The Battle of Kambula | Zulus Vs British | Total War Cinematic Battle

The Battle of Kambula took place on 29 March 1879, during the Anglo-Zulu War, when a Zulu military force attacked the British camp at Kambula, having routed the mounted element of the British force at the Battle of Hlobane the day before. The battle was a decisive Zulu defeat and the Zulu warriors lost their belief in victory. The war ended after the Zulu defeat at the Battle of Ulundi on 4 July 1879.
Game - Napoleon: Total War
Mod - Victoria at War
00:00 Introduction
00:25 Scouts discover the Zulu army
02:01 British preparations
02:59 The British form up
03:19 Mounted troops attack the Zulus
04:16 British artillery opens up
04:44 The battle begins
05:48 Zulus break through the defences
07:16 The Zulus begin to retreat
07:38 The British pursue the Zulus
08:27 The battle comes to a close
08:57 Aftermath

[@tanker335]

That witch doctor had some explaining to do..

[@cinematicbattles559]

🤣🤣🤣

[@blackpowder4016]

Bush magic is a common theme in European tales of Africa.

[@timothybuckley6960]

He worked for Pfzer

[@PeterBren]

21000 Zulus and only 2000 died. There is something wrong there 😮

[@NR-rv8rz]

You mean 'splanin'.

[@steveh7823]

I have witnessed an Impi in action. It was a few thousand strong in Johannesburg. The endless sound, energy and move-as-one leaves a powerful impression. Beating weapons against shields, chanting, and surging. If you could massively amplify the sound of hornets in a jar you would have an idea. It's a unique form of military organisation. And, yes, the Impi had faith in 'muthi' (witchdoctor potions, amulets and beliefs) giving them power.

[@paulbennett4415]

If it is of any interest, the 13th Foot was the Somerset Light Infantry (yellow facings) and the 90th Foot was the Perthshire Light Infantry (buff facings). Good video, I enjoyed it very much.

[@johnmandock56]

Where were the Gatling guns

[@Russia-bullies]

Thanks for the good & informative show on a fight rarely featured.

[@cinematicbattles559]

Thanks glad you enjoyed 😊

[@manuelacosta9463]

The British sure learned some hard lessons in this war especially entrenching when faced with an overwhelming foe. Still Wood having to be restrained for wishing to help a trooper says something about his character than the usual you'd expect from an officer of his status, and the Zulus sure displayed their typical bravery charging at certain death.

[@ronaldmcdonald8303]

Ooh er, I wouldn't want to face a Zulu soldier, people don't realise they were trained soldiers not just a hoard of warriors. Us British though are pretty good at winning wars, but respect to the mighty Zulu nation.

[@sjl197]

Impressive that colour sergeant Bourne has such a loud voice that his commands carry all the way from the drift on the buffalo river 😊

[@dmich111]

Strange how they didn’t notice all their comrades dying from bullets and question their invincibility potion. The production on this is class cant wait for the rest of it

[@user-pe1zs2pn4n]

Thank you for posting this video. I learned quite a bit about this era.

[@michaelstevens3479]

The logistics involved are amazing not least the thought of 1,000 plus cannon shells on horse drawn wagons.

[@kenhewing7443]

Battlefields are just up the road from me, in South Africa 200 km is just up the road, been all the Battlefields plenty of times. Wish I could reply to all the comments, the Zulus are into muti, it use for everything, from love to money, lately there been a rise in muti murders, they can can very undisciplined nations , it happened many times during the Anglo-Zulu and recently the 2022 July riots, when we in the suburbs put up barricades, the looting stopped. With the undisciplined we managed to protect our homes. At the barricade I controlled with roughly 50 people of all ethnic group , both men and women, some armed like me with various firearms, thousands of Africans were running up and down in front of us , looting the warehouses in Mobeni . It was like been at Kambula .

[@graemeroberts3069]

The July looting was nothing like the Zulu war. Stop romanticising.

[@cicad2007]

Best animated war scene I've seen in a long time! 🙂

[@cinematicbattles559]

Thanks a lot :))

[@alexbowman7582]

“You know Baldrick when I joined the army we were fighting fuzzy wuzzies with sharp sticks”.

[@rtk3543]

Considering the amount of ammo expended by the British, Zulu casualties seen surprisingly light.

At Rorke’s Drift,they fired about 29,000 rounds for 350 odd dead Zulus (and quite a few wounded,no doubt) and were down to about 900 rounds when the assault was called off.

[@Gecko....]

The Martini Henry was not very accurate, max range was about 400 yards to hit a man, but when that man is running...

[@williamoloughlin8298]

650 dead includes those who died later from wounds. More were wounded.

[@JD0124]

7:29 Corporal Levi Tate is seen kneeling on air.

[@arthurbrumagem3844]

Feeding a moving army of 21k Zulus had to be a challenge

[@ynwa3476]

Probably a combination of hunting and food carried with them. Either way, a huge task. Just finding enough clean water for them would have also been a challenge.

[@user-ol5vu3qs9y]

Awesome vid❤❤❤

[@cinematicbattles559]

Thanks 😁

[@logicaredux5205]

Well done!

[@cinematicbattles559]

Thanks😊

[@GnrMilligan]

Very interesting and well presented. Like and a Sub well earned!

[@cinematicbattles559]

Thank you very much!

[@Snowboarder16]

A plus this was very well done

[@cinematicbattles559]

Thanks !😊

[@Eric-qm5xw]

Great channel ..our ancestors were indeed brave souls..a different breed.

[@cinematicbattles559]

Thanks😁

[@whitewaterkayaker]

138k small arms and 1077 arty rounds for 2k enemy casualties? That is horrible marksmanship

[@arthurbrumagem3844]

General says his aide “ I told you to read the book Custers last stand” .

[@englanduk6131]

Just the thought of standing there with your regiment of 2000 soldiers and having to face over 20,000 screaming, charging Zulus?.... Absolutely terrifying!

[@jason200912]

Shoot into the mob and take out 2 guys bullet

[@lordmillwall8784]

They were British we ain't scared of NOTHING or NO ONE

[@englanduk6131]

@@lordmillwall8784 Even still, 20,000 brave and fanatical zulu warriors?... And just 2,000 of you?.... 😳

[@johnwahannah2385]

Pointed sticks verses gunpowder and shot.

[@ozzyphil74]

The brave people at the battle were the Zulus. They were going up against guns including Maxim guns

[@zach7193]

Thought the channel discontinued content on the Zulu war. It's been a while.

[@cinematicbattles559]

This will probably be the last one , there was only soo many battles they had against the British

[@sheepsfoot2]

Cant wait for Ulundi 👍

[@cinematicbattles559]

Coming soon

[@davidanthony4845]

@thehorselesshussar9813 The edge ? Like in the Boer War ?

[@JimBro317]

Fun video.

[@NoGoBu]

Vultures ate well ❗️

[@scottstevens2752]

Zulu's been watching too many Civil War movies.....

[@simonkormendy849]

This battle came after the battle of Isandlwana and the battle of Rorke's Drift which started on the 22nd of January 1879.

[@garden2356]

It amazes me jow many humans there are, considering how difficult human birth is.

[@seanmcnamara1267]

Zulus with spears and shields against 15 bound guns and riffles! 9:19

[@jason200912]

Since they believed they were immune to bullets because of their potions. Why didn't the front lines route instantly when they got shot by bullets and died

[@fus149hammer5]

There was definitely a hatless blonde haired british officer in there I saw him! Now who could that be?😂

[@whiteknightcat]

And whose deep commanding voice did we repeatedly hear saying, "Alright then! Nobody told you to stop working!"

[@user-ph4ur4qm3n]

​@@whiteknightcatàp91⁶055 5:40

[@jamesalexander3530]

The hatless blond soldier is Michael Caine. 😊

[@whiteknightcat]

@@jamesalexander3530 And of course, who could mistake the recognizable sampling of Colour Sergeant Bourne?

[@roydownes2458]

lets hear it for structured narration.

[@nutlangsworld]

Hmmm strange that all these dudes here all looks the same....🤣 Jokes aside, very nice video of the battle..👌

[@whiteknightcat]

The first Clone War

[@davidnewland2461]

What are the things flying in the back ground sky?

[@Pussers.]

Birds

[@Classicrocker6119]

Who is this narrator? I’ve heard his voice work on several online games

[@thenapoleanhistorybuff]

hey is this a game i can play and if so, what is it called?

[@cinematicbattles559]

Yes it is, it’s napoleon: total war and I’m using a mod called Victoria at war which is found on the moddb website

[@nrich5127]

138,000 rifle shots to kill a max of 2000 = 1 kill for every 69 shots - so much for the accuracy of the Mk II Martini-Henry rifle.

[@-GEZtapo-]

Vietnam War = ~ 50 000 Rounds for 1 Kill

[@soldat2501]

Accuracy has nothing to do with it.

[@johngamba4823]

Assumes the dead only got hit by one bullet each. Unlikely for volley fire

[@NR-rv8rz]

'Aaaaaalright then'.

[@geodageo]

what mod is that for empire total war?

[@cinematicbattles559]

This is the Victoria at war mod for napoleon total war

[@geodageo]

@@cinematicbattles559 thanks

[@tymartin1508]

2:55 they look like Quintuplets

[@barrycastles5168]

When your over Whelmed your done for, same as London 😮

[@pabmusic1]

White helmets! What were you thinking of?

[@johnwilliams2479]

"They don't like it up em"

[@user-zn9yl7cw5m]

Did the British know the Zulu habit of disembowling the enemy dead?

[@jamesalexander3530]

One of the few wars i root for the Zulus. They had no defence against artillery and Maxim guns, just leather shields, Assegais and incredible courage and stamina. Still i admire the Brits bravery when facing 20 to 1 odds.

[@roymacaskill6610]

What a freak??????

[@thehorselesshussar9813]

The African wars were where the British General Staff cut their teeth, this would later give the British Army the edge in later conflicts, especially on the road up to 1914.

[@incredibleXMan]

I would contest that it gave them the edge in the First World War. The 'learning curve' remained lamentably flat in the case of Field Marshall Haig.

[@the5thmusketeer215]

@@incredibleXManYep... One would have thought that watching their African Tribal enemies’ being mown down when charging at the disciplined British ranks, in prepared defensive positions, would have taught them the futility of similarly assaulting the German trenches across open ground… when they also had machine guns to augment their defensive firepower… 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@incredibleXMan]

@@the5thmusketeer215 Spot on. The Generals seemed to be stuck in a spirit of the offensive and that sheer will power would win the day. Madness really.

[@timfirth977]

@@incredibleXMan Boer War I and II came before WWI. Switch to khaki uniforms and Lee Enfield rifle (.303). Mounted Infantry (which made fast maneuver against the Turks in the Palestine campaign possible), railway transportation. All came after the Zulu War.

[@timfirth977]

Commentators here fail to recognise the role of tradition in British Army force doctrine of the Era. This differs from strategy , which the Brits were actually quite good at. Baldric-'I have a Cunning Plan...' 1/ The British only switched over to Khaki after the Boers killed so many soldiers wearing bright red that it made it obvious that only a brain damaged idiot would wear bright red on the battle field. This however, did not prevent protests being made at the highest level. 2/ The British Army only ever advanced in line, advancing in column was what the French and other Continent types did. 3/ Now we're wearing Khaki we're Invisible, thus we can advance in line, slowly. Much of WWI was based on this. That and penis-envy sized Big Guns.

[@rgjssj2148]

So the British army fired 138 000 rounds plus over 1000 shells a fair number of which was deadly canister shot. Yet the Zulu body count was between 1000 to 2000 Zulu? Beatty at Jutland said there's something wrong with our bloody ship's today... Had he been here he equally could have said there's something wrong with our rifle's today...

[@Fox250R]

Imagine having an m60

[@deanmadley4786]

Is it true that Queen Victoria sent troops to fight the Zulu because human sacrifices was being practiced by them ?

[@Farmphasianidae]

And indians believe in human sacrifice and the English took advance to stop them

[@williamoloughlin8298]

No and London gave instructions not to provoke the Zulus or cross into their territory just as the Zulu king instructed his army not to cross the river.

[@mrbaab5932]

So, why didn't the Zulu have cavalry and archers or crossbow men?

[@Russia-bullies]

You should ask the Zulus,if they can be found.

[@cinematicbattles559]

Because the horses took up too much food and the zulus had their established war tactics already, they would throw the spears sometimes

[@DanChesney-vd6ue]

The Witch Doctor probably didn't think any of that was necessary.

[@muhammaddahlan830]

Nepal, SWISSS, genewa,, collii, liferrpppoollll, dan masih ada lagi : 1. Sumatra - Jawa - denpasev- Bima - kawasannnya 2. Australia - irian jaya - Ambon- kawasannya 3. Sulawesi - Kalimantan - FHILIPHINA - kawasannya 4. Batam - Malaysia - Singapura - KAWASANNYA🙏

[@johnmandock56]

Why didn't the British have Gatling guns

[@justdoingitjim7095]

They fired 138,000 rounds and 1,077 artillery shells. But, only killed 2,000 Zulus max. If you only count the bullets, it took about 69 bullets to kill one Zulu. And it's not like they were using automatics or even semi-automatics! Those fellas needed a LOT more range practice!

[@andrewtomlinson18]

How many bullets did the Americans fire to kill one VC during the Vietnam war ?

[@snoweefrost4412]

@@andrewtomlinson18 Disingenuous question, the Zulu were charging headlong into the British firing line where the VC took cover and used entrenched positions to evade bullets. Either the Martini-Henry was extremely inaccurate or the British soldiers were.

[@brianwood1041]

Smooth bore with the wrong grain charge?

[@johnskibajr5691]

At Gettysburg, estimates range up to 7 million small arms rounds were fired. The usual casualty count is just north of 50,000 and includes prisoners (some who were wounded) taken and those hit by arty. That is the nature of warfare. Even when you may see the enemy, a good deal of lead does not hit the mark.

[@Gecko....]

They weren't poor shots, the rifles were just inaccurate those days. The British army had more training than any other in that time period and they were one of the few to train with live rounds.

[@Exyster]

massive W

[@Demonsquirrel]

Hi

[@GnrMilligan]

They would have one if they kept their eyes shut! Edit. I said one when I meant won.

[@whiteknightcat]

They would have one what?

[@GnrMilligan]

@@whiteknightcat The Zulu's would have won the battle if they had kept their eyes shut. The British command "wait till you see the whites of their eyes!" Sorry, I'll get my coat! 😆

[@whiteknightcat]

@@GnrMilligan You said "one" which made no sense.

[@GnrMilligan]

@@whiteknightcat So I did. I hadn't even realised. lol.

[@matthewwagner47]

ZUUUULUUU!!! ZUUUULUUU!!! The last great african military.

[@Richiesrant]

Worst battle strategy ever on the part of the Zulu.

[@halwag]

Animated.

[@Blakelikesfood]

A) 1000-2000 Zulu casualties and B) "Those kinds of loses it significantly weakened the Zulu Nation." Seriously what the hell to both. Did they mean 200,000 casualties? That would significantly weaken a fight force. Losing 2,000, if even that which could still be 1,000, significantly weakens your very strong fighting force?

[@Russia-bullies]

“strong”=a subjective term.You should find out about the Zulus before posting on them.

[@bccundcrjbscbi9215]

Yes England top dogs

[@dbaker3751]

So, why did this happen? It makes the British seem like a bunch of idiots. Oh, that's right. I forgot. At one time the British wanted to conquer every place they could.

[@johnadams-wp2yb]

Working class soldiers fighting for the rich. Again. And again ................

[@mikemyers8064]

Why do the faces of the British all look like Afghans? Certainly not British features !

[@Unknown-gc1wq]

178000 bullets but only 2000 zulu casualties.

[@cinematicbattles559]

They need to improve their aim🤣

[@richardbeckenbaugh1805]

A man who was hit would be hit multiple times. The British would aim at anyone who stood out. Some men were cut to ribbons while others were not even shot at. Losing 2000 men of a 21,000 man army is enough to shatter it. Add to that the fact that they hadn’t eaten for three days and were short of water. Even if they had won, that army was doomed. The poor logistics of the Zulus determined the outcome even before the battle happened. “An army travels on its stomach.” -Napoleon Bonaparte

[@dosrios57]

When facing stronger Men who are armed with a Stabbing weapon, one wonders if the use of Breastplates ever came up during the War.

[@bobhadland2554]

A disgusting genocide

[@flaviopitanga65]

Long live Zulu people ❤

[@Paxanglorum]

Obviously not

[@brianbanks703]

too dark, too many silly things in the air

[@dennismckown4951]

i prefer the Zulus winning against the British vs them losing eventually.

[@patsands2747]

Must be Irish 😂

[@mwmann]

Foolish to go into battle when the other guy has far superior weaponry.

[@whiteknightcat]

They did exactly that at Isandlwana. How'd that turn out?

[@Pussers.]

Must have been scary

[@arthurbrumagem3844]

General says his aide “ I told you to read the book Custers last stand” .