Joe’s war- a Boer War battlescenario AAR

[Lord E]

Joe’s War- a Boer War AAR

This AAR is played using the Boer War battle scenario in the upcoming 1914 mod. A great thank you to Allenby and his team for the mod, and a special thanks to Allenby for making the Boer War scenario and allowing me to write an AAR on the scenario.

The mod is soon to be released and it can be found here:1914


I shall be playing the British Empire in the Boer War, and I hope you will all enjoy it

[Lord E]

Outbreak of War

With the discovery of gold in Transvaal, thousands of British and other prospectors and settlers streamed over the border from the Cape Colony and from across the globe. The city of Johannesburg sprang up as a shanty town nearly overnight as the uitlanders poured in and settled near the mines. The uitlanders rapidly outnumbered the Boers on the Rand, but remained a minority in the Transvaal as a whole. The Afrikaners, nervous and resentful of the uitlanders' presence, denied them voting rights and taxed the gold industry heavily. In response, there was pressure from the uitlanders and the British mine owners to overthrow the Boer government. In 1895, Cecil Rhodes sponsored a failed coup d'état backed by an armed incursion, the Jameson Raid.

Cecil Rhodes sponsored the failed Jameston Raid in 1895

The failure to gain improved rights for Britons was used to justify a major military build-up in the Cape, since several key British colonial leaders favoured annexation of the Boer republics. These included the Cape Colony governor Sir Alfred Milner, British Colonial Secretary Joseph Chamberlain and mining syndicate owners such as Alfred Beit, Barney Barnato and Lionel Phillips. Confident that the Boers would be quickly defeated, they attempted to precipitate a war.

Sir Alfred Milner, governor of the Cape Colony and Joseph Chamberlain, British Colonial Secretary

President Martinus Steyn of the Orange Free State invited Milner and the President of Transvaal Stephanus Johannes Paul Kruger to attend a conference in Bloemfontein which started on 30 May 1899, but negotiations quickly broke down. In September 1899, Chamberlain sent an ultimatum demanding full equality for British citizens resident in Transvaal.

President Paul Kruger of the Transvaal Republic

Kruger, sure that war was inevitable, simultaneously issued his own ultimatum prior to receiving Chamberlain's. This gave the British 48 hours to withdraw all their troops from the border of Transvaal; otherwise the Transvaal, allied with the Orange Free State, would be at war with them.

When the British declined the proposal the Boer states declared war on the 12th of September 1899. The war called Joe’s War by the British Prime Minister Lord Salisbury had begun.

The situation at the outbreak of war

[Marchalk_Zjukov]

A new Lord E AAR :O

Great!

[anonymous4401]

Would it not be very odd, seeing as the Boer republics consist of but one province each?

[Iron-Chef]

Ah, good to see some more intrest in the Boers, I have myself fallen in love with the two little Republics during the research stage of my own AAR, Blood Iron and Afrika. I especialy find Generals Louis Botha and Koos De la Rey along with Paul Kruger to be facsinating men, I hope to have the 1914 Mod soon to add some screens to my own Pre-Story (Your Boers sadly dont get German Maxims and artillery :P)

Good luck!

[stnylan]

Looks interesting. Good summary.

[Mettermrck]

Wow, a Boer War battlescenario! Excellent, I'll be reading this avidly. And Lord E is an added bonus.

[lifeless]

oooo another Lord E aar...and about Boers! good luck!

[Oranje Verzet]

Good luck E man, looks like a nice one

[Lord E]

Marchalk_Zjukov Thanks, hope you will like it


anonymous4401Well the Boers might not have more than one province each, but they have forces while the British have mainly garrisons, so as you shall soon see the Boers take the offensive first


Iron-Chef Yes, the Boer war is a very fascinating subject. And I can tell you the 1914 mod is superb so it is well worth the wait


stnylanThanks, more coming up


Mettermrck Indeed, a Boer war scenario made by Alllenby, and it is a very fine scenario as well


lifeless Thanks.


Oranje Verzet Thank you. I will do my very best.

[Lord E]

The first shots

”We were sitting on our side on the river when they came. Suddenly they rushed forward, all we could do was fire again and again, but they never stopped coming at us. When we were in danger of being defeated and encircled I had to order the retreat. We didn’t stop till we reached Mafeking…”

Lieutenant-General Forestier-Walker, British commander in Bechuanaland in his despatches



The British forces in South-Africa on the 19th of October 1899 consisted mainly of garrison troops with a small, under strength cavalry force in Bechuanaland and a under strength infantry division in Ladysmith. The forces in Bechuanaland would be the first to face the Boer armies.

The first battle in Bechuanaland

During the 19th of October the Boers were attacking the British lines several times, but the British defenders managed to keep them back until the next morning. Then the Boers attacked with fresh forces.

Boer cavalry attacked the British on several locations

As the British forces left Bechuanaland behind the Boers were on the offensive. To end the war early the British commander in Ladysmith, Lieutenant-General Penn Symons decides that a quick attack against the Boers in Johannesburg would be the best step to end the war.

Boer irregulars inflicted casualties on the British forces as the British advanced

The British advanced along the railroad lines without spotting the Boers, but they knew they were there. Every now and then gunshots could be heard and British soldiers were shot. Then as the army camped for the night on the evening of the 23rd of October the Boers suddenly attacked. Boer cavalry came rushing down on the British camp, inflicting large casualties on the British forces. Penn Symons had to call of the attack and retreat back to Ladysmith.

As November approached the British had suffered defeats on all front and the Boers were on the offensive, now all the British commanders could do was wait. The first troopships were approaching the Cape Colony and would arrive in early November.

[Allenby]

First task for when the Army Corps arrives is the capture of the Orange Free State capital, Bloemfontein I imagine.

When Chamberlain said that the Boers would 'bluff right up to the cannon's mouth' and that there wouldn't need to be a war, he obviously did not quite contemplate these unfortunate reverses.

[Singleton Mosby]

Interesting country/ Nice scenario and nice AAR. I will follow this one

[Lord E]

Allenby Can’t say I am very surprise that you would understand that one, indeed that is the plan. Transvaal needs to be cut of from its ally before I attack…
No, it seems like the war might last longer than the politicians in London had thought, but we can only hope the arrival of Buller will put an end to the troubles…



Singleton Mosby I am glad you enjoy it. More coming up.

[Lord E]

Reinforcements arrive

With the bad opening of the war the British commanders decided that they could do nothing more than wait. Outnumber by the Boers and having suffered defeat twice already the political leadership was already getting angered by the commanders and their failure to end the war quickly.

British Prime Minster Lord Salisbury and his colleagues in London didn’t appreciate the opening of the war and were thinking of changes in the military leadership

On the 1st of November the first troopships guarded by ships from the Royal Navy arrived in Table Bay and started unloading the first fresh British forces to arrive in the Cape Colony.

During the first week of November ship after ship poured into the harbours of the Cape Colony and the forces were ordered to march to the front immediately. However the road from the sea to the frontlines was long and the first reinforcements would not arrive on the frontline until the end of November.


Understanding the importance of getting the reinforcements to the frontline quickly the newly appointed First Lord of the Admiralty, William Waldegrave Palmer, 2nd Earl of Selborne, orders the troopships and the protecting cruisers to sail further east and unloaded the reinforcements in Durban instead. From here they could reach Ladysmith in only a couple of days. The reinforcements started to arrive in Durban on the 11th of November when the new British supreme commander, General Sir Redvers Henry Buller arrives in the city to take command of the war in South Africa.

General Sir Redvers Henry Buller

During the last half of November more and more troops arrive in Ladysmith from Durban. The reinforcements consisted of the 2nd English Brigade, the 4th Light Brigade, the 5th Irish Division, the Mounted Brigade and the 6th Fusiliers Brigade. When the reinforcements from the Cape Colony also arrive at the front in late November, the cavalry division in Ladysmith and the First, Second and Third divisions in Mafeking.

Now General Buller was ready to take the offensive in December.

[stnylan]

Excellent showing. And one things most wars have in common is the belief that 'it will all be over by Christmas' - or equivalent.

[Iron-Chef]

Ah the brave General Buller, poor man took a Mauser bullet to the head while leading a charge to recapture some guns in my senario, lets hop he can do a little better this time round

[Trimalchionis]

Ah, good to see some more intrest in the Boers, I have myself fallen in love with the two little Republics during the research stage of my own AAR, Blood Iron and Afrika. I especialy find Generals Louis Botha and Koos De la Rey along with Paul Kruger to be facsinating men, I hope to have the 1914 Mod soon to add some screens to my own Pre-Story (Your Boers sadly dont get German Maxims and artillery :P)

Good luck!

As fascinating men as Hitler, I guess...


Although the boers were underdogs and therefore appreciated in Europe, they were far worse racists than the leaders of Nazigermany.

[Iron-Chef]

While some elements in Boer society were highly racist its true, I do suggest you go and read up on De la Rey in particular, an opponent of war till the end, when it did come however he faught with great distinction earning the respect of the British. Other figured such as Botha ended up having a large part in the British Union of South Africa government, and were anti-slavery. YOu cant paint everyone with the one brush my friend.

[Trimalchionis]

While some elements in Boer society were highly racist its true, I do suggest you go and read up on De la Rey in particular, an opponent of war till the end, when it did come however he faught with great distinction earning the respect of the British. Other figured such as Botha ended up having a large part in the British Union of South Africa government, and were anti-slavery. YOu cant paint everyone with the one brush my friend.

True

But still, even though Albert Speer wasnt a hardcore nazi, and regretted his actions, he was still part of the regime, and was convicted in Nürnberg.

Anyways, great work with the battle scenario and the AAR