Military history of Estonia
| Ratsarügement | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Active | 1917-1940 |
| Country | Estonia |
| Type | Cavalry |
| Size | 2 regiments |
| Part of | Estonian Ground Force |
| Garrison/HQ | Tartu |
| Anniversaries | 11 December |
| Engagements | Estonian War of Independence |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
General Major Gustav Jonson |
Two years after the end of the Estonian War of Independence (1918-1920), the Estonian Army consisted of 3 field divisions and a number of small independent battalions and companies (1922).
The Republic of Estonia had 47,750 km2. of territory with a population of 1,507,000 inhabitants. The armed forces had 12,000 men and, in the opinion of the Lithuanian armed forces General staff, it was large enough to defend The Republic of Estonia. Estonia had a good position - two big lakes were useful natural obstacles. The serving time for conscripts was 18 months in infantry, 24 months in other parts of the army, 36 months in the Navy.
In 1919, the year's military budget was EEK 573.6 million which was 80.3% of all states outcomes. Two years later, in 1921, state outcomes for defence were EEK 640.4 million (50% of the state budget). But it was too little, so the real military outcomes were EEK 856 million.
The army had 12 line battalions. Every battalion consisted of:
Infantry was using Russian made and English made rifles, accoutrements and ammunition were American made. Two battalions make a regiment in peace time. After the mobilisation every battalion become regiment.
Comparison of companies
There was 3 regiments of light artillery of 4 batteries everyone for every Infantry division. There were 2 groups of heavy artillery like separate units. Every battery had 4 guns. Most part of the guns - 3 inches Russian guns. There were some English French and German guns. In that time Estonia had enough guns to make artillery two times larger.
The Estonian military included two regular Hussar cavalry regiments, as well as six cavalry squadrons that could be called up as part of the reserve army.
Two Estonian cavalry regiments participated in the Estonian War of Independence, along with smaller cavalry formations; every infantry regiment had one reconnaissance cavalry attachment. By the end of the war, another cavalry regiment, the Cavalry Reserve Regiment, was formed in Tallinn, and functioned as a cavalry school for soldiers and officers. The Estonian 2nd Cavalry Regiment was dissolved in 1920.
Despite several attempts by the Estonian Defence Forces to modernize its cavalry, the units could not keep up with the technological advances of the 1930s and the rapid development of armoured warfare. While already declining before World War II, the remaining Estonian cavalry regiments were abolished and attached to the Soviet 22nd Rifle Corps on 10 September 1940.
There have been no cavalry units in the modern Estonian Ground Forces since Estonian independence in 1991.
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Wikipedia