Rorke's Drift, South Africa
A mission station held by about 150 men against thousands, hours after Isandlwana.
Terra Explorer Famous battlefields
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The Standard resolution model is free as STL, 3MF, Colored 3MF, OBJ and a 16-bit heightmap. High resolution samples the place about ten times more finely.
- Region
- South Africa
- Position
- -28.3400, 30.5300
- Area
- 5 × 5 km
- Real elevation
- 1,052 to 1,308 m (256 m of relief)
- Printed size
- 150 mm (5.9 in) wide, about 1:33,300
- Heights
- 3× exaggeration
- Elevation data
- Open satellite data (SRTM and others), about 30 m per point
- Suggested color
- War map
- Group
- Famous battlefields
About Rorke's Drift, South Africa
The Battle of Rorke's Drift, also known as the Defence of Rorke's Drift, was an engagement in the Anglo-Zulu War. The successful British defence of the Swedish mission station and British supply depot at Rorke's Drift, it was carried out by a vastly outnumbered British force under the command of Lieutenants John Chard of the Royal Engineers and Gonville Bromhead of the 24th Regiment of Foot. It holds the record for the largest number of Victoria Crosses awarded for a single battle. After a large contingent of Zulu warriors broke off from the main force during the final hours of the British defeat at the day-long Battle of Isandlwana on 22 January 1879, they travelled ten kilometres (six miles) to attack Rorke's Drift later that day, with fighting continuing into the following day.
From Wikipedia: Battle of Rorke's Drift, text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. The article’s history lists its authors.
Questions about Rorke's Drift, South Africa
Where is Rorke's Drift?
Rorke's Drift is in South Africa at -28.3400, 30.5300. The model covers a 5 by 5 kilometer square around that point.
How high is the terrain in the Rorke's Drift model?
The land in this model runs from 1,052 to 1,308 m (256 m of relief). These are the measured heights, printed 3 times taller so the shape is easy to see.
Can I 3D print Rorke's Drift?
Yes. Download the free Standard resolution STL and print it on any FDM or resin printer. It is 150 mm wide and about 28.1 mm tall, on a solid 5 mm base, at a scale of about 1:33,300. It also works for CNC carving. Use Customize to change the width, base thickness or height exaggeration, make it round or add a name plate.
How accurate is the Rorke's Drift model?
It is built from real elevation measurements, not an artist's guess: open satellite and survey data (NASA SRTM, Copernicus and national surveys), about 30 meters per point. The shaded picture on this page is made from the same data.
Is the Rorke's Drift model free?
The Standard resolution model is free as STL, 3MF, Colored 3MF, OBJ and a 16-bit heightmap. High resolution samples the place about ten times more finely and is a paid upgrade.
What is a Rorke's Drift terrain model good for?
People use it as a wargaming terrain board, a classroom history lesson or a gift for a history buff.
About this terrain model
Embossify Terra builds Rorke's Drift, South Africa from real measured elevation, not an artist's guess. Outside the United States the heights come from open satellite and survey data (NASA SRTM, Copernicus and national surveys), about 30 meters per point.
The model covers a 5 by 5 kilometer square centered on -28.3400, 30.5300. It prints 150 mm (5.9 in) wide on a solid base, a scale of about 1:33,300. The heights are exaggerated 3× so the shape is easy to see and feel; you can change that when you customize the model. The sea is flattened to zero, so land stands on a clean base.
New to terrain printing? Read how Terra works. The shaded picture on this page is made by Embossify from the same elevation data.
