Download or read book Boer Guerrilla vs British Mounted Soldier written by Ian Knight and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2017-07-27 with total page 81 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Waged across an inhospitable terrain which varied from open African savannah to broken mountain country and arid semi-desert, the Anglo-Boer wars of 1880–81 and 1899–1902 pitted the British Army and its allies against the Boers' commandos. The nature of warfare across these campaigns was shaped by the realities of the terrain and by Boer fighting techniques. Independent and individualistic, the Boers were not professional soldiers but a civilian militia who were bound by the terms of the 'Commando system' to come together to protect their community against an outside threat. By contrast the British Army was a full-time professional body with an established military ethos, but its over-dependence on conventional infantry tactics led to a string of Boer victories. This fully illustrated study examines the evolving nature of Boer military techniques, and contrasts them with the British experience, charting the development of effective British mounted tactics from the first faltering steps of 1881 through to the final successes of 1902.

Download or read book Boer Guerrilla Vs British Mounted Soldier written by Ian Knight and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2017-07-18 with total page 81 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The fully illustrated David-vs-Goliath story of the Boer commandos and British mounted troops who fought one another in South Africa in the final years of the nineteenth century.

Download or read book Boer Guerrilla vs British Mounted Soldier written by Ian Knight and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2017-07-27 with total page 81 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Waged across an inhospitable terrain which varied from open African savannah to broken mountain country and arid semi-desert, the Anglo-Boer wars of 1880–81 and 1899–1902 pitted the British Army and its allies against the Boers' commandos. The nature of warfare across these campaigns was shaped by the realities of the terrain and by Boer fighting techniques. Independent and individualistic, the Boers were not professional soldiers but a civilian militia who were bound by the terms of the 'Commando system' to come together to protect their community against an outside threat. By contrast the British Army was a full-time professional body with an established military ethos, but its over-dependence on conventional infantry tactics led to a string of Boer victories. This fully illustrated study examines the evolving nature of Boer military techniques, and contrasts them with the British experience, charting the development of effective British mounted tactics from the first faltering steps of 1881 through to the final successes of 1902.

Download or read book US Soldier vs British Soldier written by Gregg Adams and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2021-02-18 with total page 81 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Between June 1812 and January 1815, US and British forces, notably the regular infantrymen of both sides (including the Canadian Fencibles Regiment), fought one another on a host of North American battlefields. This study examines the evolving role and combat performance of the two sides' regulars during the conflict, with particular reference to three revealing battles in successive years: Queenston Heights, Crysler's Farm, and Chippawa. Featuring full-color artwork and battle maps, this fully illustrated study investigates the US and British regular infantry's role, tactics, junior leadership, and combat performance on three battlefields of the War of 1812. The actions assessed here notably demonstrate the evolution of US regulars from their initial poor showing to an emerging professionalism that allowed them to face their British opponents on equal terms.

Download or read book Boer Commando 1876 1902 written by Ian Knight and published by Osprey Publishing. This book was released on 2004-03-25 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Their lifestyle of hunting for sport and profit honed the Boers' skills of field-craft, horsemanship, and marksmanship, making them a formidable force in the field and well suited to guerrilla operations. This book describes the life and combat experiences of a typical Boer in this key period. Using meticulously researched analysis and comment, and the experiences of a composite character, Johannes de Bruyn, a revealing portrait of Boer life and military operations is drawn. The actions at Laing's Neck, Majuba, the Zulu Civil War and the Second Anglo-Boer War are covered in this packed and informative treatment.

Download or read book British Infantryman vs Mahdist Warrior written by Ian Knight and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2021-08-19 with total page 81 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the early 1880s, Britain intervened in independent Egypt and seized control of the Suez Canal. British forces were soon deployed to Egypt's southern colony, the Sudan, where they confronted a determined and capable foe amid some of the world's most inhospitable terrain. In 1881 an Islamic fundamentalist revolt had broken out in the Sudan, led by a religious teacher named Muhammad Ahmad bin Abd Allah, who proclaimed himself al-Mahdi, 'The Guided One'. In 1884, Mahdist forces besieged the Sudanese capital of Khartoum; Colonel Charles Gordon was sent to the city with orders to evacuate British personnel, but refused to leave. Although the British despatched a relief column to rescue Gordon, the Mahdists stormed Khartoum in January 1885 and he was killed. British troops abandoned much of the Sudan, but renewed their efforts to reconquer it in the late 1890s, in a bloody campaign that would decide the region's fate for generations. Written by leading expert Ian Knight, this fully illustrated study examines the evolving forces, weapons and tactics employed by both sides in the Sudan, notably at the battles of Abu Klea (16–18 January 1885), Tofrek (22 March 1885) and Atbara (8 April 1898).

Download or read book French s Cavalry Campaign written by J. G. Maydon and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The last great cavalry campaign of the 19th Century This is a fascinating book written by a journalist present with the British Cavalry during the Boer War. He describes its manoeuvres, actions and battles in some detail and for those interested in the campaign this concise account will provide much welcome detail. What makes it especially interesting is that the author did not simply report on the British Cavalry-he was also a great advocate for it. He challenges the emergent view that the days of cavalry were drawing to their close and champions its cause over the newly created mounted infantry. Interestingly, French would lead the British army in the opening stages of the Great War in Europe. There all would shortly learn how the experiences of the South African War would translate to the 20th century battlefield.

Download or read book Battles of the Boer War written by William Baring Pemberton and published by London : Batsford. This book was released on 1964 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book British Infantryman vs Zulu Warrior written by Ian Knight and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2013-10-20 with total page 81 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The short but savage Anglo-Zulu War of 1879 pitched well-equipped but complacent British soldiers into combat with the Zulu, one of history's finest fighting forces. The clashes between these two different armies prompted tactical innovation on both sides, as the British and their Zulu opponents sought to find the optimal combination of mobility, protection and firepower. This engrossing study traces the changing face of infantry combat in the Anglo-Zulu War. Three major engagements are detailed: the Zulu ambush at Nyezane, repulsed by the British using their established tactics; the shocking defeat and massacre of outmanoeuvred British forces in savage close-quarter fighting at iSandlwana; and the British victory at Khambula following their adoption of more condensed firing lines and prepared positions.

Download or read book On Commando written by Dietlof Siegfried Van Wa Van Warmelo and published by Legare Street Press. This book was released on 2023-07-18 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This gripping first-hand account details the experiences of a Boer soldier during the Second Boer War. The author relates the challenges of guerrilla warfare, including encounters with the British army and the difficulties of survival in hostile terrain. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in military history or the Boer Wars. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Download or read book The Victorian soldier in Africa written by Edward Spiers and published by Manchester University Press. This book was released on 2013-07-19 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This electronic version has been made available under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-ND) open access license. The Victorian soldier in Africa re-examines the campaign experience of British soldiers in Africa during the period, 1874–1902 – the zenith of the Victorian imperial expansion – and does so from the perspective of the regimental soldier. The book utilises an unprecedented number of letters and diaries, written by regimental officers and other ranks, to allow soldiers to speak for themselves about their experience of colonial warfare. The sources demonstrate the adaptability of the British army in fighting in different climates, over demanding terrain and against a diverse array of enemies. They also uncover soldiers’ responses to army reforms of the era as well as the response to the introduction of new technologies of war. Moreover, the book provides commentary on soldiers’ views of commanding officers and politicians alongside assessment of war correspondents, colonial auxiliaries and African natives in their roles as bearers, allies and enemies. This book reveals new insights on imperial and racial attitudes within the army, on relations between soldiers and the media and the production of information and knowledge from frontline to homefront. It will make fascinating reading for students, academics and enthusiasts in imperial history, Victorian studies, military history and colonial warfare.

Download or read book Four War Boer written by Colin D. Heaton and published by Casemate. This book was released on 2014-01-19 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This “fascinating” biography of a South African-born warrior provides a window into a full century of military conflicts(Adam Makos, New York Times–bestselling author of A Higher Call). Four-War Boer traces Pieter Krueler’s highly colorful life from the Second Boer War, where he first served as a fourteen-year-old scout, to his service in World War I with the German army in East Africa to the Spanish Civil War to World War II, this time with the Allies, and on into the latter part of the twentieth century, when he served as a mercenary during the 1960s Congo Crisis. Later, in his eighties, he became a civilian trainer for the original Selous Scouts of Rhodesia and, later still, a trainer for South African commandos. The book follows Krueler through a remarkable career that included, among other adventures, leading native African soldiers on extremely dangerous missions in the Belgian Congo; volunteering as a mercenary during the Spanish Civil War, during which he worked with the Pyrenees Basque movement; serving as a coast watcher to keep South Africa safe from German incursion; and fighting alongside Michael Hoare during the 1960s Congo Crisis. A chapter is devoted to the formation of Rhodesia’s highly elite Selous Scouts, along with highlights of several previously classified missions. This material includes a wealth of new information, and breaks the secrecy surrounding Rhodesian and South African special operations, as unveiled through the experience of a man who was a founding father of counterinsurgency in Africa. Based on six years of historical research through hard-to-find secondary and published primary sources, as well as extensive interviews with Krueler himself, and interviews with German officers and others who knew and worked with him, this biography is filled with extensive first-person testimony that gives it the immediacy of a memoir.

Download or read book Commando written by Deneys Reitz and published by . This book was released on 2021-03-22 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of the most famous first-hand accounts of the Second Boer war, written by a soldier who served on the Boer commandos from the very first to the very last day of that conflict. Reitz-who went on to have a distinguished career in the later Union of South Africa-starts out his book with a short description of his upbringing as the son of a President of the Boer republic of the Orange Free State. From there, the book quickly moves into his recruitment into the Boer forces at the age of 17-after personally receiving permission from Transvaal President Paul Kruger to enrol in the Pretoria Commando. Deployed to the Natal front, Reitz describes the early Boer victories and the battles in which he took part-including the famous Battle of Spion Kop-and the slow war of attrition as the British recovered from the initial defeats and conquered the Boer Republics. The Boers however refused to surrender, and instead resorted to guerrilla tactics, harassing the British Army-now twice as large as the entire Boer population of the time-for two more years. At the height of the guerrilla war, Reitz then describes how he struck south and joined up with Boer General Jan Smut's invasion of the Cape Colony. That surprise move remained an unmovable threat to the British right to the very end of the war, when the Boers were finally forced into submission after more than half of their civilian population were interred in concentration camps. This new edition has been completely reset, contains the full original text and the introduction specially prepared for it by Jan Smuts. In addition, it contains 110 footnotes explaining terms, issues, and events for the present-day reader, in addition to the 5 original footnotes added by the author. Finally, this edition also contains short biographies of both the author and the preface writer.

Download or read book The Boer War written by Craig Wilcox and published by Craig WIlcox. This book was released on 1999 with total page 106 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Contains a guide to researching the records of those Australians who served in the Boer War, 1899-1902.

Download or read book From Boer War to World War written by Spencer Jones and published by University of Oklahoma Press. This book was released on 2013-04-01 with total page 383 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The British Expeditionary Force at the start of World War I was tiny by the standards of the other belligerent powers. Yet, when deployed to France in 1914, it prevailed against the German army because of its professionalism and tactical skill, strengths developed through hard lessons learned a dozen years earlier. In October 1899, the British went to war against the South African Boer republics of Transvaal and Orange Free State, expecting little resistance. A string of early defeats in the Boer War shook the military’s confidence. Historian Spencer Jones focuses on this bitter combat experience in From Boer War to World War, showing how it crucially shaped the British Army’s tactical development in the years that followed. Before the British Army faced the Boer republics, an aura of complacency had settled over the military. The Victorian era had been marked by years of easy defeats of crudely armed foes. The Boer War, however, brought the British face to face with what would become modern warfare. The sweeping, open terrain and advent of smokeless powder meant soldiers were picked off before they knew where shots had been fired from. The infantry’s standard close-order formations spelled disaster against the well-armed, entrenched Boers. Although the British Army ultimately adapted its strategy and overcame the Boers in 1902, the duration and cost of the war led to public outcry and introspection within the military. Jones draws on previously underutilized sources as he explores the key tactical lessons derived from the war, such as maximizing firepower and using natural cover, and he shows how these new ideas were incorporated in training and used to effect a thorough overhaul of the British Army. The first book to address specific connections between the Boer War and the opening months of World War I, Jones’s fresh interpretation adds to the historiography of both wars by emphasizing the continuity between them.

Download or read book The Boer War 1899 1902 written by Gregory Fremont-Barnes and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2014-06-06 with total page 143 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Victorious in its previous campaigns in Africa against native armies, Britain now confronted an altogether different foe. The Boers proved to be formidable opponents, masterfully compensating for inferior numbers with grim determination, resourcefulness and strong religious faith. Their mobility, expert use of cover, and knowledge of the terrain, in which they employed powerful long-range magazine rifles, gave them initial advantages. By contrast the British suffered from inadequate transport, insufficient mounted troops and poor intelligence. Despite marshalling the immense resources of their empire, the British were to be severely tested in a war which one general described as 'the graveyard of many a soldier's reputation'.

Download or read book William Holmes written by Geoffrey Travers and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2020-06-01 with total page 518 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The road that first leads people from Kingsford Smith Airport in Sydney is named General Holmes Drive, but nowadays few Australians know anything about General Holmes. William Holmes could be remembered for his lifelong public service in developing Sydney’s water supply and sewerage system — but he should be remembered as one of the foremost Australian citizen soldiers of his time. Holmes commanded Australia’s first independent military expeditionary force in World War I, and in New Guinea accepted the first German surrender for Australia. At Gallipoli, Pozières, Bullecourt and Messines, Holmes earned a reputation for fearlessness in battle, believing that at critical times and even during pauses in engagement, reconnaissance should be conducted by the officers in command making the decisions. He was known to all his soldiers and his leadership inspired their affection and loyalty. Philosophical about the risks he took on the battlefield, it was cruel irony indeed that Holmes was killed on the day he took extra safety precautions. Holmes, a contemporary of John Monash, arguably achieved more in his early career than his peer and would certainly have been a contender for command of the Australian Corps in 1918 had he still been alive. This is his story.