Customer Reviews

Modern African Wars (1) 1965-80 : Rhodesia (Men at Arms Series, 183)

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This book looks at the efforts of the Rhodesian armed forces to protect itself from Soviet- and Chinese-sponsored insurgents attempting to overthrow the white-dominated government. It includes a thumbnail sketch of the conflict, from the establishment of the colony by Cecil Rhodes to the attempts by the British government to hand over control of the state lock, stock and barrel to the Marxists to the unilateral declaration of independence. Rhodesia became a republic and tried to buy time for itself to develop as a multiracial state. However, the insurgents were determined to take over Rhodesia by force... when they weren't fighting amongst themselves. Some information is also provided on the ZIPRA and ZANLA guerillas.

As in other books produced by Osprey this slim volume provides an outline of how the war was conducted, sections on Rhodesian Army units such as the Selous Scouts and the Rhodesian African Rifles and their roles, and some material on the Rhodesian Air Force. It is well-illustrated with photographs, drawings and color plates. An excellent addition to anyone's African military library.

A another great book put out by Osprey (actaully 3 book series on Africa). Volume 1 is on the Rhodesia Bush War 1965-1980.
This 48 page booket is full of historical text, photo's, drawings and techincal data. It is a great intro book into the wars of Africa which have been fought form 1960 until the present. It is one of the best small book I have read with alot of into packed into a book. Great book at any price.

If you can find one and afford it, get it. Highly recomended!!!!!

I spent almost all of my professional career concerned with the mapping of Africa. And in the course of mapping one scans and extracts a lot of information from various open sources. In the course of this study I became familiar with the social, economic, and military happenings in Southern Africa.
I can say that except for the works of Al J. Venter, a reporter from South Africa, there are very few books with detail on the bush wars conducted by black nationalists in opposition to the minority white rule resulting from colonialism. And often the insurgents had clashed among themselves for ethnic reasons and some blacks remained loyal to the minority governments.
In other cases, when the white rulers gave up and went home as did the Portuguese in Angola and Moçambique the remaining contenders began civil wars backed by the west and by the Communists respectively. In 1976, the Portuguese Army had revolted in protest to the endless bush wars in Africa and overthrew the government. The army had been especially disgusted with the conflict in defense of Portuguese Guinea-(now Guinea-Bissau) located on the shoulder of West Africa, a hot and worthless swamp land which had no economic value and a land where there were few white settlers.
In contrast, the Portuguese ruled lands in Southern Africa had a large settler class, intermarriage was common,for there was no color line there, as there was in English speaking colonies. But still the post independence unrest was such that most of the settlers migrated back to Portugal and some to Brazil. A civil war ensued which is still going on.
On the other hand, the struggle in Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, was long and the white regime became an international pariah. The social structure was so unequal that half the land was owned by the whites who composed less than ten percent of the population. But the initial years of the peace settlement were so calm and benign that I feel that it was a positive influence on the South African settlement. Many whites who had fled to SA went back to Zimbabwe but in recent times unrest has broken out again. The socio-economic pie has yet to be fairly divvied up in Zimbabwe.