The Zulu Impi: The Army That Made the British Empire Blink
The Zulu Impi: The Army That Made the British Empire Blink In 1879, the most powerful empire on earth marched into southern Africa and expected an easy victory. They had rifles. Cannons. Professional soldiers. They had never lost a colonial war they actually tried to win. They lost. The Zulu Impi — impi simply means "armed men" — destroyed an entire British force at the Battle of Isandlwana on January 22nd, 1879. Over 1,300 British and allied troops wiped out in a single afternoon. It remains one of the worst defeats the British Army ever suffered at the hands of a non-industrial enemy. And they did it with spears. Not just courage. Tactics. The Impi fought using a formation called impondo zankomo — the horns of the buffalo. A massive chest to engage the enemy head-on, two horns sweeping wide around the flanks to encircle them, and a reserve held back to finish whoever broke through. It was centuries old. It was devastatingly effective. Zulu warriors trained their entire live...