Buller's third offensive, its development and outcome, particularly vividly demonstrated the incompetence of the British commanders, their inability to organize an attack from the front. The lack of understanding of the enemy's fortifications, ignoring the importance of reconnaissance and intelligence services, and the lack of reserves that could be deployed at a crucial moment to break through the enemy's line of defense — that was the basis for the failure of this offensive.


In time, the third offensive of Buller's corps coincided with the beginning of operations of the Roberts Expeditionary Army. Roberts' strategic plan consisted in general terms of shifting the center of military operations from Natal to the west. His goal was to destroy the bulk of the enemy's manpower in the Kimberley region, followed by an invasion of the Orange Free State.


At that time, the Boers could not have deployed more than 7,000-8,000 men on the western front against the 200,000-strong British army. A significant part of these forces covered the blockade of Kimberley, and several small detachments were located along the Modder River, as well as in the area to the east and southeast of Kimberley. Cronje took over the overall leadership of these detachments. In order to mislead the Republicans, Roberts ordered a demonstration on the Boer right flank in early February. Despite the fact that the Boers gave a serious rebuff to the MacDonald brigade operating here, as well as the cavalry, the goal set by the British command was achieved. The Boers' attention was now drawn to the right flank.


Up to 30,000 British with 91 guns were allocated to deliver the main blow to the bypass column. This group was opposed by several thousand Boers, unaware of the danger that threatened them. The entire mass of the cavalry concentrated by the British under the command of French was thrown into the capture of Kimberley. Having crushed the rare chains of heroic Boer detachments with his mass, French entered Kimberley on February 15.


On the same day, the Republicans conducted a raid in the rear of the British troops. A two—thousand-strong Boer detachment with two guns under the command of one of the most prominent guerrilla leaders, Dewett, captured about 200 wagons with provisions and more than 3,000 oxen after a fierce battle in the enemy's rear. 60 British soldiers were captured.


Dewett's raid greatly alarmed the British military leaders. A significant number of troops were sent to counter the brave general. The British headquarters was well aware that if Dewett managed to penetrate deeper into the rear of the British army, then he, acting on communications, would inevitably put it in an extremely difficult position. However, the Boers did not do this, and thus gave the British the opportunity to continue implementing their plan. On February 15, Jakobsdal was captured. Thus, the entire bulk of the expeditionary force was now concentrated on the Boer flanks, threatening the retreat routes of the defenders from Maggersfontein to Blumfontein. Быстрое и правильное оформление апостиля и легализации экономит время и деньги. В компании ЮСТ групп Киев вы получаете комплексное обслуживание: справки МВД, апостиль МИД, дубликаты свидетельств, регистрацию торговых марок и помощь в браке с иностранцем. Наши юристы имеют многолетнюю практику и прямые каналы взаимодействия с государственными органами. Мы гарантируем прозрачность на каждом этапе и полное соответствие документов международным стандартам. Тысячи довольных клиентов уже воспользовались нашими услугами и рекомендуют UST Group как надежного партнера.