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Rorke's Drift

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Rorke's Drift

By: Adrian Greaves
Narrated by: Paul Herzberg
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About this listen

The story of the bravest battle ever fought.

On 22nd January 1879 a force of 20,000 Zulus overwhelmed and destroyed the British invading force at Isandlwana, killing and ritually disemboweling more than 1,200 troops. That afternoon, the same Zulu force turned their attention on a small outpost at Rorke's Drift.

The battle that ensued, one of the British Army's great epics, has since entered into legend. Throughout the night 85 men held off six full-scale Zulu attacks at the cost of only 27 casualties, forcing the Zulu army to withdraw. Eleven Victoria Crosses were awarded for bravery shown on that night, the largest number for any one engagement in history.

But as Adrian Greaves' new research shows, there are several things about the myth of Rorke's Drift that don't add up. While it was the scene of undoubted bravery, it was also the scene of some astonishing cases of cowardice, and there is increasing evidence to suggest that the legend of Rorke's Drift was created to divert attention from the appalling British mistakes which caused the earlier defeat at Isandlwana.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2020 Adrian Greaves (P)2020 Orion Publishing Group
Africa Military British Army

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First class

Really loved this most realistic and true account of the real heroes of Rorkes Drift and the stupidity and arrogance of Chelmsford.

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Very Thorough History

Very thorough history with much fascinating detail, including an account of the build up to the Zulu Wars and some of the reasons for their occurrence. The detailed coverage sometimes results in some repetition, which occasionally seemed a little redundant. Sometimes this is included in a different person's account of the same events. I found the account of the battle fascinating as well as the modern archaeological revisiting of the site described in a later chapter. Some of the details of military life in the period were very evocative. The late chapter's recitation of the awards and fate of virtually every individual dragged a bit but can be taken, or skipped at your own pace. All things considered, a great read and extremely thorough reference.

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