To the right of us, in the field, I saw German infantry running as fast as their legs could carry them, while the two squadrons of our regiment charged forward with sabres drawn. It was the first time I had seen a real cavalry charge and it was an impressive and unforgettable sight. The riders were slashing at the fleeing Germans right and left. The experienced riders were doing this very professionally, cleaving heads in half. The younger men, mounted on smaller Mongolian horses, were not so effective, but still I saw Germans fall from their blows as well. Fewer and fewer Fritzes were left standing on the field. Those slashed and slitted by sabres never again rose from the wet, boggy, earth.

I must say such sabre charges did not happen often, and in most battles the riders fought on foot, using horses only as a means of transportation. When we encountered strong German resistance, we would get off our horses and fight as infantry., while the grooms (there were about ten per squadron) would gather our horses and take them to a safe spot. It was only i fthe Germans panicked and fled that we charged with sabres. During the two years of fighting in a cavalry regiment, I only saw some five charges.

The tank squadron of the 104th Tank Regiment was driving somewhere on a parallel road, but we did not see them. All of a sudden, the road entered a large field. That was an airfield with aircraft on it. It was completely quiet. The Germans did not expect to see us there.

Draw sabres! We charged towards the aircraft. My gun followed the riders, but no artillery support was necessary: pilots and ground crew fled in all directions, abandoning the aircraft. There were two-engined planes and gliders lined up on the field. We captured them almost without a single shot in a sabre charge!

Two days later, we caught up with our division. Before that, however, we had to beat off strong German assaults, during which the 2d Squadron, under Guards Senior Lieutenant Oleinikov, again enjoyed a moment of glory. They waited till the German armor was refueling in a forest and was thus out of action, before charging the Fritzes in the open with sabres. The charge was so fast an unexpected, the Germans had little time to react. When the German tank crews realized they were effectively stranded, they blew up their tanks. This cavalry charge was supported by heavy MG fire from mobile MG cavalry carriages, just as in the Russian Civil War, and Machine-Gunner Davidenko was firing his Maxim at the Germans non-stop while on the move.