Zulu War: Rorke's Drift 22- 23 January 1879, Turn 11 - 14

 Turn 11

Another break allows the British to pour fire into the Zulus as they prepare for another attack.

Lt Bromhead organises the 2 sections moved into reserve from the back wall.

Another Zulu incursion into the hospital. 2 men of the 2/24th are pushed into an adjacent room.

Continued -

Zulus continue to swarm across the front of Rorke's Drift.

During the Zulu turn large formations assemble ready to launch fresh assaults. The entire front wall including the Kraal are now engaged with Zulus rushing the barricades.

Dalton again finds himself and his section under pressure.

Dalton's section makes short work of the warband fighting to cross their section of the barricade. Another warband is destroyed attempting to force a door at the front of the hospital.

Exceptionally poor dice rolls by the Zulus sees another attack broken down with significant losses.

The first assaults on the Kraal fair little better with one of the two attacking warbands destroyed.

Losses this turn: Zulus 160, British 0. Running total: Zulus 720, British 20.5

Turn 12

A fresh wave of Zulus charge into the front wall while large bodies of Zulus collect to their rear ready to pile in when the opportunity arises.

Zulus now attack all doors to the hospital front and Dalton once again fights to hold the small barricade protecting the British flank to the left.

The 2 men of the 2/24th in the middle of the photo successfully beat off an attack but that was not the case for 2 patients of the 1/24th in the room to their left. Zulus broke in killing them both. On the right another 2 men of the 2/24th continued to hold back the Zulus from moving further into the building.

Dalton continues to hold the small barricade but the tiring men are finding it increasingly difficult against the relentless attacks.

Most of the sections on the front wall held but one succumbed to the pressure frantically attempting, and failing, to stop a warband from breaching the barricade.

On seeing the increasingly precarious situation to the front of the Stores building, Sgt Mabin instructed the 3 men of the Commissariat to form a reserve.

Sgt Mabin rushed into the Kraal to assist in its defence.

Another serious breach occurred, on this occasion caused by the destruction of a defending section. Zulus swarmed over the mealy bags with precious little to stop them.

Fire erupted from Shiyane Hill as the firearm equipped Zulus took advantage of a clear field of fire to target the British reserve sections but were well wide of the mark.

Losses this turn: Zulus 0, British 7 (incl 2 patients). Running total: Zulus 720, British 27.5

Turn 13

The British had to deal with 2 breaches of the front wall. Here, Sgt Mabin ordered one of the kraal sections to intercept the warband near the stores building which succeeded in stopping the breach from expanding. The lack of men in the kraal now made it untenable to defend the entire perimeter. The remaining troops were pulled back to form a new inner defensive line. Mabin himself joined the half section defending the front wall of the kraal.

The 3 Commissariat men climbed into the redoubt and began firing into the great mass of Zulus. 

The second breach to the main front wall was stopped but not evicted. Chard and Bromhead agreed that the time was fast approaching when they would need to consider reducing their perimeter by moving into their inner defensive line outside the stores. Bromhead moved one section from the back wall to line the biscuit box barricade leaving just one to defend the back wall.

During the Zulu turn fresh attacks were launched hoping to exploit the breakthroughs at the barricades.

In the background fresh waves of Zulus begin to close in on Rorke's Drift.

More Zulus pour over the north wall barricade. The rear half of the lead warband has spread out attacking the nearest British in their excitement having gained a whiff of victory. I decided here that a Zulu warband is unlikely to rigidly remain in a loose column formation in such circumstances and take the opportunity to take the fight to the enemy. The warband now become 2 small units for their combats. 

Drama within the hospital when the Zulus are once again driven from the building. On the right a series of desperately fought combats saw the 2 men of the 2/24th successfully repel a warband but is now in a permanent shaken state (I interpret that is as a result of wounds sustained). 

Towards the left, 3 patients of the 1/24th successfully counter attack another warband restoring the integrity of the hospital. The combat on the bottom right room continues with 2 more fit men of the 2/24th.

The situation at the end of the turn. The Zulus have suffered badly and have either been destroyed or repelled from much of the front wall.

Zooming in on the action, Sgt Mabin with a half section successfully repelled the attack on the kraal but they remain in danger of being overrun.

To the right of the kraal, the counter-attack by a section of the 2/24th destroyed the warband that had breached the barricade and has taken up position to deal with any further attacks.

More success for the British when the 2 sections in a difficult combat with a victorious warband who was ambitiously seeking to destroy the garrison single-handedly was itself destroyed. They are not out of the woods though with another warband surging across the barricade (middle of photo). 

Sgt Dalton and his section prove particularly steadfast destroying another attack on their small barricade. 

The gap between two British sections on the front wall spells more trouble for the British with the loss of its defending section.

Prince kaMpande observed the movement away from the back wall of many British defenders decided now was the time to ratchet up the pressure. The 4 warbands that had earlier been pulled back were ordered back into the fray, much to the consternation of the single section tasked with stopping them!

Losses this turn: Zulus 140, British 6. Running total: Zulus 860, British 33.5

Turn 14

Shouting from outside indicates it is time to evacuate the hospital. On the left of the photo the first patient from the 1/24th successfully exits the building through a hole punched through the wall.

The 6 fit men of the 2/24th set themselves the task of holding off the Zulus long enough for the patients to leave. 4 occupy the two rooms on the right, 2 of which are still in combat with an attacking warband. The other 2 take a room each to hold their respective doors. On the left, Sgt Wilson, a patient who also received a wound in the fighting, bravely holds another door.

A fresh section charges Zulus who were clambering over the mealy bags.

The charge proves successful destroying the warband but leaving the British section shaken.

The 2 sections to the right with Chard and Bourne in attendance, delivered devastating fire on warbands in the brush to their front. Both warbands were destroyed buying them time for troops to pull back to the Stores compound.

Bromhead has joined the single section holding the back wall. Between them and the hospital orderlies firing from the Stores building, they successfully destroy a warband but with 3 more waiting to pounce their elation would be short-lived.

Sgt Mabin has pulled back the sections from within the kraal to defend the perimeter wall. They immediately open fire on the approaching Zulus.

They could not stop the charge when it came and although the British won the combat, Bromhead has sustained a wound and the Zulus continued to fight despite being shaken and disordered.

Any respite for the British was brief as a new wave of Zulus struck the front wall along most of its length.

More danger for the garrison when the section holding the newly restored defence of the barricade was destroyed. It was already in a shaken state as a result of the earlier combat and the new Zulu charge proved too much. Another breakthrough to contend with and that with dwindling numbers of defenders.

The rest of the line in front of the redoubt held. They all won their combats but none succeeded in pushing back or destroying the Zulu warbands.

Zulus rush through the kraal impervious to closing fire and clash with the defenders. They are held but as with the rest of the barricades in this area the combat continues.

Over at the hospital, fresh warbands make attempts to break in.

A more decisive and worrying for the British, breakthrough into two rooms. In the middle, the single soldier of the 2/24th was killed and the Zulus surged into the empty room.

On the right, the 2 fit men of the 2/24th, who had been in continual combats with an attacking warband, were finally pushed out of their room leaving them both disordered and shaken.

The British now need to evacuate as a matter for urgency!

Losses this turn: Zulus 80, British 7. Running total: Zulus 940, British 40.5