Zulu War: Rorke's Drift 22- 23 January 1879, Turn 15 -

 A combination of family commitments and unseasonably hot weather has resulted in a delay in gaming but finally got around to the next batch of moves:

Turn 15

A brief respite allowed sections to pull back from the front wall and move towards the stores building and the biscuit box barricade. 

3 more patients of the 1/24th successfully crossed the open area and closed in on safety.

Continued -

During the British turn a succession of successful combats repelled the Zulus around the redoubt barricades with heavy loss for the attackers.

In the hospital 2 more men of the 2/24th have been killed and another room captured by the Zulus (far right in the photo). In the top left more patients rush for the exit.

During the Zulu turn a huge wave of fresh warriors drive into the British scenting victory.

Lt Addendorf with his NNC corporals hold the centre of the barricade in front of the stores building against the great horde of Zulus.

Chard has taken command of the biscuit box barricade leaving Bromhead (at the back wall), Dalton and Bourne supervising the withdrawal. They pour fire into the attacking warbands and although most are disordered suffering heavy casualties they are not deterred.  

The 2 men of the 2/24th succeed in repelling a warband from an adjacent room (top right) but the situation is becoming increasingly untenable. In the bottom left a single soldier holds the doorway of another room preventing the Zulus from gaining access. 

Another terror arrives with the smell of smoke wafting through the building. The roof has caught fire endangering friend and foe alike.

Hope is rekindled for the British with another successful round of combats which again buys them time.

There is an exception though when a Zulu warband destroys a section on the front wall and only a disordered and shaken state prevents them from inflicting more damage. They have nevertheless breached the wall which will have to be dealt with.

Smoke appears above the hospital roof.

Losses this turn: Zulus 60, British 8. Running total: Zulus 1,000, British 48.5

This is not good news for the British. Although the Zulus have suffered horrendous casualties, they need to suffer more in relation to the defenders for the British to have a hope of winning.

Turn 16

3 more patients stumble out of the hospital to be greeted with a horrifying sight. A significant gap has opened up between the hospital and safety with Zulus swarming in that space. They hurriedly fire off their rifles into the nearest group but fail to hit anything. 

Dalton and Bourne's sections form a firing line and seek to help the 3 men by firing volleys into the nearest warband.

Meanwhile over in the inner defences, Chard joins a section as they charge the Zulus that have breached the wall supported by the 3 men of the Commissariat who have been replaced in the redoubt by a section of infantry. The combat is successful for the British and the Zulus are pushed back out.

In the foreground Bromhead rushed towards the troops holding the kraal wall, satisfied that Addendorf has everything under control to the front.

A series of combat victories by the British successfully repels most of the attacks.

Highly accurate fire from the Stores building destroys a Zulu warband preparing to attack the back wall.

The scene at the end of the British turn. Dalton and Bourne's sections along with a section manning he biscuit box barricade have caused mayhem with 2 Zulu warbands in the open space to their front. One is destroyed and the other forced out shaken and disordered. They have bought the 3 patients some time but sadly it does not look as though it will be enough.

Smoke has dissipated from the hospital signalling that the fire has gone out!

During the Zulu turn, they swarmed back to attack the hospital.

More of the hospital has been captured and several failed attempts were made to set fire to it.

On the top right the 2 shaken men of the 2/24th are horribly isolated but continue to hold their room to a drawn combat.

The 2 rooms on the bottom left of the hospital are resolutely held by the single soldier of the 2/24th and Sgt Wilson. They will continue to fight the next turn.

In the top left, the 2 artillerymen patients observe the situation on the ground between the hospital and safety and realise there is no longer the possibility of escape. They will just have to fight it out in the building.

British firepower undoubtedly blunted the Zulu attack during their turn, but now more warbands crash into the hastily formed line and the biscuit box barricade.

An overview during the Zulu turn and prior to the combats being fought showing fresh warbands charging into the front wall and kraal defenders.

The situation at the end of the turn with 2 warbands defeated, one at the biscuit box barricade and one at the front wall. The remainder are a succession of mostly draws with tightly fought contests that could have gone either way.

The 3 hapless patients are surrounded by a howling warband. They fight heroically and although shaken and disordered they have survived to fight on for another round.

The situation at the end of the turn.

Losses this turn: Zulus 100, British 0. Running total: Zulus 1,100, British 48.5

Turn 17

The 3 patients finally fell in combat. To the left, Sgt Bourne's section destroyed a Zulu warband in a tightly fought contest in which Bourne sustained another wound. This has left him shaken. Unlike in the normal rules, I have any characters remain shaken and can only rally when they have spent a turn being patched up by Surgeon Reynolds. 'Shaken' represents wounds only and they can therefore continue to command as normal but their fighting abilities are impaired and are at greater risk of being killed.

During the British turn, the section defending the kraal wall threw back the attacking Zulu warband with the remaining sections holding the mealy bag barricade.

During the Zulu turn only sporadic attacks were mounted with the British gradually gaining the upper hand in ongoing combats on the front wall.

An overview at the end of turn 17 with more Zulus pouring into the open ground in front of the biscuit box barricade. A fresh Zulu warband charged Bourne's section who were still shaken and disordered from the previous combat. They nevertheless fired off a devastating volley scything down the Zulus leaving their warband shaken and disordered. They shocked the British by continuing to charge through the carnage hitting their flimsy line. Bourne's men were heavily defeated and narrowly escaped destruction. They fell back and were now recovering in front of the Stores building. 

The situation in the hospital at the end of turn 17. On the right the 2 men of the 2/24th recaptured a room and began preparing to defend the door against another attack.

On the left the single soldier continued to valiantly hold the door. In the room at the bottom left, Sgt Wilson had been joined by the 2 artillerymen who were promptly killed in the fighting to hold the door leaving the Sergeant to once again stand alone.

Losses this turn: Zulus 100, British 2.5. Running total: Zulus 1,200, British 51

Turn 18

During the British turn, Dalton successfully retreated behind the biscuit box barricade leaving a clear filed of fire for the defenders. 2 warbands were shredded by highly effective volley fire from behind the biscuit boxes and 2 further warbands were destroyed in combat.

Dalton and his adopted section replaced Addendorf and his NNC corporals on the front wall who then moved to their immediate rear to provide support.

The situation in the hospital at the end of the turn. On the left the single fit soldier of the 2/24th had to abandon his room due to the pressure of Zulus and has joined Sgt Wilson for what he anticipates will be a last stand. Neither are in great shape with both shaken and disordered. On the right the 2 shaken men of the 2/24th successfully hold the door.

In the middle another fire has been started.

The Zulu attacks this turn become noticeably less intense. The British dare to hope that the Zulus are tiring and they may survive yet.

An overview during the Zulu turn.

More warbands are destroyed by British bayonets with the biscuit box barricade holding firm.

Almost the last combat of the turn signalled a reversal of fortunes when an exhausted British section was overrun at the front wall near the kraal. Only an equally exhausted Zulu warband prevented potential carnage although they have breached the wall and will need to be dealt with.

Losses this turn: Zulus 140, British 6. Running total: Zulus 1,340, British 57

At the end of this segment anything could happen. If the Zulus can kill 10 more defenders before losing over 160 more of their own the battle will continue.