Majuba veldslag

Die Veldslag by Majuba tydens die Eerste Anglo Boere Oorlog (naby Volksrust, Suid Afrika) was op 27 February 1881. Dit was die hoof veldslag van die Eerst ABO en was 'n oorwinning vir die Boere.

Die veldslag van Majuba en die betekenis daarvan

Intussen het mev. Hendrina Joubert, die generaal se vrou, ook die vyand op die berg gewaar.  Binne enkele minute was die Boerekamp in spanning.  Piet Joubert jaag self langs die lang linie en roep sy offisiere op.  Hy vind sy twee generaals Frans Joubert en Nicolaas Smit besig om te twis oor wie se skuld dit was dat die Engelse op die berg gekom het.  Piet Joubert duld egter geen woorde meer nie en met sy skerp hoë stem kom die bevel:  “Die Engelse is daar bo en julle gaan hulle daar afhaal … dadelik!”

  En toe volg daar een van die meer briljante strategiese beplanning in die militêre geskiedenis.  Generaal Nicolaas Smit se bevele binne enkele minute is eenvoudig verstommend.  ‘n Engelse navorser skryf:  “Everything was planned by general Smit with Napoleonic facility and speed”  [Ransford].  Geen onduidelikheid nie:  “Ek het 150 manne nodig om die berg te bestorm.  Al die ander stellings moet behou word”.  Let op generaal Smit se woorde.  Hy sê nie “julle wat dapper is volg my nie”, maar:  “Julle wat geen lafaards is nie, volg my”!

  Die afdelings het die berg bestorm:  In die middel reg na bo assistant-veldkornet Frans Roos met sy manne;  regs van hom kommandant Joachim Ferreira met sy manne en links assistant-veldkornet Danie Malan met sy manne.  Aan die manne bokant 50 jaar word bevel gegee om agter die rotse van die eerste plato teen die steilte stelling in te neem.  “As ‘n Engelsman daar bo-op die berg sy kop uitsteek, dan skiet julle”!  Hierdie ouer manne was die ervare skuts.

  Die Boere se taktiek was meesterlik.  Dit het eenvoudig al die Engelse militêre handboeke oortref – ons kan feitlik sê “oorskryf”.  Die gebruikmaking van “dooie grond”, dit wil sê waar die vyand jou nie kan sien nie en kruisdekking met akkurate vuur, was dodelik.  Generaal Smit se strategie was die van vuur en so vinnig soos moontlik onder hierdie dekking vorentoe beweeg.  Nie almal gelyk nie, maar twee-twee, selfs een-een van struik tot struik, van rots tot rots.  Feitlik ongesiens het die Boere in ‘n lang halfmaan rondom die Majubakruin al nader en nader beweeg.  Dit was met ‘n ongelooflike geduld vir ses ure lank.  En tog was elke beweging met blitsige spoed.  Teen elfuur se kant was die voorstes alreeds onder die regop kranse van die kruin.  Van die rand van die plato onder hierdie kranse kom daar, sodra daar beweging bo-op die kruin is, elke keer sarsies vuur van die manne bo 50 jaar.

  Intussen leef generaal Colley en sy offisiere in die grootste waan oor die toestand.  Triomfantlike boodskappe word met vlae en Heliograafseine na Mount Prospect gestuur.  Onder andere laat Colley hulle weet:  “Alles is wel.  Die Boere mors hulle ammunisie en is besig om hulle waens op te pak … Een van ons manne is in sy voet gewond…”

  Vir ure lank het die Britte geen besef van die Boere se geniale militêre vernuf nie.  Hulle het ook geen besef dat die Transvalers bereid is om ‘n duur prys vir hulle landsvryheid te betaal nie.  Hulle weet ook niks van die Boere-gedetermineerdheid toe generaal Joubert gesê het:  “Tot sover en nie verder nie”!

  DIE BETEKENIS VAN MAJUBA

  In omvang en getalle was die veldslag van Majuba eintlik klein.  In vergelyking met groot verdslae in die wêreldgeskiedenis, was dit skaars ‘n skermutseling van enkele ure.  Maar die betekenis van Majuba was vir Suid-Afrika onoortreflike:  Die magtigste wêreldmoondheid, Groot Brittanje met sy baie kolonies as ‘n Verenigde Koninkryk onder die Union Jack, is tot in sy fondamente geskud.  Lord Carnavon se Federasie-politiek vir die subkontinent van Afrika het ‘n nekslag gekry.

  Naas Bloedrivier was die veldslag van Majuba vir die Boere die belangrikste in hulle geskiedenis.  Die betekenis is onberekenbaar:

  ·        Afrikaners met hulle eie identiteit van taal en kultuur en ‘n eie volksbestaan soos alle ander volke in die wêreld, het met Majuba, ‘n voldwonge feit geword.

  ·        Die Britse politieke beleid in Afrika moet ingrypende aanpassings maak.  Sy kolonialisme het ‘n nuwe dimensie gekry.

  ·        Maar helaas, Majuba het die grootste wraak van Groot Brittanje wat nog ooit teen die klein Boerevolkie gepleeg is, ontketen.  Die Britse trots kon nooit die vernedering van Majuba verwerk nie.  Koningin Victoria het met verbittering uitgeroep:  “I do not like peace before we have retrieved our honour”.  “Remember Majuba!”  het die Engelse se nuwe strydkreet geword.  Die oorlog van 1899 – 1902 tussen Boer en Brit het vir byna drie jaar op ‘n massale bloedvergieting uitgeloop.  Thomas Pakenham, ‘n Britse outoriteit oor die Tweede Anglo-Boere oorlog skryf die volgende:  “Milner’s little” “Armageddon” had cost the British taxpayer more than £ 200 million.  The cost in blood was equally high.  The War Office reckoned that 400 346 horses, mules and donkeys were “expended” in the war.  There were over a hundred thousand casualties of all kinds among the 364 693 imperial and 82 742 colonial soldiers who had fought…  On the Boer side, the cost, measured in suffering, was relative much higher.  It was estimated that there were over 7 000 deaths among the 87 365 Boers who foughs for the two republics”  [Pakenham:  The Boer War, 1993. p. 287].  Aan Boerekant het ook nog 26 251 vroue en kinders in 45 konsentrasiekampe gesterf.  Ook 30 000 Boerewonings en plase is in Transvaal en die Vrystaat totaal verwoes [Ensiklopedie van die Wêreld”  Stellenbosch, 1974, deel 6, p. 204].

Teks van http://www.boer.co.za/majuba/die_veldslag_van_majuba.htm besoek op 28 Nov 2010

The battle at Majuba Hill (near Volksrust, South Africa) on 27 February 1881 was the main battle of the First Boer War. It was a resounding victory for the Boers.

Major-General Sir George Pomeroy Colley occupied the summit of the hill on the night of February 26-27, 1881. His motive for occupying the hill remains unclear. The Boers believed that he may have been attempting to outflank their positions at Laing's Nek.

The bulk of the 405 British soldiers occupying the hill were 171 men of the 58th Regiment with 141 men of the 92nd (Gordon) Highlanders, and a small naval brigade from HMS Dido. General Colley had brought no artillery up to the summit, nor did he order his men to dig in, expecting that the Boers would retreat when they saw their position on the Nek was untenable. However, the Boers quickly formed a group of storming parties, led by Nicolas Smit, from an assortment of volunteers from various commandos, totaling at least 450 men, maybe more, to attack the hill.

By daybreak at 4:30, the 92nd Highlanders covered a wide perimeter of the summit, while a handful occupied Gordon's Knoll on the right side of the summit. Oblivious to the presence of the British troops until the 92nd (Gordon) Highlanders began to yell and shake their fists, the Boers began to panic fearing an artillery attack.. Three Boer storming groups of 100-200 men each began a slow advance up the hill. The groups were led by Field Cornet Stephanus Roos, Commandant D.J.K. Malan and Commandant Joachim Ferreira. The Boers, being the better marksmen, kept their enemy on the slopes at bay while groups crossed the open ground to attack Gordon's Knoll, where at 12:45 Ferreira's men opened up a tremendous fire on the exposed knoll and captured it. Over the next hour, the Boers poured over the top of the British line and engaged the enemy at long range, refusing hand-to-hand combat action and picking off the British one by one. The Boers were able to take advantage of the scrub and long grass which covered the hill, something that the British were not trained to do. It was at this stage that British discipline began to wane and panicky troops began to desert their posts, unable to see their opponents and being given very little in the way of direction from officers. When more Boers were seen encircling the mountain, the British line collapsed and many fled pell-mell from the hill. The Boers were able to launch an attack which shattered the already crumbling British line.

Amidst great confusion and with casualties amongst his men rising, Colley attempted to order a fighting retreat, but was shot by Boer marksmen. The rest of the British force fled down the rear slopes of Majuba, where more were hit by the Boer marksmen, who had lined the summit in order to shoot at the retreating foe. An abortive rearguard action was staged by the 15th The King's Hussars and 60th rifles, who had marched from mount prospect, although this made little impact on the Boer forces. Two hundred and eighty Britons were killed, captured or wounded.

Although small in scope, the battle is historically significant for three reasons:

Teks van http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Majuba_Hill beseok op 28 November 2010