Brazil, and mountains in addition to this on the borders with Peru and to the north.  Cuba's terrain isn't bad, but I've got the whole island to myself.  Frankly, about the only role I can see using them in is to patrol coastal regions, but even then, I shouldn't need eight full divisions for that task.

So - what do I do with the cavalry?  Take away their horses and make them infantry?  Retain some for patrol/recce work?  They cost money - I don't want to pay for them if I haven't got a job for them.

[Korpen]

Gran Colombia currently has four cavalry corps in its army.  These are a holdover from the previous rule set, where a minimal amount of cavalry was required at certain army tech levels, rather than because I saw a need for them.

Fact is, Gran Colombia occupies a lot of ground that isn't conducive to cavalry operations.  There's a lot of rain forest and jungle on borders with Surinam and Brazil, and mountains in addition to this on the borders with Peru and to the north.  Cuba's terrain isn't bad, but I've got the whole island to myself.  Frankly, about the only role I can see using them in is to patrol coastal regions, but even then, I shouldn't need eight full divisions for that task.

So - what do I do with the cavalry?  Take away their horses and make them infantry?  Retain some for patrol/recce work?  They cost money - I don't want to pay for them if I haven't got a job for them.

Taka away their horses and train them as light infantry (Jungle).

[Desertfox]

Donate the horses to someone who has an actual need for them... ;)

Well you could keep the horses and use them to produce 'alternate fuel' for your warships. ;D

[Carthaginian]

In all honesty, I'd keep them.

Dismounted Cavalry is, ATM the best maneuver force an Army has. Read up on Forrest's system of dismounted cavalry skirmishers for the kinds of tactics that GC would use them for. Essentially, Forrest used the horse as an APC- a vehicle for delivering well-rested, well-equipped man to the fighting front in a minimum amount of time. His forces were the equal of, on more than one occasion, twice or greater of their number of foot soldiers because of their mobility and equipment-carrying capability.

Getting there 'furstest with the mostest' is the essense of all wartime strategy.

[P3D]

Rocky,

your opinion on the relatively low usefulness of cavalry is coming from personal experience, I'd assume. Horses are no giving you much more mobility in Jungle, and their fodder just won't last long in the climate, I'd assume.
Rulewise, reform the cavalry as light or regular infantry. Distribute the cavalry among the Infantry corps for scouting /dispatch.
Full Cavalry Corps only makes sense where you have unbroken terrain to maneuver. Keep a single corps for that purpose.

[swamphen]

I'd keep at least two corps - you never know when you'll need to storm down the coastal plain of Peru.  ;D

(Stationing some at Valpariso might be a good move.)

[The Rock Doctor]

Some good ideas and feedback there, thanks.

A regiment at Valparaiso appeals to me, and may happen.  The country there appears to be fertile, so forage shouldn't be a hassle, and if operated effectively like Forrest's units, could help hold Coquimbo from outside attack until reinforcements arrive from Gran Colombia.

Elsewhere, I'll look to see if there are, in fact, areas in Gran Colombia (and its neighbours) where whole divisions or corps could be useful.

A somewhat odd notion has occurred to me, but since I expect to act on it, I won't share it just yet.

How does one go about converting a cavalry unit to infantry unit in game terms?

[Borys]

Ahoj!
Keep one Venezuelan Cavalry Corps. For the Legend of the Llanos, for the local aristocracy, etc.

Chile between the Atacama and Bio-Bio is fertile. You could split that corps 50/50 into Cavalry and Light/Mountain Infantry.


Conversion:
The simplest way is to declare it becoming "special" infantry :)
The cost and statistics stay the same.

You can have them leave (half) their horses before transfer to Coquimobo.

Borys

[The Rock Doctor]

Given the small population of ~300,000, I suspect Coquimbo's active garrison will be no larger than a division - though I may have another division-sized unit in reserve.  I reckon it will be a mixed unit like you say, but I think it'll be recruited locally for the most part. 

As for the other units, perhaps I'll take away their horses and issue them coconut shells instead...

[Borys]

Corps divided into various types of special are allowed. Corps divided into different status are not.
With a population base of that size, they must be provided from recruits from elsewhere anyway. A rough guide is 1M = 1 Division, 2M = 1 Corps.

ADDED LATER:
LOLZ! Caught the coconut reference just now!

Borys

[The Rock Doctor]

There are a number of places where it's only necessary to station one corps, but the situation doesn't necessary require the entire corps to be active during peacetime.  I'd like to see an "alert status" of "Partially Active", where one half of the corps is assumed to be active and the other half at reserve strength.

[Borys]

That's what I do with my AFL.
Just have 1/2 corps at Coquimbo, and the other 1/2 somewhere else.

300K is simply not enough to provide the manpower for a 50K corps. This means mobilizing every 3rd male, i.e. ALL males ages 20 to 40.

I think Paraguay did that in OTL ... the effect was not pretty ...

Borys

[The Rock Doctor]

How about:

Coquimbo Corps
    -1st Division (Coquimbo) - 25,000
          -2 Cavalry Regiments (locally recruited - think Boers)
          -2 Infantry Regiments (non-locals rotated in for one year stints)
          -Supporting units:  Artillery, etc (non-local)
    -2nd Division (~Ecuador) - 25,000
          -4 Infantry Regiments (all "Greater Gran Colombian")

Swampy - what did you have parked there?

[Borys]

Ahoj!
Fine with me, but the 2nd Division has to be Mtn/Light/Colonial/Jungle Infantry.
Borys

[The Rock Doctor]

I'm not sure that "dog's breakfast" of a description would fit on their uniform patches.