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loss； and hunt down and capture anyone it wished。。。。
The practical political consequence of the present development of
warfare； of the complete revolution in the conditions of warfare
since this century began； is to make war absolutely hopeless for
any peoples not able either to manufacture or procure the very
complicated appliances and munitions now needed for its
prosecution。 Countries like Mexico； Bulgaria； Serbia；
Afghanistan or Abyssinia are no more capable of going to war
without the connivance and help of manufacturing states than
horses are capable of flying。 And this makes possible such a
complete control of war by the few great states which are at the
necessary level of industrial development as not the most Utopian
of us have hitherto dared to imagine。
5
Infantrymen with automobile transport； plentiful machine guns；
Tanks and such…like accessories； that is the first Arm in modern
war。 The factory hand and all the material of the shell route
from the factory to the gun constitute the second Arm。 Thirdly
comes the artillery； the guns and the photographic aeroplanes
working with the guns。 Next I suppose we must count sappers and
miners as a fourth Arm of greatly increased importance。 The
fifth and last combatant Arm is the modern substitute for
cavalry； and that also is essentially a force of aeroplanes
supported by automobiles。 Several of the French leaders with
whom I talked seemed to be convinced that the horse is absolutely
done with in modern warfare。 There is nothing； they declared；
that cavalry ever did that cannot now be done better by
aeroplane。
This is something to break the hearts of the Prussian junkers and
of old…fashioned British army people。 The hunt across the
English countryside； the preservation of the fox as a sacred
animal； the race meeting； the stimulation of betting in all
classes of the public； all these things depend ultimately upon
the proposition that the 〃breed of horses〃 is of vital importance
to the military strength of Great Britain。 But if the arguments
of these able French soldiers are sound； the cult of the horse
ceases to be of any more value to England than the elegant
activities of the Toxophilite Society。 Moreover； there has been
a colossal buying of horses for the British army； a tremendous
organisation for the purchase and supply of fodder； then
employment of tens of thousands of men as grooms； minders and the
like； who would otherwise have been in the munition factories or
the trenches。
To what possible use can cavalry be put？ Can it be used in
attack？ Not against trenches； that is better done by infantrymen
following up gunfire。 Can it be used against broken infantry in
the open？ Not if the enemy has one or two machine guns covering
their retreat。 Against expose infantry the swooping aeroplane
with a machine gun is far more deadly and more difficult to hit。
Behind it your infantry can follow to receive surrenders； in most
circumstances they can come up on cycles if it is a case of
getting up quickly across a wide space。 Similarly for pursuit
the use of wire and use of the machine gun have abolished the
possibility of a pouring cavalry charge。 The swooping aeroplane
does everything that cavalry can do in the way of disorganising
the enemy； and far more than it can do in the way of silencing
machine guns。 It can capture guns in retreat much more easily by
bombing traction engines and coming down low and shooting horses
and men。 An ideal modern pursuit would be an advance of guns；
automobiles full of infantry； motor cyclists and cyclists； behind
a high screen of observation aeroplanes and a low screen of
bombing and fighting aeroplanes。 Cavalry /might/ advance
across fields and so forth； but only as a very accessory part of
the general advance。。。。
And what else is there for the cavalry to do？
It may be argued that horses can go over country that is
impossible for automobiles。 That is to ignore altogether what
has been done in this war by such devices as caterpillar wheels。
So far from cavalry being able to negotiate country where
machines would stick and fail； mechanism can now ride over places
where any horse would flounder。
I submit these considerations to the horse…lover。 They are not
my original observations； they have been put to me and they have
convinced me。 Except perhaps as a parent of transport mules I
see no further part henceforth for the horse to play in war。
6
The form and texture of the coming warfareif there is still
warfare to comeare not yet to be seen in their completeness
upon the modern battlefield。 One swallow does not make a summer；
nor a handful of aeroplanes； a 〃Tank〃 or so； a few acres of shell
craters； and a village here and there； pounded out of
recognition； do more than foreshadow the spectacle of modernised
war on land。 War by these developments has become the monopoly
of the five great industrial powers； it is their alternative to
end or evolve it； and if they continue to disagree； then it must
needs become a spectacle of majestic horror such as no man can
yet conceive。 It has been wise of Mr。 Pennell therefore； who has
recently been drawing his impressions of the war upon stone； to
make his pictures not upon the battlefield； but among the huge
industrial apparatus that is thrusting behind and thrusting up
through the war of the gentlemen in spurs。 He gives us the
splendours and immensities of forge and gun pit； furnace and mine
shaft。 He shows you how great they are and how terrible。 Among
them go the little figures of men； robbed of all dominance；
robbed of all individual quality。 He leaves it for you to draw
the obvious conclusion that presently； if we cannot contrive to
put an end to war； blacknessess like these； enormities and flares
and towering threats； will follow in the track of the Tanks and
come trampling over the bickering confusion of mankind。
There is something very striking in these insignificant and
incidental men that Mr。 Pennell shows us。 Nowhere does a man
dominate in all these wonderful pictures。 You may argue perhaps
that that is untrue to the essential realities； all this array of
machine and workshop； all this marshalled power and purpose； has
been the creation of inventor and business organiser。 But are we
not a little too free with that word 〃/creation/〃？ Falstaff
was a 〃creation〃 perhaps； or the Sistine sibyls； there we have
indubitably an end conceived and sought and achieved； but did
these inventors and business organisers do more than heed certain
unavoidable imperatives？ Seeking coal they were obliged to mine
in a certain way； seeking steel they had to do this and this and
not that and that； seeking profit they had to obey the imperative
of the economy。 So little did they plan their ends that most of
these manufacturers speak with a kind of astonishment of the
deadly use to which their works are put。 They find themselves
making the new war as a man might wake out of some drugged
condition to find himself strangling his mother。
So that Mr。 Pennell's sketchy and transient human figures seem
altogether right to me。 He sees these forges； workshops；