Operation ENTERPRISE was the most successful internal operation of the Rhodesian war, and arguably the most important, being fiercely fought just 20 km's north of Salisbury. It foiled ZANLA's plan to infiltrate the Capital and disrupt the elections in April 1979 which brought about the transitional Government of Zimbabwe Rhodesia. Deployment tactics for as many as three contacts in a day were pioneered by 1 Commando RLI along with the introduction of a "Jumbo Fire Force" which was perfecte...

In 1979 Nick left public school in England and returned to his home of Rhodesia to enlist. Aged 16 he was just over the legal age for conscription – but he was a volunteer.This is his story of how, having joined up, he had his leg amputated at the age of 17 and yet as an amputee continued in active service as a trained combat medic for the Rhodesian forces and latterly the new Zimbabwe National Army. While many of his brothers in arms left immediately after independence Nick stayed ...

This searing account primarily covers Ed Bird's Special Branch (SB) service in the Beitbridge area of southern Matabeleland, 1976-1980, encompassing Operations Repulse and Tangent of the bitter Rhodesian 'bush war'.Joining the British South Africa Police (BSAP) in 1964, Bird cut his teeth on Selous Scouts 'pseudo' operations during Operation Hurricane in 1974-1976, so was well equipped to deal with the insidious escalation of the ZANLA and ZIPRA campaigns in the south of the countr...

A memoir from a Special Forces fighter about his experiences in the Rhodesian War and how combat has shaped his life.Andre Scheepers grew up on a farm in Rhodesia, learning about the bush from his African childhood friends, before joining the army. A quiet, introspective thinker, Andre started out as a trooper in the SAS before being commissioned into the Rhodesian Light Infantry Commandos, where he was engaged in fireforce combat operations. He then rejoined the S...

1 Recce. One of the sharpest, most versatile and deadliest specialist units in the South African Defence Force. These men - superfit and unbelievably tough - were dauntless. Time and again they put their lives on the line in covert operations that were mostly conducted under the cover of night, far behind enemy lines. For decades, the participants have kept silent about these secret missions. Now, for the first time, the Recces' legendary commanders reveal details about their many politica...

The experiences of a young soldier on the frontlines of the Rhodesian Bush War are vividly recounted in this personal memoir.In A Walk Against the Stream, Tony Ballinger tells of his eighteen months of compulsory service as a young national service officer in the Rhodesian army. Stationed in Victoria Falls, Rhodesia, he faced down enemy territory just across the Zambezi river in Zambia.Initially allocated to 4th platoon, 4 Independent company Rhodesi...

The SAS veteran, mercenary and author of No Mean Soldier looks back on a life of combat in this revised and expanded edition of his classic memoir.Peter McAleese's No Mean Soldier set the bar for the modern military memoir. This completely revised and expanded edition sees a philosophical McAleese revisiting his time with Britain's Parachute Regiment, the SAS, Rhodesia's SAS and the South African Defense Force's 44 Para Brigade. Peter also recount...

The memoir of a special forces veteran of the Rhodesian War, with over a hundred photos included.Nothing terrorized Russian and Chinese-backed guerillas fighting Rhodesia's bush war in the 1970s more than the famed Selous Scouts. The name of the unit struck fear in the hearts of even the most battle-hardened—rather than speak it, they referred to its soldiers simply as Skuzapu, or pickpockets. History has recorded the regiment as being one of the deadliest and most...

A very different tongue-in-cheek personal account about a forgotten war. Between 1964 and 1980 Rhodesian men from all walks of life left their families and jobs to fight for their country. They were farmers, bankers, railwaymen, shopkeepers, miners and even Members of Parliament, who every six weeks, changed their soft civilian life for battle dress, rifles and grenades.These are their stories.It's not really about war heroes. It's more about bluestone charged, but still lu...

"The finest account I've read on the Selous Scouts . . . Andy Balaam tells it like it was—the fear, the terror, the adrenaline highs of combat in the bush." —Chris Cocks, bestselling author of FireforceFrom the searing heat of the Zambezi Valley to the freezing cold of the Chimanimani Mountains in Rhodesia, from the bars in Port St Johns in the Transkei to the Drakensberg Mountains in South Africa, this is the story of one man's fight against terror, and hi...

Battle for Cassinga is written as a firsthand account by an ordinary South African paratrooper who was at the 1978 assault on the Angolan headquarters of PLAN, the armed wing of SWAPO. The book relates why the South African government took the political risk in attacking the fortress in an external operation and examines the SWAPO claims that Cassinga was a refugee camp guarded by a few PLAN soldiers. It also explains why Sam Nujoma the SWAPO leader had no option but to perpetuate this fal...

‘There is no dignity in death. Six bodies are piled up in front of me, shot to shit. I can see that their bones are white, their blood is red and their brains are yellow. I’ve done this; I’ve helped to kill them.’ A unit of the South African Police, Koevoet was the most deadly fighting force involved in the Border War. This is the story of Arn Durand’s first years with Koevoet, from 1982 to 1983. Through his eyes, the madness, mayhem and complexity of war come alive as he describes patrols...