The Battle of Rourke's Drift

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I would take comfort its only a mayor and not a presidential canidate with a muslim name and a questionable background.

But thats for another thread. :)

Emac, maybe you can answer this. I've read "Washing of the Spears" about English colonization of South Africa culminating in the Zulu wars. How accuarate is that book?
 
Can't help you Njaco never heard or read of that book Washing of the Spears so I can only guess at what the book relates to you. Remember Njaco a lot of the information most have involves not only the Zulu Wars but also leads into the Boer Wars with the Afrikanners in South Africa and Rhodesia
 
The Battle of Rorke's Drift -
Imagine this: you are a Lieutenant, a junior officer; you have never had an independent combat command; you have one company of infantry and a small
detachment of engineers at a river crossing; you also have a hospital with
20+ sick and wounded who cannot travel; there are some medical and supply
personnel at this post who are not trained to fight; a courier arrives and tells you that 10,000 Zulus have wiped out a 1,600 man British force that was equipped with rifles, field artillery and mounted troops; 4,000 Zulus are on the way to attack your post.

If 1,600 combat troops were destroyed almost to the last man at odds of only 9:1, what chance does your tiny garrison have of winning a battle at odds of 30:1? Lieutenant Chard was an engineer, and had never commanded combat troops. Lieutenant Bromhead was overage for his rank, partially deaf,
and was due to be forced out of the Army soon for his partial disability and
lack of promotion to Captain. Bromhead and Chard had served on the Northwest Frontier in India [Khyber Pass area] against Afghan tribesmen, but
always under the command of more senior and more experienced Majors and
Colonels.

The battle of Rorke's Drift is the finest example of determined defense [and defense in depth] of a position by a vastly outnumbered force. The British should have lost, but those two officers were brilliant in moving their troops
to counter each attack, and in organizing both a mobile reserve and a final fall back position. They inflicted 20 times more casualties than they suffered.
This battle is still taught in the UK and the U.S. to officer cadets as the right
way to win when the odds are against you.
 
The Battle of Rorke's Drift -
Imagine this: you are a Lieutenant, a junior officer; you have never had an independent combat command; you have one company of infantry and a small
detachment of engineers at a river crossing; you also have a hospital with
20+ sick and wounded who cannot travel; there are some medical and supply
personnel at this post who are not trained to fight; a courier arrives and tells you that 10,000 Zulus have wiped out a 1,600 man British force that was equipped with rifles, field artillery and mounted troops; 4,000 Zulus are on the way to attack your post.

If 1,600 combat troops were destroyed almost to the last man at odds of only 9:1, what chance does your tiny garrison have of winning a battle at odds of 30:1? Lieutenant Chard was an engineer, and had never commanded combat troops. Lieutenant Bromhead was overage for his rank, partially deaf,
and was due to be forced out of the Army soon for his partial disability and
lack of promotion to Captain. Bromhead and Chard had served on the Northwest Frontier in India [Khyber Pass area] against Afghan tribesmen, but
always under the command of more senior and more experienced Majors and
Colonels.

The battle of Rorke's Drift is the finest example of determined defense [and defense in depth] of a position by a vastly outnumbered force. The British should have lost, but those two officers were brilliant in moving their troops
to counter each attack, and in organizing both a mobile reserve and a final fall back position. They inflicted 20 times more casualties than they suffered.
This battle is still taught in the UK and the U.S. to officer cadets as the right
way to win when the odds are against you.
 
Fantastic read...didn't know much about this topic but have always been interested to learn after watching Zulu! A fantastic movie!
 
I tried to put the badge of the Borders on my siggy but ran out of room. Proud history, read about a suicidal charge in India I believe.
 
I do believe that even thought it was a Welsh regiment, most of the soldiers were in fact English. Also, the sequel Zulu Dawn is more accurate in terms of weapons and uniforms. I don't think the defenders at Rourke's Drift had bolt action rifles at all
 
Negative Creep said:
I do believe that even thought it was a Welsh regiment, most of the soldiers were in fact English. Also, the sequel Zulu Dawn is more accurate in terms of weapons and uniforms. I don't think the defenders at Rourke's Drift had bolt action rifles at all
Click to expand...

True, the uniforms in Zulu Dawn were more accurate then in Zulu (the helmets were stained tanned rather then the white helmets in Zulu). As for the rifles, I think the producer ran out of Martini-Henry's and had to improvise.
 
Are you saying that in "Zulu" there were bolt action rifles? I have the dvd and have seen it many times and the rifles were clearly Martini-Henrys. Maybe I missed some bolt actions somehow.
 
Well, "Zulu" is one of my favorite all time movies(saw it onscreen, had a video tape and now have a dvd) and I am a gun nut(have a No. One Ruger which has a similar action to the Martini) and I don't recall a bolt action.
 
I have to agree with ren. I don't remember seeing any bolt-actions in the film.
 
Yeah, I recall they were all Martini-Henrys, with that trapdoor/rolling block single shot action.

Didn't remember any bolt actions. Don't think the Brits got into them until the 1890s and the first Lee-Enfields.
 
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