--- title: "The Soviet Moose Cavalry almost rode into World War II" description: "At the Battle of Krojanty in the early days of World War II, [Polish cavalrymen famously charged a Nazi mechanized infantry]() unit, disbursing them and allowing an orderly retreat for other Polish units in the area. It was one of…" date: "2020-04-29" modified: "2020-10-30" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-history/soviet-moose-cavalry-wwii/" categories: - "Cold War" - "History" - "War History" --- # The Soviet Moose Cavalry almost rode into World War II ![]() At the Battle of Krojanty in the early days of World War II, [Polish cavalrymen famously charged a Nazi mechanized infantry]() unit, disbursing them and allowing an orderly retreat for other Polish units in the area. It was one of the last-ever cavalry charges, and perhaps the last truly successful one. But cavalry was still very much on the minds of some Soviet war planners – especially in the brutal fighting the Red Army saw in Finland. --- ![]() (Laughs in White Death) Anyone who's ever seen a moose in person, especially in the wild, knows just how huge and intimidating these creatures can be. Imagine how large and intimidating a giant moose could be while charging at you at full gallop – some Soviet leader did. And the [USSR briefly imagined how useful the moose could be]() in the deep snows of Finland. "Ask any local," one moose farmer told the BBC, "and he will tell you that a tree is the safest place to be when you are facing an angry elk." Near Nizhny Novgorod, the Soviets started a farm to domesticate moose for that purpose. But they soon found – as Charles XI of Sweden did – that moose aren't big fans of gunfire. They tend to run the other direction. ![]() Moose are great for counter-espionage however. But the moose had been used for centuries in Scandinavia as transport animals. After all, horses weren't native to the region, but moose were. They proved to be too much effort for the Swedish military to handle though. Moose are more susceptible to disease and harder to feed, for one. The Soviets decided that the moose they attempted to domesticate for milk would serve another purpose, using them as transportation and pack animals. They even thought the moose could be used as a meat animal – after all, much of the Soviet population was starving. The effort to train them for milk was relatively successful, but the effort to use them for meat wasn't. Just as moose are too smart to run toward gunfire, they are also too smart to be led to a slaughterhouse. ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()