The Battle of Isandlwana | Zulus Vs British | Total War Cinematic Battle 

I was skeptical about using the game for documentary graphics, but this is much, much better than a handful of reenactors!

In case you are wondering about the "the Zulu... ...put an end to a great dynasty" part of the ending quote by Prime Minister Disraeli, he is referring to the death of Louis-Napoléon, Prince Imperial, the only child of Emperor Napoleon III of France. Who was killed by a Zulu warrior on June 1, 1879.

Referring to the total eclipse that afternoon, the Zulus interpreted it as a sign that victory was at hand. In the lore that followed it is known as 'the day of the dead moon'. Pretty apt and eerie.

Something fitting about one of the most notorious defeats of the British Empire, the empire on which the sun never sets, happening during an eclipse.

Good to hear Sgt Bourne making comments

This was immensely informative and fun to watch

Great vid! Thank You!

I'm watching this on my big telly and I have to say I'm impressed. Great graphics and good story telling. Should do a battle scene from all the wars lol well done 10/10

An American general split his forces three years before and look what happened to him.

Watched a docu about this battle years ago and it was suggested that a lot of the British muskets jammed during the battle, a design flaw exacerbated by dust and prolonged firing. By the end it was spears versus rifle butts at which the Zulus were far more skilled.

I very much enjoyed your video and I gave it a Thumbs Up

People invented pointy things and then they invented stabbing, before long everybody was stabbing each other, it caught on!

So enjoy these posts. Thank you.

Another great video

Terrifying to have a solar eclipse kn middle of battle

Outstanding!

Impressive showcase!

I only wished this would’ve popped up on my recommended earlier. This is so cool. Also, who’s the narrator? You? And did you use any cinematic mods? And what PC is bro using? And is this OBS recorded?

Peter O Toole played the arrogant Chelmsford to a tee. He was dismissive of the Zulus and didn't leave behind a strong commander. The results speak for themselves.

Thanks. ✌🏻👊🏼

Amazing you got this film footage of the battle, The men walked a bit jerky though.😁

There is so much WRONG with this video. Although it has a lot of commendable elements it totally misses the most important aspects of and reasons for this defeat of a British force by an African army. This discredits both the British and the Zulus btw. If you want to understand this battle then please read a book, or ten books and dont be misled by this video. look at 9:30 which shows zulus suddenly in close combat with the British line with no explanation and an impression that they simply ran up to them. ridiculous. A very poor and lazy part of an otherwise ok video. Vitally important to any explanation of this battle is that first the rate of fire the British line slowed down. This gave the zulus in the chest of their army some hope that they could rush them but it wasnt enough on its own for the zulus to stand up and rush them. This wasnt because the British 'ran out' of ammo but it is because they were getting low and the zulus had gone to ground (crawling slowly through the grass) and were no longer advancing boldly towards the British. Still this encouraged the Zulus who saw it as a good sign. Second and most importantly to this whole battle is that the Zulu left wing or 'horn' attacked and wiped out the most extreme right wing company of the British line after Durnfords sudden and unexpected retreat. The zulus didnt simply attack the centre of the British line unsupported, they attacked the right side of the line and began to roll it up and only when the chest of the zulu army saw this they charged forward into the centre of the British line to join those who had attacked the British right. This flank attack only happened because the Zulu left horn had ran quite far to outflank the British line and they were being held off by Durnford on his own. BUT and most crucially Durnford had not made any arrangements for getting ammunition to his men and unforgivably he retreated back to the camp without warning Pulleine or any other British officer. This sudden gallop back to the camp allowed the left horn Zulus to rush towards the extreme right flank of the British line and wipe them out. That said Pulliene should have seen the danger and reinforced Durnford or withdrawn his long line before the retreat happened. This leads to a very important detail which is that Pulleine foolishly tried to defend the same line that Chelmsford had laid out for 4000 men. Pulleines smaller force was too thin to defend such a long line and so the men in the right wing companies were standing several yards apart from each other, not shoulder to shoulder. When the zulus closed with them from their right and rear they were overwhelmed in seconds. If someone doesnt understand these details which are not in this video then they cannot possibly understand the battle. Also may I say that the British companies shown here are HUGE. In reality a company of the 1st Battalion 24 foot at Isandlwhana was about 90 men not the 2 or 3 hundred shown here and those on the right of the line were in very open order not closed order as shown here. I could go on and on but I will stop here. I only write because the comments here dont seem to understand that the important details of this battle are left out for some reason. Personally I love the history of the two invasions of Zululand in general. I have casually researched it for about 40 years. I have forgotten more than most know about it but the important things I remember really should have been in any video that wants to explain what happened and why.

Excellent work as always. 7:20 "OK! Time to go!"

Can you make a video about the Battle of Imjin River during the Korean War?

The British decision to leave their heavy machine guns at base … created the opportunity for Zulus to prevail due to force of numbers !!

Great video. I only want to say for a more authentic environment, using Napoleon TW, the battle should have been done somewhere in southern Spain to more closely resemble where the battle took place

Is this a mod!? This looks amazing

Well, this was something. Great. Thought it was the end of the Zulu war content on the channel. Even the channel saw the comment I made, said it was the end of the content following the Battle of Kambula. Maybe he tricked me. A prank. I think of this battle moreover than the Little Bighorn with Custer three years before the Zulu war. This battle had twice as many men killed in Custer's last stand. Overconfidence was a factor in the British loss. Chelmsford thought that a well-discipline force such as his would beat back an enemy armed with spears and shield. Chelmsford expected to be a easy victory. This was not the case.

🧐 "i say perkins, that zulu chaps waving his spear at you" 😮 "Thats not his spear sir" !!

Looks very much like a video game. I'd play this!

Total war games are just fantastic. Shogun 2 is my fave close 2nd is rome 2

Do you use Total War Games? Which game feature this era?

Do Blood River or Rorkes Drift next

The Zulu's had an odd belief about the afterlife. To them if the entrails of a corpse were cut out the soul would be trapped as a ghost on Earth and could not ascend to heaven. This was why after the battle the Zulus cut open the stomachs of the British and gutted them. This gives one a insight how high the hatred level existed for the Zulu's against the British and this was not just a battle in a classical sense that would exist in Europe but a contest where the hatred was so total that they wished to damn their opponents as shades for eternity.

glorius battle

Must have been hard for the British to fight an entire army of naked men.

A highly trained, more advanced military underestimating and disregarding a much larger, less advanced military and getting slaughtered... it's amazing how similar this battle is to the battle of little bighorn.

The soldier with the trumpet just doesnt give a fuck

Some of the British officers fled the scene on horseback claiming they were guarding the colors .. later awarded bongs for “bravery. “

Would have been cool if you added Lt Melvill & Lt Coghill carrying the Queens colours out of battle and loosing their lives in the river saving the flag

which game and mod did you use ?

It seems other people don't like it when you invade their lands. We never learn.

It was a victory for the Zulu but at a very high cost. Almost 3 times as many KIA than the British. Zulu couldn’t keep up with those loses.

Is the movie based on "Fall of the Samurai" or "Empire"?

This animation is probably the most inaccurate depiction of the battle. Not how it happened at all.

No many mentioned of the supply of ammunition which caused a reduction of the rate of fire, allowing the Zulu's to surge forward.

The Brits were very disturbed about the bodies of their soldiers being disemboweled but the Zulus were just doing their spirits a favour,

Which bishops were converted? What were they converted to?

Bullets and cannon against spears.

British are awesome warriors

The cinematic presents an erroneous depiction. The British were not form in a line abreast, but in a skirmish line and too far away from camp to receive ammunition resupply. That is the main reason why superior firepower was not achieved, unlike at Rorke's drift.

The fact there was an eclipse is mindblowing to me 😳

20000 v 4000 is abit outnumbered,which school did these officers go to??

Like wolves on the fold, And how can man die better, by Mike Snook. If you want a great book on this.

Alllright then!!!

Decisive Battles Industrial Era: Isandlwana.

0:35 wtf with the bugler.

That's the only problem when using guns in warfare. When they're not firing.

What game is this? And or mod?

Zulus!............. Fousands of 'em.

Could you please tell me what the game is called?

I wonder how the Zulu Wars would have looked like if the Zulus were entirely firearm equipped. I reckon it would actually work to their detriment compared to their historical tactics, assuming no European firearm drills

is this empire total war? or a different total war

Ahh the arrogance of empire!!!! To note, we in the new world had our "Chelsford" called "Custer"! History is never learned!!!

Pulliene was a Lieutenant Colonel, not a Lieutenant!🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

This is very different to the historical texts

The regiment were likely not the 24th 24th wearing green facings not yellow

I dont get it, couldnt archers easily take out rifle troops like those

what is the name of the game?

The robotic voice absolutely spoils it , why is it so popular?

I refuse to watch AI narrated videos, otherwise I am sure I would have liked this.

what´s the name of the game?

what mods?

Tactically speaking, the British might have had a better chance if the whole group had formed square with their artillery and supplies in the center. The Zulus would have had a harder time breaking through.

Good - but why are the distances used not in miles?!

So where were the British Gatling Guns ?

Invasion?

It’s a shame Africa didn’t develop the same way as the west, British forces are centuries ahead of Africa, scary thought

This was not a decisive victory for the Zulus at all. It was an embarrassing loss for the British, but nothing more than that.

After the battle, the Zulu soldiers cut each fallen British soldier open "from groin to chops". The British press used this gory detail to underline how barbaric the Zulu were. However, the truth was that this was an act of honour on the part of the Zulu. The Zulu believed that such a cut was required for the fallen British soldiers' spirits to leave their bodies and travel to the afterlife. So what seemed barbaric was in fact an act of respect.

If the British had Colt single action revolvers, Winchester repetition rifles , and some Gatling machine guns they might have done better . Their equipment was obsolete compared to what the US was producing at the time.

They all have the same faces, are they all related?

Excuse me, sir. A strange message from Vereker, my lord. It would seem that Pulleine has a battle on his hands. No details. No intelligence.

I'm much more interested in the names of the Zulu Leaders

Hi

What totar war is this?

didn't they even fix bayonets?

VO isn’t bad, but I always check pronunciation before recording. Too many ridiculous mispronunciations…

HOW could the casualties be approx the same? 1300 Brits and 2000 Zulu? If the Brits had been firing rifles and canons at the Zulus for HOURS, there should have been disproportionate losses to Zulus....??????

and then they killed 6000 for 10 deaths deleting the Zulus and destroying the tribe

Amemrica moments ..i.e wounnded knee

no mention of the numbers very important. its like usa vs japan in the pacific shear numbers won the battle zulu 20k troops uk 2k lol and the start is totally wrong you giving a force claim that the brits marched into battle in Colum. they was all sitting around ? on the same day zulu had heavy loses at Rourke drift and later Gingindlovu

Am I correct in the presumption that this marked the only triumph of the Zulus in the Anglo-Zulu War?

Hello, which TW game and mod is this?

Natarl not naytal pronunciation !

Great example of British Exceptionalism.

Thay punch slow and funny

Nah... win, lose or draw. There NEVER was a problem getting the ZULU to Fight!!

Could you imagine how regressive a Total War produced game on this era would be? They'd have zulu warrior women with AK74N's and no moral break, 99 attack, 99 defence, and call it balanced.

Ganaron los Zulus contra los invasores ?