The Battle of Rorkes Drift is without doubt one of the more well-known actions from the history belonging to the British Army. On 22 January 1879, just hours immediately after the Zulu victory at Isandlwana, approximately 4,000 Zulus assault the mission station at Rorkes Drift just along the Buffalo River in Natal.
With only 140 soldiers manning Rorkes Drift, you'd be forgiven for saying they had little prospects for survival, particularly taking into account what happened with their colleagues at Isandlwana. Even so, along with being exceedingly brave soldiers, the defenders of Rorkes Drift were in possession of a gun that would let them have an edge over the Zulu warriors. The weapon in question was the Martini Henry rifle.
This .45 calibre rifle was able to inflicting unpleasant injuries and when fired at a range of under 200 yards, a round could very well very easily go through a body and hit the man behind as well. The Martini Henry was a single shot, breech loading rifle and afforded the British a huge advantage over the Zulus who were only carrying their short stabbing spears (iklaws).
Although the Martini Henry was held responsible in part of the disaster at Isandlwana, if properly maintained, it was an excellent weapon. To single the rifle out for the defeat at Isandlwana is severe as there were many other factors that contributed towards the defeat.
At Rorkes Drift, the Martini Henry was vital for the British. As a store, there was clearly sufficient ammunition in addition to extra rifles plus the defensive area was considerably smaller and thus was less of a challenge to defend in comparison to the position at Isandlwana. Brought to the British Army in 1871, the Martini Henry could quite possibly fire up to ten rounds per minute in the hands of the experienced soldier. The rifle offered a highly effective range of around 500m which resulted in providing the British could see the Zulus, they could begin killing them before they were near enough for hand to hand fighting.
Despite the overwhelming odds at Rorkes Drift, the British only lost approximately 10% of their men while at the same time, they buried roughly four hundred Zulu warriors and it was viewed a similar number might have later died of their injuries. The British had beaten back the Zulu attack and were grateful to the Martini Henry rifle
With only 140 soldiers manning Rorkes Drift, you'd be forgiven for saying they had little prospects for survival, particularly taking into account what happened with their colleagues at Isandlwana. Even so, along with being exceedingly brave soldiers, the defenders of Rorkes Drift were in possession of a gun that would let them have an edge over the Zulu warriors. The weapon in question was the Martini Henry rifle.
This .45 calibre rifle was able to inflicting unpleasant injuries and when fired at a range of under 200 yards, a round could very well very easily go through a body and hit the man behind as well. The Martini Henry was a single shot, breech loading rifle and afforded the British a huge advantage over the Zulus who were only carrying their short stabbing spears (iklaws).
Although the Martini Henry was held responsible in part of the disaster at Isandlwana, if properly maintained, it was an excellent weapon. To single the rifle out for the defeat at Isandlwana is severe as there were many other factors that contributed towards the defeat.
At Rorkes Drift, the Martini Henry was vital for the British. As a store, there was clearly sufficient ammunition in addition to extra rifles plus the defensive area was considerably smaller and thus was less of a challenge to defend in comparison to the position at Isandlwana. Brought to the British Army in 1871, the Martini Henry could quite possibly fire up to ten rounds per minute in the hands of the experienced soldier. The rifle offered a highly effective range of around 500m which resulted in providing the British could see the Zulus, they could begin killing them before they were near enough for hand to hand fighting.
Despite the overwhelming odds at Rorkes Drift, the British only lost approximately 10% of their men while at the same time, they buried roughly four hundred Zulu warriors and it was viewed a similar number might have later died of their injuries. The British had beaten back the Zulu attack and were grateful to the Martini Henry rifle
About the Author:
The most famous battle of the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879 is without question Rorkes Drift. The British soldiers were able to see off the Zulus using the iconic Henry Martini rifile.. Free reprint available from: The Martini Henry Rifle That Rescued The Soldiers At Rorkes Drift.
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