[Aktungbby]

Originally Posted by AVGWarhawk

History in action! Looked like a good day for the event and a nice commemorative.

I often wonder why the British believe the red coat was the best uniform to wear? Honestly, they can be seen coming a mile away.

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

That is precisely what scared the crap out of the enemy...well up until the above

Indeed! The redcoat on 1/22/1879 was not the uniform of choice to be in even on open ground at Isandlwana the Zulu War: a total disaster. " COL Pulleine's 1,400 soldiers were totally overwhelmed. The Zulus took no prisoners and killed any they could, including Pulleine and Durnford. Approximately 60 British regulars escaped, none of whom were wearing red coats ( The Zulu King had specifically ordered his men to kill all the men wearing the red coats).
The surviving British soldiers were either officers wearing their dark blue field uniforms, troopers with the Royal Artillery (who wore light blue uniforms), or members of irregular cavalry units such as the Natal mounted units. " Some poetic license is taken in the movies with the scarlet uniform. In the movie Zulu for example, Michael Cain's officer character is in a red uniform but the real officer wore blue at Roarkes Drift, thus surviving and winning the Victoria Cross. So too with the soldiers in Heath Ledger's version of the Four Feathers, portrayed in red, actually wore khaki, introduced from India, in the Sudan against the Mahdi-but it (red) just looked better to the director. It took the sharp shooting Boer commando of the First Boer War with Mausers, to finally 'fold' the red garb with (white cross belts..( X)..(at RED framed sight pic with crossbelt target 1000yds??!... to any Mauser equipped Boer! no scope needed! ) and switch out the single shot Martini-Henry rifle...in time for WWI The Four Feathers: ^ this didn't happen! And after 1897; for the second Boer War: This ('service dress') did happen!