Published by Osprey in 1996, has 48 pages of text by Ian Knight and 8 Color Plates by Gerry Embleton. It is number 303 in their Men-At-Arms series. This book also contains 42 other illustrations, comprised of 1 drawing and 41 photographs. This book, like all of this series, doesn’t have a bibliography. However, it does refer you other Osprey publications for more information. Boer Wars (2), like Boer Wars (1), contains a helpful glossary.

This is another splendid addition to a Colonial Wargamer’s library. It is well written with concise descriptions of the protagonists and the many military actions fought during the period from Jameson’s Raid in 1895 to 1901. The tactics and weapons used by the British and the Boers as they changed throughout the war are discussed. In addition, several small actions are described. I missed not having a map like Volume 1 had. It would have helped me understand the actions described in this book. Is it worth the money? I think so. It provides the information you need to paint up the figures for both sides of this, The Second Boer War.

Starting with the Jameson Raid in 1895-96, the Second Boer War ultimately involved every British regular cavalry and infantry regiment, except the 15th Hussars, and included contingents from Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. Consequently, this is a war that includes every Colonial wargamer favorite British regiment. This war is also one, where the wargamer can includes units from Australia, Canada, and New Zealand on the British side and American, Dutch, French, German, Irish, Italian or Scandinavian volunteers on the Boer side.

Because this book covers only one war, it is structured differently than Volume 1. This structure is as follows:

(1) Introduction. This section describes South Africa, the effect of the discovery of gold, the plan by Rhodes to take over the Kruger government of the Transvaal with his private army, and the forcing of the war by Sir Alfred Milner, British high commissioner.

(2) Boer Forces, 1899 the organization of both the Boer regular and militia units, their weapons and uniforms.

(3) The British Army in 1899 the organization, weapons and uniforms of the British fighting and medical service units, and the units raised in South Africa.

(4) Tactical Differences. This section describes the tactics used by both the British and the Boers.

(5) The Conventional War describes the strategies pursued by both sides, the early war battles, the Siege of Ladysmith, the November 1899 British counter attacks, the British defeats in the second week of December named “Black Week”, Colenso, Spionkop, The Wester Front, and The Relief of Ladysmith.

(6) The British Army, 1900-1901 includes descriptions of the raising of additional forces such as: the City Imperial Volunteers, Lovat’s Scouts, the Imperial Yeomanry and Colonial forces from Australia, Canada and New Zealand. Also described in this section are The Guerilla War, Kitchener’s War and the use of Blockhouses.

(7) Boer Forces, 1900-1902. This section describes the Boer use of captured weapons, equipment and uniforms during the last years of the war.

(8) The Myth of the White Man’s War describes the black African’s role during the war. They fought with and worked for both the British and Boer forces. And

(9) The Bitter End describes the cost in manpower and money. It also discusses the effects on the population in South Africa and the legacy of bitterness left by the use of concentration camps used by the British.

Color Plates:

The book provides color drawings of 32 different figures, providing the figure painter with enough information to paint Boer [13], African [2] and British [13] soldiers. In addition there are paintings of 4 Boer hat styles and 4 Boer Flags. The color plates cover the variety of uniforms worn in the three periods of the war, early [1899], middle [1889/1900] and late [1901/1902].

Plate A, Early Boers 1899, contains seven drawings, showing three figures, four hat styles, three bandolier types and four Boer flag styles: Corporal and Officer, Transvaal Staatsartillerie; Boer Burgher; Officers, Foreign Volunteers; Boer hat and bandolier styles.

Plate B, Early Boers 1899/1900, has five different figures of Urban Boer; German Volunteer Doctor; Blake’s Irish Brigade, Chicago Irish-American Corps; gunner, Transvaal Staatsartillerie; African agyterryer.

Plate C, Early British 1899/1900 shows four different figures: Private, Kings Royal Rifle Corps; Private, 5th Lancers; Infantry Sergeant; Officer, Lancashire Fusiliers.

Plate D has three British figures of the Western Theatre 1899/1900: Private, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders; Officer, Highland Light Infantry; Private, Grenadier Guards.

Plate E contains three figures of the British forces, 1900: Trooper, Rimington’s Scouts; Staff Officer; private, Royal Canadian Regiment.

Plate F has five Boer and British figures, 1900: Boers, Burgher; man, Zuid Afrikaanse Rijdende Politie [South African Mounted Police]; British, Officer, City Imperial Volunteers; Troopers, Natal Carbineers, front and back views.

Plate G shows three Boer and British figures, 1901: British, Infantry Officer; Boers, two “bitter-enders”.

Plate H contains four British figures and Rice Blockhouse, 1901/1902: African Scout; Infantry Private; Private, 17th Lancers; Regular mounted Infantry.

In addition to the color plates, the book contains one drawing and forty-one photographs, 12 of Boer subjects and 29 of British subjects. These show you the differences between parade ground and in the field uniforms of the British and the wide variety of Boer uniforms and equipment.

Scenarios:

One scenario that can be done with relatively few figures can be the Jameson Raid in 1895; two columns comprised of the private forces of Cecil Rhodes, the 372 members of the Mashonaland Mounted Police and 122 men former Bechuanaland Border Police with 8 maxim machine guns, two 7-pdr and one 12-pdr field guns can be pitted against the entrenched Lichtenburg commando at Doornkop, supported by a battery of Staatsartillerie. The real battle had a lop-sided outcome, the raiders lost 16 killed in action and 56 wounded in actions against a Boer loss of 1 man killed in action.

Another possible scenario could be the battle at Magersfontein on 12 December 1899. General Metheun, reluctant to attack the Boers in their strong position on the Magersfontein ridge in daylight, attempted a night attack. Unfortunately for the British, dawn found them still in close formations, susceptible to careful and concerted fire by entrenched Boer. The battle results showed the effects of this kind of battle. There were 950 British casualties versus less than 300 Boer casualties.