Rhodesian War: A Comprehensive Military History (Stackpole Military History Series)

Pete: Good history lesson on a country which has interesting roots along with involvement of many other forces in and out of the war. Definitely would recommend to understand a background on military and political twinning. Along with cultural backgrounds.

United Kingdom on Jan 14, 2024

Kindle Customer: I chanced upon this as I was interested in this period of history, and how it all finished for Rhodesia in 1979.
This is within my living memory, and I also had friends serving there.
A very well researched and balanced book, it came to some very sobering conclusions for anyone interested in counter-revolutionary warfare issues which are as relevant today as then.
Extremely so at the present time of my writing this (August 2021).
Whilst it draws upon some valuable records and sources, it will be more interesting for the next generation of researchers to be able to access official records held in London, Washington, Moscow and elsewhere to get the full 360 picture.
A brilliant book that captures the spirit of the times pre- Berlin wall falling down, and the export of revolutionary movements around the world.
Surrounded on all sides except one, the courage and stamina of the country in adversity is a testament to the strength of character of the population.
I have yet to find one revolutionary movement to study which benefitted the participants, and not just their politicians!

United Kingdom on Aug 27, 2021

C.B. Currie: Excellent if a little dry overview of the war. Very scholarly. Opens with a couple of chapters of timeline: tracking the political situation and the military campaigns from start to finish. then it dives fully into analysis of various skirmishes and battles; tracking, raids and equipment and tactics used. Lots of diagrams and a great collection of rare photographs. A must read for those who want an understanding of the causes and the progress of the Bush War.

I would not call it biased. Yes the 'terrorists' point of view gets mentioned and that's because it is also a history book, and there are two sides to every conflict - in this case maybe several more. But it does not paint the whites as 'evil' and it shows atrocities on both sides. Most of all it pulls no punches when discussing Mugabe's terrible reign since the end of the war.

United States on Oct 22, 2015

exBSAP: As a participant in this war up to the bitter end, this brought back many memories and described the events and history in a way that was easy to understand. I think it included the important and relevant details as well as thiings I was not aware of at the time.
Once again I was proud to be a Rhodesian!

Canada on Nov 29, 2013

Günther van Endert: Eine sehr gute Zusammenfassung dieses Krieges, verständlich und einleuchtend beschrieben, ohne
das erwartbare vorgefasste Meinungsraster. Rhodesien war zum Untergang verurteilt - trotz allen militärischen
Erfolgen.

Germany on Aug 23, 2013

Badazz: When reading about the end of white rule in Southern Africa, one takes a huge risk of wading through whole sermons of preachy nonsense about the evils of white rule there. These sermons seem especially grating in that Southern Africa has shifted from being food exporters and respectable industrial centers to dysfunctional states whose political leaders are woefully inept, bald-faced crooks, and whose population is unable to maintain their colonial inheritance with their limited skills.

No country in Africa represents this dismal fate more than Zimbabwe. It was once a prosperous country called Rhodesia and the descendents of its British Pioneer founders fought a long, bitter insurgency to keep it from such darkness.

This book explains the military campaign in detail. In the 1950's, Rhodesia was very much an arm of the British Military and they were organized to support thermo-nuclear warfare against the Soviet Union. For example, Rhodesian air force squadrons routinely trained with their British Counterparts even to the point of conducting carrier operations with the Royal Navy. By the end of the 1950's however, the Rhodesian government started to fear a black...

United States on May 22, 2013

T.A.L. Dozer: This is one of the best introductory books to date on the Rhodesian Bush War, selling at a reasonable price. This book has been published and released in three versions over the years. First as a soft cover book titled "Chimurenga! The War in Rhodesia 1965-1980" (Sygma Books, 1982). Followed by a hardcover release, titled "The Rhodesian War - A Military History" (Pen & Sword, 2008) and finally in this soft cover trade edition by Stackpole Books (2010). Overall this book is well rounded provided a level prospective from both sides of the conflict, as well as international involvement and position on this conflict. The book is basically divided into three sections. The first part of the book covers the beginnings of the conflict from settlement to the first shots fired in this conflict. All of which is covered in ample detail were the reader can grasp the overall situation of the era. The following section of the book is an excellent primer on the strategy, tactics and operations of the involved combatants and also covers the primary weapons and equipment employed by both sides. The last section wraps the book up with the conclusion of the war and its aftermath nationally and...

United States on Jan 25, 2011

Charles Vasey: This is the updated 2007 edition of the 1982 book. Despite its title this book is concerned not just with the various military actions but with the political and economic history. The coverage is admirably wide, so it is not just the elite fire teams or Selous Scouts that get a mention but also, for example, the more mundane police units. Similarly the guerrillas are covered in detail especially interesting being the stages when a conventional invasion of Rhodesia seemed possible and very large forces built up outside Rhodesia.

The theme of the book seems to be that the Smith Government lacked anything with which to encourage the black population to its side. The French in Algeria paid lip service to "One France" and used the blue kepis to spread some benefits to the muslim population. But in Rhodesia the whole point of the RF government was to retain white control; and they lacked the vision (a vision few minorities in power have) to give a little in order to keep some of the pie. For such an inflexible group Rhodesians proved skilled masters at getting round the rather half-hearted limits the outside world placed on them, and the book deals in detail with the importance...

United Kingdom on Jun 28, 2008