Selous Scouts: Rhodesian Counter-Insurgency Specialists

"Undoubtedly one of the most, if not the most, effective counter-insurgency units in the history of warfare" - Lt-Col Robert Brown, Soldier of Fortune Magazine

"Its members consisted of some of the finest guerrilla-fighting men in the western world, unconventional in many ways, disregardful of parade-ground discipline, unorthodox in their dress, yet a force so tightly knit in the face of danger that those who knew anything about them could only marvel"- The Citizen.

Formed in 1973 by the legendary Lieutenant-Colonel Ron Reid-Daly at the behest of Rhodesian military supremo General Peter Walls, the Selous Scouts were to write their name into the annals of military history as one of the finest counterinsurgency units of all time, through their innovative pseudo-guerrilla tactics, brilliant reconnaissance operations into Zambia and Botswana and daring flying-column raids into Mozambique. Feared and hated by the liberation movements ZIPRA and ZANLA, the Scouts wreaked untold havoc and destruction on their Soviet- and Chinese-backed enemies, accounting for 68% of guerrilla casualties within Rhodesia alone during the bitter bush war of the 1970s. Uniquely ahead of its time, the regiment, a brotherhood of men that traversed cultural and racial barriers with their Shona motto of"Pamwe Chete" (together only), was to produce the type of soldier that earned for the unit one Grand Cross of Valour, nine Silver Crosses and 22 Bronze Crosses of Rhodesia.

About the Author Peter Baxter is an author, amateur historian and African field, mountain and heritage travel guide. Born in Kenya, Peter has lived and travelled over much of southern and central Africa and has guided in all the major mountain ranges south of the equator. Peter lives in the United States, working on the marketing of African heritage travel as well as a variety of book projects. He is married with three children.

“"Undoubtedly one of the most, if not the most, effective counter-insurgency units in the history of warfare"”

--Lt-Col Robert Brown "Soldier of Fortune " "Africa@War is a ground-breaking series concept, studying Africa's conflicts and military players in an informative and entertaining manner, examining some of the lesser-known campaigns and shedding new light on some of the better-known operations ... Both titles are great models of what the combination of authors and publishers can produce by way of useable case studies for the market place in a concise illustrated format. They are recommended as professional military education references."--Charles D. Melson, Chief Historian, U.S. Marine Corps "Each of the books in this series is a well-documented and researched synopsis of the events that they are focused upon. They layouts and presentation are logical and of a very high quality ... As an introduction to this field of operation, this series is outstanding. A definite asset for those wishing to improve their knowledge and understanding of the development of successful, multi-faceted doctrine in the fight against insurgent/assymetric war."--Major Chris Buckham, Royal Canadian Air Force "This generally covers how the unit trained and operated more than the details of skirmishes and battles, but there's enough to sort out a scenario or two." --Historical Miniatures Gaming Society " This was a fascinating read on a subject that is less known in history and the modeling world. I encourage you to get a copy and see the inspiration it contains." --AMPS

CHRIS COCKS was born in Salisbury, Rhodesia in 1957 and served three years and 28 days as a combat NCO with 3 Commando, the Rhodesian Light Infantry (the RLI, an airborne/airmobile unit), from 1976 to 1979. He was then offered a farming job in the country 's Lowveld; however, the army refused to countenance a waiver of call-ups, so he attested into the British South Africa Police and spent the remaining 14 months of the bush war as a PATU (Police Anti-Terrorist Unit) stick leader and avoiding the Military Police. He moved to Johannesburg in 1996 and stumbled into a publishing career, specializ

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