The Zulu Wars

This series explores the facts and investigates the truth behind the British Redcoat Army's campaign in Zululand during 1879. The war was started by a country at the height of it's imperial powers and prosecuted by an army charged with the responsibility of implementing a policy known as Confederation - a proposal to unite various black and white factions in South Africa under British authority. Interviews, on-location footage and new geological surveys all help to reconstruct the conflicts and give insight into the tactics used in these epic battles.

• Ep 1

  1.The Road to Isandlwana

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  The first episode in the series sets the scene and tells the fascinating story of the origins of the war and explains how Sir Henry Bartle-Frere engineered the British invasion of...

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• Ep 2

  2.The Washing of the Spears

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  The appalling disaster at Isandlwana was received with horror in Britain and the Government did all it could to maximise the news of the momentous events at Rorke's Drift.

• Ep 3

  3.Twilight of the Zulus

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  This episode tells the story of the bloody second and final phase of the war during which the British exacted terrible retribution on the Zulu nation and humiliated King Cetshwayo.