Rhodesian Light Infantryman of the 1960s: A Warrior's Story

Amazon Customer: This is an osprey product and it’s been put out to their usual high standards. I think anybody that’s in to the topic of the busheWar most specifically anybody in the modeling or wargaming would find this book. Interesting it does not get into the nitty-gritty and the minutia in the small details at 10 if you’re looking just for a general covering of the topic it is written really well comes with very good pictures and illustrations particularly of equipment and vehicles that’s it for now. I hope you enjoy it everybody keep your stick on the ice.

United States on Oct 12, 2023

Giorgio Luigi Ferrario: ottimo libro, ricco di informazioni

Italy on Jan 06, 2021

Ivan S.: excellent book

Canada on May 06, 2020

TinMan: If you've ever said "Settlement my arse lets slot floppies" this book probably doesn't contain much for you to learn, but if are curious to learn more about the great state of Rhodesia, well then do your poke drills, sling your slayer and read up.

United States on Jan 06, 2020

J at Kwaj: Informative if short description of the RLI's origin, training and operational employment. It is quite amazing how much was accomplished by so few for so long against a much larger and better resourced multi-part communist supported insurgency. Ultimately, the Ian Smith government was overwhelmed by the communists and resulting Zimbabwe has been an economic and social basket case ever since. Some description of other Rhodesia military branches.

United States on Jun 24, 2017

Alastair Mcclelland: did not tell me anything new, but good coverage of the subject and in some detail

United Kingdom on Apr 21, 2016

Vicente: Me sirve de referencia para documentar el conflicto y confección de piezas de modelismo. Satisfecho con la compra y el precio del producto.

Spain on Apr 17, 2016

Louis de Paris: Cet Osprey est une bonne première approche du sujet mais il ne peut pas se comparer aux références que sont 'Africa's Commando' publié par Hélion et le désormais épuisé 'The Saints' tous les deux sur le même sujet. Evidemment, les tarifs ne sont pas non plus les mêmes...
J'ai apprécié l'approche thématique (recrutement, formation, opérations, vie quotidienne, rites propres à la RLI etc) et l'effort de synthèse de sources différentes.
J'ai moins aimé certains des dessins de Peter Dennis qui est plus ou moins à l'aise avec les dessins de soldats mais qui est franchement à la peine sur les sujets techniques; ses Alouette III ne ressemblent à rien, pas plus que ses schémas d'intervention d'une Fire Force. Pour cela, mieux vaut se retourner vers un ouvrage comme 'Counter-Strike from the Sky' de JRT Wood qui a en plus l'avantage d'être vendu avec un DVD de reportages sur la RLI. L'iconographie n'apportera rien aux lecteurs disposant déjà des références citées plus haut car pratiquement toutes les photos sont déjà connues.
Au final, une bonne petite vulgarisation mais rien d'extraordinaire.

France on Jan 05, 2016

Stone Dog: In this Warrior series Osprey title, "Rhodesian Light Infantryman 1961-1980", we get a good overview of the RLI and how it began, evolved under the heat of combat and the weight of international sanction.

Rhodesia, named after Cecil Rhodes, was a British colony in southern Africa. In 1965, the British colony declared it's independence and set about the task of defending the white-minority state. The RLI was created to form a mobile, light infantry strike force which, working with other Rhodesian police and military forces, fought a long, losing war against black, marxist/nationalist guerilla forces and international sanctions.

The RLI waged an effective air-to-ground war against bands of ZANLA rebels for years, using airmobility to counter their enemy's numerical advantage. It was normal for Rhodesian forces, such as the RLI, to fight and defeat enemy forces outnumbering them 10, even 15 to 1. All this was done with a military that had to do more with less, since they were under sanction by the UN and could not acquire the kind of military hardware other European-style militaries would have.

The book covers the unit's creation before Rhodesia's declaration of...

United States on Dec 06, 2015

HMS Warspite: The short, embattled life of the minority-white led Republic of Rhodesia spawned a number of highly capable counter-insurgency units, including the Rhodesian Light Infantry, later styled a commando unit and then an airborne unit. The RLI had a remarkable combat record in the bush wars against various guerilla groups, despite its small numbers and lack of access to the most modern equipment. Osprey's Warrior Series offers a well-written summary of the unit in "Rhodesian Light Infantry 1961-1980."

Author Neil Grant offers a short introduction to the conflict in Rhodesia before getting directly into the history of the RLI. The author has clearly done his homework, with lots of details on the organization, training, and equipment of the unit. The narrative includes accounts of a variety of RLI missions, notably including cross-border operations into Mozambique against guerilla base areas. Of particular interest to the modern military reader should be the combined arms "fireforce" tactics employed by the RLI, which made the most of the RLI's limited numbers and equipment in difficult terrain under hazardous conditions.

The author does not shy away from the origins of the...

United States on Nov 30, 2015