Isandlwana: Zulu War

by Ian Castle, Ian Castle

The authors' description of the events on the fateful day – 2 January 1879 – brings to life the shocking defeat of the British Army at the hands of the Zulus. The blunders and omissions that resulted in the loss of so many lives are exposed.

144 pages, Paperback

First published November 28, 1999

About the author

Ian Castle began writing military history some thirty years ago but for the last ten years has focused on Germany’s First World War air raids against Britain. Initially exploring the London raids, his later research extended to include attacks across the whole country. In addition to writing books, Ian regularly contributes articles to magazines and journals and has been involved in a number of television documentaries detailing this early air campaign. Besides giving regular talks on the subject, Ian is also building an extensive website highlighting these early air raids.

Reviews

[Martin Koenigsberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great little book! The idea of this series is a good one- A combination of history book and guidebook for those intrepid readers who want a battlefield guide. Usually these things fail at both their tasks, being not good enough for either role, but in this case, it is carried off! There's enough real history for readers to chew on, and I'm pretty sure the guide bits are just as pithy. Along the way there are more than enough illustrations, maps and diagrams to satisfy most possible readers.

The focus of the book is obviously Isandlwana, the classic Colonial Disaster Battle, where Zulu warriors wiped out the basecamp defenders, of the Central British column invading Zululand. While the commander and the bulk of his forces were looking for the main force of the Zulu army, another Zulu force swept in and overcame the defenders in a whirl of short stabbing spears and wooden maces(assegais and knobkerries). But we also get the stories of the other two columns, and the vengeful final column that returned and eventually destroyed the Zulu army to end the war. Its a very complete book- but also a complete guide to following all the war's actions.

Ian Knight and Ian Castle are clearly the right people for this job. Their encyclopedic knowledge of this struggle allows them to leave out any extra info and just deliver the pithy things you need to know about the topic. It's a great survey of the war for the junior reader, with enough support to keep the pace up. For the Military Enthusiast/Gamer/Modeller/History Tourist, this is purest gold! Tons of info- lots of allusions to more books to read, and a lot of maps and diagrams to assist with scenario development. There is plenty of other reason to think Diorama builders will find ideas aplenty- and the guidebook elements will certainly make this a perfect book with which to travel. A strong rec from this reviewer.