"Zulu tactics question" Topic

My understanding was that during the Anglo-Zulu war the Zulu fought almost exclusively Hand to Hand with some Zulu having firearms. I can find no instances where the Zulu stood off and showered their opponents with spears.

Am I in error in making that intrepretation?

The reason I ask is my current set of rules breaks units into 1 of two general types, Melee and Ranged.

You're correct. At the time of the Anglo-Zulu wars the Zulus didn't carry throwing spears; they carried a shorter "thrusting spear" called the Assegai.

At the time of the Anglo-Zulu wars the Zulus didn't carry throwing spears; they carried a shorter "thrusting spear" called the Assegai.

Almost totally incorrect

Shaka (allegedly) refined the assegai into the shorter iklwa for use in close combat. It had a shorter shaft and a wider head

The assegai was retained as a short range throwing spear

Unless I'm misremembering my Knight and Castle

I think you will find the throwing spear was still carried and used during the war of 1879.
For instance at Isandlwana there are Zulu stories concerning the difficulties the warriors had in killing the redcoats when they were in huddles or small knots back to back with fixed bayonets as the Martini Henry with bayonet had a much longer reach than the Iklwa.
So they resorted to using their throwing spears or picking up the rifles of fallen troops to kill them or throwing their own dead onto the bayonets to bring them down.

Actually a lot of zulus carried muskets with them. At Rorke's drift in between charges they stood back and fired at the men in the compound with musket fire.

Their primary tactic was to charge the enemy however but this short ranged fire cannot be ignored especially if your scenario finds the british exposed in open ground.

I'm with the "they had spears and rifles" school. But back to your original problem.

"The reason I ask is my current set of rules breaks units into 1 of two general types, Melee and Ranged."

I would class all Zulu units as "Melee", however, I would allow them to be classed as "Ranged" for 1 to 3 rounds.

I have heard that between 1/3 and all Zulus had some type of firearm and that in most cases they fired once and dropped their weapon. One method I have used is to include a few rifle armed figures in each unit. When the unit fires, one rifleman is removed. I have also had units made up of 1/2 rifle armed in TSATF games where the riflemen were treated as key figures.

Vince

The Zulu had been trading muskets for around 20 years before the AZW. Many of the casualty returns for the British during the war show bullet wounds.

18th Century? OK…

"Unless I'm misremembering my Knight and Castle"

You're not. Quite right.

But having assegais does not predicate a tactic of standing and showering the enemy with them from a distance. They were for discommoding the enemy before getting stuck in.

As Pictor's and Empress, suggest, muskets (including some rifled muskets) were not scarce. Rifles???

Allen

As an aside, I love it that "iklwa" is onomatopoeic.

Allen

Thank you

But having assegais does not predicate a tactic of standing and showering the enemy with them from a distance. They were for discommoding the enemy before getting stuck in.

Absolutely, but rules (like PoW) that give Zulu a (very) short range missile factor are not in error IMHO. Anyone who tries to use

a tactic of standing and showering the enemy…

with their Zulu army is in for a nasty shock :)

Rifles were more rare. The Zulus had been trading with the Portugese for years. They did have some very small number of rifles but the majority of rifles they had were captured after Isandlwana probably.

The evidence from 22nd January is contradictory. I'm sure I recall a comment from one of the garrison at Rorke's Drift that they might have been overwhelmed had the Zulus stood back and thrown their spears. But as Malamute states, they were apparently used at Isandlwhana. In any case, you might well question whether thrown spears could be considered as part of melee as opposed to being a separate type of combat.

The Zulus did have large numbers of muskets and other firearms, though they were not terribly effective. Nevertheless, gunfire was the source of most of the casualties at Rorke's Drift.

Two thoughts here. Zulus should definitely have some sort of ranged fire capability. But a close-order British infantry force should probably be rated better in hand-to-hand combat than a similar-sized unit of Zulus (and if fighting behind defences, they become very difficult to beat indeed).

They must have used throwing spears a bit otherwise Michael Caine would never had said "Stop chucking those bloody spears.At. Me"….!!!

If I remember correctly from "Washing of the Spears", they had at least two throwing spears which were thrown whilst charging. So a short range ranged weapon.. I read him long ago,but that is how I remember,and have played them.

anvil

Connard Sage….sorry I should have been more clear. Given the context of the original quesion it seemed he was asking more about standard throwing spears when he said, "stood off and showered their opponents with spears."

Given the short range aspects of the Assegai I would lump it into the melee range catagory….the Zulus did NOT stand off and shower their opponents with spears, at the time of the Anglo-Zulu war.

raylev3

I am almost positive,,but have my books packed,, that the Zulus during this time carried two throwing spears plus the assegai,, Also,,pretty sure they did "shower their opponents with these thrown spears,,but did it during the charge,, like you said, they did Not stand off and throw them…

<<They must have used throwing spears a bit otherwise Michael Caine would never had said "Stop chucking those bloody spears.At. Me"….!!!>>

And Max Boyce would never have been allowed to tell his famous Rorke's Drift joke: "Aaagghh! Who threw that spear?" "Assegai, over there, mun!"

There seem to be remarkable similarities between the Zulus and the Roman pilum/gladius system, and the Jacobite Highland charge. Did some misguided missionary buy them a job lot of Ospreys in the hope of converting them to a more peaceful hobby?

They may have also have 'throwing irons', as well as clubs designed to be thrown a good distance. Given the dense smoke from British rifles, they wouldn't have *needed* ranged weapons after the first few volleys, though.