Pte. Alfred Henry HOOK V.C. - poor treatment in "Zulu" film (General)

by Roger Griffiths , Tuesday, December 30, 2014, 10:50 (3466 days ago) @ Jefff

Hi Jeff,

I know, I go boring on about subjects I'm interested in. A bit more and then I'll self silence, tee hee.

From what you wrote earlier, I assumed you had read Lt. Chard's after action report and appendix listing all men there and fate.

The whole thing with colonial wars was the fire power and the 'disciplina' of the Roman Legions as exercised by European armies. I once found a Victorian army manual in the British Library, detailing requisite numbers of regulars and native auxiliaries required to defeat all possible native enemies. PC brigade would not like it at all.

Natives made better 'fighters' than Europeans who were better 'soldiers'. Carl von Clausewitz in Vom Krieg alludes to this, although early 19th Century Prussian Army had no experience as yet.

Isandlwana was a total disaster because, for whatever reason, the Zulus were able to advance to contact and engage in hand to hand combat. At Rorkes Drift, however close they got they fell to massive firepower as depicted in the film and in battle paintings.

One last thing, we didn't take prisoners. Any Zulu wounded left after the battle were shot or bayoneted.