Here are some photos taken in 2014 by Angel MINGO using PLAYMOBIL
figures, depicting the film: ZULU DAWN
The story: In 1879, in Pietermaritzburg, Natal (South Africa), British leaders planned the conquest of the Zulu Kingdom, believing they could easily defeat it militarily.However, the British Army’s 24th Regimentof Foot—numbering 1,700 men—was caught off guard by a powerful Zulu *impi* (regiment) of over 23,000 warriors during the Battle of Isandlwana on January 22, 1879. The British general had refused to follow the advice of the Boers, who had suggested protecting the camp—situated in open terrain—with a circle of wagons.
It would become the worst defeat suffered by the British Army in Africa.
- ZULU DAWN -
Soldiers from the British Army’s 24th Regiment of Foot have just established their camp near the hill of Isandlwana.
More than 23,000 Zulu warriors are converging on this plain...
Scouts have just warned the British soldiers in the camp that they have discovered a Zulu army very close by.The British Army officers ignored the advice of the Boers—local white farmers—who had suggested protecting the camp, situated in open terrain, with a circle of wagons.
The British soldiers quickly form firing lines.
These lines are intended to provide protection, as they allow the soldiers to see their approaching enemies from a distance...
The British flag flutters in the wind, carried by a British cavalryman...
Within the camp, reserve soldiers wait to be called upon to reinforce the firing lines, should the need arise.
Meanwhile, some soldiers are preparing the midday meal, entirely unconcerned...
Cannons are positioned, ready to fire.
The British Army command staff has taken up a position on the high ground to better observe enemy movements...
However, British mounted scouts are engaged by Zulu warriors who have crawled close to the British lines.
Video: The discovery of the Zulus approaching the British camp
The scouts return fire with their rifles, hoping to drive them back.
But the Zulus are vast in number and hurl their spears at the British cavalrymen.
Faced with such a large number of Zulus, the British cavalrymen choose to retreat toward their own lines...
At that moment, three major Zulu chiefs signal their troops to launch a simultaneous assault on the British lines...
And the Zulus charge toward the lines.
The plain is, in fact, filled with ditches that allow the Zulus to approach the British lines very closely...
From every direction, the British lines see a multitude of men—armed with shields and spears—emerging and advancing toward them...
A soldier, assisted by a young boy serving as a soldier, attempts to plant markers in the ground to establish range distances for the British rifles, ensuring the Zulus can be engaged once they are within firing range...
The British firing lines prepare for the arrival of the Zulus...
The officers stand ready to give the order to fire...
The tactic: the first line fires and then steps back, allowing the second line to shoulder their rifles and fire while the first line reloads—and so on...
One of the officers moves forward to get a better look at the Zulus' movements across the plain.
A video showing the standoff between
the British and the Zulus.
Artillery carriages are being repositioned because the guns are currently too close to the enemy positions to effectively fire their shells.They must fall back to reposition themselves...
English cavalrymen also arrive to support the English front lines...
Medics in the camp begin treating the first of the wounded...
English cavalrymen attempt to break through the Zulu lines...
But the Zulus are too numerous and wipe out the English cavalrymen...
The English firing lines begin to target the approaching Zulus...
Yet, the Zulus keep advancing... They anticipate the volleys by dropping to the ground before the shots are fired, then rising back up once the guns have gone off—closing the distance to the English to engage in hand-to-hand combat...
The last of the English cavalrymen are killed...
And already, the first English infantrymen are being struck down...
The soldiers tasked with manning the cannons have readied them to fire.
But they are still too close...
An English officer, observing the Zulu advance, quickly realizes that the English infantry lacks sufficient ammunition to face the swarms of Zulus closing in. He rushes toward the wagons containing the supplies.
Reaching them with other soldiers, he orders them to carry the crates of ammunition as close as possible to the English firing lines...
The situation is critical.An English drummer sounds the signal to retreat and fall back...
Yet it is already too late... The Zulus are closing in from every direction, leaving the English soldiers no chance to escape...
An English officer decides to save the flag of the 24th Regiment... Two men set off to protect it.
The Zulus have now reached the English soldiers, and the fighting has turned to close-quarters combat...
The men defend themselves as best they can...
But the Zulus are far too numerous.
The mounted standard-bearer rides through the English camp, searching for a way to escape...
Many Zulus fall, struck down by English bullets...
Yet they continue to advance...
Before long, the English run out of the ammunition they have on hand to keep fighting...
And so, the Zulus emerge victorious...
More than 1,300 British soldiers were killed...
On the Zulu side, there were over 1,000 dead and 2,000 wounded.
This would be the worst defeat for
the British Army in Africa.
Here is the final excerpt from the 1979 film
depicting this battle.
Soldiers from the British Army’s 24th Regiment of Foot have just established their camp near the hill of Isandlwana.
More than 23,000 Zulu warriors are converging on this plain...
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire