Battle Stack: The Battle of Rorke's Drift tactics 

The tiny force at Rorke's Drift only highlighted the value of good defensive disposition of troops; something that was neglected at Isandlwana.

This really puts the whole battle into perspective and makes it easier to see what occurred.

The statistic of the British losing 17 men in over 12 hours of sustained fighting is one of that are so mind-boggling; I think most people who first read about the battle, assume that it has to be a typo. Ironically, in the 1963 film "Zulu;" which is a dramatization of the battle, 31 British soldiers are shown getting killed.

There is a Documentary on here off the great great grandson of the Zulu leader king..He said the Zulu Prince Talked about the british at Rorke's drift having such a ferocious GUN Volley firing line it pretty much wiped out the harder Zulu soldiers and then leaving the older Zulu warriors to fight ,but where to shaken "Hence why they retreated". There were No british reinforcements for a least 2 days after that battle..Great respect for the Zulus and the British men on that day..Both hard as nails!

Thanks for the history lesson. I saw this movie at the theater when I was about 10 or 11 back in the mid-sixties. I thought the scene with the rotating rifle volleys was so cool. I never knew the result of the battle until now. Those British soldiers were tough, disciplined and brave warriors. I loved the uniforms especially the pith helmets.

The Zulu didn't just have old muskets. They had hundreads of Martini-Henry rifles captured at Islanwana with plenty of ammo. The problem was that the Zulus weren't trained to use the rifles properly and their aiming was very poor.

William Jones who fought at this battle is buried in Phillip's park cemetery, Clayton, Manchester. England. He was buried in a paupers grave. I have visited his grave numerous times. There are other people who fought in the battle - buried in the same cemetery.

It says alot of the quality of english biscuits, being tough enough to be used as defensive positions

Fine depiction/clarification of battle.

Thank you very much for this short presentation. I fave watched the film “ZULU” several times, but this puts it all in perspective.

Even with cartoonish graphics like this and toy soldiers figurines moving across the screen, this makes my skin crawl. These insanely brave men witnessed, and survived, the deepest heart of darkness imaginable. Fantastic video.

In war, numbers alone confer no advantage. Do not advance relying on sheer military power. - Sun Tzu

Zulus attack, Fight back to back, Show them no mercy, Fire at will, Kill or be killed, Facing, awaiting,

Thank you Battlestack, nicely done 🇬🇧

Nicely done, and not too long. Never knew all the details

Bravo! A nice, short depiction of the actual events. Well done!

First rank..fire, second rank..fire, third rank..fire..Redcoats, they are a wonder of warfare..

This battle has always fascinated me. Thank you, well done.

Valour can only be measured against that of the enemy. If you praise the British soldiers you must also praise the Zulu warriors. Those soldiers EARNED their fame.

It's called don't bring a knife to a gun fight, which is exactly what happened. There was also a cool head under intense attacks without losing it from the Defense British force. I think he made all the right decisions on the field that day in order to permit his troops and himself to survive the attack. The British commanders at that time may not be all very capable of good attack strategy( hence the battle of previous day) but when they get into the Defense mode, that is a force to be reckon with and to be respected, ask Napoleon and Ney at Waterloo.

My great granddad was there, well, just around the corner from there. He was doing alright until he complained about the noise

Training for soldiers and discipline, was why the British empire was so big,, still one of the most experienced armies in the world,,, liked the video,, easy to understand the tactics,, and defence, strategy,, from Northern Ireland greatly appreciated ☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️to sustain the defence in respect of the superior number of zulu,, brave men,, fight or die,,

The skill of using a bayonet and rifle butt in close combat must have been Exceptional, like to see the training manual for that.

the graphics and sound made me feel as if i were actually there at rorkes drift

Nice! I liked the visuals, well done. :)

Something to consider about this battle is the number of Zulu bodies that littered the field. The Zulu's were bare-foot and bare-chested and so a big pile of bleeding bodies would make it very hard to maintain a charge once you had to step on someone covered in slippery blood. In hindsight, I have long thought that if the British had beheaded the first Zulu casualties and danced around the compound with them stuck on bayonets the Zulu's would have called it a day.

“Musket” & “Sniper” are two words I never thought I’d hear in the same sentence.

Job well done chap. Thoroughly enjoyed that.

Excellent. Brief. to the point. Great illustrations. Thanks so much. I have seen the movie so many times but this was so enlightening.

Awesome battle . Both sides brave as ......................................................................................

Another excellent video. Thank you for posting.

Nice animations and descriptions, great video!

A sterling example of discipline and concentrated firepower carrying the day. A study was done years later on a large number of the British soldiers who fought in the battle. Many had never recovered from the experience psychologically. It was referred to as battle shock. We now call it PTSD.

I visited England a few years ago and stayed at a B+B run by descendants of the Chard family. They took me to an Airfield where American forces mustered for D-Day, and a Bar where Churchill used to "Hold Court"!

Because we're here lad, and nobody else. Just us

Superb video. Thank you for the info.

This is terrific & wonderfully clear. Goes for all your vids. My young fella loves the movies but didn't quite get it until now. Well done. PS. Most helpful with school projects too.

Excellent, short description of the battle.

I say , I say , I say I have just been playing cards with the natives .. Zulu`s ? No ... I won every hand !

Hook was a model soldier , VC winner and was badly portrayed in the movie "Zulu".

Very nice description. Thanks.

Actually, three were born overseas, 1 was scottish, 16 were Irish, 49 english and around 32 welshmen. Let me know if you already knew.

Alfred Hook ! "Brandy is for heroes mr Hook!"

Nice video, When you present it like that, it does seem hard to comprehend how the British survived. Just one faltering on one part of the defence and they would have been overrun. I think the fortifications were crucial - the Boers also had success with lagers - with the rapid firing rifles (and plentiful ammo) helping explain how in this case the British overcame the extreme odds. The proficiency of the redcoats and the bravery of the Zulus are still striking, though.

The author S. M. Stirling just be a fan of this event. In his Nantucket trilogy, in which said island is cast back in time to 1240BC, a force of islanders,(under a Capt. Rorke), fight off a superior force of downtimers in what we now call the Middle East. It goes exactly as depicted in this video.

I read somewhere that the Brit garrison only had 400 rounds of ammo left when daybreak arrived.

Thank you very much for a concise yet informative explanation!

Imagine seeing footage of this, if it existed. What an absolutely relentless bloodbath. A more recent Agincourt.

best depiction I have seen

One of my favorite battles to research.

Funny - Colour sergeant Bourne, stated that most of the British deaths were inflicted by zulus up on the hill using rifles captured in the previous battle

I was invited in to the officers' mess in Brecon in the 80s. The walls were covered with shields, assegais and other memorabilia. I think 10 of the VCs were on display in a glass case. I believe the missing one has subsequently been supplied on permanent loan from the family. I was then and still am well aware of the rare privilege. The sight of 10 VCs in a row was indescribable. I saw the movie 5 times as a kid (admittedly as much for the titty show as anything else!).

'They've got a good section but they've certainly don't have any top tenors. Sing!'

Nice video. I was 14 years old when the movie ZULU was released in 1964 (with Stanley Baker and "introducing" Michael Caine) and narrated by Richard Burton. It was showing at the RKO Prospect movie theater on 9th street in Brooklyn, NY.. Too bad you didn't mention the Martini/Henry (Peabody action) rifles the British soldiers were using. Still though, damn good stuff.

Good work lads.

Good work. Cleared up a misconception I had .

great video i especially like that you used rise of nations units, such underrated game. cheers!

Is this the one a film was made about? Remember watching it as a kid. Think my dad put it on the telly for us. Cracking film. And excellent video. Wish there was more going around about this war. A huge amount of us Brits know fuck all about this war.

I love how you sound like the “I custom my rifle like it’s 1862” guy

Great historic video for children and those who don't know

I thought the Zulu's got guns from the previous massacre of the British

So the Zulu's never retreated because they heard them singing, admired their courage, and left (like in the film Zulu?) it was because they saw reinforcements? The biscuits must have been those old scottish shortbreads, you can break your teeth on those things.

worth watching and good history for youth.

That BISCUIT BOX fall-back is what saved them. It is reminiscent of a SQUARE DEFENSE FORMATION. What did they do with the 800-plus dead bodies? Dead bodies would have been very unsanitary and disease friendly. Boggles the mind.

This is not an analysis of tactics or indeed anything else, just a telling of what happened.

Unimaginable how these British survived.

excellent animation that clearly shows the battle.

Great coverage on Both sides

Thank you I found this video interesting

Enjoyed Thanks

The Zulus got ALL THE CATTLE that your narration left out, so the Zulus accomplished their objective and effectively won the engagement by obtaining their supplies while denying them to their enemies.

While the VCs were undoubtably deserved, the reason so many were awarded was as an attempted distraction from the horrific defeat at Isandlwana the day before. That was the largest defeat of the British Army by an indigenous force ever recorded and was a huge embarrassment, so pressure was on to divert attention.

11 VC's were awarded, brave men fighting for their very lives. The VC at the time was the ONLY military award available to the British Soldier at that time, no other bravery awards, not even recognition in "Mention In Dispatches" and that is the reason why that many were awarded. It will NEVER EVER happen again!

800 kills 17 deaths is a good score for that map. What difficulty were the critters on for that run?

Creative use of Rise Of Nations. Well played .

There are a couple of psychological points that should be mentioned. walls and bayonets. Both made a big impact. The zulu knew how guns worked but they weren't as scary to them as they would be to us. They heard the shooting and saw their mates fall but didn't really fear them. They were not in their culture. Bayonets however they understood. They knew a good well made pointy bit of metal when they saw it. It's what they used... They respected the steel and knew the damage it could inflict. So a wave would bravely charge across heavy fire with no fear... but then slowed as they reached the wall (they were fixated on the bayonets). Only to be shot.

We Brits have fought our entire history against larger enemies, now we are up against our so called European friends who are ready to feast over our carcass, well to quote Churchill " The British lion is not dead he is merely sleeping, and if you pull his tail he will turn and bite your hand off ".

Very informative

Always reminds me of the Alamo, shame that didn't end the same way.

Awesome

You say they had access to some old muskets...I thought the battle of Rorke's Drift took place after the British defeat @ Isandlwana and they had captured rifles as well.

Great stuff!

Well done sir.

A Zulu man was not allowed to marry until he had fought in battle. These reserves had missed their chance in the prior battle, so against orders, they crossed the river to attack the supply camp.

I remember Michael Caine in this movie and I was not impressed with his impression of a British combat officer. That impression changed earlier this year - 2021 - when I read where MC served or was 'drafted' into the British army during the Korean War. I the story was how he and 2 of his companions crawled through Chinese lines, from an OP/LP, in the pitch of night scared beyond belief. But, they were able to remember their training and maintain their discipline to make it safely into British lines. MC served as an enlisted soldier. A British citizen fulfilling his duty to serve his country and understanding how a single event in a combat soldier's life can change their outlook on life that no civilian can ever understand. That article is what changed my impression of MC a complete 180 degrees when he portrayed a German Fallschirmjager officer in the movie 'The Eagle Has Landed.' Character, honor, and a devotion to duty even when your superiors (General Miley) are playing political games with the lives of their soldiers. As one combat veteran to another my respect to Michael Caine.

3 Years earlier, Custer and his men got wiped out with similar numbers at the Battle of Little Big Horn. If only Leftentant Chard and Bromhead were in command! Also, it was suggested to Custer to take a Gatling gun with him. Oh well, maybe next time! LOL

As l have read & understood it the Zulu's at Rorke' s Drift didn't have any rifles taken at Isandlwhana after the attack because they veered around the attack and headed straight for Rorke s Drift w/muzzle loader rifles & the like

This was a big victory for the BRITS. BRITISH CASUALTIES were 17 whereas ZULU CASUALTIES were 800. The BATTLE OF ISANDLWANA was a big loss for the BRITS. BRITISH CASUALTIES were 1,3000 and ZULU CASUALTIES were 1,000.

Although this is a very well explained depiction, it should have been noted that Rorkes drift was on top of hill with rocky slopes making it very difficult for the zulus to run up and over whelm them.

great video 👏👏

thank you brother. supply depot,eh? I always wondered why a mission would have thousand of bags of grain as in the Stanley Baker film.

800 Zulus dead .they fired over 22000 rounds of ammo

After isandlawana and rorkes drift the zulu army met the english a third time at ulundi. The english had 1000 men, cannons and gatling guns. And that, my friends, was that!

Little-known fact: Sir Garnet Wolseley, the incoming general officer commanding the British forces in the Anglo-Zulu war, didn't think any of the Victoria Crosses awarded at either Isandlwana or Rorke's Drift were merited. Lieutenants Melvill and Coghill almost got out of Isandlwana with the regimental colours before being surrounded and killed - Wolseley said they were just trying to save their own lives. As for all eleven VCs awarded for Rorke's Drift, Wolseley thought men 'fighting like rats' with their backs to the wall weren't heroes because they, too, were primarily concerned with personal survival. As far as I know, the only Isandlwana/Rorke's Drift VC he didn't complain about was that of Samuel Wassall, who won it during the mad scramble to escape from Isandlwana, when he rescued a comrade who was drowning in the Buffalo River while under heavy enemy fire.

I forgot what the battle was called but it was in Afghanistan and it involved 7 British troops defending to the last man was killed

Don’t know if it’s true, but there’s a story that they fired so many rounds in the night that the rifle barrels glowed red.

Good one. Thanks.

Perfidious Albion. - W. Shakespeare

I liked and subscribed!!!!!!!!!!!

Very simplistic and jingoistic, Zulu losses were probably 400 at most and had they attacked in force the defenders would have been wiped out in the first charge. Also as this was the first awarding of the VC it was probably over done to counter the bad publicity of Isandlwana