Perang Inggris - Zulu

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Anglo-Zulu War 1879



Latar Belakang Konflik


King Cetewayo, King of the Zulus

With hindsight the Zulu war was caused by British aggression. Within a few years from the emergence of the Zulu nation British adventurers were attracted to it in search of trade and treasure, and by 1840, Natal, a British colony had sprung up on the southern borders of Zululand. By the 1870s the British had begun to conduct a policy of inclusion, they hoped to incorporate the British colonies, the Boer republics and the African regions under a common British rule in order to aid trade and economic development. However, it was believed that a strong Zulu nation was a threat to this ideal, thus in December 1878 the British High Commissioner in South Africa, Sir Henry Bartle Frere, picked an argument with King Cetewayo, believing that the Zulu's armed with spears and shields would soon fall under a show of British superiority.

The conflict

The war began in January 1879: Cetewayo had forces estimated to number around 40,000 men, all of which were extremely mobile. Lieutenant-General Lord Chelmsford was placed in charge of the British forces, which he organised into five separate columns, of which the 13th formed part of the number 4 column, based at Utrecht. The aim of the campaign was to secure Natal and the Transvaal from invasion. An ultimatum was delivered to Cetewayo, which upon expiry on 11 January 1879, led to the invasion of Zululand by columns 1, 3 and 4, with the other two columns remaining in defence.

During the first two weeks of the campaign the British army received unmitigated disaster. On 11 January, number 3 colony crossed the Tugela River at Rorke's Drift, leaving a small garrison there they continued to Isandhlwana. On the 22 January a huge force of Zulus attacked Isandhlwana killing 52 officers and 806 other ranks. They then attacked the garrison at Rorke's Drift, where just 145 men, after ten hours of fierce fighting, drove off the attacking Zulus, a scene made famous by the 1964 film Zulu. British moral had been severely dented by the attack on Isandhlwana, much ammunition, all the transport and supplies from the 3rd column had been lost and it was feared that an invasion of British territory would follow, although luckily the Zulu's did not follow up their success and British forces gained much needed breathing space.

http://www1.somerset.gov.uk/archives/sli/zulu.htm

Latar belakang konflik disebabkan karena sikap agresif Inggris sewaktu kolonisasi Afrika sehingga bersinggungan dengan Zulu land.





Zulu: The True Story


Lord Chelmsford, c.1870 ©

Introduction

On 22 January 1879, at Rorke's Drift on the Natal border with Zululand, in South Africa, a tiny British garrison of 140 men - many of them sick and wounded - fought for 12 hours to repel repeated attacks by up to 3,000 Zulu warriors. This heroic defence was rewarded by Queen Victoria's government with no fewer than 11 Victoria Crosses, and was later immortalised by the film Zulu (1964), directed by Cy Endfield.

Few, however, remember that it was fought on the same day that the British Army suffered its most humiliating defeat at nearby Isandlwana. Why? Because it suited those responsible for the disaster to exaggerate the importance of Rorke's Drift in the hope of reducing the impact of Isandlwana.

The true story of 22 January 1879 - the Empire's longest day - is one of unprovoked slaughter, of heroes being ignored and of the guilty being protected. And the responsibility for this lay with Queen Victoria herself



http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british.../zulu_01.shtml

pada hari yang sama, 22 Januari 1879, di dua tempat yang berbeda, tombak berhadapan dengan senapan, di Rorke's Drift pejuang Zulu dengan tombaknya mengalami kekalahan, tetapi di Isandhlwana pasukan modern Inggris di tempat tersebut disapu habis oleh tombak Zulu.

walau hasil akhirnya Inggris memenangkan perang Zulu, tetapi sungguh tidak disangka pasukan penakluk Inggris dengan senjatanya yang modern saat itu bisa mengalami kekalahan yang memalukan saat pertempuran Isandhlwana melawan tombak dan perisai kulit pejuang Zulu.