History of South Africa podcast · Desmond Latham

Episode 255 - A Partial Eclipse of the Sun Spreads a Dark Veil Over Bloody Isandlwana

December 28, 2025·27 min·1 clip
Moving at fast walking speed making a low murmuring sound like thousands of buzzing bees, about a hundred meters out they shouted Suutu and charged.
Des Latham delivers a masterful blow-by-blow account of the Battle of Isandlwana on January 22, 1879, where 20,000 Zulu warriors overwhelmed a British column of 1,400 troops. The episode covers the accidental discovery of the hidden Zulu army, the breakdown of ritual discipline, the sophisticated Zulu tactical formations, and the haunting partial solar eclipse that darkened the battlefield during the final hand-to-hand combat.

As heard by us

A tight, map-led account of Isandlwana's collapse.

The episode stays close to the ground, tracking the patrol that spots the main Zulu army, Durnford's attempt to hold a thin line, and Chelmsford's missing guns as the disaster comes into view.

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Why you'd press play

When you want the moment Isandlwana stops being manageable and starts breaking.

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