The Army major felt a chill run down his spine as he saw yet another British soldier fall a hundred yards away. He was embedded with a Boer commando near Gordon's Knoll. The main Boer force was dug in at Laing's Nek, but their commandos were on the offensive. The Boers could not only outshoot the British, they were masters at taking cover and concealing themselves. What impressed him most, though, was their tactic of vuur en beweeg, or fire and movement.
A group of Boer riflemen–boys, really; only some officers were grown men–would advance while another fired at the enemy nearest them, and after moving several yards, go prone and shoot while the second group moved. By repeating this process, they were able to cover and take ground very quickly. So far, the major had seen as many as fifty Boer troops move up the hill in this manner; in fact, he noted, it was most effective when their supporting fire came from the few repeating rifles, especially the 11-round Vetterli carbine. What fire the Brits could return went high. Since the Boers were well within their opponents' effective range, the major assumed the British had previously sighted their rifles at much longer distances and forgotten about it in the heat of battle.
Eventually, the Boers surrounded Majuba Hill, sending the British into a panicked retreat, and then took it. From the hill, they continued to shoot down the routed Redcoats. At a cost of six men, only one of which was a fatality, a force of farmboys and old men had defeated professional soldiers–America's own Minuteman legend come to life in South Africa. The major spent hours interviewing Boer and Brit alike. As he compiled and reviewed his notes, one thing stuck with him: vuur en beweeg.
Obviously, successful American adoption and use of fire-and-movement tactics this soon is going to require an update of service weapon and cartridge used thereby, not to mention a serious change in military thinking. Since I'm giving it until about the start of the Spanish-American War at the earliest, this means modification or outright replacement of the M1898 (American Krag-Jørgensen)–likely the former.
Suggestions? Comments? Pithy insults?
A group of Boer riflemen–boys, really; only some officers were grown men–would advance while another fired at the enemy nearest them, and after moving several yards, go prone and shoot while the second group moved. By repeating this process, they were able to cover and take ground very quickly. So far, the major had seen as many as fifty Boer troops move up the hill in this manner; in fact, he noted, it was most effective when their supporting fire came from the few repeating rifles, especially the 11-round Vetterli carbine. What fire the Brits could return went high. Since the Boers were well within their opponents' effective range, the major assumed the British had previously sighted their rifles at much longer distances and forgotten about it in the heat of battle.
Eventually, the Boers surrounded Majuba Hill, sending the British into a panicked retreat, and then took it. From the hill, they continued to shoot down the routed Redcoats. At a cost of six men, only one of which was a fatality, a force of farmboys and old men had defeated professional soldiers–America's own Minuteman legend come to life in South Africa. The major spent hours interviewing Boer and Brit alike. As he compiled and reviewed his notes, one thing stuck with him: vuur en beweeg.
Obviously, successful American adoption and use of fire-and-movement tactics this soon is going to require an update of service weapon and cartridge used thereby, not to mention a serious change in military thinking. Since I'm giving it until about the start of the Spanish-American War at the earliest, this means modification or outright replacement of the M1898 (American Krag-Jørgensen)–likely the former.
Suggestions? Comments? Pithy insults?
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