Editing Second Boer War (section)

=== Arming the Boers ===
[[File:KrugerPaulusJohannes.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Paul Kruger]], leader of the [[South African Republic]] (Transvaal)]]

In earlier conflicts, the Boers' most common weapon was the British [[Westley Richards]] falling-block breech-loader. In his book ''The First Boer War'', Joseph Lehmann offers this comment: "Employing chiefly the very fine breech-loading Westley Richards – calibre 45; paper cartridge; percussion-cap replaced on the nipple manually—they made it exceedingly dangerous for the British to expose themselves on the skyline".<ref>{{cite web | last=Machanik | first=Felix | title=Firearms and Firepower – First War of Independence, 1880–1881 – Journal | website=South African Military History Society | url=http://samilitaryhistory.org/vol052fm.html | access-date=2019-08-28}}</ref>

[[File:Rifle, bolt action (AM 1930.61-17).jpg|thumb|Mauser 1895 bolt-action rifle (at the Auckland Museum)]]

Kruger re-equipped the Transvaal army, importing 37,000 of the latest 7x57 mm [[Mauser Model 1895]] rifles supplied by Germany,<ref name="Smith-Christmas-2016">{{cite web|url=https://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2016/6/1/the-guns-of-the-boer-commandos/|title=The Guns of the Boer Commandos|last=Smith-Christmas|first=Kenneth L.|date=2016-06-01|website=American Rifleman|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200314072227/https://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2016/6/1/the-guns-of-the-boer-commandos/|archive-date=14 March 2020|access-date=2019-08-28}}</ref> and some 40 to 50&nbsp;million rounds of ammunition.<ref>{{harvnb|Bester|1994|p={{page needed|date=February 2017}} }}</ref><ref name="Wessels2000" />{{rp|80}} Some commandos used the [[Martini-Henry]] Mark III, because thousands of these had been purchased. Unfortunately, the large puff of white smoke after firing gave away the shooter's position.<ref name="Scarlata-2017">{{cite web | last=Scarlata | first=Paul | title=6 Rifles Used by the Afrikaners During the Second Boer War | website=Tactical Life Gun Magazine | date=2017-04-17 | url=https://www.tactical-life.com/firearms/second-boer-war-rifles/ | access-date=2019-08-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Pretorius|first=Fransjohan|title=Life on Commando during the Anglo–Boer War 1899–1902|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WfovAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA81|year=1999|publisher=Human & Rousseau|isbn=978-0-7981-3808-6|page=81}}</ref> Roughly 7,000 Guedes 1885 rifles had also been purchased a few years earlier, and these were also used during the hostilities.<ref name="Scarlata-2017" />

As the war went on, some commandos relied on captured British rifles, such as the [[Lee-Metford]] and the [[Lee–Enfield|Enfield]].<ref name="Smith-Christmas-2016" /><ref name=bbc01 /> Indeed, when the ammunition for the Mausers ran out, the Boers relied primarily on the captured Lee-Metfords.<ref>{{cite book|last=Muller|first=C. F. J.|title=Five Hundred Years: A History of South Africa|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0dlBAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA330|year=1986|publisher=Academica|isbn=978-0-86874-271-7|page=330}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Grant|first=Neil|title=Mauser Military Rifles|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xbKdCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA39|year=2015|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|isbn=978-1-4728-0595-9|page=39}}</ref>

Regardless of the rifle, few of the Boers used bayonets.<ref>{{cite book|last=Gooch|first=John|title=The Boer War: Direction, Experience and Image|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CVy4AQAAQBAJ&pg=PT98|year= 2013|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-135-27181-7|page=98}}</ref><ref name="Grant-2015">{{cite book|last=Grant|first=Neil|title=Mauser Military Rifles|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xbKdCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA37|year=2015|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|isbn=978-1-4728-0595-9|page=37}}</ref>

The Boers also purchased the best modern European German Krupp artillery. By October 1899, the Transvaal State Artillery had 73 heavy guns, including four 155&nbsp;mm [[155 mm Creusot Long Tom|Creusot fortress guns]]<ref>{{cite book|last=Lunderstedt|first=Steve|title=From Belmont to Bloemfontein: the western campaign of the Anglo–Boer War, February 1899 to April 1900|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cgMwAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA22|year=2000|publisher=Diamond Fields Advertiser|page=22|isbn=978-0-620-26099-2}}</ref> and 25 of the 37&nbsp;mm [[QF 1 pounder pom-pom|Maxim Nordenfeldt guns]].<ref name="Wessels2000" />{{rp|80}}
The Boers' Maxim, larger than the British Maxims,<ref>{{cite book|last=Horn|first=Bernd|title=Doing Canada Proud: The Second Boer War and the Battle of Paardeberg|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cNnSDFv7J1IC&pg=PA56|year=2012|publisher=Dundurn|isbn=978-1-4597-0578-4|page=56}}</ref> was a large calibre, belt-fed, water-cooled "auto cannon" that fired explosive rounds (smokeless ammunition) at 450 rounds per minute. It became known as the "Pom Pom".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.smallarmsreview.com/display.article.cfm?idarticles=2490|title=South Africa's National Museum of Military History|last=Krott|first=Rob|date=14 March 2014|website=SmallArmsReview.com|orig-year=2002|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200320075558/https://www.smallarmsreview.com/display.article.cfm?idarticles=2490|archive-date=20 March 2020|access-date=2019-08-28}}</ref>

Aside from weaponry, the tactics used by the Boers were significant. As one modern source states, "Boer soldiers ... were adept at guerrilla warfare—something the British had difficulty countering".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://legionmagazine.com/en/2017/05/canadas-first-foreign-war/|title=Canada's first foreign war|last=Zuehlke|first=Mark|date=2017-05-15|website=Legion Magazine|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200211140928/https://legionmagazine.com/en/2017/05/canadas-first-foreign-war/|archive-date=11 February 2020|access-date=2019-08-28}}</ref>

The Transvaal army was transformed: Approximately 25,000 men equipped with modern rifles and artillery could mobilise within two weeks. However, President Kruger's victory in the Jameson Raid incident did nothing to resolve the fundamental problem of finding a formula to conciliate the uitlanders, without surrendering the independence of the Transvaal.