The Vietnam War: The Boer Wars And The Boer War

The Boer War

The Boer Wars were fought between the British Empire and two Boer states, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State, over the Empire's influence in South Africa. Conflict arose in 1806 when Britain invaded and took possession of the Dutch Cape colony, the Boers, descendants of the original Dutch settlers of southern Africa, resented the Anglicization of South Africa and Britain’s anti-slavery policies. In October 1899, war began and by 1900, British forces had captured most of the major Boer cities, the Boers retaliated with a series of attacks and pushed back the enemy. By 1901, the British began to systematically destroy the small units deployed by the Boers and in 1902 British had crushed the Boer resistance. On May

“The Boers were armed with German Mauser Rifles which were deadly at 2,000 metres. They had smokeless cartridges that allowed the Boers to snipe at British forces and remain unseen”, (Agency 1). As armies learned new styles of warfare, it became evident that artillery advancements were essential to breaking through enemy lines so faster, more effective weaponry was created. In addition, “The Anglo-Boer War offered the first opportunity for the large-scale use of modern small arms. The large, soft, leaden bullet of previous wars was replaced by the nickel-jacketed projectile, which was propelled at a high velocity by a smokeless propellant. Because the cartridges were smaller and lighter, more of them could be carried and fired per unit time”, (Villiers 1). Modernized and more effective artillery marked the significance of the Boer War because it revolutionized weaponry. Thus, “The rifle, the artillery piece, and the machine gun became masters of the battlefield”, (Archer 487). Modern weaponry that's still in effect today. The Boer War, “Employed modern weapons - quick-firing rifles with magazines; machine guns, such as the Maxim gun; and terrible new types of high explosive such as lyddite, said to be capable of killing everything within 50 yards of its point of detonation”, (“Exhibitions” 1). Weaponry developed quickly and were constructed to gain a strategic advantage over the British, which resulted in the deaths of many soldiers on both sides of the battlefield. Innovations in warfare and weaponry during the Boer War saw a need for advancements in the medical