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23-508: Historically, lightly equipped soldiers such as light cavalry , auxiliaries , partisans or militia were important when pursuing a fast-moving, defeated enemy force and could often keep up the pursuit into the following day, causing the routed army heavy casualties or total dissolution. The slower-moving heavy forces could then either seize objectives or pursue at leisure. However, with the advent of armoured warfare and blitzkrieg style operations, an enemy army could be kept more or less in

46-582: A blowout . In English common law , a rout is a disturbance of the public peace by three or more persons acting together in a manner that suggests an intention to riot although they do not carry out the inferred act. As a common law offence , it was abolished in England and Wales by the Public Order Act 1986 . Rout is personified as the eponymous deity in Homer 's Iliad as the cowardly son of Ares . "Rout"

69-568: A blurring of these distinctions in the British army, tradition remained strong in the cavalry arm of some other nations. As an example, the Imperial German army maintained a marked difference between the sizes and weights of the men and horses allocated to the hussar regiments that made up its light cavalry and those of the other two categories. The early weeks of World War I saw light cavalry attempting to continue its long established function of being

92-510: A feigned rout can quickly turn into a real one. It was a favourite tactic of the Vikings and it is thought that Norman cavalry successfully performed a feigned rout at the Battle of Hastings . In the Battle of Cowpens , Daniel Morgan 's planned retreat of the unreliable forward militia was interpreted by the British commander Banastre Tarleton as a rout, as intended. In over-aggressively pressing

115-499: A key role in mounted scouting, escorting, and skirmishing during the Napoleonic era. Light horse also served a function in major set-piece battles. While lacking the sheer offensive power of heavy cavalry, light cavalry were still extremely effective against unprepared infantry, cavalry, and artillery. All infantry commanders were forced to respect the danger any cavalry presented to their forces, and light cavalry were effective at changing

138-401: A large margin or in such a fashion that the second team or individual has little chance of a victory. The term "blowout" is often used in reference to athletic competition, but it is used in other contexts such as electoral politics (see also the synonym landslide ). During blowouts, some coaches and players are challenged by the ethics and sportsmanship of the event. Some believe it

161-603: A routed or disorganized state for days or weeks on end. In modern times, a routed formation will often cause a complete breakdown in the entire front, enabling the organized foe to attain a quick and decisive victory in the campaign. In the blitzkrieg warfare that characterized World War II , the French Army was decisively defeated in the Battle of Sedan (1940) opening a 20-kilometre (12 mi) gap in Allied lines into which Heinz Guderian poured his mechanized forces. German tanks kept

184-459: Is also one of several collective nouns for a group of snails . Light cavalry Light cavalry comprised lightly armed and armored cavalry troops mounted on fast horses , as opposed to heavy cavalry , where the mounted riders (and sometimes the warhorses ) were heavily armored. The purpose of light cavalry was primarily raiding , reconnaissance , screening , skirmishing , patrolling , and tactical communications . Prior to

207-623: Is being blown out because the losing team is frustrated and embarrassed. During the portion of the game that is played after the outcome has been decided, which is known as garbage time , most teams rest many of their better players and play reserves who do not regularly play in their place. This keeps the regular players from getting injured and to have rest. It also gives the reserves a chance to get experience under game conditions. During blowouts fans will often chant for their favorite reserve players to get playing time and cheer loudly when this player does well. However in some sports, maintaining

230-403: Is not appropriate to give full effort when winning by a blowout margin or to " run up the score ". Others believe that in athletic competition one is supposed to give full effort at all times. Continuing to give full effort, and especially running up the score, can lead to the losing team becoming angry or upset. Yelling, fights and players being removed from the game often take place when a team

253-577: The "eyes and ears" of the respective main armies. However, despite some early success, the advent of trench warfare and aircraft observation quickly rendered this role obsolete, except to an extent in the Middle East in 1917, and in Eastern Europe where light cavalry mounted actions on a diminishing scale continued to occur until the revolution of 1917 took Russia out of the war. During the Vietnam War ,

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276-640: The 17th century they were usually armed with swords , spears , javelins , or bows , and later on with sabres , pistols , shotguns , or carbines . Light cavalry was used infrequently by Ancient Greeks (who used hippeis such as prodromoi or sarissophoroi ) and Ancient Romans (who used auxiliaries such as equites Numidarum or equites Maurorum ), but were more common among the armies of Eastern Europe , North Africa , West Asia , Central Asia , and East Asia . The Arabs , Cossacks , Hungarians , Huns , Kalmycks , Mongols , Turks , Parthians , and Persians were all proficient horse archers . With

299-454: The US Army converted parts of the 1st Cavalry Division for heliborne tactics with a concept known as air cavalry . Helicopters were used to insert troops and support them. They were also used for suppression fire, search and rescue, medical evacuation, scouting and resupply. This concept was first tested at the Battle of Ia Drang Valley . Modern tactics call for the use of gunships to dominate

322-445: The airspace and provide fire support while transport helicopters ferry ground forces and supply them. Light reconnaissance vehicles (LRV) are also being used by cavalry squadrons and infantry scout units for scouting, skirmishing, and providing light fire support. Blowout (sports) In sports, a blowout or rout is an easy or one-sided victory. It occurs when one athletic team or individual performer outscores another by

345-535: The attack, the British lost cohesion and were overwhelmingly defeated in the resulting double envelopment by the Americans. This feigned rout tactic had several benefits: it was a ruse de guerre that played off British expectations that an undisciplined militia would rout on contact, creating British overconfidence; the militia screened the main American force from the British view; and by asking for only two volleys before

368-566: The decline of feudalism and knighthood in Europe, light cavalry became more prominent in the armies of the continent. Many were equipped with early firearms, as their predecessors had been with bows or javelins . European examples of light cavalry included stradiots , hobelars , hussars , chasseurs à cheval , cossacks , chevau-légers , uhlans , and dragoons . Armies of the ancient Roman-Germanic wars made use of light cavalry as patrolling squads, or armed scouts , and often had them in

391-592: The engagement that the French army was on the brink of collapse, even abandoning the dominant Pratzen Heights near Austerlitz. A "rout", or rout-party , was in Georgian England a relatively informal party given by the well off to which large numbers of people were invited. The term covered a variety of styles of event, but they tended to be basic, and a guest could not count on any music, food, drink, cards, or dancing being available, though any of them might be. "Rout-cake"

414-589: The front lines during regional battles. During the Punic Wars, one of Carthage's main advantages over Roman armies was its extensive use of Numidian light cavalry . Partly because of this, the Roman general Scipio Africanus recruited his own cavalry from Sicily before his invasion of Tunisia during the Second Punic War . Several types of light cavalry were developed and used in medieval armies. Light cavalry played

437-403: The hostess. She was famous for hosting gambling parties. Behind the card-tables is a tight crush of people. The events sometimes became rather disorderly, and the name presumably originates as a metaphorical extension of the military term. "Rout" is often used to mean "an overwhelming defeat" as well as "to put to disorderly retreat" or "to defeat utterly". It is often used in sports to describe

460-520: The movement of enemy forces simply through their presence. In the aftermath of battles, light cavalry were used to press a victor's advantage or to screen retreating forces from further attack. As late as the early 1900s, most European armies still retained a nominal division of mounted troops according to the size and weight of the men, into light cavalry (raiding, reconnaissance, and screening), medium cavalry (offense or defense), and heavy cavalry (direct shock). While colonial warfare had led to

483-448: The retreat Morgan set an achievable goal for shaky and poorly trained militia facing British regulars, as well as allowing the militia units to remain intact for later parts of the battle. Leading up to the French decisive victory at the Battle of Austerlitz , Napoleon ordered his forces to retreat. Desperate to lure the Allies into battle, Napoleon gave every indication in the days preceding

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506-469: The rout going, and the Allies were unable to stabilize the situation before the Wehrmacht occupied Paris and forced the capitulation of the French government. Feigned routs may be used as a military deception to entice an enemy into pursuing the "retreating" force, with the intent of causing the enemy to abandon a strong defensive position or leading the enemy into an ambush. This carries some risk because

529-470: Was a particular type, mentioned by Jane Austen in Emma . Often, all there was to do was talk. James Gillray 's caricature of 1796 shows Lady Georgiana Gordon (1781–1853, presumably "Lady Godina"), not yet Duchess of Bedford and indeed only about 16 at most, gambling at a game called Pope Joan , with the winning " Curse of Scotland " in her hand. At left is Albinia Hobart , Countess of Buckinghamshire, perhaps

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