THE VALIANT DEFENSE OF RORKE'S DRIFT (#2 SUMMER SERIES FAMOUS LAST STANDS)

# 2 In our summer series "Famous Last Stands" is The Valiant Defense of Rorke's Drift, which was a 10 hour battle between a beleagured British outpost in the center of Zulu territory which was attacked by a very large Zulu force in 1879. Outnumbered 40 to 1 , the small garrison fought bravely, often in hand to hand combat, with many surviving and claiming 20 Zulus for every fallen soldier.  Coming Sunday 12:30 ET: The Battle of Khe Sanh "Hold At All Costs". 2,500 US Marines, Army, AF, and ARVN vs. 40,000 enemy troops

The Battle of Rorke's Drift, also known as the Defence of Rorke's Drift, was an engagement in the Anglo-Zulu War. The successful British defence of the mission station of Rorke's Drift, under the command of Lieutenants John Chard of the Royal Engineers and Gonville Bromhead of the 24th Regiment of Foot, began once a large contingent of Zulu warriors broke off from the main force during the final hour of the British defeat at the day-long Battle of Isandlwana on 22 January 1879. They travelled ten kilometres (six miles) to attack Rorke's Drift later that day and continuing into the following day.

Just over 150 British and colonial troops defended the station against attacks by 3,000 to 4,000 Zulu warriors. The massive but piecemeal attacks by the Zulu on Rorke's Drift came very close to overwhelming the much smaller garrison, but were consistently repelled. Eleven Victoria Crosses were awarded to individual defenders, along with a number of other decorations and honors.

Resources
•    "The last stand at Isandhlwana" by Charles Edwin Fripp and "The Defence of Rorke's Drift" by Alphonse de Neuville. : r/BattlePaintings". Reddit Discussion.
•    "Battle of Rorke's Drift". Wikipedia Article.
•    "Bold Stand at Rorke’s Drift". Article from Warfare History Network. Arnold Blumberg. July 2017.
•    "Defence of Rorke’s Drift". Article from National Army Museum.
•    "Eye witness accounts Rorkes Drift.". Forum Content from rorkesdriftvc.com.
•    "Rorke’s Drift by Those Who Were There". Event/Talk Description from National Army Museum. Featuring Ian Knight. 20 January 2023.
•    "The Battle of Rorke's Drift | Zulus Vs British | Total War Cinematic Battle". YouTube Video Transcript from "Historical Total War Battles" channel.
•    "The Defense of Rorke's Drift". Narrative Compilation Source. 
•    "The Last Stand at Isandhlwana". Article from The British Empire website.
•    "Hook's account of the Battle". Private Henry Hook's account, published in The Royal Magazine. Hosted on rorkesdriftvc.com. February 1905.
Credits
Produced and Narrated by: Jon Hagadorn
Research & Writing: Gizelle Erickson