Ah, that does make a lot of sense. I didn't realize they were purpose-building the things after their heyday.
I wonder how much use they saw in WWII?
Of course tachanka lost its role that was during the Civil War, as the rest of cavalry troops. But in the conditions Russian off-road cavalry retained as a very mobile branch of service, especially in the period winter-spring-autumn, when most of the roads were often impassable for cars ... Therefore tachanka sample 1926 in primarily, just a cart for transportation of the machine gun with ammo.
And the whole cavalry mainly conducted fight like an ordinary infantry.
A pair of episodes for example, has been successfully used where Soviet cavalry:
- Surroundings the Nazis at Stalingrad - the outer ring of defense constituted primarily cavalry units that were able to move quickly on the virgin snow. It is they reflect an attempt to relieve surrounded Nazis.
- cavalry successfully applied in 1944 in Belarus, in a marshy and wooded area, during the operation "Bagration". Are here cavalry operated as part mechanized cavalry group seized a bridgehead in the enemy rear, blocking the possibility of withdrawal the retreating enemy.