Boer Guerrilla Warfare Flashcards
how many Boers were involved in active resistance?
20,000
how many British troops were in SA after September 1900?
250,000
who were the Boer guerrilla leaders?
de Wet
de la Ray
Smuts
Botha
what guerrilla tactics did the Boers use?
they were sent to their home districts which allowed them to use their knowledge of the terrain
they striked quickly and fast so that they could deal as much damage as possible before escaping
how did Kitchener restrict the movement of Boers?
by using blockhouses
how many blockhouses did Kitchener build?
8,000
how much land did the blockhouses cover?
4000 miles
what was used in conjunction with the blockhouses?
barbed wire fences
what did the blockhouses allow the British to do?
conduct sweeps of the terrain which allowed them to trap the Boers
what latest technology did the British use against the Boers?
the telephone
telegraph cable
what were mounted raiding columns?
used to follow and harrass Boer fighters in an attempt to cut them off or delay them to allow the main forces to catch up
what acted as a rapid action force for the British?
armoured trains
what had Roberts implemented before leaving SA?
a scorched earth policy
what did Kitchener do with scorched earth policy?
he continued it to greater effect
how was the scorched earth policy carried out?
the British targeted anything which may provide supplies to Boer guerrillas
they destroyed property and crops as well as poisoning wells
what were concentration camps initially used for?
set up as refugee camps for Boer families
+ves of concentration camps
prevented Boer families from helping their soldiers
forced many Boers to surrender in fear of losing their families
-ve of concentration camps
released the pressure on Boers to look after their families
Brits ran them POORLY and drew a lot of criticism
what were the conditions in the concentration camps?
- lack of food
- poor shelter
- bad hygiene and sanitation
- shortage of medical facilities
- overcrowding —> led to disease
which diseases were present in concentration camps?
measles
typhoid
dysentery
how many Boer men and women died in concentration camps?
20,000
1/4 of all inmates