wayweird

 One hundred thirty years ago today, King Cetewayo and 20,000 Zulu warriors annihilated a the better part of a well trained British infantry regiment armed with state of the art weaponry at Isandlwana, South Africa.  Only fifty enlisted men and five officers managed to escape.

Cetewayo

Complacent in their technological superiority, the British military leaders under-estimated the spear wielding Zulus. Therefore they suffered a disaster even more stupendous than the one visited upon the 7^th U.S. Cavalry in North America only three years previously.

Isandlwana

What lessons can we draw from this moment in history? There are many, but two general principles stand out:

1. Vigilance and fighting spirit are necessary to make superior weaponry an advantage.
2. Courage, flexibility, and innovation can overcome a superior force that is not ready to fight - and sometimes even trump those that are prepared.

B Company, 2nd Battalion, 24^th Regiment of Foot proved this at Rorke’s Drift  just a day after the larger British force at Isandlwana was crushed. This group of one hundred and thirty-nine British soldiers successfully defended their garrison against an intense assault by four to five thousand Zulu warriors.

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