Shaka Zulu is said to be one of the greatest military leaders in
African history, and perhaps all of history. There is controversy
around the brutality of his methods, and the strictness with
which he trained his troops, but in many ways, he improved
warfare methods forever. Born in 1787 in what is now South
Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province, he died in 1828. His legacy
lived on in the Zulu warriors who fought the British in
1879. The military conflict helped immortalize the Zulu in the
minds of Westerners, but Zulu history was far from over in
1879. The Zulus persevered through apartheid and remain the
largest ethnic group in South Africa. Here are 10 things that
made Shaka Zulu a military genius.

1. He introduced a sword to the Zulu people
Tired of the assegai, a long pole weapon made of wood with
pointed iron at the end and thrown like a javelin, Shaka Zulu
introduced the ikwla, a weapon with a shorter sphere and a
longer spearhead, sort of like a sword. This weapon gave
Shaka’s tribe a huge advantage over their opponents when
they came up close for hand-to-hand combat.

2. He introduced cowhide shields
Shaka Zulu supposedly introduced cowhide shields, which
were much stronger than the iron or wood shields used
previously.

3. He accustomed his troops to war conditions
Some historians say that Shaka Zulu would make his troops
go on 50-mile marches over rough and hot terrain for practice
so they wouldn’t be fazed by difficult conditions during an
actual battle. So he may have been the inventor of “drills.”

4. He introduced (and perhaps invented) the bull horn
formation
Many historians say Shaka Zulu was the first military leader to
use the bull horn formation. This is a three-part attack system
in which seasoned warriors form the “chest” of the horn at the
front, pinning the enemy into a position where it can be easily
attacked. Younger warriors would form the “horns” and
encircle the enemy, attacking from the sides, and additional
warriors formed the “loins,” standing behind the “chest” with
their back to the battle, protecting against any additional
attackers.

5. He differentiated soldiers
Shaka Zulu had soldiers carry different colored or patterned
shields, depending on their rank. In a troop of hundreds, this
made it much easier for soldiers to know exactly where to go
when forming the bull horn.

The remaining 5 http://afkinsider.com/57305/10-things-made-shaka-zulu-military-innovator/6/

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Shaka Zulu and Sun Tsu... My heros.