Fat lot of good the Americans did for us. Only the Crippled Eagles helped us because their government was so bogged down with appeasing the Brits who were appeasing the communists.
My uncle, who was a medic in the RLI, said that many of the Americans were completely clueless about Bush War. It was actually quite a different war to the one in Vietnam, namely that the Rhodesians were fighting on home ground and winning.
Sure, it was nice to have a few extra troops, but it’s not like the Rhodie forces were inexperienced in combat. We had fought the Matabele in two Uprisings, the Boers in the Second Anglo-Boer War, the First and Second World Wars, in the Malayan Crisis (where our SAS was born: nicknamed “C-Squadron”), and in the Suez Canal Crisis. At the height of the Bush War in the 1970’s, one UK general remarked that the Rhodesian was one of the most efficient armies for its size and possible the best counter-insurgency force in the world. Despite being understaffed, underequipped, and with having outdated equipment, we won every single major confrontation and had an average kill ratio across 15 years of warfare of 15:1.
To be honest, all we really needed to win the war was recognition of the country and a removal of sanctions for open trading with America, then we wouldn’t have had to negotiate with the UK and the terrorists when South Africa eventually betrayed us.
Sorry for the ramble, but it was nice to finally see a Rhodie meme on this group.
Fat lot of good the Americans did for us. Only the Crippled Eagles helped us because their government was so bogged down with appeasing the Brits who were appeasing the communists.
They had lots of experience nonetheless
My uncle, who was a medic in the RLI, said that many of the Americans were completely clueless about Bush War. It was actually quite a different war to the one in Vietnam, namely that the Rhodesians were fighting on home ground and winning.
Well yes but their recent combat experience against guerrillas and in the war must’ve been helpful
Sure, it was nice to have a few extra troops, but it’s not like the Rhodie forces were inexperienced in combat. We had fought the Matabele in two Uprisings, the Boers in the Second Anglo-Boer War, the First and Second World Wars, in the Malayan Crisis (where our SAS was born: nicknamed “C-Squadron”), and in the Suez Canal Crisis. At the height of the Bush War in the 1970’s, one UK general remarked that the Rhodesian was one of the most efficient armies for its size and possible the best counter-insurgency force in the world. Despite being understaffed, underequipped, and with having outdated equipment, we won every single major confrontation and had an average kill ratio across 15 years of warfare of 15:1.
To be honest, all we really needed to win the war was recognition of the country and a removal of sanctions for open trading with America, then we wouldn’t have had to negotiate with the UK and the terrorists when South Africa eventually betrayed us.
Sorry for the ramble, but it was nice to finally see a Rhodie meme on this group.