Back when half the formation could be engaged in melee while the other half kept firing their guns instead of joining in, because each soldier model in a formation was actually an individual instead of the whole formation just being one big single unit entity.
To be fair the British Army in WW1 had no portable radio communication. All Officers (generals down to subalterns) needed to keep their men in close formation in order to assess rapidly changing tactical situations. Many of the times when German territory was taken it was then lost due to the failure of command to quickly back up an advance.
At the battle of Ulundi the British had gatlings at the corners of the square. Big firepower difference. Not to mention cannon fire with shrapnel shells engaging the Zulu at approaching distance and then case shot acting like a large shotgun at close quarters.
Even with gatling guns and horse artillery, unless those new weapons broke the Zulu Spirit, in this case I believe the Brits were too outnumbered to win a battle of attrition.
Back in the 1990s MILITARY HISTORY magazine offered a series of exciting prints of historical battles around the world of different times and places. One of the fine color prints being advertised was that of a bird's eye view of a British infantry square against a horde of Zulu warriors. The color print focused on one corner of the British square where it shows Zulu warriors just starting to break through the corner. Ostensibly an infantry defensive square was most vulnerable at its corners. The message of the color print is clear. The doom of that British expeditionary force is at hand.
Sorry, that was listed in Military History magazine as an advertisement back in the 1990s. I have no idea how to track it other than you find an old MH mag from the mid-to-late 90s and check it out.@@AV-dd9ld
They also had a very short supply line and literally thousands of pounds of ammo. Who knows how many individual cartridge load-outs were gone through that day, and replenished without delay.
This battle can be won by using the troops as efficiently as possible. For example, you have 2 units of line infantry idle idle in the rear of the square formation in which your troops are lined up. In addition, cavalry can bind advancing enemies with battle.
You mean like.. Firing by ranks? Just similar Firing by ranks tactics but it's like... Form 2 lines.. Front rank fire first and kneel then reload. Then rear rank fire and advance then kneel and reload. And front rank stand up and fire and do like that again and again and again untill all enemies die or retreat. You mean like that?
@Rattanakosin I think he means that only 2 sides of the square were firing and the back half of the square wasn't doing anything. So if the British army were to utilize their men in a different way the battle would've been a victory instead of a great defeat for her majestys army
In this mod, once the Zulus get you in melee, it's all over. Their melee stat is so much higher than the British and their morale is very hard to break. If he had put up a wagon laager and had even a modicum of artillery, he probably could've succeeded better.
I assume that if it actually played out in reality the British would have undertaken way more maneuvers and the square's sides would constantly be shifting in and out of the formation so that the maximum amount of men would have been firing.
@@lawrence142002 which is funny because historically the Zulus had recently switched to shorter, thrusting spears instead of longer throwing spears and the British did well against them with their bayonets in melee
Well, they used the horns of the bull formation, which in essence flanked like calvary would have done. Hence the square, even though this is a game, would protect from flanking by the horns of the bull.
Now if you had added a couple of gatling guns it would have been how it really was at the battle Ulundi when the British did form square to take on the Zulu impis.
Zulus, bloody thousands of them! Seriously though, I’d be interested to see the outcome of three ranks of volley fire and a much smaller square would have any difference. I would also be utilising that cavalry force who appeared to contribute little.
Zulus are just men ,they are not super beings. Small Colonial army’s with their training and fire power would always win, unless they were surprised and poorly lead. Which only happened once!
@@lawrence142002 That depends on what you call a battle.e Intombe = small brit force around 100 guarding some wagons att by 7-800 Zulus? mor like R Drift Mark 2? Hiobane was a Reconnaissance by a Brit mounted force that found the Zulu army, yes lost a lot when trying to evade, but this lead to Battle of Kambula
@@lawrence142002 I was going to say - well...only 3 times! The Zulu ultimately lost but gained a reputation back in London "A very remarkable people the Zulu. They defeat our generals; they convert our bishops; they have settled the fate of a great European dynasty."
If the Martini-Henry rifle could fire effectively, without the delicate metal casing fouling in a hot barrel, at the range first depicted in the simulation, the British Army would be triumphant. But the rifles did jam or foul, and Zulu's exploited gaps in the ranks...very quickly!
I don’t get why they didn’t just put a little more effort and money into the game. I would’ve paid far more for it if it had people actively shouting orders in their native languages, a better tax system, better effects, larger army sizes, more diverse units, etc. Like it wouldn’t have been that hard from a coding/effects perspective.
Historically completely impossible but good for a laugh. The only victory the Zulu won at Inswalanda was due to British incompetence in not forming a proper square, had this been done with the ammunition wagons in the centre the Zulus would have been slaughtered just like they were at Ulundi.
Hello guys. I have not played this mod yet, but judging by the screenshots that I have seen, this mod does not have a company on the African continent. I only saw screenshots of the game for Britain on the map of Napoleon's Egypt company. There is no full-fledged company in Africa in this mod?
Salvo engano, os mosquetoes eram de tiro único. Gostaria de saber se após os disparos os atiradores corriam para trás das filas para recarregarem suas armas.
So many errors, the Baker rifles didn’t have the range suggested in this video. Nor did the Brits use a two man deep square against the Zulu’s. They used 3-4 men deep.
there was no need to form a square formation as could deliver the full firepower available. square only for Calvary or surrounded with being attacked from all sides. zules were coming from a particular area where line formation the more better option. with the hill terrain could even stack in doubles the companies the lines could be have double strengthen lines. but i do get for vid purposes how it will look if square is done but its unrealistic with the scenario given.
I recently read the book version of world War Z. I don't remember which chapter it is, but they mention both American and Indian army units forming squares against oncoming zombies, Would find it hilarious if it was actually possible
The Brit defense was totally lackluster. Not wising to dwell on the details, the main fault with the Brits in this game was the total misuse of the cavalry. They should have been outside the square making harassing attacks and drawing off the Zulus. There were a couple of times when they could have routed and destroyed retreating units.
2 things here...first off, a square is supposed to be formed with 4 ranks on each side...the front rank kneels with fixed bayonets, the second rank stands with fixed bayonets, third rank does the shooting, and the 4th rank loads for the third rank. Also, squares are never deployed against infantry...only cavalry. Horses will not charge the steel of the bayonets.
Thezulus gtcut down charging in then go and turn around and run away when they get 10 feet from the lines then they get cut down again retreating. They had a better chance just keeping on going and melee it out
4 месяца назад
British infantry squares were more than two ranks deep. Normally at least four. All the Zulus had to do in this scenario, however, was to surround the British and wait, since the British square has no food or water that I can see.
Perhaps instead of a square there was a triangle with reinforced corners and a central reserve force capable of plugging holes much quicker with far less distance to cover. They should have been able to have three lines deep firing and still have a reserve. One line kneeling on one knee and firing at will, and two lines standing behind them and alternating fire.
Only once in history was a British square Compromised, The battle of Tel el kebir, in the Sudan. The square was reformed, and the intruders dealt with by the bayonet.
This is not accurate because the Zulu used cattle stampeding at the beginning of their attack. Following the stampede spears where launched followed by asegai (Short spear with a long head made for stabing at close quarters). Also, note that Zulu warriors were drilled hard and normally attacked at sprinting speeds. Another problem is that they would almost never attack from low ground.
If i was you i would have harassed the enemy with cav to delay their advance while ordering all units to fire to take them out while the cav keeps harassing the enemy.
while it couldn't be as real as real life, i imagine the zulus running far faster, and also throwing spears at long and mostly short range. the calvery could also be firing pistols. i remember the main reason the British lost was they ran out of ammunition.
Зулусы (самоназвание - amaZulu) - африканский этнос численностью около 10 млн человек, обитающий в основном в провинции Квазулу-Натал в Южно-Африканской Республике. Небольшие группы зулусов также проживают в Эсватини, Лесото, Зимбабве, Замбии и Мозамбике. Язык зулу принадлежит к группе нгуни семьи банту. Зулусское королевство сыграло важную роль в истории нынешней ЮАР в XIX и XX веках. К зулусам близки такие народы, как коса, свази, матабеле и нгони. Страна зулусов (также Зулусская империя, КваЗулу, Зулуленд) - территория союза племён зулусов, сложившаяся в первой половине XIX века в Южной Африке на побережье Индийского океана (территория современной провинции ЮАР Квазулу-Натал). Во время своего максимального расцвета страна простиралась от реки Понголы на севере до реки Умзимкулу на юге.Правители Зулуленда: основатель Чаки (1816-1828), Дингане (1828-1840), Мпанде (1840-1856), Правление Кечвайо (1872-1879).
