Life on Commando During the Anglo-Boer War, 1899-1902 PDF Download

Author: Fransjohan Pretorius
Publisher: Human & Rosseau
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 500

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Author: Fransjohan Pretorius
Publisher: Human & Rosseau
ISBN: 9780798138062
Category : Stress (Psychology)
Languages : en
Pages : 492

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Military historians, scholars, and readers interested in military affairs and the South African Boer War will find this insightful social history of particular interest as 1999 approaches, marking the centenary of the Boer War.

Author: Deneys Reitz
Publisher: Ostara Publications
ISBN: 9781647646196
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 328

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The incredible true first-person account of life in a Boer commando during the Second Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902), written just a year after the events. The author, the son of a State President of the Boer Republic of the Orange Free State, volunteered for war service at the age of 17, and this dramatic narrative remains one of the most astonishing accounts of that conflict. Starting with a short description of a young life as a carefree boy on the plains of his father's republic, the author's story quickly darkens as it describes the opening stages of the war: the Boer invasion of the British colony of Natal. There, the author provides fascinating personal details from the first great Boer victories in which he took part-including the famous Battle of Spion Kop-to the retreat and occupation of the Boer Republics by the British. Defeated in set-battle, the Boers then resorted to "commando" tactics-the word and military operation in fact originated with them and this war-and for the next two years, harried the numerically overwhelming British forces seemingly without end. Reitz's book is however most significant because it provides the only firsthand account of the famous Boer raid into the British-ruled Cape Colony, led by General Jan Smuts, from 1901 to 1902. This remarkable adventure-which effectively occupied vast swathes of that region, driving the British out completely-remains one of the least-known episodes of that war, and saw Boer forces drive right to the Atlantic Ocean, some within sight of Cape Town itself. How the Boers managed these feats, how they survived, and the extent of the British countermeasures-which included the famous blockhouse system-is all contained in this fascinating book which has lost none of its sense of adventure or excitement. This new edition is illustrated with 31 rare images from the time, and contains 110 new footnotes, explaining terms, issues, and events for the present-day reader, in addition to the 5 original footnotes added by the author. It also contains new short biographies of both the preface writer and the author.

Author: Deneys Reitz
Publisher: Pickle Partners Publishing
ISBN: 1787206246
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 679

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During his exile in Madagascar, Boer soldier Deneys Reitz wrote about his experience of the Second Boer War (1899-1902). When it was eventually edited and published in 1929 as Commando: A Boer Journal of the Boer War, it still had the freshness and detail of an account written soon after the war. Reitz’ descriptions of the tumult through the eyes of a warrior in the saddle form not only a succinct narrative and important source for the Second Boer War, but his family connections (his father Francis William Reitz was State Secretary of the Transvaal), sheer luck, and participation at virtually every major event of the War all provide for a unique account. A vivid, unforgettable picture of mobile guerrilla warfare. Richly illustrated throughout.

Author: Gregory Fremont-Barnes
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472810171
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 143

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Victorious in its previous campaigns in Africa against native armies, Britain now confronted an altogether different foe. The Boers proved to be formidable opponents, masterfully compensating for inferior numbers with grim determination, resourcefulness and strong religious faith. Their mobility, expert use of cover, and knowledge of the terrain, in which they employed powerful long-range magazine rifles, gave them initial advantages. By contrast the British suffered from inadequate transport, insufficient mounted troops and poor intelligence. Despite marshalling the immense resources of their empire, the British were to be severely tested in a war which one general described as 'the graveyard of many a soldier's reputation'.

Author: Boris Gorelik
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781776191369
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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'Lucid, evocative and perceptive, this combat memoir is a delight.' - Fransjohan Pretorius, Emeritus Professor of History In January 1900, galvanised by the daring of the Boers in taking on imperial Britain, the young Russian officer Yevgeny Avgustus set off for the Transvaal to fight in the Anglo-Boer War. Like most of the foreign volunteers who flocked to the Boer cause, he ended up on the Natal front. Avgustus and his companions joined the Krugersdorp Commando, and their experiences in the field are portrayed in vivid detail. The central part of this gripping account covers the Battle of the Tugela Heights in February 1900 and the Boers' subsequent retreat. The immediacy of Avgustus's writing captures his trepidation and excitement as he approaches the battlefield for the first time, as well as his experience of life on commando. The keen eye of this foreign volunteer brings to life a turning point in South African history. Avgustus is a gifted writer, and his narrative officers both acute observation and thoughtful introspection. A gripping portrayal of human frailty and courage in the face of mortal danger, A Russian on Commando highlights both the strange attraction and the absurdities of war.

Author: Deneys Reitz
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780956774569
Category : South African War, 1899-1902
Languages : en
Pages : 381

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Author: Deneys Reitz
Publisher: Fireship Press
ISBN: 1935585835
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 280

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"One of the greatest war books ever written." "A vivid, unforgettable picture of mobile guerrilla warfare." In 1899 a 17 year old boy by the name of Dennys Reitz volunteered to fight for his country, South Africa, against the British. He could ride and shoot with the best of them, so he was quickly assigned to a Boer Commando Unit-one of the highly mobile light cavalry units that were driving the British crazy. Outmanned, outgunned, and under-supplied, the Boer commandos nevertheless checked the British at almost every turn. They became masters of lightning attacks, night fighting, and ambushes, only to disappear to strike again somewhere else. Reitz was in it from beginning to end, and participated in nearly every major battle. His descriptions of war and adventure have come to be regarded as among the best in the English language. After the fighting was over, Reitz chose to live in Madagascar rather than remain in South Africa under British rule; and it was from there that he wrote this book. But his exile did not last. His old commander talked him into returning to his homeland to help build the new dominion. To this task, he brought the courage and leadership he had learned as a commando, eventually becoming a Member of Parliament, Cabinet Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, and South African High Commissioner to London. He also fought bravely on the Western Front during WW-I-for the British.

Author: Deneys Reitz
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : South African War, 1899-1902
Languages : en
Pages : 340

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Author: Deneys Reitz
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : South African War, 1899-1902
Languages : en
Pages : 111

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Deneys Reitz was 17 when the Anglo-Boer War broke out in 1899. Reitz describes that he had no hatred of the British people, but "as a South African, one had to fight for one's country." Reitz had learned to ride, shoot and swim almost as soon as he could walk, and the skills and endurance he had acquired during those years were to be made full use of during the war. He fought with different Boer Commandos, where each Commando consisted mainly of farmers on horseback, using their own horses and guns. Commando describes the tumult through the eyes of a warrior in the saddle. Reitz was fortunate to be present at nearly every one of the major battles of the war. Commando is a straightforward narrative that describes an extraordinary adventure and brings us a vivid, unforgettable picture of mobile guerrilla warfare, especially later in the war as General Smuts and men like Reitz fought on, braving heat, cold, rain, lack of food, clothing and boots, tiring horses.