Stats and Facts




	The Combatants - a Balance Sheet:


	Area


	The Republics


	The British Empire

Z.A.R

O.F.S.

288 000 sq km

130 500 sq km

244 000 sq km

779 200 sq km

UK and Ireland

Cape and Natal

Total

418 500 sq km

1023 800 sq km

Total


	Forces


	The Republics


	The British Empire

Z.A.R. Artillery	733	375.328	British Troops
Z.A.R. Burghers	32.353	52.414	South Africans
Z.A.R. Police	1.545	307	India
O.F.S. Artillery	490	228	Ceylon
O.F.S. Burghers	22.317	15.917	Australia
O.F.S. Police	150	6.416	New Zealand
Swazil. Police	302	6.051	Canada
Medical Services	250*
Scouts	100*
Foreigners	2.000*


	60.291 Burghers opposed the Empire´s 458.610 men in arms.
		* approx figures


	The Butcher´s Bill:


	Operational Deaths


	The Republics


	The British Empire

Killed in action	3.937	5.774	Killed in action
Died of wounds	included above	2.018	Died of wounds
Accidental deaths	157	798	Accidental deaths
Volunteers	53
Total	4.147	8.590	Total


	Other Fatalities


	The Republics


	The British Empire

Died of disease	924	13.250	Died of disease
Died as prisoners	1.118	102	Died as prisoners
		508	Died at home
Total	2.042	13.860	Total


	Other Casualties


	The Republics


	The British Empire

Wounded	?	8.517	Wounded
P.O.W.	28.555	65.936	Sick / Invalids
		108	Missing
		466	not specified
Total	28.555	75.027	Total


	Total Republican (operational) casualties: 34.744 (approx) Total British and Imperial (operational) casualties: 97.477

	For stats and figures about the British Concentration Camps for Boer Civilians, please refer to the “Concentration Camps” Page.


	Boer Artillery:

Type of gun	Z.A.R.	O.F.S.
155 mm Creusot (Long Tom)	4	---
120 mm Krupp Howitzer	4	---
75 mm Krupp QF	8	---
75 mm Krupp BL	---	14
75 mm Creusot QF	6	---
75 mm Skoda Pilsen	1	---
75 mm Maxim-Nordenfeldt	4	---
9 pr Armstrong RBL	---	7
6 pr bronze	---	1
6 pr Whitworth	---	1
1 pr bronze	---	1
3 cm Krupp	---	1
37 mm Krupp	1	---
37 mm Gruson	1	---
3 pr Whitworth ML	---	3
37 mm Maxim-Nordenfeldt (pom-pom)	22	---
65 mm Krupp	2	---
85 mm Krupp	1	---
6.3 inch RML Howitzer	1	---
Mortar	1	---
Mountain Guns	5	---
5 pr Armstrong	3	---
7 pr ML	6	---
3 pr SB	1	---


	The more significant Boer guns were:

	37 mm Maxim-Nordenfeldt (pom-pom)


	Abbreviations SB - smooth bore ML - muzzle loading RBL - rifled breech loading RML - rifled muzzle loading BL - breech loading QF - quick firing

	Other notes Gun: long barrel, long range, flat trajectory, high muzzle velocity, light shell Howitzer: short barrel, short range, high trajectory, low muzzle velocity, heavy shell

Calibre	37 mm
Weight behind gun team	1.372 kg
Ammunition	explosive rounds
Weight of shell	0,45 kg
Range	approx. 2.740 m


	75 mm Creusot QF

Calibre	75 mm
Weight of gun	356 kg
Weight behind gun team	1.805 kg
Ammunition	Common, shrapnel
Weight of shell	Common 5,2 kg, shrapnel 6,4 kg
Range	approx. 6.200 m


	75 mm Krupp QF

Calibre	75 mm
Weight of gun	229 kg
Weight of carriage packed	533 kg
Ammunition	Common, shrapnel
Weight of shell	Common 6,1 kg, shrapnel 5 kg
Range	Time fuze 3.520 m, percussion 6.035 m


	120 mm Krupp Howitzer

Calibre	120 mm
Weight of gun	445 kg
Weight of carriage packed	985 kg
Ammunition	Common, shrapnel
Weight of shell	15,9 kg
Range	5.760 m


	155 mm Creusot Long Tom

Calibre	155 mm
Weight of gun	2.489 kg
Weight behind gun team	5.487 kg
Ammunition	Common, shrapnel
Weight of shell	43 kg
Range	10.060 m


	Mauser - the Legend

Calibre	7 mm bolt action
Origin	Germany (1895)
Length	1,235 m
Barrel length	0,738 m
Weight	4,0 kg
Muzzle velocity	approx. 728 m/sec
Max. sight adjustment	2.000 m
Magazine	5 round cartridges in loading clips, smokeless
Numbers in Z.A.R.	35.850
Numbers in O.F.S.	9.525


	Lee-Metford (.303) - the British “No-Match”

Calibre	7,9 mm bolt action
Origin	Great Britain (1895)
Length	1,266 m
Barrel length	0,767 m
Weight	4,63 kg
Muzzle velocity	approx. 628 m/sec
Max. sight adjustment	1.830 m
Magazine	10 round detachable
Numbers	unknown


	Prisoners of war


	The total number of Boer prisoners of war rose to 47.410 until the end of the war in May 1902 of whom died 1.118 in captivity.

Transvaal p.o.w.	12.954
surrendering during the war	13.780
Free State p.o.w.	12.358
surrendering during the war	8.318


	Very few p.o.w. were detained in South Africa. The vast majority (approx 35.000) were deported to the island of Sankt Helena. When the island became too small for the masses of prisoners other camps were established in Ceylon (Sri Lanka), India and Bermuda.

One of the main assets for both sides in the war were horses and mules. The Boers were real “horse-men”, owing their four legged friends much of their many achievements over the years. Unfortunately there are no reliable statistics about horses and mules being used by the Boers in the war.

On the British side statistics are as follows:

Origin	Horses	Mules	Total
Britain	84.235	167	84.402
South America	26.544	0	26.544
Canada	14.621	0	14.621
USA	109.878	81.524	191.402
Australasia	23.028	0	23.028
Hungary	60.352	0	60.352
Spain	0	15.229	15.229
Italy	0	7.004	7.004
Cyprus	0	128	128
South Africa	158.816	45.290	204.106
Uganda	0	306	306
India	8.611	1.114	9.725
Colonial Contingents	28.904	19	28.923
Austria	3.805	0	3.805
Total	518.794	150.781	669.575


	Of these, 347.007 horses and 53.339 mules were killed during the war - a total of 400.346 animals.


	The final settlement:

	There are no official statistics about the cost of the war on the Boer side. The value of farms, towns, livestock and crops that were lost can only be guessed. All reports on how much the Boer republics spent on arms and ammunition are lost. On the British side the official figure for the 963 days of the Boer war totals to GBP 221.000.000,00 (in 1902!!!).




	Back to the Boer War Page


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