Phases of the South African War Phase 3: Guerrilla Tactics

3 Distinct Phases: • • • The Boers on attack British Troops Arrive Guerrilla Tactics

British Troops arrive • • Annexed Johannesburg: Did the war stop here? (in 1900) Bittereinders – The Boers who fought until the end of the war…

Phase three: Guerrilla warfare • • • • • Guerrilla tactics: moved away from big open battles more crafty ways of doing things Small groups of Boers: – – – Damage railway lines Cut telegraph wires Prevent supplies from reaching troops Surprise attacks on small groups of British soldiers General Christiaan de Wet: Boer Hero Boers knew area and veld, were good shots

British reaction?

• • • • They saw that they will not win the war if they do not resort to other tactics Put up 3 700 miles (+/ 6000 km) of barbed wire barricades Built blockhouses (small forts) Tried to make it more difficult for the Boer guerrilla units to move around

Blockhouses

Blockhouses

BBC Film: The Boer War