"Sadly," an extraordinarily high percentage of students of military history do not have any real first-hand connection with the machines and campaigns they study and model in such sincere earnest. This "separation" is inevitable when events happened well before the students' life began. While a distance of time and non-connection spares the student the unspeakable horror of war, it insulates them from the indescribable reality, as well.

Many military actions took place over vast distances, involving enormous resources on both sides, sometimes lasting for months, even years.

Imagine one in which the "featured" unit was a company (150 men) of infantry. Trapped, in an area 300 x 150 feet, outnumbered 20+ to 1.

And the enemy does not take prisoners.

And the defenders' only weapons were single-shot rifles and bayonets.

No cavalry, no artillery, no heavy weapons, no armour, no air. Single shot rifles and bayonets.

And the engagement, from start to finish was less than 24 hours?

Continuous.

In 1879, one hundred twenty five years ago, The Industrial Revolution dominated the Western world and influenced much of the rest, to greater or lesser degrees. A railroad traversed three thousand miles of much still-wild North America. Ever-bigger steamships crossed oceans. Telegraph lines provided instantaneous communication across countries and even linked continents. The telephone, elevator, cash register, mimeograph, phonograph and sewing machine were truly transforming the world.

Thomas Edison perfected his light bulb in that year, 1879.

At the southern tip of Africa, in what is now the country of South Africa, though, on 22 January, a Zulu army, armed primarily with assegais, short, stabbing spears, inflicted a terrible defeat on a modern British force, killing more than a thousand of Queen Victoria's professional soldiers...in a few hours.

Later that day, another Zulu force attacked the British garrison at Rorke's Drift, a small outpost. One company (150 men) of the South Wales Borderers, 24th Regiment of Foot, stood surrounded by a portion of the Zulu army, trained, motivated warriors.

The 150 British were, "...trapped like rats in a hole..." to use a quote from the book, with only a few buildings and low "wall" of food-provisions bags as defenses. Their area was about less than half a square city block.

Attacking early in the afternoon of 22 January, 1879, were well over 3,000 Zulu warriors.

For the next 18 hours, the place resembled one's worst nightmare of hell.

Somehow, the next morning, the British still held the post, ammunition supplies reduced to fewer than 10 rounds per rifle. Virtually every bayonet had blood on it, perhaps a thousand Zulu warriors died or were mortally wounded. More Victoria Crosses, the Empire's highest honour for gallantry were awarded for the Battle of Rorke's Drift than for any other action.

Having seen the movie "Zulu" (1964, directed by Cy Endfield, written by John Prebble) several times over the decades, when Osprey came out with their Campaign 41 Rorke's Drift 1879, the book was a must-purchase.

Author Ian Knight and illustrators Michael and Alan Perry do a fine, fine job of presenting the battle of Rorke's Drift historically and objectively in less than 100 pages. Add this one to your collection, a story of brave men attacking trapped men, on one terrible, bloody day. And after you read the book, rent the movie, "Zulu." Michael Caine and Stanley Baker do credible, if not historically perfect jobs as Lt. Bromhead and Chard, and the scenes of the Zulu village and warriors are truly breathtaking.

Plenty of good 54mm and 30mm figures of British soldiers and Zulu warriors exist, for the modeler to spend some intimate painting time with the subject. Look around at the swaps especially for the Minimen figures Lt. John Rouse Merriot Chard, Lt. Gonville Bromhead, Colour Sgt. Frank Bourne....

Highest recommendation

Review copy courtesy of the reviewer's chequebook, purchased from Prosek's Greenhouse and Military Model Shop, Winfield Illinois, USA

Reviewed by James Hood

For Scott Van Aken's Modeling Madness review of James Hood's novel,
 Adventure--Into The Neverland, go to:  http://users3.ev1.net/~bjmonkeyandcj/James_Hood.htm

February 2005

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