Early Rhodesian Bush War operations * A study of the first phase of
the 'bush war' during which the Rhodesian forces honed their skills to emerge as
a formidable fighting force
Across Africa in the post-1956 era,
the aspirations of African nationalists to secure power were boosted and quickly
realised by the hasty retreat of the British, French and Belgians from the
empire. The Portuguese, Southern Rhodesian and South African governments,
however, stood firm and would be challenged by their African nationalists;
influenced by the Communist bloc, these nationalists adopted the 'Armed
Struggle'. In the case of Rhodesia, the Zimbabwe African People's Union
(ZAPU), led by Joshua Nkomo, took this step in 1962 after their effort to foment
rebellion in Rhodesia's urban areas had been
frustrated by police action and stiffened security legislation.
Rhodesia's small,
undermanned security forces remained wary as Zambia and Tanganyika had
given sanctuary to communist-supplied ZAPU and Zimbabwe African National Union
(ZANU) guerrillas. The Rhodesians had foreseen that the north-eastern frontier
with Mozambique would be the most
vulnerable to incursions because the African population living along it offered
an immediate target for succour and subversion. The Portuguese were not seen as
a bulwark as they were clearly making little progress in their
counter-insurgency effort against their nationalist opponents. The Rhodesians
were fortunate that ZAPU and ZANU chose to probe across the Zambezi River
from Zambia into the harsh,
sparsely populated bush of the Zambezi Valley. The consequence was that the
Rhodesian security forces conducted a number of successful operations in the
period 1966-1972 which dented insurgent ambitions.
This book describes and examines the first phase of the 'bush war'
during which the Rhodesian forces honed their individual and joint skills,
emerging as a formidable, albeit lean, fighting force.
