Talk:Lancer

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"Prior to the outbreak of war there had been fierce controversy as to whether lances or sabres were the most effective "white" weapons for cavalry but neither proved to be a match for modern firearms."

Does anyone understand white weapons? I presume it is an attempted translation of "arme blanche" which I have seen used in English about cavalry - i.e. a blade or edged weapon in contrast to a firearm. For example *[1]

The translation for "arme blanche" given by W.C. Carman in A Dictionary of Military Uniform reads as follows:

"This French expression refers to the 'white arms' as opposed to firearms, thus mainly indicating cavalry armed with swords or lances, i.e. in white metal".

I suggest that you edit the Lancer item if you feel that the wording used needs clarification. 210.246.12.238 09:28, 25 March 2007 (UTC)