Bush War Operator: A Soldier's Memoir of the Rhodesian Light Infantry

E. V. Rensburg: Well informed book. Quick delivery. Thanx

United Kingdom on Jan 07, 2024

Private: This is a solid book for anyone that wants to learn about what happened in 1970s Rhodesia. Really well written.

United States on Oct 31, 2023

Ger: Would recommend it, it's a good read

Australia on May 11, 2023

C. Janssen: Although mostly at the tactical level. This book is a good coin case study. The infiltration tactics and TTPs that the author very descriptivley covers very much come alive and immerse the reader in the complex and confusing realities of small wars. I like how the author mostly kept away from the geopolitical aspects of the Rhodesian bush war. As a former paratrooper, the chapter on static-line jump qualification was very much appreciated. It it hard to find good books on the Rhodesian conflict. I thought this one was very good.

United States on Feb 20, 2023

Jeffrey DeMeyer: This was a very interesting book to read, about a topic not well covered. Balaam is not a great writer, but that's not a bad thing. He is very honest and he tells things exactly like they are. I will say if you are expecting gunfights and car chases, this is not a book for you. The Selous Scouts were not your regular infantry unit, they performed "Pseudo-Ops" which this book covers very well.

United States on Jul 19, 2021

Daniel Braoche: The author led an incredible life. Sadly putting it too paper seems to have missed the mark. People interested in the Bush War will like this book as I did, but don't expect a Clancy novel. He's very scant on equipment details, descriptions of critical events run together and at times confuse the reader. One paragraph your headed to Mozambique on a dirt road, next immediate paragraph all of a sudden your in the middle of a firefight. The whole action of a major raid in three sentences???? The constant, overstated descriptions of everything; from the fear he feels in almost every paragraph to what the day looks like after repeated stories of hangovers.

United States on Sep 05, 2018

Keith: A culture shock! We know little of the bravery and extremes the Rhodesian forces went through to try and protect their people and country from total distruction - all to no avail!

Canada on Aug 23, 2017

Druss fan: Liked reading a soldier's perspective. Reads more like a memoir but great to see through the eyes of someone who was there. Opened my eyes to some history we missed growing up in the West.

Canada on Jun 28, 2017

S. Darragh: Somewhat disconnected at times, as Balaam jumps from scene to scene, but a very realistic look at both combat and the Rhodesian War. I have met several former RLI members, and once had dinner with a former RLI and SAS member who was in 1985 the highest ranking White in the Zimbabwean Army, but Andrew Balaam's account definitely gives far more insight than can be gleaned from casual conversations. Lionel Dyke had explained to me that the Rhodesian War was not a matter of race, and that Whites and Africans had got on quite well prior to War. Balaam simply recounts what it was like growing up in a town on the Zambezi river with African friends and a personal familiarity with Crocs, Hippos, and other African wildlife. And what it was like serving with Africans in an African War. First with the Rhodesian Light Infantry working at times with the Rhodesian African Rifles. Later, as a trooper in the Selous Scouts, he undergoes training with the South African Special Forces. On one of their days off, the Rhodesians, a handful of Whites and several handfuls of Africans, went to a nearby public beach. Once White South Africans begin arriving, there were complaints about Blacks on the beach....

United States on Feb 06, 2017

Dr.Gertrud Schmidt-Ehry: A lot of repetitions and no real story. It's only about fighting. Did not read it too the end. Too boring!

Germany on Jun 13, 2016