OpenTube

Battle Of Magersfontein | Boer Tactic That Crippled an Entire British Army | Anglo-Boer War

Colonial Battles

106,506 views

Unfortunately YouTube recently demonetized the channel, which means the videos are currently not generating any revenue.

If you enjoy the content and would like to support the research and future videos, you can do so here:
https://buymeacoffee.com/colonialbattles

Any support is greatly appreciated, and thank you for being part of the Colonial Historians community.

🔐 Protect Your Privacy Online
If you enjoy researching history and geopolitics, using a secure VPN is essential.
Get the Best deal on Express VPN here 👉 https://www.expressvpn.com/colonialba...

The Battle of Magersfontein was supposed to be a routine British victory. Instead, it became one of the most shocking disasters of the entire Boer War. In December 1899, the proud Highland Brigade marched confidently toward what they believed was an enemy positioned on the high ground. What they didn’t know was that Boer general Koos de la Rey had engineered a revolutionary defensive system—deep, hidden trenches on the flat ground beneath the hill. At dawn, as the British tried to deploy from their night march, the Boers unleashed a devastating wall of fire that tore the brigade apart in minutes.

This video explores how one ingenious tactic crippled Britain’s advance, exposed the fatal weaknesses of Victorian-era warfare, and turned Magersfontein into the defining disaster of Black Week. From Methuen’s outdated battle plan to de la Rey’s brilliant trench strategy, we break down the decisions, mistakes, and innovations that changed the course of the war—and foreshadowed the trench warfare of World War I.

#boerwar #battleofmagersfontein #angloboerwar #militaryhistory #britishempire #militarystrategy #historydocumentary

20 Comments

@ColonialBattles Creator 7 months ago Pinned

@stefterblanche 8 months ago

Not a "rebellion by farmers" but a small Boer nation fighting for its freedom against a mighty British imperialist invading force

@mariannedekock7996 10 months ago

Please tell the True story of the British people that put so many South African women and children and black women that were farm workers and in placed in the consertrasion camps under the most devastating humiliation conditions 😢 TELL THE TRUE SO THAT THE WORLD MUST KNOW WHAT THE BRITISH DID TO OUR WOMEN AND CHILDREN IN CONSERTRASION CAMPS!!!

@horse.395 9 months ago

Boers are a hell of a force even today .

@MichaelKuhn-e2w 2 months ago

In June 2000 I completed basic training as a recruit in the SANDF.
As part of completion our Commanding officer was generous enough to send us to Maggersfontein as an outing, and I can tell You all that our entire group could feel the anguish that those fallen soldiers on both sides felt.
Many of us burst into tears, I believe that ground is haunted with lost souls.
And this was during the day, we left when the sun went down, at night that place is restless.
This is where I gained alot of respect for Koos Deleray.... He was a Genius Commander.

@georgecoetzee 10 months ago (edited)

After Magersfontein battle, Genl Piet Cronje was asked to go and ensure that Bloemfontein was guarded and safe. However, he and many of his burghers under his command had ox wagens that made travel very cumbersome. Genl Koos de la Rey asked him numerous times to discard the heavy wagons, women and children and travel more lighter to acheive the faster advantage.
Being pig-headed, Cronje kept travelling with the wagons and only got as far as Paardeberg after two weeks. Bloemfontein had been taken by the Brits and they then moved to Kimberley to releive it.
They clashed with the Boers at Paardeberg where Cronje surrendetd with 4000 burgers to the Brits. There were attempts by Genl de Wet to shoot the way open for Cronje, but he refused
The Cronje brothers both had General ranks that they received due to being very affluent in Western Transvaal. They both were a nemesis to the Boer forces.

@JamesJohnson-h3c 10 months ago

This Anglo/Boer War is very interesting. They should be talking about the War no one knows in World History.

@AllfretÉNewmun 9 months ago

We would also like to hear how the Brits lost battles against the Zulu and eventually got them in uniform , armed and used them to attack Boer Kommando's.

@loritabarber-iw3fy 6 months ago

It was frightening that the same incompetent officers resurfaced in 1914!😆😐😐😐😐😐😐😐😐😐😐😐😐

@MichaelDeGroot-m2b 8 months ago

The Boers will live on ❤

@fransvonsolms9880 9 months ago

The Concentration camps broke the Boer resistance in the end. England has never fought an honorable war in the existence of its entire lifespan. It is a shameful Empire that won its battles via subterfuge and back end tactics like keeping women and children hostage. It's really not dissimilar form Terrorism and comparable to the tactics used by Al-Qaeda. No apologies has been make by England for the atrocities they committed nor will they offer it. History remember the winners and delete the plight of the defeated.

@Goggawie 9 months ago

Dankievir SA geskiedenis wat onbekend is en weerhou word van en aan ons kinders

@travhammer 10 months ago

I've learned much from ur channel of this little known war.

@jerrybuirski2344 9 months ago (edited)

The English commanding general, Redvers Buller, had a long history of advancing straight into ambushes without first sending scouts to have a recce. During the Zulu wars he twice walked his troops into such an ambush and only managed to get out because he was mounted. The second time this happened he managed to take a soldier on his horse for which he was awarded a VC. One of the most incompetent commanders ever, and for this he was knighted, showered with money and honours.

@ForrestMosby 4 months ago

RIP Dannie Theron🫡

@joevil6259 9 months ago

I was at the Magersfontein battlefield a couple of years ago. From what I gathered did the British went around the battlefield after that battle and continued on to Kimberley. From what I've read, the veld was littered with horse carcasses all the way to Kimberley. The English, who today are known for their love of animals, tended to overload and overexert their horses and literally rode them to death. The general attitude was that there were loads of horses. Just use up the one you have and jump on a "new" one. They imported horses from around the world.

@antbod3635 8 months ago

The Boers sure kicked British arse😀

@IgshaanBarnes-pk5uo 10 months ago

Britain was upto that moment in time Thee most ruthless evil Empire in human history. They could call up many ,many nations to fight for England ,most of these nation themselfs victims of inhuman suffering at the hands of the Evil Empire. Fighting the Empire meant certain death. Nomatter how many battles you win against it.