The Rhodesian infantry probably was one of the most effective in terms of pure soldiering. Their use of the vertical envelopment known as Fire force is legendary and well documented.
While true, later when the rebels had gotten training from the Communists the Fire Force proved to be a detriment to the entire war effort. The tactic was fine against untrained college students that were handed rifles and pointed in the general direction of Rhodesia but when they gained training and actual heavy equipment the Rhodesian light infantry started hurting, sure the Fire Force still succeeded 80% of the time but the 20% it didn't saw catastrophic losses of men and equipment especially for the already thinly stretched Rhodesian Air Force that they quite frankly couldn't be taking.
@@120mmsmoothbore2 All valid points for sure. Rhodesia was solely focused on the elimination of the guerrillas, which just doesn't really work in a true counterinsurgency setting. I think a lot of the idealization of the Rhodesian forces comes from their very distinct look and equipment, FALs and Chopped RPDs wielded by guys in strange camo short-shorts air-assaulting onto your position is not something you see in every war.
The bush war is an excellent example of how complex warfare is and how even if you're stacking bodies left and right you can still lose due to various reasons
@@TheEmperorsChampion964yeah but veitnam actually put up a ruthless resistance. Americans could get destroy whatever they could lay eyes on, but veitcong were to good at lurking in the jungle and were good at making complex series of caves that the Americans could never flush them out well enough
@@THE_MOONMAN Nah. The Americans destroyed the NVA and crushed most of the VC and were well on their way to crushing all of them, until the cowardly politicians punked out.
Up until recently I worked with a white bloke whose family is from Rhodesia. He visits once a year. He reckons when landing there now at the airport and going to his family’s farm is completely disgusting. It is nothing to see dead babies lying on the side of the road on the way. When he leaves he leaves all his clothes with his relatives. When he goes to get the plane back to Australia, the black guards at the airport steal everything off him (shoes, shirt, 22:09 socks,watch etc). When he lands back in Australia he walks off the plane barefoot in shorts and a singlet. To think that in 1977 the black population of Rhodesia had the highest standard of living of all black people in Africa. Now it is a total $hithole. Socialism/Marxism is evil.
Zimbabwe has been through a lot in the last 24 odd years - but the story of dead babies and being stripped of his clothes and shoes sounds very far fetched - hilarious 😅
Not Marxism. This is the story of subsaharan Africa. Sub-70 IQ on average for the continent. In a white society, a white man with a 70 IQ would be regarded as retarded. There is a direct correlation between low IQ and violent crime. A correlation so strong it’s more than fair to say causation. Zimbabwe is the pinnacle of 70 IQ society. Rhodesia was 100-105.
As an ex Rhodie I was involved in transporting the bodies of the passengers ofvthe planes shot down by Nkomo's terrs. Bayoneted babies and women amongst them. South Africa was the Rhidues only pipeline for support and they forced negotiation. I had mates in the Selous scouts ( pronounced Sa- loo by the way) SAS and 2nd commando RLI. All held normal day jobs, would dissapear for a few weeks then we would read about it in the papers later , Awesome fighters and top blokes. I hung on for 1 year of Mugabe, country was being trashed so fast. Shame, it was the country in Africa that had a hope for a great future.
One thing about modern history: Either you believe that 1.) Many groups of people have randomly decided to go evil for no reason & commit atrocities against poor helpless communists. 2.) Communism leads people to commit atrocities. They always lie and accuse others of what they do.
Had you people treated the land and it's people with more respect!!!! Had you people not fought so bitterly to protect minority rule and apartheid perhaps Zimbabwe might have lived up to its true potential. There is no honor in protecting an inherently racist system.
@@Prof16440 Thats very true, however nieve liberal westerners backed the worst possible alternative. Stalinist Mugabe and Soviet colonisation. Any moderates or non cadre Africans got murdered or silenced. The drops of old blood are on our hands, the modern rivers of blood are on yours. I could leave and continue a good life, the poor old Africans have to suffer that new hell.
Actually it's the International Bankers who start it, get their corporate pitchman/politicians to "sell it" to the populace, and poor people to fight and die in it
I worked for a British PMC as a designated defensive marksman and we had a guy who came from the Scouts. Regardless of his age, he was an apex predator during direct action missions
Your video leaves off the important factor that Rhodesia could not replace its aging military equipment due to their UDI being rejected by other governments.
@Thomas Reaves Because the rest of the world realized it's crazy to have no say so in your own country, on your own continent, when you make up the majority of the population.
@@michaelolatunji2100 for 120 years there was no such country as Poland, it's territories occupied by Prussian, Austrian and Russian empires. But Poland lived on. There is no Rhodesia on the map. But maybe it will live on.
I once read a passage in a book about the Vietnam War: The American General to the Vietnamese General, "We won every major battle." The Vietnamese General, "That may be so, but it is also irrelevant."
It is stupid to compare the two , Africans were very poor guerilla fighters and tactically were bascially dumb as a stump.. the viet cong were extremely intelligent and tactical... what got Rhodesia was purely political where Vietnam was tactic & an incredibly effective guerilla campaign. The Viet Cong were extremely effective at striking killing or wounding and escaping without being caught, their use of trickery , boob traps and manipulation was key to their success... the black guerilla fighters were about as good as 10 year old without guns... what got them was politics and being the minority in a country hostile to them.
As a South African i am ashamed to say that awfull Kissinger convinced (or intimidated John Voster) to stop (or drastically reduce) material support to Rhodesia, spelling the beginning of the end for her!
Same cope a lot of Americans use "We won the battles but politicians lost us the war!!" No it's because western Generals (Soldiers) absolutely fixate on tactics and how to integrate the latest toys from the MIC (which guarantees them board membership in Raytheon post-retirement) and ignore strategy and operations.
Rhodesia didn't lose, they weren't allowed to win. Afterwards, Zimbabwe had ridiculous inflation and became a failed state. Wrong side was given the victory.
For those of us who were there. We never saw our efforts as fruitless or even in vein. As an olde Rhodie the Spirit of Rhodesia lives on in each of us, we in actual fact never die. For those who accept defeat, only then are U defeated....😊. We may fade a little but to die impossible. We then just mellow like a good olde Brandy...😊😅😂...
As a german, I can relate to once owning a remarkable and very effective army, inflicting heavy casualties against their enemies. Well, but a fight against all odds can only go so long. Another political solution should have gone paralell and the time there in southern Africa was of imminent change. For the better? I dont know, I am not from Rhodesia....
i don't know how many things you got right or wrong but it was an amazing explanation of something i had no real knowledge on before, well worth the time it took to watch, thank you.
Rhodesian army where fighting terrorism, crime and the county's that supported them like China,Cuba,Russia and "Hamas"...but the world told them they where wrong...keeping them away is not humane, but where are we today ???
Fantastic video old chap. Quite possibly one of the best and most objective presentations on the subject I've seen hitherto. Greetings from Melbourne, Australia.
Rhodesia reminds me of Israel. Both won battles and wars on the battlefields but politically and economically, the former lost. The latter is now experiencing this same defeat, albeit very slowly. The single thing that killed Rhodesia was its lost of Western support, namely Great Britain and America. Had these two nations continued to support Rhodesia, it would probably still survive. That's why it is crucially important for Israel to have Western support.
The Portuguese Army fought essentially three wars in its three african provinces of Angola, Mozambique and Guiné. As Dr. Salazar said, "without show, without alliances - proudly alone".
A foreign, European occupier, connected at the hip to Western elites, with a brutal military machine, sows terror for decades until the point when the situation starts getting a bit hairy for the "civilian" colonizers, who start realizing the "adventure" of genocide isn't worth their lives after all and they can just fly back home to Heathrow. Kinda reminds me of a current war, but maybe that's just me 🙊
So close the british hustled nkomo and smith whilst giving zapu a helping hand and when MI6 PUPPET mugabe was in power he went loose 20 thousand matabele dead. Well done mugabe and well done the uk...you got what you wanted
At 15:07 you have an error of cause and effect. It wasn't the economy that led to the first "majority election". In early 1976 the South African Government had developed and tested a nuclear device. The Russian and Cuban involvement in Southern and Central Africa spooked the US President. South Africa imported huge amounts of crude oil from Iran and despite their own oil from coal plants were still dependent on foreign oil. The US dispatched Henry Kissinger to a "peace"conference in Geneva which included South African foreign Minister Pik Botha. At that conference Botha was told to put pressure on Rhodesia to accede to the concept of majority rule. Kissinger then visited the Shah of Iran, South Africa's major oil supplier. The Shah faced pressure internally (which would over throw him not long after) and Kissinger instructed him to pressure South Africa or the US would start slowing military supplies. July saw Ian Smith summoned to a meeting with South African PM. The decoy was an invite to a rugby test match in Pretoria. At that meeting Smith was instructed to implement majority rule with moderate African leaders. Smith refused. South Africa responded by stopping all supplies of petrol, diesel and armaments and stopping all exports moving through South Africa. Two weeks later Smith accepted the South African ultimatum. 17:00hrs 15th October; at a meeting of senior civil servants( I was one of them) in our area Smith along with local MP informed us of this situation and the process to hold elections in 1977. This is corroborated by others.
The title 'most effective' (in Africa) goes to 32 btn. Even if you disagree with their politics 32 Battalion weren't fighting poorly trained, ill equiped zanla teenagers. Research some of the hardware used in the 'Namibian war of independence / South African border war / Angolan bush war'.
Never mind, the ordinary people of Zimbabwe are so very much better off than they were when they were in Rhodesia... ... aren't they? ... aren't they? ... aren't they?
Maybe they could have concentrated on assassinating the political leadership of the enemy forces, and then in turn assassinating the ones that replaced them. That, and to the extent that there were more than one political enemy, used false flag operations to instigate conflict between the rival enemy forces. Another strategm would be to sabotage or destroy the economies of hostile neighboring countries, or threaten to assassinate those countries leaders if they continue to harbor enemy forces. The problem is strategic, being landlocked, badly outnumbered, fighting a genuinely international adversary in possession of a global propaganda machine.
@@baggierols73 Long term strategy, first know your enemy. There was a universal lack of knowledge in that era about the true origins of Communism and who and what was behind it. If that knowledge was more widespread on both sides of the conflict a more peaceful resolution could have been negotiated that didn't lead to blodshead and years of economic stagnation. The Brother-in-Law of Karl Marx was a man named Baron Ferdinand Von Westphalen. He was the Prussian Interior Minister, in charge of the Prussian Secret Police and prison system. His primary job was identifying and incarcerating any and all persons opposed to the rule of the Prussian Aristocracy. Karl, Ferdinand and Karls wife were all childhood playmates. The man who arranged Marx's office at the Library in London reported directly to the chief of British Intelligence. Communism was being front run from the very beginning by international financial interests, there are no 'sides'. I could go on for another web page about how Communism has always been backed by international finance. Maybe if all those Communist fighters and SAS types fighting it out in the jungles had know this in the first place they might have figured out they were being played.
That would be so stupid. They would have just brought Zambia and Mozambique to the war against them, while not being able to assassinate the leadership a second time or even a first. For goodness sake, do you think leaders are not protected?
@@tritium1998 I'm half Irish and half English, Ireland was just about the last British colony to gain it's independence, mixed feelings on that one. Can't say I'm thrilled with modern day British support for Ukraine Banderista's
As a Rhodesian/Zimbabwean, growing up during this period, this is one of the most balanced accounts I have heard. Ultimately, everybody lost. Many thanks.
If you don't mind me asking, (and you still reside in Zimbabwe) is Zimbabwe as bad as you read about? Rapid inflation, lack of food, unresponsive government.
@donovannotmyname7306 Hi, no. I left in 2000 as, unfortunately, I had no future, (working for commercial farmers) and, was lucky enough to have the means to.
Many farmers were descendants of the 1890s settlers. Not that transient. My great great grandfather started a farm with 6 cattle and lived in a thatched mud house to start with.
A couple things I didn't hear in the video: Rhodesia unilaterally declared independence from Britain on November 11, 1965 and thereafter were met with some fairly crippling sanctions from both the UK and the UN. The Rhodesians were able to circumvent those sanctions for close to a decade due to support from Mozambique and South Africa but then the situation changed. Mozambique parted from Portugal and cut off Rhodesian support. Then South African government under Vorster began to ratchet down support for the Rhodesians and place conditions on them, such as no external ops. RSF could not strike outside Rhodesia for most of the bushwar and it hampered their effectiveness at bringing an end to the crisis. In the end it was a combination of increasing Nationalist activity, war weariness on part of the population, crushing international sanctions, and lack of local support that force Smith to the negoiating table. If you ever want to read an account of the bushwar from start to finish, read Ian Smith's autobiography "Bitter Harvest." There's been much written about the bush war but Smith's book was one of the better ones for understanding the situation at a higher level.
Best comment. Rhodesia by all accounts were winning handily. It was when they lost not just outside support but the UK and UN Actively sided with their enemies did they start to lose ground. Rhodesia was a great country for most now it is a shit hole for all.
Those countries fell to communists. Too bad the people in charge couldn't early on give participation to noncommunists but in the 1940s communist influence had turned minds to the even darker side & as expected made those countries worse off then the racist government had. As if that was even thought possible.
@@Jean_Jacques148 Africa can't survive without their betters, look at them now all of them have failing states and incompetence on every rung of their system
Our family doctor in Australia was a combat medic in Rhodesia. Dr. Van Opdenbosch was a very tough man and had some crazy stories. He had been shot, stabbed and at one point scalped. He used safety pins to re-attach his scalp and walked 80 km to get medical assistance. He was an invited guest to our high-school graduation and gave an amazing speech.
Ian Smith didn't "retire" in 1987. Mugabe had him kicked out of government. Eventually Mugabe even stripped Ian Smith of his Zimbabwe citizenship without reason even though Ian Smith was born in that country and Mugabe wasn't. . Eventually Ian Smith had to immigrate to South Africa when his farm was illegally seized and handed over to a ZANU-PF member.
@@destroyerarmor2846yet those africans kept coming to colonial european lands including south africa. Now after those 2 nations have been subverted and destroyed you have millions migrating to europe and the USA but yes "whities bad" lmao
How do you spell Rhodesia phonetically? Robin Hood's Old Dad Eats Sausages in Asia. How do you spell Zimbabwe phonetically? Zero Intelligence Mainly Because All Bloody Whites Emigrated.
I worked with a guy who was in the Rhodesian Army. He was allowed into the UK. As he never fought against the British. I know another guy living in the UK now was in the south African Army. Rapid Response force , spent most of his time in Rhodesia fighting alongside the Rhodesian Army.
My buddy that was from South Africa was in the Rhodesian army. He loved the FAL and barreled my first FAL out of an old Austrian STG parts kit. My best friend and I became quick friends with Gane and he slowly started telling us stories about living in SA after leaving Zimbabwe in the 80's. We met him in the late 90's and one of the last stories he told us was about Russians in SA helping to secure diamonds from flooding the market. His stories were intense about being in the Rhodesian army, but some really crazy stories about living in Mozambique after he left Zimbabwe in the late 80's. Great video BTW!
A family friend was a SGT in the Koevoet during the Bush War. A tactic for the FAL would be to shoot low, sweeping arcs, wherever the suspected enemy where. The 7.62 would rip through the brush and push the insurgents out of concealment. Always found that interesting
My late uncle served 16 years in the British Army then left, moved to Zambia to work on a dam that was being built there, him and my aunt went into Rhodesia for a weekend getaway...when it was over they went back to Zambia, he quit his job, packed up the kids and moved to Rhodesia...that was 1970, he ended up in P.A.T.U (Police Anti Terror Unit) and fought right until the end in 1980, he got my aunt and cousins out and into Johannesburg in 1979 and he was eventually chased out of the country in 1980... My side of the family joined them in Joburg in 1983...he very rarely spoke about the Bush War but he did regularly get visited by a very secretive man that we all called "Secret Squirrel"...he`d come to the house, never come inside and they`d talk over the chain link fence in the front of the house covering their mouths with their hands, then he`d leave and not be seen again for months... What always struck me as odd was that my uncle had the SAS "Winged Dagger" tattoo`d on his forearm, he never would tell me why he had it...if iit was from his days in the British or Rhodesian forces...he was very secretive...
Lucky guy he was - IMO the US should have allowed them all in. It was American political pressure for black government that forced the whites to lose everything they had.
A lesson to be learnt: Even if it is military victory, that doesn't always mean that it will be a political victory. Look no further than the soviets in Afghanistan, as I see parallels between them.
I thought just about the Soviets... But in the end they were victorious, when they leave Afghanistan the insurgency was somehow controlled, the USSR lasted until 1991, the DRA went untill 1994, when Kabul finally fall, untill it fall again when the Taliban invaded.
As someone who was born in Southern Rhodesia before Rhodesia's Independence from British rule ive witnessed not only the terrorist attacks targeting innocent civilians both black and white but also Catholic Missions by Chinese and Russian trained and supported so called freedom fighters . But have also witnessed the first hand incompetence and mismanagement of crucial serves and vital departments leading to the total collapse of the once Bread Basket of Africa and destrustion of a civilised successful economy ! And turned it in to a joke of a third world country that is now one of the most corrupt and lawless countries in the World being sold off to and looted by the Communist sponsors that incited and sponcered the terrorist acts starting back in the sixties .
Picture of all the European Rhodesians in Company size photo in khakis, taken in Malaya as Rhodesian SAS had just been formed at that time. The bit about the two airliners shot down correct, but placed chronologically in wrong place in this piece... Was relatively near the end of the story... The late 1977 assault on terr base camps that killed 2000 not only had aging Rhodesian air assets, but borrowed South African Puma helicopters (much larger) and Mirage fighter-bombers... The last were not supposed to have been provided by South Africa to Rhodesian pilots by terms of contract with France... However, France unilaterally abrogated the contracts under foreign pressure, which freed South Africa to do whatever it wanted... including equipping a Rhodesian squadron... -YP-
I was there for just 7 months 1975, worked in telephone exchange, lived on (Jackaranda lined) Union Ave. What a beautiful country. Met a young nurse and married her. Her father was head accountant for RBC and Mashonaland basket ball coach but still had to fight. He was killed in ambush 1979 at 49yo. Ive read all the comments, your the only one using the term "terr" Id forgotten but that was all I ever heard them called - never thugs or gangsters etc. Vic Falls will always be the highlight of planet Earth for me :)
I spent 2 and a half years in Rhodesia, one and a half on the ground and one flying helicopters for the Airforce. What is said here is partially true, very partially. Once the Airforce received the UH-1H the war turned dramatically in favor of the Rhodesians, as we could reach deep into Zambia and Mozambique to attack enemy bases . It was the politicians and the British Government that gave the country away to the communist terrorists. As a side note: I talked to many Africans in the Security Forces and asked them "Why are you in the Security Forces?" As the Constitution did not allow the conscription of Africans in the Security Forces, yet every white male from 18 to 55 had to server six months of every year in active duty (not all at once). Everyone African answered, " I want my country." Such an eye opener, as these people knew what was going on and would put their lives in danger to protect their country.
Rhodesia's Air Force was small but excellent and South African aircraft, pilots and technicians also played a role in defending Rhodesia. For Rhodesia's black population the conflict was of course a civil war. Some joined the security forces and other Shona and Matabele headed off into the bundu to fight for ZANLA or ZIPRA, although many of the latter suffered very badly when Mugabe came to power.
@@glendodds3824 Honestly speaking it was 'excellent' by African standards....by global standards Rhodesian forces...air or army were barely mediocre... their opponents were more like farmers who had recently been givven guns...not to mention they came from a culture that never created things like a huge army........so it was basically like an army vs lots of civilinas with guns.
I spent the first 30 years of my life there; including service in the military. The magic of the Rhodesian Army was "fireforce" where 10 or so infantry often parabats who advanced line breast against the enemy. They were co-ordinated by "sunray" a veteran officer tightly orbiting the battle in an Alouette mini-gunship. Sunray was accompanied by a door gunner on a 50mm Browning mounted in the doorway. The fireforce concept is accurately described as "vertical envelopment".
Reminds me of a discourse between a North Vietnamese General and an U.S. General post-Vietnam conflict. The U.S. General boasted that the U.S. forces never lost a battle in the Vietnam conflict. The North Vietnamese General responded... "what difference did that make."
I was just in Zim and spent a lot of time with some older Zimbabweans who fought in the Rhodesian army. The stories they told me were insane and the love they have for Zimbabwe even after everything they went through is crazy. I asked what it was like after the war and they said "We went back home and tried to live normal lives and for awhile everything was good... for awhile"
@@patrickcannell2258 we have never claimed a square inch of europe,why claim our homeland.I am sure whites would take up arms if a foreign people invaded them
If anyone wants to read or listen to a SUPERB book that contains first hand accounts of this era from Rhodesian SAS members, I HIGHLY recommend “A Handful of Hard Men” by Hannes Wessels. The audio book is exceptional.
Fantastic book, probably the best of 4 I've read on the conflict. One day Rhodesia will be back and on that day all the men who died in the pursuit of preserving it will have not been in vain
No they didn't, because most Zimbabweans lived in poverty with no electricity because all the electricity infrastructure was built to serve the invaders and the main city Harare. Your racist wet dream never came true, it was a hell hole for most of the population, that's why they fought so hard to get the racists out and they did.
@@ricaard6959 It wasn't "built to serve the invaders" you knucklehead the rest of the country was difficult terrain on top of being rural. There were still plenty of rural places in the U.S. without that infrastructure either, and they weren't in a jungle.
No, it was very good but not the most effective. Years before the end, it had lost huge swathes of the country in the TTLs to ZIPRA and ZANLA. It also lacked enough heavy equipment to engage in conventional warfare; it had a few armoured cars and 8 T55s (which the South Africans had intercepted and given to them). It had limited artillery pieces (WW2 25 pounders). The Air Force had a small number of ageing and obsolescent air frames. Any escalation into a conventional war with the help of neighbouring black-rule countries would have seen the Rhodesian Army overwhelmed by numbers and a greater supply of heavy weapons, including SAMs, and aircraft. Furthermore, whites were leaving in ever-increasing numbers every month, including trained military reservists and potential conscripts. Rhodesia, as a quasi-colonial entity, was not self-sufficient; fuel, FNs, MAGs and ammunition came from South Africa. Earlier in the war, South African Police helicopters assisted the Rhodesian Army and later South African Air Force helicopters did. Also towards the end of the war, South African Special Forces as well as Parabat companies assisted the Rhodesians. Lastly, in terms of success, the Rhodesians fought a (civil) war largely on their own territory, apart from a number of external operations; this made logistics easier than fighting a war a long way away. The men they fought were generally very poorly trained and equipped (ZANLA more than ZIPRA), with no air support - the Rhodesian Army was not fighting a peer adversary in terms of quality. It's kill ratio was high, but it was still losing ground every month to the larger enemy. The betrayal myth is just that - a myth. Rhodesia was a politically and economically unsustainable polity due to the demands of the war and the international community; the war hastened its demise.
I have enjoyed reading your comment and it's good that you also mention that Rhodesia received military support, both in terms of manpower and equipment, from south of the Limpopo.
@@ricaard6959 really this is what you wanted, how to put food on the table and a roof over your head, think about all the Zimbabweans forced to work outside of the country because they can't do the basics of feeding themselves if they stay in the country... What freedom is that, what achievement is that.
@@ricaard6959 and into poverty, this of course is great freedom, hunger, no work and no prospect for the future. And Zimbabwe was never a apartheid country. Bottom line Zimbabwe now lives as one of the poorest or the poor countries. Do not worry SA has been sliding that way too... Sake problem the few elite members in the country have everything and the poor get really poorer. I understand democracy and being free, but at least have the back bone to unserstand with freedom comes great responsability....that responsability has not been cherished by the people of Zimbabwe.
My great uncle fought in the bush war as a pilot, he says that every soldier was very professional, motivated and effective in their task due to a no bullshit training approach, no cleaning, no harrasment no useless drill and shit, just instruction and pratical battlefield training.
@@dubndrapwilwork Agree - 'most' were not mercenaries but it's well known that even a few American Vietnam vets (mostly SF) had found uses for their skills in Rhodesia.
This was the one with The Selous Scouts wasn't it ? Those guys were BADASS. I remember reading from Jack Carr that they were like one of the most Elite Black Ops Units of the 20th Century or something 🗿🗿
Both right. All these people are fantastic story tellers. John Edmonds Troopie Songs and History stories are priceless. She Was Rhodie Girl , Its A Long Way To Mukumbura and Shumba Drinkers. The Rhodesian Forces Band Playing When The Saints Come Marching In is the best version. Their Version of March of The Belgian Paratroopers is also the best.
Five Romeo Romeo is very interesting but he gives the impression that Rhodesia was full of white liberals. Consequently, he draws far too strong a distinction between Rhodesia and South Africa.
@@glendodds3824 It is my experience that Rhodesians prefer to be considered as distinctly separate from South Africa. In a far more "determined" manner than say, Australians and New Zealanders. If you catch my drift.
@@currawong60911368. Hi. Yes, that is true of many Rhodesians. Former members of Rhodesia's white population can really be divided into three groups: those who loved Rhodesia (the largest category); those who loved Rhodesia and South Africa (a substantial minority); and those who disliked Rhodesia and South Africa.
So all the Rebels had to do was outlast the Rhodesian Army. Something that's been prevalent in many wars were guerillas fight against a more powerful enemy.
In the end, the Rhodesian government was forced by the global community to give up the country to the communist backed rebels. Forty years later the country stands in economic ruin, much as any other African nation. South Africa followed along.
@@Swoiny White people were barbarians for most of their history. You only got rich from stealing others wealth. Btw you lost the crusades. So your profile pic is very ironic
Hannes Wessels's books on the war and the Rhodesian SAS are some of the most captivating I've ever read. Highly recommended for anyone who wants more in depth detail on the RLI, SAS, and Fireforce operations during the war. Some of those small unit SAS ops behind enemy lines were mind blowing in their audacity and effectiveness.
Yes sir. A fuew hard men about the rodeshian SAS was awesome book. Learned alot about the why and reason of the war from rodeshian people too. The world turned the're back on rodeshia. Now it's a starving country called Zimbabwe. Alot of grimy things the MSM hid like white farmers bieng raiped and killed whole family s
This is why countries now have "National Security Strategies", which involves a whole-of-government approach to tackling issues like these, not just accounting for the military side of things.
I moved with my parents to Rhodesia in '76. My dad was in the British Army, left that and joined the Rhodesian Army. As a kid it was fantastic. Loved the country. Left in '82 and moved to South Africa, where my dad joined the South African Army. Eventually left there and we all moved back to the UK. I had such a great life as a kid and would do it all over again if I had the chance. 6 year old and firing Uzi's down at the range. Now all kids want to do is look at their phones.
Interesting story not gonna lie but you kinda ruined it at the end, it's kinda prejudice that a kid nowadays only wants to look at a phone there are people that are more than that and also you were six firing uzis? I don't know what to make of that but it's definitely not a good idea,if you learned it the hard way if you had accidents and if just your parents weren't being careful enough a phone is less dangerous than a uzi to some extent Im not disrespecting you i have no idea what it would be like visiting Africa especially back then your story is a blast to hear along with more details
@@giorgospapoutsakis5271 In the City where I live we have a light rail transit. You look at kids, heads down looking into their phones. They even interact with each via their phones. You see newspaper articles where kids have lost the ability to interact. This is because it is now all done electronically, even down to finding a partner. They don't even want to learn to drive. They chat via phones, internet, gaming and ride user apps like UBER. At 16 I got my motorbike license to ride a 50cc and at 17 I got my drivers license. When I was a kid we got home from school and went to the local pool on the army base. First thing was clear the scorpions out of the pool, I was six and grabbing scorpions out of the pool. We used to go out in the bush, no parents, just a couple of kids. This is Africa where you have puff adders, rattle snakes and everything else. We used to come across all sorts of wildlife. Didn't bother us as we were out for a laugh and seeing what trouble we could get ourselves into... and we did... But that was part of life and having fun, getting out there, interacting with my friends and having a great childhood. Yes I could fire all sorts of guns by the time I was six up, from 9mm pistols to Uzi, FN's and LMG's (Light Machine Gun). It did make me aware of how dangerous guns were. That was drummed in to me by the army instructors who taught us and my dad. There is nothing better than walking down the side of the range to the butts (bottom of the range where the targets are) and watching tracers whizzing down the range to the target right next to you. You get in the butts and the you work the targets with the adults, bringing them down, patching the holes and sending them back up again.
I was born in Rhodesia (Salisbury in 1971) my father joined the Rhodesian Army from the British Army (R.E.M.E) My Father passed away when I was 8 yrs old and by 1983 we left Zimbabwe as we knew it was going to go downhill from there. It turns out we were right. People made Rhodesia what it was and animals destroyed it. It’s a mentality end of.
Hi Richard. it's an interesting book but it's unfair to South Africans. For instance, Ian blames the Boers for treating blacks as second class citizens.
The pressure london put on smith played it's role. London made it very clear to smith that Rhodesia needed to be ruled by black Africans. Ultimately they were fighting a loosing war.
As a retired usaf security police sergeant we were modeled after the British r a f regiment, and our "fire team" tactics after the Rhodesian fire force. One of our blue berets even fought the communists in Rhodesia (now he's a hand model😅)
@@ailo4x4 so it is ok to be Jewish supremacist or black supremacist and they can have their own majority rule in their historical lands, but somehow Whites are not deserving of the same consideration? Double standard much?
The real goal of most military's is to deter an enemy from attempting an invasion or attack of said country or its allies... The point is to make the enemy fear the consequences of any attack on your country enough to not even try... Teddy Roosevelt famously said "speak softly, but carry a big stick" referring to diplomacy...
The loss of Rhodesian territory reminds me of the Vietnam conflict. In 1967, the Johnson administration claimed to have military control over all but 3 provinces. A Sociologist w/ USAID did a cursory survey in the field and discovered that the Viet Cong were taxing in all BUT 3 provinces, taxing being the base of military control and visa versa. When the Tet offensive occurred in 1968, the only 3 provinces where the VC did not tax were where there was an absence of or minimal attacks. The same pattern appeared in Afghanistan too.
Aside from the racial policies of the Rhodesians. Retaining their services would have served the Zimbabweans better than relying on their own absolute uselessness.
reading a book at the moment called "We Dared To Win:The SAS in Rhodesia" with some first hand accounts of the actions described in your video which was very well put together.
@@tritium1998Because they are crybabies and cannot get over having their assess handed to them by infantry armed Bantus. Bunch of racists who, unlike that they did to Aborigines in Australia, thought the Africans won’t get tired of their nonsense.
This feels a lot like what happened in Vietnam, or Afghanistan... or Afghanistan, where the military of one side wins most or all engagements but loses ground and the war.
in Vietnam, the Viet Cong were destroyed and never became a conventional fighting force again. While the NVA had to actually invade South Vietnam conventionally. In the end a series of economic factors, dwindling political support from the UNited States, and South Vietnamese indecsiveness led to the end of the state.
In all 3 wars the problem was cost Cost. And cost. They would have won had they had unlimited funds to blow. Should have recruited more locals to do the fighting. Don't even train them, just send them out to fight to keep the war cheap.
@@jason200912 like ukraine? that seems textbook of that description.... also in many of those former cases, they tried but those people were useless so US troops were sent to clean up mess.
Lol. South Vietnamese and Afghan national armies were dogsh*t weak, cowards and corrupt. Of course they wanted the US to do most of the work for them. Lol. That's why US made peace with the enemy and bounced leaving the fate of the countries in their own hands.
I remember standing on the elevated train platform in the Bronx on my way to work and reading a poster on the wall. It said be a man amongst men join the Rhodesian army. I said to myself where the hell is that?
"No support" but you conveniently forget about apartheid south Africa, Portugese Mozambique and the covert western support within the realm of the cold war
So much knob-ridding going on when it comes to this topic. Truth is its really hard not to look effective as you are dunking on farmers using tactics and training developed by a superpower.
And that being ? This was a fight against insurmountable odds. A land locked state fighting an insurgency. With foreign players largely favoring the Zimbabweans.
@@alexanderphilip1809 having airpower vs incompitent zanla teenagers doing training exercises with sticks...ok. That being said the poor level of organisation of zanla, was a telltale sign that robert was going to be a terrible leader.
The Rhodesian infantry probably was one of the most effective in terms of pure soldiering. Their use of the vertical envelopment known as Fire force is legendary and well documented.
While true, later when the rebels had gotten training from the Communists the Fire Force proved to be a detriment to the entire war effort.
The tactic was fine against untrained college students that were handed rifles and pointed in the general direction of Rhodesia but when they gained training and actual heavy equipment the Rhodesian light infantry started hurting, sure the Fire Force still succeeded 80% of the time but the 20% it didn't saw catastrophic losses of men and equipment especially for the already thinly stretched Rhodesian Air Force that they quite frankly couldn't be taking.
They were so effective they lost.
@@120mmsmoothbore2
Based communists, as usual.
@@120mmsmoothbore2 All valid points for sure. Rhodesia was solely focused on the elimination of the guerrillas, which just doesn't really work in a true counterinsurgency setting. I think a lot of the idealization of the Rhodesian forces comes from their very distinct look and equipment, FALs and Chopped RPDs wielded by guys in strange camo short-shorts air-assaulting onto your position is not something you see in every war.
@@derekmclellan7337 Effective and Be the winner are two different concepts
The bush war is an excellent example of how complex warfare is and how even if you're stacking bodies left and right you can still lose due to various reasons
Vietnam war comes to mind.
@@ktheterkuceder6825 exactly, Vietnam is also a perfect example
@@TheEmperorsChampion964yeah but veitnam actually put up a ruthless resistance. Americans could get destroy whatever they could lay eyes on, but veitcong were to good at lurking in the jungle and were good at making complex series of caves that the Americans could never flush them out well enough
@@THE_MOONMAN Nah. The Americans destroyed the NVA and crushed most of the VC and were well on their way to crushing all of them, until the cowardly politicians punked out.
@@THE_MOONMAN america had 60k casualties, vietcong had around a 1 million casualties, American army was winning, the American people lost
Up until recently I worked with a white bloke whose family is from Rhodesia. He visits once a year. He reckons when landing there now at the airport and going to his family’s farm is completely disgusting. It is nothing to see dead babies lying on the side of the road on the way.
When he leaves he leaves all his clothes with his relatives. When he goes to get the plane back to Australia, the black guards at the airport steal everything off him (shoes, shirt, 22:09 socks,watch etc). When he lands back in Australia he walks off the plane barefoot in shorts and a singlet.
To think that in 1977 the black population of Rhodesia had the highest standard of living of all black people in Africa. Now it is a total $hithole.
Socialism/Marxism is evil.
rubbish if blacks were having a good life then why did they revolt against the Smith Government?
Communism has never, and will never ever succeed in doing anything other than destroy the country that implements it
The United States is slowly destroying itself with its pursuit of certain elements of socialism and communism
Zimbabwe has been through a lot in the last 24 odd years - but the story of dead babies and being stripped of his clothes and shoes sounds very far fetched - hilarious 😅
Not Marxism. This is the story of subsaharan Africa. Sub-70 IQ on average for the continent.
In a white society, a white man with a 70 IQ would be regarded as retarded.
There is a direct correlation between low IQ and violent crime. A correlation so strong it’s more than fair to say causation.
Zimbabwe is the pinnacle of 70 IQ society. Rhodesia was 100-105.
As an ex Rhodie I was involved in transporting the bodies of the passengers ofvthe planes shot down by Nkomo's terrs. Bayoneted babies and women amongst them. South Africa was the Rhidues only pipeline for support and they forced negotiation. I had mates in the Selous scouts ( pronounced Sa- loo by the way) SAS and 2nd commando RLI. All held normal day jobs, would dissapear for a few weeks then we would read about it in the papers later , Awesome fighters and top blokes. I hung on for 1 year of Mugabe, country was being trashed so fast. Shame, it was the country in Africa that had a hope for a great future.
Rhodesians never die!!!
One thing about modern history:
Either you believe that
1.) Many groups of people have randomly decided to go evil for no reason & commit atrocities against poor helpless communists.
2.) Communism leads people to commit atrocities. They always lie and accuse others of what they do.
Had you people treated the land and it's people with more respect!!!! Had you people not fought so bitterly to protect minority rule and apartheid perhaps Zimbabwe might have lived up to its true potential. There is no honor in protecting an inherently racist system.
@@Prof16440 Thats very true, however nieve liberal westerners backed the worst possible alternative. Stalinist Mugabe and Soviet colonisation. Any moderates or non cadre Africans got murdered or silenced. The drops of old blood are on our hands, the modern rivers of blood are on yours. I could leave and continue a good life, the poor old Africans have to suffer that new hell.
Average black africano behaviour
Soldiers win battles, politicians lose wars.
Actually quite opposite mind you. Absolutely don't know a thing about war don't you not😊
@@chiapets2594 Dude why are you even here?
@@FrostbiteDigital he telling the truth, it's a politician who start it ,it's a slodier who fucks it up, then a politician who end it.
@@ebrimajallow9631 That's the FARTHEST thing from the truth
Actually it's the International Bankers who start it, get their corporate pitchman/politicians to "sell it" to the populace, and poor people to fight and die in it
I worked for a British PMC as a designated defensive marksman and we had a guy who came from the Scouts. Regardless of his age, he was an apex predator during direct action missions
Which PMC was doing DA missions?
Your video leaves off the important factor that Rhodesia could not replace its aging military equipment due to their UDI being rejected by other governments.
Why were they rejected by nearly all the other governments of planet Earth?
@@thomasreaves588 Either ignorance or knowingly supporting the enemy.
@@thomasreaves588ask Britain
@@thomasreaves588 juice. ((bankers))
@Thomas Reaves Because the rest of the world realized it's crazy to have no say so in your own country, on your own continent, when you make up the majority of the population.
I still remember their recruiting motto “Be a man, among men, join the Rhodesian Army.”
still a badass motto
Meanwhile in the US, Emma and her two moms are the face of the Army
@@Chadius_Thundercock🤣🤣🤣
Should be “ be a white man, among white men, join a racist army”
nice and masculine wouldnt see that now lol
0:27 no, you’re wrong. Rhodesia never dies!!!
Its dead asf
Show me “Rhodesia” on a map. Don’t point to the country called Zimbabwe…
@@michaelolatunji2100 for 120 years there was no such country as Poland, it's territories occupied by Prussian, Austrian and Russian empires. But Poland lived on.
There is no Rhodesia on the map. But maybe it will live on.
@@Mbeluba Poland has history spanning more than a 1000 years. Rhodesia lasted 16 years.
I once read a passage in a book about the Vietnam War:
The American General to the Vietnamese General, "We won every major battle." The Vietnamese General, "That may be so, but it is also irrelevant."
So the Zimbabweans were brave just like the touted Viets.
It is stupid to compare the two , Africans were very poor guerilla fighters and tactically were bascially dumb as a stump.. the viet cong were extremely intelligent and tactical... what got Rhodesia was purely political where Vietnam was tactic & an incredibly effective guerilla campaign. The Viet Cong were extremely effective at striking killing or wounding and escaping without being caught, their use of trickery , boob traps and manipulation was key to their success... the black guerilla fighters were about as good as 10 year old without guns... what got them was politics and being the minority in a country hostile to them.
@@tritium1998 Rhodesians*
@@seanheaney8303I find it funny the currency is garbage now.
@@seanheaney8303 Well the Viet Cong were actually trained. Not handed weapons and sent off like most were.
As a South African i am ashamed to say that awfull Kissinger convinced (or intimidated John Voster) to stop (or drastically reduce) material support to Rhodesia, spelling the beginning of the end for her!
Yes, Henri Kissinger was responsible for the downfall of Rhodesia in the end. May he rot in hell.
Kissinger is an evil man with a great deal of blood on his hands.
This is all you need to know: An excellent Army, let down by political problems.
Exactly. 100% spot on.
Lmao all this daft cope I am seeing in this comment section, militarily Rhodesians had no option stop being like women and accept defeat and move on
Same cope a lot of Americans use "We won the battles but politicians lost us the war!!"
No it's because western Generals (Soldiers) absolutely fixate on tactics and how to integrate the latest toys from the MIC (which guarantees them board membership in Raytheon post-retirement) and ignore strategy and operations.
Guess it was always a bad idea for whites to move to Africa and build it up when the natives can't help themselves and destroy any progress made
@@ihadforeskinwithporkbellyf9306 It's clear you feel emotionally about this subject.
Rhodesia didn't lose, they weren't allowed to win.
Afterwards, Zimbabwe had ridiculous inflation and became a failed state.
Wrong side was given the victory.
well its our land
For those of us who were there. We never saw our efforts as fruitless or even in vein. As an olde Rhodie the Spirit of Rhodesia lives on in each of us, we in actual fact never die. For those who accept defeat, only then are U defeated....😊. We may fade a little but to die impossible. We then just mellow like a good olde Brandy...😊😅😂...
As a german, I can relate to once owning a remarkable and very effective army, inflicting heavy casualties against their enemies.
Well, but a fight against all odds can only go so long.
Another political solution should have gone paralell and the time there in southern Africa was of imminent change.
For the better? I dont know, I am not from Rhodesia....
Surely you don't sympathize with Germany's efforts in either World War?
i don't know how many things you got right or wrong but it was an amazing explanation of something i had no real knowledge on before, well worth the time it took to watch, thank you.
How do you not love the FAL and the Rhodesian Brushstroke camo…
Portugal mentioned 🇵🇹
Let's go!
Rhodesian army where fighting terrorism, crime and the county's that supported them like China,Cuba,Russia and "Hamas"...but the world told them they where wrong...keeping them away is not humane, but where are we today ???
Learning about this was a blast never knew about the Rhodesia as a place until a couple months ago
Yea and then mugabe got control and plunged the country in to shit same thing happening here in South Africa right now
Fantastic video old chap. Quite possibly one of the best and most objective presentations on the subject I've seen hitherto.
Greetings from Melbourne, Australia.
Rhodesia reminds me of Israel. Both won battles and wars on the battlefields but politically and economically, the former lost. The latter is now experiencing this same defeat, albeit very slowly.
The single thing that killed Rhodesia was its lost of Western support, namely Great Britain and America. Had these two nations continued to support Rhodesia, it would probably still survive. That's why it is crucially important for Israel to have Western support.
The Portuguese Army fought essentially three wars in its three african provinces of Angola, Mozambique and Guiné. As Dr. Salazar said, "without show, without alliances - proudly alone".
Probably the best military history account in UA-cam
A foreign, European occupier, connected at the hip to Western elites, with a brutal military machine, sows terror for decades until the point when the situation starts getting a bit hairy for the "civilian" colonizers, who start realizing the "adventure" of genocide isn't worth their lives after all and they can just fly back home to Heathrow.
Kinda reminds me of a current war, but maybe that's just me 🙊
I don't see Israelis leaving the way Rhodesians fled Zimbabwe.
The British took back control of Rhodesia from 1979-1980 while the Rhodesians sorted out the transition.
So close the british hustled nkomo and smith whilst giving zapu a helping hand and when MI6 PUPPET mugabe was in power he went loose 20 thousand matabele dead. Well done mugabe and well done the uk...you got what you wanted
And such a BEAUTIFUL and prosperous country its become under the "majority" rule!!
Very Intresting. Just one question, where is the Rhodesian now? What wars have they won in the past 50 years? 🤔🤔🤔
At 15:07 you have an error of cause and effect. It wasn't the economy that led to the first "majority election". In early 1976 the South African Government had developed and tested a nuclear device. The Russian and Cuban involvement in Southern and Central Africa spooked the US President. South Africa imported huge amounts of crude oil from Iran and despite their own oil from coal plants were still dependent on foreign oil. The US dispatched Henry Kissinger to a "peace"conference in Geneva which included South African foreign Minister Pik Botha. At that conference Botha was told to put pressure on Rhodesia to accede to the concept of majority rule. Kissinger then visited the Shah of Iran, South Africa's major oil supplier. The Shah faced pressure internally (which would over throw him not long after) and Kissinger instructed him to pressure South Africa or the US would start slowing military supplies. July saw Ian Smith summoned to a meeting with South African PM. The decoy was an invite to a rugby test match in Pretoria. At that meeting Smith was instructed to implement majority rule with moderate African leaders. Smith refused. South Africa responded by stopping all supplies of petrol, diesel and armaments and stopping all exports moving through South Africa. Two weeks later Smith accepted the South African ultimatum.
17:00hrs 15th October; at a meeting of senior civil servants( I was one of them) in our area Smith along with local MP informed us of this situation and the process to hold elections in 1977. This is corroborated by others.
The title 'most effective' (in Africa) goes to 32 btn. Even if you disagree with their politics 32 Battalion weren't fighting poorly trained, ill equiped zanla teenagers. Research some of the hardware used in the 'Namibian war of independence / South African border war / Angolan bush war'.
Great episode!
Never mind, the ordinary people of Zimbabwe are so very much better off than they were when they were in Rhodesia...
... aren't they?
... aren't they?
... aren't they?
Any more jokes?
Maybe they could have concentrated on assassinating the political leadership of the enemy forces, and then in turn assassinating the ones that replaced them. That, and to the extent that there were more than one political enemy, used false flag operations to instigate conflict between the rival enemy forces. Another strategm would be to sabotage or destroy the economies of hostile neighboring countries, or threaten to assassinate those countries leaders if they continue to harbor enemy forces. The problem is strategic, being landlocked, badly outnumbered, fighting a genuinely international adversary in possession of a global propaganda machine.
It's a shame you wasn't there as a chief strategist. Would have turned out a whole lot different lol
@@baggierols73 Long term strategy, first know your enemy. There was a universal lack of knowledge in that era about the true origins of Communism and who and what was behind it. If that knowledge was more widespread on both sides of the conflict a more peaceful resolution could have been negotiated that didn't lead to blodshead and years of economic stagnation. The Brother-in-Law of Karl Marx was a man named Baron Ferdinand Von Westphalen. He was the Prussian Interior Minister, in charge of the Prussian Secret Police and prison system. His primary job was identifying and incarcerating any and all persons opposed to the rule of the Prussian Aristocracy. Karl, Ferdinand and Karls wife were all childhood playmates. The man who arranged Marx's office at the Library in London reported directly to the chief of British Intelligence. Communism was being front run from the very beginning by international financial interests, there are no 'sides'. I could go on for another web page about how Communism has always been backed by international finance. Maybe if all those Communist fighters and SAS types fighting it out in the jungles had know this in the first place they might have figured out they were being played.
That would be so stupid. They would have just brought Zambia and Mozambique to the war against them, while not being able to assassinate the leadership a second time or even a first. For goodness sake, do you think leaders are not protected?
You love the British Empire and the global propaganda agreeing with you though.
@@tritium1998 I'm half Irish and half English, Ireland was just about the last British colony to gain it's independence, mixed feelings on that one. Can't say I'm thrilled with modern day British support for Ukraine Banderista's
As a Rhodesian/Zimbabwean, growing up during this period, this is one of the most balanced accounts I have heard. Ultimately, everybody lost. Many thanks.
If you don't mind me asking, (and you still reside in Zimbabwe) is Zimbabwe as bad as you read about? Rapid inflation, lack of food, unresponsive government.
@donovannotmyname7306 Hi, no. I left in 2000 as, unfortunately, I had no future, (working for commercial farmers) and, was lucky enough to have the means to.
@@christopping5876 I certainly didn't expect you to get back so quickly. But thank you for answering me.
This is probably the best
ua-cam.com/video/B3CVQe_m1yE/v-deo.html
@donovannotmyname7306 nahh, people be chilling there. It's all propaganda. Wtf is that question bro?
Many farmers were descendants of the 1890s settlers. Not that transient. My great great grandfather started a farm with 6 cattle and lived in a thatched mud house to start with.
I remember reading about them in the old 'Soldier of Fortune' magazine. They actually had ads for mercenaries in the back of the magazine.
And does Any1 care?
@Chia Pets It appears that 16 people do, and one 1 AH doesn't. Go take walk or something. Take your attitude out on the sidewalk.
@@chiapets2594 you cared enough to post variations of ‘who cares’ 4 times on 4 separate posts, so clearly you’re one of those who care
My friends were Mercenaries there in 1976 to 78 But had to be listed as RLI because the british govenment would not allow Mercenaries.
@@chiapets2594
Ça paraît que t’as un compte Twitter.
A couple things I didn't hear in the video: Rhodesia unilaterally declared independence from Britain on November 11, 1965 and thereafter were met with some fairly crippling sanctions from both the UK and the UN. The Rhodesians were able to circumvent those sanctions for close to a decade due to support from Mozambique and South Africa but then the situation changed. Mozambique parted from Portugal and cut off Rhodesian support. Then South African government under Vorster began to ratchet down support for the Rhodesians and place conditions on them, such as no external ops. RSF could not strike outside Rhodesia for most of the bushwar and it hampered their effectiveness at bringing an end to the crisis. In the end it was a combination of increasing Nationalist activity, war weariness on part of the population, crushing international sanctions, and lack of local support that force Smith to the negoiating table. If you ever want to read an account of the bushwar from start to finish, read Ian Smith's autobiography "Bitter Harvest." There's been much written about the bush war but Smith's book was one of the better ones for understanding the situation at a higher level.
@CavebabybeserkerWell yeah. Europe can’t survive without Africas recourses and the understand this.
Best comment. Rhodesia by all accounts were winning handily. It was when they lost not just outside support but the UK and UN Actively sided with their enemies did they start to lose ground. Rhodesia was a great country for most now it is a shit hole for all.
Those countries fell to communists. Too bad the people in charge couldn't early on give participation to noncommunists but in the 1940s communist influence had turned minds to the even darker side & as expected made those countries worse off then the racist government had. As if that was even thought possible.
@@Jean_Jacques148 Africa can't survive without their betters, look at them now all of them have failing states and incompetence on every rung of their system
Another great book that is full of first hand accounts from the SAS is "A Handful of Hard Men". Highly recommend it.
Well well well… look how South Africa and Zimbabwe are doing now ☠️
Both banana republics
@@stevenhull5025typical commies
Yeah you ruin a country it stays ruined for a while, who’d of thunk 😂
They are doing good, Zimbabwe was sanctioned since 2003 and it’s still holding on and staying strong to this day
Better that than a lifetime under the heels of white supremacist colonizers.
Our family doctor in Australia was a combat medic in Rhodesia. Dr. Van Opdenbosch was a very tough man and had some crazy stories. He had been shot, stabbed and at one point scalped. He used safety pins to re-attach his scalp and walked 80 km to get medical assistance.
He was an invited guest to our high-school graduation and gave an amazing speech.
don't talk shit
That sound improbable
@@a.m928 What sounds improbable?
@@pikas_palacePlenty of people have survived being scalped. You can look up pictures.
@@Wasteland88sure, but in Rhodesia? Doubt it.
Ian Smith didn't "retire" in 1987. Mugabe had him kicked out of government. Eventually Mugabe even stripped Ian Smith of his Zimbabwe citizenship without reason even though Ian Smith was born in that country and Mugabe wasn't. . Eventually Ian Smith had to immigrate to South Africa when his farm was illegally seized and handed over to a ZANU-PF member.
Colonialism was illegal to begin with lol
@Destroyer Armor this narrow sighted comment is essentially why the cycle of stupidity never ends.
@@destroyerarmor2846yet those africans kept coming to colonial european lands including south africa. Now after those 2 nations have been subverted and destroyed you have millions migrating to europe and the USA but yes "whities bad" lmao
@@destroyerarmor2846 Go tell China that
@destroyerarmour2846 What law did it contravene? How is Zimbabwe doing now?
What did Zimbabwe use before Candles? Electricity
Lmfao
If you only knew how funny that is.
How do you spell Rhodesia phonetically? Robin Hood's Old Dad Eats Sausages in Asia. How do you spell Zimbabwe phonetically? Zero Intelligence Mainly Because All Bloody Whites Emigrated.
Vibranium
Knobkieries?
I worked with a guy who was in the Rhodesian Army. He was allowed into the UK. As he never fought against the British. I know another guy living in the UK now was in the south African Army. Rapid Response force , spent most of his time in Rhodesia fighting alongside the Rhodesian Army.
@@davidgarcia5593racists never change
@@Hangedman1999 Yep, and now those racist blacks are flooding into the UK.
@@Hangedman1999 u good there!
@David Garcia in a terrible mess and people are not standing up for their people and country no spine.
@@Hangedman1999 Says the communist fascist.
My buddy that was from South Africa was in the Rhodesian army. He loved the FAL and barreled my first FAL out of an old Austrian STG parts kit. My best friend and I became quick friends with Gane and he slowly started telling us stories about living in SA after leaving Zimbabwe in the 80's. We met him in the late 90's and one of the last stories he told us was about Russians in SA helping to secure diamonds from flooding the market. His stories were intense about being in the Rhodesian army, but some really crazy stories about living in Mozambique after he left Zimbabwe in the late 80's. Great video BTW!
A RUSSIAN adviser serving and training Africans against the RHODESIANS, praised the RHODESIANS as GREAT fighters.
As Belgian , I appreciate this comment
A family friend was a SGT in the Koevoet during the Bush War. A tactic for the FAL would be to shoot low, sweeping arcs, wherever the suspected enemy where. The 7.62 would rip through the brush and push the insurgents out of concealment.
Always found that interesting
@@josedorsaith5261Amazing tactics.
@@josedorsaith5261Why would they sweep low? Would the bullets got higher than they aimed?
"We know Rhodesia no longer exists."
"Do we?"
My late uncle served 16 years in the British Army then left, moved to Zambia to work on a dam that was being built there, him and my aunt went into Rhodesia for a weekend getaway...when it was over they went back to Zambia, he quit his job, packed up the kids and moved to Rhodesia...that was 1970, he ended up in P.A.T.U (Police Anti Terror Unit) and fought right until the end in 1980, he got my aunt and cousins out and into Johannesburg in 1979 and he was eventually chased out of the country in 1980...
My side of the family joined them in Joburg in 1983...he very rarely spoke about the Bush War but he did regularly get visited by a very secretive man that we all called "Secret Squirrel"...he`d come to the house, never come inside and they`d talk over the chain link fence in the front of the house covering their mouths with their hands, then he`d leave and not be seen again for months...
What always struck me as odd was that my uncle had the SAS "Winged Dagger" tattoo`d on his forearm, he never would tell me why he had it...if iit was from his days in the British or Rhodesian forces...he was very secretive...
Liar suuuurrrreeee
yeah pretty sure my dad was in the light brigade. still has the scars but wont ever talk about them.
Covering their mouth? really???
He probably was selling crack
Chewing tobacco, kids running around who might overhear, lip-readers... I'm perplexed, myself, with the possibilities, now
I was at a gun show and got to meet a rhodesian soldier who survived and brought his family to the states after the war ended
He must’ve had some stories💯
Was he selling a green yellow painted fal
Lucky guy he was - IMO the US should have allowed them all in. It was American political pressure for black government that forced the whites to lose everything they had.
That’s a shame. You could’ve finished the job
@@desserted5446 huh? why they are cool
A lesson to be learnt: Even if it is military victory, that doesn't always mean that it will be a political victory. Look no further than the soviets in Afghanistan, as I see parallels between them.
I mean they were both wars where racist idiots got shot then lied about the numbers to make themselves look better
Or Americans in Afghanistan.
Vietnam
Algeria and Vietnam for France
I thought just about the Soviets... But in the end they were victorious, when they leave Afghanistan the insurgency was somehow controlled, the USSR lasted until 1991, the DRA went untill 1994, when Kabul finally fall, untill it fall again when the Taliban invaded.
Only 2 groups of people I like to see in short shorts, Beautiful women, and Rhodesians!
No
@@chiapets2594 Yes
Don't forget the Australians.
@@Omardelatorr1 Well that would be in Sun hats more so
@Chia Pets you perfer doing pets? Disgusting bro.
As someone who was born in Southern Rhodesia before Rhodesia's Independence from British rule ive witnessed not only the terrorist attacks targeting innocent civilians both black and white but also Catholic Missions by Chinese and Russian trained and supported so called freedom fighters . But have also witnessed the first hand incompetence and mismanagement of crucial serves and vital departments leading to the total collapse of the once Bread Basket of Africa and destrustion of a civilised successful economy ! And turned it in to a joke of a third world country that is now one of the most corrupt and lawless countries in the World being sold off to and looted by the Communist sponsors that incited and sponcered the terrorist acts starting back in the sixties .
calling natives "terrorists" how funny? go back to Europe and build your states there. Zimbabwe is for Zimbabweans
You should have returned to your home country.😮😮😮.
Picture of all the European Rhodesians in Company size photo in khakis, taken in Malaya as Rhodesian SAS had just been formed at that time. The bit about the two airliners shot down correct, but placed chronologically in wrong place in this piece... Was relatively near the end of the story... The late 1977 assault on terr base camps that killed 2000 not only had aging Rhodesian air assets, but borrowed South African Puma helicopters (much larger) and Mirage fighter-bombers... The last were not supposed to have been provided by South Africa to Rhodesian pilots by terms of contract with France... However, France unilaterally abrogated the contracts under foreign pressure, which freed South Africa to do whatever it wanted... including equipping a Rhodesian squadron... -YP-
I was there for just 7 months 1975, worked in telephone exchange, lived on (Jackaranda lined) Union Ave. What a beautiful country. Met a young nurse and married her. Her father was head accountant for RBC and Mashonaland basket ball coach but still had to fight. He was killed in ambush 1979 at 49yo. Ive read all the comments, your the only one using the term "terr" Id forgotten but that was all I ever heard them called - never thugs or gangsters etc. Vic Falls will always be the highlight of planet Earth for me :)
I spent 2 and a half years in Rhodesia, one and a half on the ground and one flying helicopters for the Airforce. What is said here is partially true, very partially. Once the Airforce received the UH-1H the war turned dramatically in favor of the Rhodesians, as we could reach deep into Zambia and Mozambique to attack enemy bases . It was the politicians and the British Government that gave the country away to the communist terrorists. As a side note: I talked to many Africans in the Security Forces and asked them "Why are you in the Security Forces?" As the Constitution did not allow the conscription of Africans in the Security Forces, yet every white male from 18 to 55 had to server six months of every year in active duty (not all at once). Everyone African answered, " I want my country." Such an eye opener, as these people knew what was going on and would put their lives in danger to protect their country.
Rhodesia's Air Force was small but excellent and South African aircraft, pilots and technicians also played a role in defending Rhodesia. For Rhodesia's black population the conflict was of course a civil war. Some joined the security forces and other Shona and Matabele headed off into the bundu to fight for ZANLA or ZIPRA, although many of the latter suffered very badly when Mugabe came to power.
@@glendodds3824 Honestly speaking it was 'excellent' by African standards....by global standards Rhodesian forces...air or army were barely mediocre... their opponents were more like farmers who had recently been givven guns...not to mention they came from a culture that never created things like a huge army........so it was basically like an army vs lots of civilinas with guns.
I am curious, people have Rhodie fantasy would support idea of white supremacy?
You were the terrorists my guy.
@@AlbertLivingstone He was fighting for the country he was born in.
Saying anything else is racist.
As someone much smarter than me once said(can’t recall who) “the Rhodesian army fought a war of hearts and minds as a war of attrition.”
And who cares
@@chiapets2594 You obviously, because you are posting the same non-stop diarrhoea after every comment.
and lost like most.
@@chiapets2594
I do
@@chiapets2594Well I care too
I spent the first 30 years of my life there; including service in the military. The magic of the Rhodesian Army was "fireforce" where 10 or so infantry often parabats who advanced line breast against the enemy. They were co-ordinated by "sunray" a veteran officer tightly orbiting the battle in an Alouette mini-gunship. Sunray was accompanied by a door gunner on a 50mm Browning mounted in the doorway.
The fireforce concept is accurately described as "vertical envelopment".
Reminds me of a discourse between a North Vietnamese General and an U.S. General post-Vietnam conflict. The U.S. General boasted that the U.S. forces never lost a battle in the Vietnam conflict. The North Vietnamese General responded... "what difference did that make."
The NVA were about to fall when the Democrat Party handed the whole country into Communist slavery and quit .
I was just in Zim and spent a lot of time with some older Zimbabweans who fought in the Rhodesian army. The stories they told me were insane and the love they have for Zimbabwe even after everything they went through is crazy. I asked what it was like after the war and they said "We went back home and tried to live normal lives and for awhile everything was good... for awhile"
living in africa is a good life its like being on the TITANIC
Until gangster Mugabe too farms!
@@patrickcannell2258 we have never claimed a square inch of europe,why claim our homeland.I am sure whites would take up arms if a foreign people invaded them
@@Againstdhawa Always sinking? Or always waiting for the iceberg?
Older zims? I think you mean Rhodesian's brother.
If anyone wants to read or listen to a SUPERB book that contains first hand accounts of this era from Rhodesian SAS members, I HIGHLY recommend “A Handful of Hard Men” by Hannes Wessels. The audio book is exceptional.
Saw your comment and bought and read the book. It is indeed superb
Absolutely brilliant book
I’m the Roger in that book. Working with Darrell was probably the best education I could have ever wished for as I was only 18.
Fantastic book, probably the best of 4 I've read on the conflict. One day Rhodesia will be back and on that day all the men who died in the pursuit of preserving it will have not been in vain
Here is an old joke I heard: what did Zimbabwean use to light their home with in 1950s?
……electricity
Ouch
Still has electricity , nice try racist bigot
I heard a better version of the same joke
What did Zimbabweans use to light their homes before candles
Electricity...
No they didn't, because most Zimbabweans lived in poverty with no electricity because all the electricity infrastructure was built to serve the invaders and the main city Harare.
Your racist wet dream never came true, it was a hell hole for most of the population, that's why they fought so hard to get the racists out and they did.
@@ricaard6959 It wasn't "built to serve the invaders" you knucklehead the rest of the country was difficult terrain on top of being rural. There were still plenty of rural places in the U.S. without that infrastructure either, and they weren't in a jungle.
No, it was very good but not the most effective. Years before the end, it had lost huge swathes of the country in the TTLs to ZIPRA and ZANLA. It also lacked enough heavy equipment to engage in conventional warfare; it had a few armoured cars and 8 T55s (which the South Africans had intercepted and given to them). It had limited artillery pieces (WW2 25 pounders). The Air Force had a small number of ageing and obsolescent air frames. Any escalation into a conventional war with the help of neighbouring black-rule countries would have seen the Rhodesian Army overwhelmed by numbers and a greater supply of heavy weapons, including SAMs, and aircraft.
Furthermore, whites were leaving in ever-increasing numbers every month, including trained military reservists and potential conscripts. Rhodesia, as a quasi-colonial entity, was not self-sufficient; fuel, FNs, MAGs and ammunition came from South Africa. Earlier in the war, South African Police helicopters assisted the Rhodesian Army and later South African Air Force helicopters did. Also towards the end of the war, South African Special Forces as well as Parabat companies assisted the Rhodesians.
Lastly, in terms of success, the Rhodesians fought a (civil) war largely on their own territory, apart from a number of external operations; this made logistics easier than fighting a war a long way away. The men they fought were generally very poorly trained and equipped (ZANLA more than ZIPRA), with no air support - the Rhodesian Army was not fighting a peer adversary in terms of quality. It's kill ratio was high, but it was still losing ground every month to the larger enemy. The betrayal myth is just that - a myth. Rhodesia was a politically and economically unsustainable polity due to the demands of the war and the international community; the war hastened its demise.
I have enjoyed reading your comment and it's good that you also mention that Rhodesia received military support, both in terms of manpower and equipment, from south of the Limpopo.
Zimbabwe is now a country in a total mess. Bankrupt, it's citizens working in other countries.... So what did they actually achieve.
They achieved freedom. Like Mance Rhaydar said "The freedom to make my own mistakes was all I ever wanted"
@@ricaard6959 really this is what you wanted, how to put food on the table and a roof over your head, think about all the Zimbabweans forced to work outside of the country because they can't do the basics of feeding themselves if they stay in the country... What freedom is that, what achievement is that.
@@southern_leyte8230 Freedom from colonialism is what it is
@@ricaard6959 and into poverty, this of course is great freedom, hunger, no work and no prospect for the future. And Zimbabwe was never a apartheid country. Bottom line Zimbabwe now lives as one of the poorest or the poor countries. Do not worry SA has been sliding that way too... Sake problem the few elite members in the country have everything and the poor get really poorer.
I understand democracy and being free, but at least have the back bone to unserstand with freedom comes great responsability....that responsability has not been cherished by the people of Zimbabwe.
@@ricaard6959 the bitter truth is that people are often willing to trade freedom for security
My great uncle fought in the bush war as a pilot, he says that every soldier was very professional, motivated and effective in their task due to a no bullshit training approach, no cleaning, no harrasment no useless drill and shit, just instruction and pratical battlefield training.
-----Agreed and that was because that was all there was time for.
they were all mercnaries
That’s exactly the way a real army should be
@@njabuloradebe6273 how? they were fighting for their country so that would make them not a mercenary.
@@dubndrapwilwork Agree - 'most' were not mercenaries but it's well known that even a few American Vietnam vets (mostly SF) had found uses for their skills in Rhodesia.
And look how great the country is doing under black rule now!
And look how America is doing under white rule!
@@mobydick5046at least we got water, food, good public transport and dont pay 1 million dollar for a loaf of bread 😂
This was the one with The Selous Scouts wasn't it ? Those guys were BADASS. I remember reading from Jack Carr that they were like one of the most Elite Black Ops Units of the 20th Century or something 🗿🗿
No1 cares and no they were not
@@chiapets2594 the selous scouts were the most badass out of them all
@@chiapets2594 what a sad person
@@No_step_on_snake he didn't get enough oxygen when he was born
Wow try fighting a real threat not these losers
There’s an excellent channel called Five Romeo Romeo run by a Bush War veteran who tells lots of amazing stories.
Also "fighting men of rhodesia"
Both right. All these people are fantastic story tellers. John Edmonds Troopie Songs and History stories are priceless. She Was Rhodie Girl , Its A Long Way To Mukumbura and Shumba Drinkers. The Rhodesian Forces Band Playing When The Saints Come Marching In is the best version. Their Version of March of The Belgian Paratroopers is also the best.
Five Romeo Romeo is very interesting but he gives the impression that Rhodesia was full of white liberals. Consequently, he draws far too strong a distinction between Rhodesia and South Africa.
@@glendodds3824 It is my experience that Rhodesians prefer to be considered as distinctly separate from South Africa. In a far more "determined" manner than say, Australians and New Zealanders. If you catch my drift.
@@currawong60911368. Hi. Yes, that is true of many Rhodesians. Former members of Rhodesia's white population can really be divided into three groups: those who loved Rhodesia (the largest category); those who loved Rhodesia and South Africa (a substantial minority); and those who disliked Rhodesia and South Africa.
So all the Rebels had to do was outlast the Rhodesian Army. Something that's been prevalent in many wars were guerillas fight against a more powerful enemy.
In the end, the Rhodesian government was forced by the global community to give up the country to the communist backed rebels. Forty years later the country stands in economic ruin, much as any other African nation. South Africa followed along.
And have outside sponsors like USSR and China. No rebellion has lasted long without outside support except for NPA in the Philippines.
@@renzeusoya5828---Can't argue with that
@@renzeusoya5828 And Malaysia where the commies lost a 30 year civil war.
The rebels were inexperienced illiterate farmers and child soldiers they shouldn’t have won
White boys do it different 💪🏻
That's why they hate us, simple minds envy how far we have taken the world with tech & civilisation
@@Swoiny White people were barbarians for most of their history. You only got rich from stealing others wealth. Btw you lost the crusades. So your profile pic is very ironic
@@peegeeyay you are only mad because your people haven’t build any countries of worth
@@peegeeyay you allowed your resources to be stolen by a bunch of barbarians? maybe youre the barbarian then
I met a former Selous Scout he was the hardest man I ever met
@Cavebabybeserker back when I was cadet in the 80’s he had just got out of Rhodesia before Mugabe took over
The hardest men were the Zimbabweans who, despite oppressed and enslaved, decided enough was enough and used inferior arms to fight for their freedom.
Lol
@@tmajecThey're all dead.
Just another criminal
My teacher was a Selious Scot. A quiet and humble man.
A 'Selious Scot'?/.....you mean Selous Scout.
@@ggpp4898 Far enough.
So he was a criminal
@@vre7474how so, that’s like saying every Red Army soldier in WW2 was a war criminal
a colonizer who fought to keep the black man down in his own land.
Be a man among men
Join the Rhodesian army
In booty shorts.
More like a dead man among dead men
amongst.
@@LastBrigadier the poster definitley said among, genius
Hannes Wessels's books on the war and the Rhodesian SAS are some of the most captivating I've ever read. Highly recommended for anyone who wants more in depth detail on the RLI, SAS, and Fireforce operations during the war. Some of those small unit SAS ops behind enemy lines were mind blowing in their audacity and effectiveness.
And his interview channel
Yes sir. A fuew hard men about the rodeshian SAS was awesome book. Learned alot about the why and reason of the war from rodeshian people too. The world turned the're back on rodeshia. Now it's a starving country called Zimbabwe. Alot of grimy things the MSM hid like white farmers bieng raiped and killed whole family s
Turned their back on a country supporting racial segregation? Tides of history bend towards justice. The ending of Rhodesia was necessary
@@mikefitzpatrick43damn I wonder if they were killed because they supported an apartheid racist state… anyway oh well.
@@mikefitzpatrick43 Zimbabwe still exists with plenty of people living.
My step father was in the Rhodesian Airforce. The military kicked ass. The British sold them out.
Give an African a gold bar he'll turn it into a wooden block
Give a pasty white guy the Olympics, and he'll lose to an African guy.
Neat video, I’d like to see you do a series on Cold War mercenaries
I see you in comments everywhere.
No
This is why countries now have "National Security Strategies", which involves a whole-of-government approach to tackling issues like these, not just accounting for the military side of things.
I moved with my parents to Rhodesia in '76. My dad was in the British Army, left that and joined the Rhodesian Army. As a kid it was fantastic. Loved the country. Left in '82 and moved to South Africa, where my dad joined the South African Army. Eventually left there and we all moved back to the UK. I had such a great life as a kid and would do it all over again if I had the chance. 6 year old and firing Uzi's down at the range. Now all kids want to do is look at their phones.
That’s cool as hell, I wanna see Africa one day it’s beautiful. Too bad I won’t get to shoot uzi’s like you lol
Now thats a great childhood
Jealous.
Interesting story not gonna lie but you kinda ruined it at the end, it's kinda prejudice that a kid nowadays only wants to look at a phone there are people that are more than that and also you were six firing uzis?
I don't know what to make of that but it's definitely not a good idea,if you learned it the hard way if you had accidents and if just your parents weren't being careful enough a phone is less dangerous than a uzi to some extent
Im not disrespecting you i have no idea what it would be like visiting Africa especially back then your story is a blast to hear along with more details
@@giorgospapoutsakis5271 In the City where I live we have a light rail transit. You look at kids, heads down looking into their phones. They even interact with each via their phones. You see newspaper articles where kids have lost the ability to interact. This is because it is now all done electronically, even down to finding a partner. They don't even want to learn to drive. They chat via phones, internet, gaming and ride user apps like UBER. At 16 I got my motorbike license to ride a 50cc and at 17 I got my drivers license. When I was a kid we got home from school and went to the local pool on the army base. First thing was clear the scorpions out of the pool, I was six and grabbing scorpions out of the pool. We used to go out in the bush, no parents, just a couple of kids. This is Africa where you have puff adders, rattle snakes and everything else. We used to come across all sorts of wildlife. Didn't bother us as we were out for a laugh and seeing what trouble we could get ourselves into... and we did... But that was part of life and having fun, getting out there, interacting with my friends and having a great childhood. Yes I could fire all sorts of guns by the time I was six up, from 9mm pistols to Uzi, FN's and LMG's (Light Machine Gun). It did make me aware of how dangerous guns were. That was drummed in to me by the army instructors who taught us and my dad. There is nothing better than walking down the side of the range to the butts (bottom of the range where the targets are) and watching tracers whizzing down the range to the target right next to you. You get in the butts and the you work the targets with the adults, bringing them down, patching the holes and sending them back up again.
I was born in Rhodesia (Salisbury in 1971) my father joined the Rhodesian Army from the British Army (R.E.M.E)
My Father passed away when I was 8 yrs old and by 1983 we left Zimbabwe as we knew it was going to go downhill from there. It turns out we were right. People made Rhodesia what it was and animals destroyed it. It’s a mentality end of.
Ian Smith was himself also a WW2 fighter pilot who's story itself is worth reading. I recommend his autobiography - The Great Betrayal
I've read that book ,it's as boring as hell, all political maneuvering and hardly anything about military operations.
Hi Richard. it's an interesting book but it's unfair to South Africans. For instance, Ian blames the Boers for treating blacks as second class citizens.
@@glendodds3824 Yeah, that's rich coming from a guy who lead the planter class of a deeply racist country.
I wonder if they were performance enhanced by science in those days
@@jeraldsamuel5598 then a few books, from hannes wessels you'll thank me later 😉
Now Zimbabwe dollars are basically toilet paper cause it sucks there
Rhodesian army: *extreme professionalism, discipline and willpower*
Zimbabwean government: "Lel, just print all the monies until we become a meme"
which one still exist tho.
@@ernstschmidt4725 Define 'exist'.
Because by almost any reasonable definition Zimbabwe doesn't as a country.
@@The13thRoninRhodesia is no longer seen on the map only Zimbabwe. Rhodesia’s last memory is of Dylan Roof 😂😂😂
@@Loyal2.RickOwensWayne Zimbabwe is a dictatorship. You are celebrating a dictatorship, and a racist dictatorship at that.
@@Loyal2.RickOwensWaynetrue but Zimbabwe became a meme 😂
The pressure london put on smith played it's role. London made it very clear to smith that Rhodesia needed to be ruled by black Africans. Ultimately they were fighting a loosing war.
The Bush War has something similar with Algeria war fought by France: you can win on a military level yet still suffer a political defeat.
As a retired usaf security police sergeant we were modeled after the British r a f regiment, and our "fire team" tactics after the Rhodesian fire force. One of our blue berets even fought the communists in Rhodesia (now he's a hand model😅)
Whole lotta closeted white nationalists in these comments
And a great many out-of-the-closet ones as well! :-0
what exactly is bad about white nationalism?
@@antitankguidedmissile6604 Ummm...because it's racist? Like, by definition? I think that would be self-evident.
@@ailo4x4nah dont fall for the bait, dont need to answer.
@@ailo4x4 so it is ok to be Jewish supremacist or black supremacist and they can have their own majority rule in their historical lands, but somehow Whites are not deserving of the same consideration? Double standard much?
Well said, a functioning country brought down, nay, crippeled by black incompetence.
The real goal of most military's is to deter an enemy from attempting an invasion or attack of said country or its allies... The point is to make the enemy fear the consequences of any attack on your country enough to not even try... Teddy Roosevelt famously said "speak softly, but carry a big stick" referring to diplomacy...
the problem is there was no real invading party. Both sides felt they belonged in the land.
@@malakupearson1725but one side thought they were superior to the other, and not sharing the land.
@@Bigwillystyle707which they were right to think that lol
@@STEELGMBL good to meet a racist
The loss of Rhodesian territory reminds me of the Vietnam conflict. In 1967, the Johnson administration claimed to have military control over all but 3 provinces. A Sociologist w/ USAID did a cursory survey in the field and discovered that the Viet Cong were taxing in all BUT 3 provinces, taxing being the base of military control and visa versa. When the Tet offensive occurred in 1968, the only 3 provinces where the VC did not tax were where there was an absence of or minimal attacks. The same pattern appeared in Afghanistan too.
Almost as if oppression breeds rebellion.
Rhodesia was great. Zimbabwe is a disgrace
Aside from the racial policies of the Rhodesians. Retaining their services would have served the Zimbabweans better than relying on their own absolute uselessness.
reading a book at the moment called "We Dared To Win:The SAS in Rhodesia" with some first hand accounts of the actions described in your video which was very well put together.
The REAL casualty of this war was that dog breed... Zimbabwean Ridgeback doesn't exactly roll off the tongue.
Nice
My grandpa fought in angola during 1973 to 75 for portugal, he said the rhodesians were amazing pilots.
You must be proud of your fascist gramps.
But they were not many
Weird how the Rhodesians were the only ones with aircraft yet all these Rhodeboos here are crying like they were the underdogs.
@@tritium1998Because they are crybabies and cannot get over having their assess handed to them by infantry armed Bantus. Bunch of racists who, unlike that they did to Aborigines in Australia, thought the Africans won’t get tired of their nonsense.
The breadbasket of Africa now an impoverished banana republic living on foreign aid. What happened to change that?
I think you need to discuss this conflict together with the South African border war - they were both proxy communist vs. western wars.
This feels a lot like what happened in Vietnam, or Afghanistan... or Afghanistan, where the military of one side wins most or all engagements but loses ground and the war.
in Vietnam, the Viet Cong were destroyed and never became a conventional fighting force again. While the NVA had to actually invade South Vietnam conventionally. In the end a series of economic factors, dwindling political support from the UNited States, and South Vietnamese indecsiveness led to the end of the state.
In all 3 wars the problem was cost
Cost. And cost. They would have won had they had unlimited funds to blow.
Should have recruited more locals to do the fighting. Don't even train them, just send them out to fight to keep the war cheap.
@@jason200912 like ukraine? that seems textbook of that description.... also in many of those former cases, they tried but those people were useless so US troops were sent to clean up mess.
No Afghanistan was different ? The yanks ran away and left everyone else in the shit !!
Lol. South Vietnamese and Afghan national armies were dogsh*t weak, cowards and corrupt. Of course they wanted the US to do most of the work for them. Lol. That's why US made peace with the enemy and bounced leaving the fate of the countries in their own hands.
Couldn't be strong, where's Rhodesia now??😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🇿🇼
hows zimbabwe doing?
Self-determination for Africans. So how did it work out for them?
I remember standing on the elevated train platform in the Bronx on my way to work and reading a poster on the wall. It said be a man amongst men join the Rhodesian army. I said to myself where the hell is that?
wish you still had the poster!
@@conorcane1211 after learning more about it , I wish I had taken it home with me.
Common Anglo W
"No support" but you conveniently forget about apartheid south Africa, Portugese Mozambique and the covert western support within the realm of the cold war
So much knob-ridding going on when it comes to this topic. Truth is its really hard not to look effective as you are dunking on farmers using tactics and training developed by a superpower.
And that being ?
This was a fight against insurmountable odds. A land locked state fighting an insurgency. With foreign players largely favoring the Zimbabweans.
@@alexanderphilip1809 having airpower vs incompitent zanla teenagers doing training exercises with sticks...ok. That being said the poor level of organisation of zanla, was a telltale sign that robert was going to be a terrible leader.
I LOVE your series on the african wars.
I think that a nice video topic would be the Algerian war of independace.
Keep it up!