MiniArt has released a box art image that will catch most by surprise titled “U.S. Horseman” Normandy 1944.

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Well, the US Cavalry rides again! There's a photo somewhere of a mounted US soldier in Cherbourg just after it's surrender. Although I think the horse must have been local (and, apparently, bilingual. Take that, Parti Quebecois! ) I don't think US troops landed with horses, but prove me wrong.

Some US Army riders in Normandy :

505th PIR (82nd US Airborne) in Sainte-Mère-Eglise :







2nd Ranger Bn :


"Beggars can't be choosers" (1st Inf. Div.) :



Frenchy

But are these French horses, or liberated German cavalry horses? "A horse is a horse, of course, of course." - Mr. Ed, the talking horse I just took a look at the MiniArt box art and at least one of the horses is German. You could tell by his accent.

Were the PIR horses also para dropped? Must have scared the **** out of them! Wouldn't want to be on the ground anywhere near!

According to some information I've found, the 505th PIR used German horses for patrolling Sainte-Mère-Eglise.

Frenchy

There is an account of a airborne trooper finding a white horse in Normandy, and tying a piece of cast metal across his chest enabling him to ride down the hedgerows to draw sniper fire. Once shot at, his fellow troopers would open up in the area where the shot came from and killing or flushing out the sniper. When I saw the figures the story came to mind, can't remember what book but will try to track it down. Nice vign. idea.

Of course horses are massively under represented in model depictions of WW2.
Looking at the output of manufacturers and modellers the historically unaware could be forgiven for thinking that all infantry and artillery regiments were fully mechanized. Maybe we'll see more horses trotted out from the same stable.