Anyone know of any books on this including Rorkes Drift?
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Anglo Zulu War
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Last: 7 yr ago by txislandag86
My dad did a lot of reading on the Anglo-Zulu wars. His go-to source was a 1965 book by Anapolis grad Donald R. Morris:
https://www.amazon.com/Washing-Spears-Rise-Fall-Nation/dp/B005M01HWI/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
https://www.amazon.com/Washing-Spears-Rise-Fall-Nation/dp/B005M01HWI/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
Hey dog I will ck it out.
How did your dad developed such an interest?
How did your dad developed such an interest?
I'm not sure. My guess is that his interest in the Zulu wars could have been sparked by the movie "Zulu", which came out in 1964?
Dad had a pretty voracious appetite for history...particularly military history. For years, he had a subscription to the "Military Book Club" and would receive one or more new volumes every month on a variety of subjects. Like many of us, he would obsess on a subject for periods and then move on. When he died, I was left with a pretty huge library of history books--which isn't really a bad problem to have. I think about him every time I pick up one of his books!
Dad had a pretty voracious appetite for history...particularly military history. For years, he had a subscription to the "Military Book Club" and would receive one or more new volumes every month on a variety of subjects. Like many of us, he would obsess on a subject for periods and then move on. When he died, I was left with a pretty huge library of history books--which isn't really a bad problem to have. I think about him every time I pick up one of his books!
Makes your reading so much more worthwhile.
One of my top 5 movies is ZULU. I still think it is one of Michael Cane's best. Fantastic British military flick.
I also include Zulu Dawn in the mix with Heston. A pretty good depiction of the Battle ofI Isandlwana. Interesting mix where one shows the brilliance and courage and traditions that made the British Army such an amazing and world conquering force YET the other also shows why the very system that works so well can be sabotaged by the class entitlement system that plagued the Brit when Piccadilly dandies rose up to command vs qualified military officers.
I also include Zulu Dawn in the mix with Heston. A pretty good depiction of the Battle ofI Isandlwana. Interesting mix where one shows the brilliance and courage and traditions that made the British Army such an amazing and world conquering force YET the other also shows why the very system that works so well can be sabotaged by the class entitlement system that plagued the Brit when Piccadilly dandies rose up to command vs qualified military officers.
The Washing of the Spears is an oldie but goodie. For more recent scholarship try two books by Michael Snook, sort of a two volume history, How can Man Die Better: The Secrets of Isandlwana Revealed and Like Wolves on the Fold: The Defence of Rorke's Drift.
So I had never heard these battles, and I looked them up.
At Islandlwana, there was a solar eclipse. what are the odds of there being an eclipse in the middle of the battle? Sorry, that blew my mind.
Carry on...
At Islandlwana, there was a solar eclipse. what are the odds of there being an eclipse in the middle of the battle? Sorry, that blew my mind.
Carry on...
They do dig to a deeper level. The notion of the Engineers being the only professional (in a modern sense) officer corps in the British Army at the time seems so ancient to us. While there are some examples of professional officers, they were not widespread. It would not be until Boer War when officers began to seriously upgrade their military education and develop a modern ideal of professionalism.The Original AG 76 said:
One of my top 5 movies is ZULU. I still think it is one of Michael Cane's best. Fantastic British military flick.
I also include Zulu Dawn in the mix with Heston. A pretty good depiction of the Battle ofI Isandlwana. Interesting mix where one shows the brilliance and courage and traditions that made the British Army such an amazing and world conquering force YET the other also shows why the very system that works so well can be sabotaged by the class entitlement system that plagued the Brit when Piccadilly dandies rose up to command vs qualified military officers.
https://www.amazon.com/How-Can-Man-Die-Better/dp/185367656X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1481407660&sr=8-2&keywords=mike+snookBQ78 said:
The Washing of the Spears is an oldie but goodie. For more recent scholarship try two books by Michael Snook, sort of a two volume history, How can Man Die Better: The Secrets of Isandlwana Revealed and Like Wolves on the Fold: The Defence of Rorke's Drift.
Agreed on Snook's work.
Thanks for the recommendation on the two Snook books. I took an interest in the Boer Wars a few years back but never caught the bug for the Anglo-Zulu war but I do now.BQ78 said:
The Washing of the Spears is an oldie but goodie. For more recent scholarship try two books by Michael Snook, sort of a two volume history, How can Man Die Better: The Secrets of Isandlwana Revealed and Like Wolves on the Fold: The Defence of Rorke's Drift.