Research Articles (Military History)

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The British tactical reaction to battlefield conditions during the Anglo-Boer War
(Department of History, University of the Free State, 2000) Ellis, Johan
Only eighteen years prior to the commencement of the Anglo-Boer War the Boers gave Great Britain an excellent demonstration of their tactical skills. A comparison of the casualties of the opposing forces during the few, but decisive battles fought at the beginning of 1881 during the Anglo-Transvaal War, surely should have raised a few eyebrows among British officers and politicians alike.
Musketry : the Anglo-Boer War experience
(Historical Association of South Africa, 2000) Ellis, Johan
The conflict between the Zuid-Afrikaanse Republic (ZAR) and Great Britain was not the first experience the British had of Boer tactics and musketry. The British had the opportunity to study the military system and approach to warfare as practised by the Boers for almost a hundred years. Still, they suffered severe losses against a "lesser" enemy who understood better the employment of the new smokeless magazine rifles. In order to understand the imbalance in the effectiveness of British and Boer firepower, the background of both the British and Boer soldiers opposing each other on the battlefields of southern Africa is illustrated. In doing so the author draws a comparison between the British soldier and his Boer opponent.