Scouts of Rhodesia. When Rhodesia attacked the USSR

The Rhodesian security forces resisted the onslaught of terrorists for fifteen whole years, from 1965 to 1979, during this period the state of Rhodesia itself was almost completely isolated. But the history of the Rhodesian army began much earlier, at the end of the 19th century - and since that time, the Rhodesians have taken part in almost all the wars of the British Commonwealth.

Origins: From British South Africa Company Police to Boer War Volunteers

The date of formation of the Rhodesian Army can be considered October 29, 1889, when Queen Victoria granted the British South Africa Company permission to "research and management" lands north of the Limpopo River. Soon the column of pioneers moved north, accompanied by five hundred former members of the Bechuanaland Border Police. The detachment, called the police of the British South Africa Company (British South Africa Company Police), and is considered the prototype armed forces Rhodesia.

Officers accompanying the column of pioneers

By 1892, the BSACP consisted of several units: the Mashonaland Cavalry, the Mashonaland Mounted Police and the Mashonaland Constables.

In 1893, a war broke out with the Matabele tribe, which required an increase in the armed forces by another thousand people. The volunteers formed several new units: the Salisbury Cavalry, the Victoria Rangers and the Raaf Rangers. During the three months of the war, the Matabele forces were completely defeated. The most heroic moment of this war was the battle of a patrol detachment of 34 people, pressed by the enemy to the Shangani River. The battle lasted a whole day, and by the end of it all the soldiers of the patrol were dead. Matabele paid tribute to their courage and buried with honors.

The last stand of the Shangani Patrol

After the end of the war in December 1893, the voluntary regiments were disbanded, and one regiment was formed from part of their personnel - the Rhodesian cavalry.

In 1895, an uprising of the British against the power of the Boers began in the Transvaal. Rhodesians in a patriotic impulse staged a raid on the territory of this state. The detachment under the leadership of Dr. Jameson consisted of a small detachment of cavalry and several cannons. The forces were not equal, and Jameson and his people were captured by the Boers. As a result, the colony was left almost defenseless, which led to an uprising of the Matabele and Mashone tribes in 1896. It lasted until 1898, and it was possible to suppress it only with the participation of British units from Natal and the Cape Colony who arrived to help the besieged possession.

Soon the Rhodesian Mounted Police was formed, which in 1909 was transformed into the British South Africa Police (BSAP). This department was the basis of the Rhodesian police force until the very end of the country's existence and was disbanded only in 1980.

With the expansion of the territory, it was decided to create directly military units. In 1898, the Southern Rhodesia Volunteers were formed. It consisted of the Eastern Division based in Salisbury and the Western Division based in Bulawayo.

The regiment took part in the Anglo-Boer War, coming with the Mounted Police to the aid of the British during the siege of Mafeking. At the same time, the Rhodesia Regiment was formed in Rhodesia itself to protect its internal borders.

Volunteers of Southern Rhodesia are sent to the Boer War. 1899

After the end of the Anglo-Boer War, the armed forces of the colony became permanent parts British Army, and the Southern Rhodesian Volunteer Regiment received a banner and insignia.

Rhodesian Armed Forces in World Wars

The Rhodesian regiment, in turn, was disbanded after the siege of Mafeking. But in 1914, with the outbreak of the First World War, it was recreated. A small colony in southern Africa was able to form two full-fledged regiments for the troops of the British Commonwealth, sending 5,000 whites to the war (which was no less than 25% of the white population of Rhodesia at that time) and 2,000 black men. These regiments fought in German Southwest and East Africa. Later they were sent to France.

In the same period, the Rhodesia Native Regiment was formed, consisting of Africans. After the end of the First World War, he received distinctive sign"East Africa 1916-1918" on their banner. Later, these insignia will be transferred to the regiment of Rhodesian African Rifles (Rhodesian African Rifles). The Southern Rhodesian Volunteers were disbanded in 1920, although a few rifle companies were retained in the main cities of Rhodesia.

Rhodesian regiment on the streets of Cape Town, 1914

The Defense Act, passed in 1927, determined the need for the creation of permanent armed forces in the colonies and dominions of the British Commonwealth. By 1939, mandatory conscription was introduced in Rhodesia, and the police (BSAP) finally separated from the army.

In 1934, the Rhodesian Air Force was created (first as part of the Rhodesian Regiment). In 1936 they were withdrawn to a separate unit, and in 1937 the young RAF received an airfield and a base at Craneborne Barracks in Salisbury. In September 1939, they began to bear the name "Air Force of Southern Rhodesia", and in 1940 they were officially included in the Commonwealth Air Force.

With the outbreak of World War II, there was a need to increase the armed forces. The Rhodesian African Rifles (RAR) 1st Battalion, an artillery detachment, an armored car detachment, as well as personnel training centers in Gwelo and Umtali were established. Rhodesians served in many British units - in order not to endanger the destruction of all the men of the colony of military age, they were not reduced to one unit, but distributed to different ones. Two battalions of conscripts were left behind to defend Rhodesian territory. An aircrew training center was also organized at Thornhill Air Base, and almost 2,000 people trained there until the end of the war.

Air Force Training Center at Thornhill AFB

The Rhodesians fought in most of the theaters of war. In North Africa, the Deep Desert Intelligence Group, Long Range Desert Patrol - "Desert Rats" operated. In Burma and Indochina, Rhodesian African riflemen, along with the royal African riflemen (King's African Rifles), served as part of the 22nd (East African) separate brigade. This unit first saw action in April 1945 and performed well in Burma.

The Rhodesians fought in artillery and tank units, as well as in commando saboteur units (the prototype of the SAS). After the War of Merit, the Rhodesian Regiment received the prefix "Royal", which will be removed only in 1970, after the declaration of independence.

Rhodesians of the Royal Rifles in North Africa

Three squadrons in the RAF deserve special mention: the 237th and 266th fighter and 44th bomber squadrons, which were completed for the most part by residents of Southern Rhodesia. They took part in the Battle of Britain, battles in North Africa and Europe. In total, 2,300 people fought in these squadrons, of which one in five died.

The 237th and 266th squadrons were disbanded at the end of the war, the 44th lasted until 1957. It is noteworthy that Ian Douglas Smith, the future Prime Minister of Rhodesia, fought in the 237th squadron. He was shot down in the sky over Italy in 1944, but managed to get out to the Allies, crossing from Italy to France through the Alps.

Last years in the British colonial empire

In 1947, the Rhodesian Air Force became an independent unit. In 1952, they moved on a permanent basis to the air base in New Sarum and were renamed the Rhodesian Federation Air Force (meaning the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland).

In 1948, a conflict began in Malaya between communist guerrilla groups and the British government. The fights were on for the most part in the jungle, and required special soldiers capable of tracking down the enemy, being separated from their bases. In 1951, a group of Rhodesian volunteers join British forces in Malaya. They take part in operations along with the "Malay Scouts", and subsequently, in 1961, become the "C" detachment of the 22nd SAS Regiment - the most elite British special forces unit. In 1952, Rhodesia again helps the Commonwealth forces in the conflict in the Suez Canal zone.

The personnel of Detachment "C" of the 22nd SAS Regiment at the time of the conflict in Malaya, 1953

During the existence of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland (now these are three independent African states - Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi), the army was completely reorganized, and each unit received the prefix "Rhodesia and Nyasaland" in the name. In 1955, units of the African Rifles were sent on rotation to Malaya to replace the Northern Rhodesia Regiment. In 1961, the second purely "white" unit of Rhodesia was formed (the first was Squadron "C" SAS) - the 1st battalion of the Rhodesian light infantry.

In 1964, the federation collapses, and in 1965, Prime Minister Ian Douglas Smith unilaterally proclaims the independence of Rhodesia from Great Britain. Naturally, this again causes changes in the army.

Rhodesia under siege

Since April 1966, groups of militants began to penetrate into Rhodesia from neighboring Zambia. But officially the beginning of the “War for Independence” (Bushwar, “Second Chimurenga”) is considered to be 1972 and the attack on the Altena farm in Centenari district.

The course of the war required non-standard solutions. The terrorists knew the area well, worked in small groups, and if they were discovered by the security forces, they disappeared into the bush. Some of the captured fighters from among them went over to the side of the Rhodesians, which made it possible to subsequently introduce agents and "pseudo-terrorists" into the nationalist camps. Based on this experience, a pathfinder course was created, which was passed by the fighters of the SAS, the special police unit and the criminal investigation department. The result was the Tracking Combat Unit. TCU fighters hunted down terrorists, infiltrated their structures, found out necessary information, after which they either passed it to the center special operations, or called in the DSHB of light infantry and African shooters, who destroyed the enemy.

Selous Scouts dressed up as terrorists

Between 1973 and early 1977 with their help, directly or indirectly, about 1200 terrorists out of 2500 who penetrated the territory of Rhodesia were destroyed. The successes of the "pseudo-terrorists" were so great that in 1974 the number of TCU groups was increased to six. Later they were reorganized into a special unit - the Selous Scouts.

The personnel of the Scouts of Selous was 70% black. It included former ZANLA and ZIPRA fighters, police, African riflemen, light infantry and SAS. The fighters were taught to survive in the bush, read footprints, disguise themselves as terrorists, and much more. To this day, the selection for the Selous Scouts is considered one of the toughest in the world - less than 10% of those who started training reached its end.

Terrorists very often hid in rugged and hard-to-reach terrain. To ensure greater mobility of the infantry, a mounted infantry unit, the Gray Scouts, was created. His fighters were not cavalrymen in the full sense of the word, but used horses only as transport. The main tasks of the unit were patrolling, reconnaissance and pursuit of the enemy. Patrolling the territory, on an average day, Gray's scouts surveyed the area within a radius of 40 kilometers.

When the command of the armed forces of Rhodesia realized that it was practically useless to wage war on its territory, because. more and more terrorist detachments penetrate the borders with Zambia and Mozambique, it became clear that the war must be transferred to enemy territory.

Four De Havilland "Vampire" fighters from the 2nd Squadron of the Rhodesian Air Force in the Victoria Falls area

Since 1976, rapid raids have been carried out in the territories of Zambia and Mozambique to destroy enemy camps by the forces of the Selous Scouts, SAS, light infantry, air force and armored car corps. So, for example, Operation Gatling was a response to the destruction of a civilian Rhodesian airliner (Vickers Viscount, flight 825, tail number 782D) on September 3, 1978. The liner was shot down by the Strela-2 MANPADS near Lake Caribou. Eighteen people who survived the fall were finished off by the terrorists. In response to this, the Rhodesian Air Force carried out an unprecedented raid on the territory of Zambia: Air Force bombers bombed the training camps, and the troops landed after them cleared the terrorist camps.

On February 12, 1979, another airliner (flight 827) was shot down by "freedom fighters". In response to these actions, the Rhodesian Air Force conducted Operation Vanity, a raid on Angola. Having successfully bombed the training camps, the Rhodesian pilots returned to their bases without loss. The Selous Scouts and the SAS raided the ZIPRA headquarters in Zambia, nearly killing ZIPRA leader Joshua Nkomo in the raid.

Light infantrymen are loaded into a helicopter

It is worth mentioning the "mercenaries" in the army of Rhodesia. As part of its units, people from all over the world fought - the French, British, Americans (there were especially many of them in light infantry). However, they received the same salary as ordinary fighters and did not have any privileges or indulgences compared to the Rhodesians. Despite the merits and titles, all of them were first selected for the desired units, and then enrolled there on a general basis.

This, by the way, caused a wave of discontent among many newly arrived experienced soldiers, and they often left without even unpacking their things. From point of view international law military conflicts, these foreign soldiers were more volunteers than mercenaries.

End of the Rhodesian Army

Despite private successes in the conduct of the war, it became clear that the Rhodesians would not be able to overcome the endless stream of nationalist partisans supplied with Soviet and Chinese weapons in the future. Economic sanctions against Rhodesia also played a role. Trade with the whole world "under the floor" in valuable minerals could not compensate for the unacceptably high costs of the war. By 1979 they had reached 1 million US dollars a day, which was a very significant amount for a small Rhodesia.

Foreign observers (in olive uniform) who arrived to check the legality of the elections in Rhodesia

In 1979, peace negotiations began, during which they still continued to die from mines and bullets. civilians. Based on their results, it was agreed that in 1980 free elections would be held in the country under the supervision of the world community.

Despite all this, the Rhodesian military prepared Operation Quartz, whose goal was to destroy the top ZANLA, kill Robert Mugabe and prevent a Marxist coup in Rhodesia by force of arms. When it became clear that Mugabe won a decisive victory in the elections, the military was forced to cancel the operation in order not to start a new round of war and avoid unnecessary casualties.

Last parade of the Rhodesian light infantry

The year 1980 marked the virtual annihilation of the Rhodesian security forces. Lieutenant General Peter Walls was fired by the new president. Fearing reprisals from the new authorities, many white residents left Zimbabwe with their families.

The Selous Scouts, the SAS, and the Rhodesian Light Infantry were most hated by the former guerrillas. Most of the Selous Scouts secretly left the country, crossing the border with South Africa and enlisting in the 5 Recce (South African reconnaissance and sabotage detachment). All documentation, personnel lists and scout training methods were classified or destroyed by former Rhodesians.

Memorial "Soldier", installed in the UK

At 11:00 am on July 25, 1980, along the regimental parade ground past the monument to a soldier cast from spent cartridges, in solemn formation last time Rhodesian light infantry marched past to greet their fallen comrades. The lists of the dead were read out, and the battalion chaplain read out a prayer. The piper played "The Last Post", wreaths were laid at the memorial, and the regimental colors were rolled up. On July 28, the statue was removed from the pedestal and transported to South Africa. She is currently in the UK. The 1st Battalion, Rhodesian Light Infantry was finally disbanded on 31 October 1980.

The SAS men held a simple farewell ceremony and rolled up the unit's banners. However, this was not the end - they carried out the operation "South of the border". In its course, a memorial plate was taken across the border with South Africa, on which the names of the operatives who died in the war against terrorists were carved (the government that came to power, of course, first of all began to fight with the monuments of the “white regime”). Today, this stove is installed on the farm of one of the SAS veterans near Durban in South Africa. All documents of the unit were destroyed.

Memorial plaque of the Rhodesian SAS

The Rhodesian African shooters lasted the longest in the “whirlwind of change”. In 1980, they took part in the suppression of the speeches of the groups that opposed the new government. In November 1980 and February 1981, African riflemen took part in the suppression of riots. As long as the connection new army Zimbabwe (5th brigade) was formed and trained under the guidance of North Korean instructors, in fact, the Rhodesian African riflemen remained the only fighting force in the country.

By December 1981, the situation in the army and the nature of the orders given to it had deteriorated so much that most of the old soldiers simply deserted. On December 31, 1981, an order was given for the remnants of the Rhodesian African shooters to join the newly created units of the Zimbabwe army.

Emblem of the Rhodesian Army

This ended the history of the armed forces of Rhodesia, a country that throughout its history supported Great Britain, and then betrayed by her. The army of Rhodesia, which fought even when the whole world was against it, was never defeated by force of arms. Politicians put an end to it.

Literature:

• Sergey Karamaev's blog (http://tiomkin.livejournal.com)
• Brief History of the Rhodesian Army by R. Allport
• OSPREY MEN AT ARMS No. 018 – Modern African Wars (I): Rhodesia 1965–1980

More has become known about the war in Angola in recent years - the secrecy stamp has been removed from documents, memoirs of veterans have appeared, not only Soviet, but also the enemy. Operations that were previously known to a few have been made public. But the fulfillment of international debt in Mozambique remains a blind spot.

But the participation of our military in this conflict was no less intense than in Angolan. Soviet specialists had to not only train African colleagues, but also help them repel attacks from neighboring states, in particular Rhodesia and South Africa.

Mission to the equator

It is difficult to say how many Soviet specialists died in Mozambique in the performance of their duties. According to official figures, from 1975 to 1991 there were 21 people. Sometimes numbers from 30 to 40 are given. The circumstances of the death of at least five servicemen became known only in the 2000s.

“The Rhodesian special forces carried out such effective operations that they are still studied in military schools in many countries”

Until 1974, Mozambique was a colony of Portugal. In April of that year, a left-wing military coup took place in Lisbon, the country chose the socialist path of development. And as a result, she abandoned the colonies. In one of them, Angola, a civil war broke out almost immediately, as several parties fought for power there. Gradually, the USSR also got involved in it, making a bet on the MPLA, which eventually came to power. And in Mozambique, the only national liberation movement FRELIMO, the Mozambique Liberation Front, opposed the colonial administration. The guerrilla war that he waged against the Portuguese army dragged on with varying success until the mid-70s. Neither side had a sufficient advantage to win. The Portuguese army did not really want to fight, and the FRELIMO leadership understood that there were not enough forces to overthrow the colonial regime. And even more so, he did not think about what would happen if he came to power. But after the victory of the Carnation Revolution, that is exactly what happened.

Samora Machel became President of the Republic of Mozambique, immediately declaring a socialist path of development. Naturally, this could not pass by the attention of the USSR - diplomatic relations between the two countries were established on the day the country declared its independence, June 25, 1975. And almost immediately help came from Moscow: economic, financial, political, military.

The first group of Soviet military specialists arrived in the country already in 1976. They began work on the creation of the General Staff and the main types of armed forces and combat arms. Some seconded, like G. Kanin, were there as specialists military intelligence of the Mozambique General Staff, helped to establish the work of radio interception, undercover and radio intelligence. Others, like N. Travin, were engaged in the training of air defense personnel for the recruitment of parts of the People's Army. A group of specialists led by Colonel V. Sukhotin managed to train local servicemen in handling all anti-aircraft artillery barrel systems and Strela-2 MANPADS. In the late 70s, military equipment and weapons began to flow from the USSR at full speed. In 1979, 25 MiG-17s arrived in the country, and in 1985, a MiG-21bis squadron was formed in the Mozambican Air Force. The officers of the Soviet Airborne Forces prepared a parachute battalion, and the border guards deployed four brigades of border troops. A military school was established in Nampula, Training Center in Nacala, the training center of the border troops in Inhambane, the school of junior aviation specialists in Beira, the driving school in Maputo.

A step away from Zimbabwe

And there was a civil war in the country, in which several states secretly participated at once. The policy of Samora Machel, who built socialism the African way, did not lead to an improvement in the quality of life. The nationalization of enterprises, the mass emigration of skilled whites, the lack of local literate personnel have turned the country's economy almost into ruins. Several provinces were on the brink of starvation. Local residents were surprised to find that they began to live much worse than under the colonialists. Politically, a rigid one-party system was formed in the country, all power was concentrated in the hands of the center. In addition, the first thing the new government did was to create a large repressive apparatus. There is discontent in the country.

At that moment, the western neighbor, Rhodesia (since 1980, the Republic of Zimbabwe), actively intervened in politics. It was a unique state formation. The country emerged at the end of the 19th century as a personal initiative of the industrialist and politician Cecil Rhodes. Until 1965, it was under the control of the British crown - formally not being a colony. However, power belonged to the white minority. This caused discontent in London, which insistently demanded that the control of the country be transferred to the Africans. White Rhodesians resisted as best they could - as a result, the confrontation resulted in the fact that in 1965, Prime Minister Ian Smith unilaterally declared independence from Great Britain. This act was sharply condemned by the UN - Rhodesia became an unrecognized state. At the same time, the country had a developed economy, politic system and well-trained military forces. The army of Rhodesia was considered one of the most effective in Africa: suffice it to say that during its entire existence - from 1965 to 1980 - it did not lose a single battle, of which there were many. And the special forces carried out such effective operations that they are still being studied in the military schools of the leading countries. One of the special forces of the Rhodesian Armed Forces was the SAS Regiment - Special Air Service, modeled on the British parent, the 22nd SAS Regiment. This part was engaged in deep reconnaissance and sabotage: blowing up bridges and railways, destroying fuel depots, raids on partisan camps, and raids on the territory of neighboring states.

It was with the help of the RSAS that the RENAMO opposition movement, the Mozambican National Resistance, was formed in Mozambique. The agents picked up a certain number of dissatisfied people, from whom they quickly molded something that looked like a political association. Later, Rhodesian intelligence chief Ken Flower recalled: "Initially it was a small handful, if not a gang of dissatisfied with the Machel regime." But this grouping was to become an important political factor - it was supposed to turn RENAMO not into a polite parliamentary opposition of the Western type, but into a partisan army. The combat unit - armament and training - was taken over by instructors from the RSAS. Very soon, RENAMO turned into an enemy that had to be taken seriously. The RENAMO fighters turned out to be ideal allies of the Rhodesian saboteurs. It was with their help that the RSAS carried out all major operations in Mozambique in the late 1970s.

Blamed for partisans

The country actually turned out to be split in two: FRELIMO controlled the cities, and in countryside power belonged to RENAMO. The government army tried to smoke the partisans out of their shelters - in response, the militants carried out raids and sabotage. And in the center of all this were the Soviet military.

In July 1979, the office of the chief military adviser in Mozambique received a terrible message: five Soviet officers were killed at once. Information about the circumstances remained scarce until the early 2000s: “On July 26, 1979, four advisers and an interpreter who worked in the 5th motorized infantry brigade of the FPLM were returning to Beira from the exercise area. On the road, their car was ambushed by armed bandits. Fired from a grenade launcher and machine guns, the car caught fire. Everyone in it died."

Their names:

Lieutenant Colonel Zaslavets Nikolai Vasilyevich, born in 1939, adviser to the commander of the motorized infantry brigade of the MNA.

Lieutenant Colonel Zubenko Leonid Fedorovich, born in 1933, adviser to the political commissar of the motorized infantry brigade of the MNA.

Major Markov Pavel Vladimirovich, born in 1938, adviser to the deputy commander of the motorized infantry brigade of the MNA on the technical side.

Major Tarazanov Nikolai Alexandrovich, born in 1939, adviser to the head of the air defense of the motorized infantry brigade of the MNA.

Junior Lieutenant Chizhov Dmitry Vladimirovich, born in 1958, translator.

According to Soviet Army Major Adolf Pugachev, who arrived in Mozambique in 1978 to organize a military mobilization structure, the car in which the officers were traveling was probably stopped by imaginary traffic controllers and at that time they hit it with a grenade launcher, because the bodies of the dead were slashed by shrapnel. Pugachev is one of those who arrived at the scene of the tragedy almost immediately. A few days before this, the MNA brigade, where Pugachev served, was thrown into the destruction of one of the RENAMO groups. Some of the militants managed to be eliminated, but some took refuge in the forests. After the order to return to the location, Major Pugachev decided not to wait for other advisers who were supposed to follow with the column, but left in his car half an hour earlier, which saved him.

All the dead were awarded the Order of the Red Star (posthumously), their bodies were taken to the USSR and buried with military honors.

Black friends friends

Only in the mid-2000s, it became clear from declassified documents that the officers did not die at all at the hands of RENAMO. That short battle was the only open clash in the history of the military personnel of the Soviet army and the armed forces of Rhodesia - the car with the Soviet officers was destroyed by the RSAS saboteurs.

“The saboteurs knew that white people in Mozambique, especially those associated with the army, could only be citizens of the USSR or the GDR, and they were deliberately destroyed”

How did it happen? In Rhodesia, at the same time, there was a war going on. After the proclamation of unilateral independence by Prime Minister Smith, the country found itself in international isolation. However, Rhodesia could survive this fact and in the future achieve official recognition. But since the beginning of the 70s, a civil war broke out in the country. The white population of the country was 300 thousand people, and the blacks were about five million. Power belonged to the whites. But two national liberation movements were gaining strength. One was led by Joshua Nkomo, a former trade unionist, and the other by former schoolteacher Robert Mugabe (who eventually became the country's president after the end of the civil war and the 1980 general election). The movement was taken under the wing of two powers: China and the USSR. Moscow relied on Nkomo and his ZIPRA units, while Beijing relied on Mugabe and the ZANLA army. These movements had only one thing in common - to overthrow the power of the white minority. Otherwise, they differed. And they even preferred to act from different neighboring countries. The Nkomo partisans were located in Zambia, where they were trained by Soviet military experts. And Mugabe's detachments were based in Mozambique, from where, under the leadership of Chinese instructors, they raided Rhodesia. Naturally, Rhodesian special forces regularly carried out raids on the territory of these two countries in fact. The Rhodesians did not care at all about the observance of international law, they simply did not pay attention to the protests. As a rule, the special forces spotted the partisan training camps, after which an air strike was carried out on them, followed by an airborne assault. Sometimes sabotage groups were thrown into Zambia and Mozambique. So it was in the summer of 1979.

Rhodesian intelligence received information about a large ZANLA camp in Mozambique, somewhere in the Chimoyo region. According to the information received, there was a base there, which included several camps total strength up to two thousand soldiers. There was information that the highest partisan leadership was often on it. The destruction of the camp at once removed a lot of problems for Rhodesia. True, it was not possible to establish exactly where this base was located. Analysts knew that the camp was located along a river east of the Chimoyo-Tete road. As a result, it was decided to send a group of SAS special forces for reconnaissance. Also, the saboteurs were supposed to set up an ambush in the proposed area of ​​​​the camp in order to capture or destroy someone from the command staff of the militants.

Runaway ambush

The detachment was commanded by SAS Lieutenant Andrew Sanders, and Sgt. Dave Berry was his deputy. In addition to them, the group included nine more saboteurs and four RENAMO partisans. At the same time, another group of special forces deployed a relay station near the border with Mozambique - for communication.

On July 24, helicopters transferred scouts to Mozambique. The next day was spent in reconnaissance of the area and the choice of a place for an ambush. It turned out that the ZANLA partisan camp was about five kilometers away. On the morning of July 26, the SAS group was discovered. The saboteurs had to retreat. The ZANLA command did not dare to organize a tight pursuit, as they did not know who exactly and how many were opposed to them. Thanks to this, the group could retreat without much haste. During the retreat, the scouts came to the road, which obviously led to the same camp. When the sound of cars was heard nearby, the commander decided to organize an ambush and destroy the convoy, especially since the special forces had an RPG-7 grenade launcher and Claymore mines with them. After some time, Land Cruisers appeared on the road. And by chance, at that very second, when the cars were in the affected area, the second car tried to overtake the first ...

What happened next happened almost instantly. Sgt. Dave Berry stepped onto the road, aimed his RPG and fired at the first vehicle. The grenade hit the radiator, and the car, which was moving at a speed of about 40 kilometers per hour, stood up as if rooted to the spot. There were eight people in it - three in front, five in the back. In addition, a 200-liter tank of gasoline was located at the rear of the car, on which a FRELIMO soldier from the guard sat. A grenade explosion threw him off the tank, but despite the shock, the soldier managed to jump to his feet and run into the forest. He was lucky - he was the only survivor. Simultaneously with Berry's shot, SWAT opened fire on the vehicle, and three to four seconds later the tank at the rear of the Land Cruiser exploded. The car turned into a sheaf of flame.

Other saboteurs shot the driver and passengers of the second Land Cruiser from machine guns, the car also caught fire - an incendiary bullet hit the gas tank. One of the passengers a couple of seconds before the explosion managed to jump out of the car and run away. He was hit with a short burst.

Dave Berry later said: “When the grenade hit the radiator, the first car stopped. Everyone immediately opened fire. A few seconds later the car caught fire, the flame spread to an additional tank of gasoline. A man was sitting on it - he was thrown out of the car by an explosion, all the rest died immediately. The second car tried to break through, but the burst from the machine gun cut out everyone who was sitting in it. We could not approach the cars - they burned so intensely that the heat was unbearable. Later, it became known from radio interception that three Russians and a large number of ZANLA militants.

The sounds of battle attracted attention in the camp. It was clear to the commandos that the time to withdraw was measured in minutes. The commander contacted the relay station, requesting an emergency helicopter evacuation. A reconnaissance aircraft, which was on standby, immediately flew to the battlefield to coordinate the operation. Meanwhile, the saboteurs fled to the Rhodesian border, looking for clearings in the forest along the way, suitable for landing helicopters. Finally the right place was found. The territory was hastily cleared, the commandos took up a circular defense in the tall grass, waiting for the "birds".

But ZANLA partisans appeared, and the saboteurs had to join the battle. The forces were unequal - against 15 Rhodesians from 50 to 70 militants armed not only with machine guns, but also with machine guns, mortars, grenades. The firefight lasted about 10 minutes, after which the special forces began to retreat. At that moment, the radio operator transmitted that the evacuation helicopters should arrive within minutes. But they could no longer sit on the chosen site. We landed in one of the cornfields and picked up the group.

This is the Rhodesian version of events. Of course, she can sin with some distortions. Perhaps everything was different: for example, an ambush was organized with the help of "false traffic controllers" from RENAMO, and when the cars stopped, the special forces shot and blew up the cars. Most likely, the SAS saboteurs immediately recognized white people in the cars and deliberately destroyed them, realizing that in socialist Mozambique they could only be citizens of the USSR or the GDR. This was a gross violation of international and humanitarian law, which threatened not just with a scandal, but with a de facto declaration of war. So the report on how the battle went was submitted to the command heavily edited.

One thing is clear. The SAS of Rhodesia is responsible for the death of Soviet military personnel. Of course, the episode in Mozambique is unique in its way. On July 26, 1979, the only documented military clash between the USSR and Rhodesia took place.

The war in Rhodesia (since 1980 - the Republic of Zimbabwe) took place in conditions that can hardly be called suitable for creating a purely experimental army unit. Survival, one's own and one's comrades, was what primarily concerned the Rhodesian soldiers and officers. This is especially true of the first stage of a long (1966-1980), which had neither fronts nor rules of war in the bush and savannah against black rebels who enjoyed the support of the countries of the socialist camp, mainly the USSR and the PRC. Indeed, at the beginning of the war, the strength and capabilities of the Rhodesian troops were extremely limited, and the conservative government of the white minority of Prime Minister Ian Smith (by the way, a pilot of the Royal Air Force of Great Britain during the Second World War) simply did not have enough human, material and other resources to patrol the borders of Rhodesia stretching for thousands of miles and 150 thousand square miles of its hinterland.
However, there would be no happiness, but misfortune helped: it was the chronic lack of everything and everything for the normal conduct of the counterinsurgency war that became one of the main reasons for the Rhodesians to carry out bold experiments and experiments (which turned out to be extremely successful) in the field of military construction, tactics and strategy. During this process, among other things, not only absolutely unique, but very effective combat pathfinder unit (PBS) of the Rhodesian army (in English - Tracker Combat Unit, TCU) emerged, which made an invaluable contribution to the defense of their native country.

Hard to study.

Safari for people in the Zambezi Valley.

In that year, a tense situation developed in North Mashonaland (Mashonaland is a region inhabited by the Shona people), where militants infiltrated in significant numbers from their bases in Zambia. About 110 rebels, who managed to sneak across the border unnoticed, set up several camps and bivouacs in the wilds of the Zambezi River valley. Their presence was discovered by local ranger David Scammel (later he would go into military service, enrolling in the PBS), checking the footprints that aroused his suspicions in his jungle area. All PBS personnel were urgently alerted and ordered to pinpoint the whereabouts of the insurgents. Transferred to the Zambezi Valley, the fighters secretly carried out a thorough reconnaissance of the territory, discovered the rebels, waited for the approach of the infantry unit and took part in the attack on the enemy base camp. The fighters were for the most part either destroyed or captured, but those who were able to slip away in the turmoil of battle rejoiced in vain at their luck. The second phase of the operation began: the infantry thoroughly combed the area, and the PBS soldiers took up their main craft - tracking down terrorists.
It was during this operation that Pathfinder Joe Conway doggedly pursued the four insurgents for three days and nights over rough terrain, covering a distance of 60 miles. The chase ended successfully: completely demoralized, stunned and driven almost to death, the militants in the end simply ran out of strength, stopped, raised their hands and surrendered to the mercy of the tireless white hunter. Later, during their trial, the four captives complained that Conway drove them ruthlessly and in cold blood like wild animals on a safari. And for Joe and all his colleagues, these complaints sounded like pleasant music and were better than any praises and awards.

Excursion to Victoria Falls.

Two years passed before the PBS was again thrown in search of terrorists. In December 1969, the guerrillas carried out a well-coordinated operation, simultaneously attacking the airport in Victoria Falls (near the world-famous Victoria Falls) and the local BUAP barracks, and also blew up the track of the Rhodesian-Zambian railway here. Eight hours later, two PBS teams deployed from Salisbury to the area of ​​tourist attractions carried out a thorough survey of the area, concluding that the attacker on Victoria Falls Otrad consisted of exactly 22 men. The Pathfinders did not have time to go hunting on the first day, as a heavy downpour swept over the area with a hurricane wind, and all traces were washed away.
A few days later, a BUAP patrol found fresh suspicious footprints near the city, and the second group of PBS urgently left to survey the territory.
The fighters followed the tracks for several miles and eventually reached the place where the person who left them made a not very successful attempt to erase them. The soldiers determined that, firstly, it was traces of this type that they had discovered in Victoria Falls before the storm, and, secondly, the terrorists, most likely, were hiding in a deep hollow overgrown with dense forest nearby. With their automatic rifles at the ready, the four men advanced cautiously. Before they had gone more than thirty steps through the dense thickets, one of them found a Soviet army duffel bag, hastily stuffed into an animal hole. During a further survey of the hollow, the Rhodesians found exactly 22 beds and 20 more duffel bags with ammunition, grenades, food and clothing. By all indications, the rebels decided to quickly leave the camp, having learned that on their trail there is a group professional military pathfinders, and assuming that the main forces of the Rhodesians would follow her.
Despite the absence of any contact with the enemy, the PBS has already won an important victory, since the militants not only lost their secret lair, but were also forced to retreat, divided into small groups, which, in turn, made them extremely vulnerable to army and police patrols.

However, the adventure didn't end there.

Heavy clouds were gathering in the sky, so the rangers decided that in such weather it was useless to pursue the enemy, and at a fast pace, before the rain, they reached their own. Soon a heavy downpour began, which lasted all night and subsided a little only at dawn.
The infantrymen who went on patrol early in the morning, having found fresh footprints near the city, immediately called the PBS groups. The fighters followed the trail for several miles until they reached an abandoned quarry, which was, in all likelihood, a meeting place for terrorists. One group of trackers, surveying a suspicious path, soon found three partisans squatting under a thick tree, thus hiding from the continuing rain. Remembering all the relevant lessons of the Savory school, the fighters silently approached the terrorists at a distance of 20 steps, three of them slowly raised their rifles, carefully aimed, and. three shots, three dead!
Over the next few days, all the rebels who attacked Victoria Falls were discovered and neutralized, and the success of the operation was primarily a consequence of the high professionalism of the PBS soldiers.

Then, for almost five years, the combat pathfinder unit took part in almost all operations related to the suppression of the rebels' infiltration into Rhodesian territory.
The security forces, with expert intelligence provided by the Pathfinders, conducted up to a hundred successful raids against the insurgents. Thanks to the direct intervention of a handful of PBS fighters, a large number of terrorists were destroyed, while only one military tracker was killed.
However, ironically, it was precisely such successful actions of the rangers that became the main reason for the disbandment of their detachment (however, this often happens in the armies of various countries of the world). Due to the fact that the tactical and technical developments, first tested by the PBS fighters, turned out to be very effective, the Rhodesian government decided to extend their methodology to the entire army, and not to close it in only one unique special unit. First, in 1974, the order came to merge the PBS with the Selous Scout, and then several veteran pathfinders were ordered to organize on the shores of Lake Kariba the "Rhodesian School of Pathfinders and African Wildlife Survival Specialists" (the famous "Wafa-Wafa" ), Hundreds of Rhodesian soldiers, both white and black (who trained mainly for the Sslus Scout), as well as several dozen military personnel from South Africa and a number of Rhodesian-friendly Western countries passed through this illustrious center for the most versatile training of special forces.
The Combat Pathfinder unit is, as it were, in the shadow of such glorious Rhodesian units as the Gray Scouts and Black Devils, the light infantry and the Selous Scouts, the African riflemen and the SAS. However, none of the real Rhodesians scattered all over the world now forgets that their country so long and successfully resisted the cruel and insidious partisans from ZANU and ZAPU, in no small measure thanks to the foresight of the wise Allan Savory and the great professionalism of the few graduates of his actually personal specialized military and hunting school. art.

When there was a need for recruits, a detachment of African soldiers was sent to the region. Upon arrival, disguised soldiers (local natives) were sent to their native places, while their commander negotiated with the regional commissar (civil administration official in charge of the region) that potential candidates would come to register at his office.

Soldiers-recruiters never admitted to their neighbors and countrymen that they were military personnel. Sometimes, if it was absolutely impossible to hide it, they confirmed that they, they say, served, but no longer serve. Usually they worked under the "legends" of seasonal workers, or the unemployed who returned to stay in their native lands.

Further, they mentioned in conversations that they overheard how some army officer from one very special and very secret unit would one day come to the office of the regional commissioner. And it seems that, according to them, there were rumors that this officer would look for people to serve - but not just any counter-cross, but special people: strong, hardy, those who can read tracks well and feel at home in the bush. Then there was a conversation about the fact that in this special part the salary is much higher than in ordinary parts. In the end, the recruiter began to brag and declared that he himself would try his hand and go to see what was there and how. And he invited his friends with him.

When the unit commander arrived at the commissar's office on the appointed day, ten or twelve people were usually waiting for him there. In order not to reveal the "legends" of his subordinates, the officer interviewed them in the same way as real candidates. The local population and relatives of the recruits were sure that the soldiers were being recruited into ordinary army units - the Selous Scouts were never mentioned.

After that, the selected recruits were taken to the Inkomo barracks, where they awaited the arrival of the rest of the parties from other parts of the country. They were issued standard camouflage cotton and were in the position of ordinary army recruits - until they were in any way announced that they would take the Scout selection course. When, at last, a sufficient number of people were recruited, as a rule, about 60, the course of a young fighter began. In principle, it differed from the usual army course by a slightly greater intensity. For example, a recruit in the Rhodesian African Rifles (a black unit with white officers) would be sent to a combat unit after four months of training. But a potential Scout candidate had to complete at least 6 months of training. As for the disciplines, it was the usual army training - drill, techniques with weapons, physical training, shooting, etc. After six months, about 40 people remained from the candidates - the rest were eliminated and rejected as material unsuitable for the army.

When this six-month training of African recruits was nearing its end, announcements began to be sent throughout the structure of the RDF that the next recruitment to the Selous Scouts was starting and European volunteers, as well as African non-commissioned officers, were invited to pass.

Due to the specifics, the Scouts constantly needed black non-commissioned officers from the African Rifles - firstly, newcomers needed supervision, and secondly, someone had to train potential sergeants.

When applications closed, as a rule, there were about 15 corporals and lance corporals from the African Rifles among the applicants - rarely among them were sergeants. As for the white volunteers, they represented almost the entire spectrum of the RDF, including the national police, units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Security Corps, the Rhodesian rifle regiment, SAS and Light Infantry. 90% of them, as a rule, were military personnel of "territorial units" (ie militias) and only 10% were military personnel of the regular army. This was explained by the fact that the selection course of the Scouts was extremely tough, and few of the soldiers of the regular units liked the idea of ​​​​starting everything from scratch in a new part. Especially if it includes the course of a young fighter.

From Reid-Daly's point of view, a special forces soldier should embody a special type of soldier. Among the necessary qualities must be intelligence, courage, fortitude, loyalty, commitment, a sense of professionalism, responsibility and self-discipline. Age limits - from 24 to 32 years.

When Ron Reid-Daly thought about what the selection course should be, he deliberately wanted to contrast it with a similar stage in another special forces unit - CAC. While Reid-Daly himself came out of the SAS, he believed that the SAS and the Scouts had different tasks and different methods of accomplishing them. In this regard, in his opinion, the employees of the SAS and the Scouts should be fundamentally different. In other words, what is suitable for CAC is not suitable for Scouts and vice versa. True, later life showed that in fact this was not so: many soldiers, having served in the SAS, later passed the selection and became Scouts - and it happened that the Scouts moved to the SAS.

But there was no great love between these divisions. Each elite unit in the RDF considered itself exceptional, confident that it was they who did the main work of the war. The professionalism of others was paid tribute to, colleagues were treated with respect, since they often had to work side by side, but deep down, each special forces considered itself the main one. From the Scouts' point of view, the Light Infantry were only capable of the rough butchery of flying in and chopping up corpses. The SAS saboteurs had a higher rank, but still they were treated as lone maniacs, moreover, the Scouts believed that the SAS, as an operational unit, was too formalized. (It should be noted that the light infantry, in turn, considered the Scouts to be maniacs: from the point of view of the paratroopers, only mentally damaged people were able to live in the bush for weeks, eating larvae and rotten meat, masquerading as terrorists. As for the SAS, then for the average It was much more interesting for a paratrooper to jump from the Aluettes - they rarely walked with their feet - falling on the Terrans like snow on their heads, instead of patiently planning and carrying out long ambushes or undermining bridges.Well, the SAS, like the Scouts, considered the RLI to be excellent attack aircraft, but the Scouts were treated a little condescendingly by the SAS, believing that 80% of the operations of the SAS were not able to be repeated by the Scouts). All in all, to paraphrase Rhodesian writer Wilbur Smith, “The Selous Scouts were the best unit in the Rhodesian government army; however, if you said it in the presence of, say, the Light Infantry paratroopers, or the Special Air Service, or the Rhodesian Regiment, your skull would be cracked on the spot.

Reid-Daly believed that the commando that the SAS needed was a loner, a person not infected with a group spirit. Even the CAC selection course was evidence of this - the CAC instructors wanted to see how the candidate would behave in conditions of extreme stress: whether he would be able to adequately assess the situation, make the right decisions, and most importantly, complete the task. And all this - relying only on their own strength. This, from the point of view of the Scout commander, was the weak point of the SAS selection course - sometimes the cadet was left without the supervision of instructors and comrades for a long time, as a result of which he was tempted to take the path of least resistance. Although the selection in the SAS was quite tough, the SAS instructors sometimes turned a blind eye to violations of discipline. Candidates for the CAC have sometimes managed to shorten the time spent on the route - during marches on foot - by voting cars, buses with Africans, bicycles, etc. Of course, if they were caught, then they were immediately expelled from the course, but if they managed to remain uncaught, then everything was covered up.

That is why Reid-Daly relied on collectivism. He believed that most of the soldiers are able to perform their duties exceptionally well when they are among their comrades - and it’s shameful to let you down, and you are charged with a positive spirit. In addition, the "group syndrome", as the Scout command believed, allows the soldier to avoid feelings of loneliness, which easily turns into a desire to give up, to give up everything halfway. And in conditions of danger, such feelings can lead to losses. So people who gravitated towards loneliness were undesirable candidates for the Scouts. In addition, the future Scout, due to the specifics of the tasks, had to almost constantly stay among people - either among his comrades, or among terrorists. And he needed to get along with others.

But on the other hand - a soldier who is able to act well ONLY if he is in a team - was still not suitable. Sometimes the Scouts were required to operate in small groups of two or three, and sometimes alone in situations of particular risk. So the ability to manage alone was welcomed, but within limits.

So the selection course was built in order to identify such soldiers among the candidates - who would successfully combine the ability to work in a team and at the same time alone.

On the day the selection course began, all candidates lined up on the parade ground in the Inkomo barracks. There was no division either by race or by rank: Europeans, Africans, officers, non-commissioned officers and privates stood in the same ranks. By that time, the initial training of African soldiers had already been completed - this was done so that they, along with the Europeans, could take part in the selection. Everyone had to come to the building with things - however, nothing was deliberately said about rations or food for applicants. After the roll call, the unit commander, Major Ron Reid-Daley, addressed the candidates. As a rule, the greeting was short. The Major emphasized that the Scouts did not need supermen. We need normal soldiers who are simply able to do their duty, but better than the rest. He also specifically emphasized that any volunteer has the right to declare his departure from the course at any time, and there will be no claims against him, but simply sidelong glances and chuckles behind his back. Just because someone fails to become a Scout doesn't mean that someone is a bad soldier, quite the opposite. In other units, more suitable for service, such a person will make an exemplary warrior, for which, as Reid-Daley noted, there are many examples among officers, sergeants and privates. At the end of the speech, he thanked the candidates on behalf of the regiment for the fact that they of their own free will decided to take part in the tests, since part of the Scouts was recruited exclusively by volunteers. The major emphasized the moment of leaving the course - after all, not a single person likes to consider himself a loser, and in order to slightly raise the spirits of the candidates, he suggested that they not feel flawed upon returning back to their unit: “If someone to ridicule you on the subject of what, they say, they couldn’t, then this mockingbird can be answered - at least I had the courage to try, but I didn’t see you there.

Next, the candidates were given a daily ration, as it was called "rat food". Applicants were warned that meals on the course would be irregular and hinted that rations should not be destroyed on the move. After that, the candidates were dismissed until the evening, but they were not informed about their future plans, nor about when the next meal would be. The recruits roamed the grounds absentmindedly, minding their own business. At the same time, such an atmosphere of an “army mess” was deliberately maintained, when no one really knows anything and cannot give a clear answer.

Toward evening, when the candidates were completely relaxed, the command “Line up!” suddenly sounded. After formation, applicants were ordered to immediately load onto trucks standing at the gates of the camp. Candidates were required to have all their belongings and equipment with them. The instructors, grinning, advised them to take civilian clothes with them - they say, the training camp is located on Lake Kariba, not far from the resort towns, and the cadets will sometimes have the opportunity to go away to play in the casino or intercept a couple of beers in pubs. Many took.

From that moment on, the candidates were led by an instructor group consisting of 8 people - one officer and seven sergeants, four of the instructors were white, four were black. At each new qualifying course, new Scouts played the role of instructors - units seconded their officers and sergeants in turn. From the moment they were loaded into the vehicles, all recruits, regardless of their rank, were required to obey the instructors. At the same time, officers of regular and territorial units, as well as sergeants of the regular army, retained their ranks - they were addressed in uniform. As for sergeants and ordinary territorial units, regardless of their ranks, at the time of selection, they were addressed as “fighter”.

The selection phase intentionally began with the creation stressful situations. First, the cadets were given the opportunity to relax, after which they were abruptly returned to the “stop-there-come-here” atmosphere. The fact that Corporal Scoutov barked at, say, a communications lieutenant, also did not add vigor to the latter. So, on the way to the camp in shaking Mercedes, the cadets plunged into the atmosphere of thoughtfulness in half with tension. Thoughts began to creep into the minds of many that the coming weeks were likely to be difficult.

The departure of the trucks with the candidates was precisely timed. A few minutes before nightfall (and in Africa it comes almost instantly, as if the sun had just been turned off), the trucks stopped at the turnoff to Charara, five kilometers from Kariba airport, and the cadets were ordered to unload. All things fell into one pile, after which the instructor officer turned to the candidates: “The Scout training camp is nearby, on the road to Charara, just a couple of tens of kilometers. And you have to run this distance. Naturally, you must take all your things with you. Yes, yes, everything that you have typed, suitcases, bags, etc. If one of you decides that it’s hard to run with things, then you can leave them - however, in this case, say goodbye to them forever, since no one will pick them up. We will be waiting for you at the camp with great interest - today, in commemoration of the first day of the course, our chef has specially prepared selected steaks and has already put the beer on ice. Naturally, this treat applies only to instructors - but if anyone expresses a desire to quit the course, then he may well join us.

After that, the officer and several sergeants departed in trucks to the camp. Only the cadets remained in place, and two sergeants in one of the cars - in case they had to drive the stragglers. And the candidates started the 23-kilometer run, carrying all their belongings on themselves, trying to keep up and show the best possible result upon arrival at the camp.

The camp itself was located in one of the most picturesque corners of the Zambezi Valley, on the shores of Lake Kariba. This place was one of the last untouched by civilization - a piece of wild, pristine African nature. Lions, buffaloes and elephants roamed in the immediate vicinity of the camp. As one Scout candidate, a former Royal Marine from London, said in amazement as an elephant burrowed through the undergrowth 50 meters from the camp: "It's like being in a zoo...but without the cages." And it was, perhaps, the most unusual training camp in all of subequatorial Africa.

The camp was named Wafa Wafa Wasara Wasara. This phrase, roughly translated from the Shona language, meant "who died - he died, who survived - he remained." At least all Scouts agreed with this interpretation. Those 10-15% of candidates who passed the course and subsequently received the coveted brown beret with the emblem of the attacking osprey (as well as those who were eliminated as a result of the selection) considered this place the real embodiment of purgatory.

Wafa Wafa in Chishon means "I died, I died!" - this name alone made any soldier treat a place with a similar name, at least with suspicion. Wasara Wasara, in turn, did not have a clear translation. It rather meant screams of panic - when, for example, a flock of angry lions was found in the center of the kraal, the inhabitants of the village screamed just that. Put together, these words suggested that something absolutely terrible awaited the Scout candidate - if the camp was called that.

When the candidates finally arrived at the camp - some of them were eliminated while jogging - then an incredible picture appeared before their eyes. There were no barracks or tents in the camp - only a few primitive basha, huts - and nothing else. It was in them that the cadets were to live. Next to the huts there was a small area of ​​trampled earth, with a pile of smoked stones and coals - this was the kitchen. True, neither this evening nor the next few, the candidates were not offered any food. The cadets were exhausted by running - the Zambezi Valley was famous throughout the country as a place where it is always hot - they felt hungry and also witnessed how some of their comrades had already “broken”.

From that moment, as the instructors caustically joked, the candidates forever said goodbye to life - the past. Candidates were deliberately exhausted, petty nit-picking brought to extreme limits, starved and provoked to a nervous breakdown. Anyone who could not stand it or did not want to endure such a thing was free to declare his departure from the course at any second. The main factor - for the instructors - was how a person behaves in any situation. All candidate reactions were carefully noted. When a person is very tired and at the same time hungry, then everything superficial from him quickly flies off, and only that which constitutes his true essence remains. From the very beginning, the cadets were put in just such conditions - starting with an unexpected evening run to the camp - and the instructors deliberately continued to increase the amount of stress in order to break the spirit of resistance in the candidates. In fact, this was torture by hunger, physical exertion and moral pressure, calculated in such a way that a person did not have a minute to take a breath and think.

The first five days of the program was built according to the following schedule. Candidates were awakened just before dawn and until 7 am they were engaged in physical training - running or exercising. After that, verification followed and immediately after it - combat training: handling weapons and shooting. They shot at everyone, sparing no cartridges: from two hands, from automatic weapons, from pistols, aimless shooting. Particular attention was paid to the method that the Scouts called "random" shooting - a method adopted by almost all units of the RDF, which proved to be excellent in enemy ambushes.

Its essence was that each soldier in the patrol concentrated his attention on the firing sector in front of him, constantly analyzing and calculating. The soldier paid attention to boulders, dense places in the bush, protruding tree roots - and fired short bursts (two rounds each) at those likely places where, in his opinion, the terrorists could be hiding. Each time the instructors chose new places for "ambushes" by placing targets in the likely hiding places of the terrorists. As a result, in a very short time, the cadets developed a kind of sixth sense - they subconsciously figured out where the “terrorists” were sitting and managed to put a couple of bullets there, even before their eyes fell there. Each day ended with assault training - overcoming natural and artificial obstacles, climbing ropes, and every day the height only increased. After dark, training continued - candidates were taught how to move at night, work with a compass and map, night shooting and basic tactics.

For the first five days, the cadets were not given any food - absolutely none. The instructors reminded them that, in fact, back in Inkomo, the cadets were given a daily ration, but the “rat food” was usually eaten either at the same time or on the first day after arrival, or was thrown by some during the first run to the camp (in the hope that there will be food in the camp). The cadets ate what they could get in the bush - edible berries, wild spinach, roots, small birds or rodents. But it was also problematic to get this food - free time was needed, but the candidates did not have it. On the third day, one of the instructors shot a baboon. After that, the carcass of the monkey was hung high on a tree in front of the huts of the candidates. The killed baboon was not skinned and its belly was not cut open - it was left as it is. In humid and unbearably hot air, the carcass very soon began to rot. After a couple of days, the baboon was removed, skinned, the insides were thrown away, cut into pieces and thrown into the cauldron - boil. There also flew other pieces of meat from game, shot by instructors, and deliberately brought to such a state that the meat turned from red to green. Naturally, worms and larvae laid in the meat by flies also went into the cauldron.

It was the first real food for candidates, from the moment they arrive at Wafa-Wafa. Not a single person refused it, although the smell and taste, according to the same Reid-Daly, “were such that both the vulture and the hyena would have vomited.”

When journalists were admitted to a Scout training camp in the late 1970s, they were dumbfounded. One of them accused Reid-Daly of deliberately trying to kill potential candidates. To which the major (by that time a lieutenant colonel) replied: “Nothing of the kind, this is done for their own good. Scouts on a mission deep in enemy territory such as Mozambique can go weeks without supplies being delivered (unlike SAS). And they can only survive on what they have at hand. It happened that during the course of the operation the Scouts stumbled upon the carcass of an antelope, which was lifted up by a lion, but had not yet had time to devour the hyenas. If they only know in theory that they can eat it, they will never eat it.” The Medical Scouts then explained to reporters that, contrary to popular belief, rotten meat is perfectly edible if it is thoroughly boiled - although if it is allowed to cool and reheat, it can kill a person. In the first stages of decay, it still contains protein and is quite nutritious - in extreme situations, such food will save a person's life. Civilization has polished a person and dulled his feelings - if ordinary person offer such a dish, then he will vomit at the mere sight. But for the hungry and exhausted cadets, the rotten monkey meat stew was the equivalent of the best marbled beef steak in the Monomotapa Hotel restaurant - they had absolutely no problems with food, and many even asked for more.

As a rule, it was on these days that the largest dropout of candidates took place - about forty people dropped out. Cadets were constantly kept in the dark about the schedule of classes - this was done deliberately, if a person wanted to quit, he was not prevented. After the first five days, the candidates were given food - in limited quantities. At the same time, the instructors encouraged the cadets' initiatives to extract edible material from the bush. True, it was strictly forbidden to kill large animals.

After fourteen days, lived by the candidates in conditions of great stress and constant feeling of hunger, a three-day "march of exhaustion" followed. The distance was usually chosen by the instructors taking into account the terrain, but was always within 90 - 100 kilometers. That is, during the day the cadets had to walk about 30 kilometers, but these 30 kilometers were marked on the map. In reality, the distance was a little longer, because the candidates had to walk over hills, cross streams and rivers, wade through thick bushes, etc. Before the march, the cadets were divided into small groups, each of which was accompanied by an instructor who closely monitored the behavior of each of the candidates. Each candidate was given a 30-kilogram backpack with cobblestones. All the stones were painted bright green so that the cadet would not be tempted to replace some of the stones along the way. Also, before the start of the march and immediately after it, the backpacks were carefully weighed - again, in order to check whether the candidate had quietly thrown out a couple of cobblestones. Backpacks were specially stuffed with stones - the effect was designed to ensure that the candidate constantly remembered that he was dragging a meaningless and useless load, which reduced his fighting spirit. In addition, the cadet naturally dragged his weapons and equipment. So the total useful - or rather useless weight - for each cadet was from 35 to 40 kilograms.

To this it must be added that the route of the march was laid in the Zambezi Valley with its constant extreme heat, capable of bringing an unprepared person to heat stroke in three minutes. The poetic name "valley" should also not be embarrassing - it was littered with boulders, small but difficult mounds, ravines, gullies and pits. On the march, cadets were given a strictly limited amount of water. If we add to this the fact that the valley was located in the “tsetse belt”, where the bites of these flies, as well as mosquitoes, mopani flies and other insects, can drive a person into a frenzy, then it is not surprising that those who defeated the march later called it highway to hell, dear to hell. For all three days of the march, the cadets were given a 125-gram can of meat and a 250-gram package of corn grits.

The last 20 kilometers - although the cadets were unaware that these were the last 20 kilometers - the march turned into a forced march: alternating running and an accelerated step. Before this stage, the candidate's backpack filled with stones was taken away, but in return they were given a bag of sand, a little less weight. It was proposed to cover twenty kilometers in 2.5 hours - which was possible under the condition of almost constant running. As a rule, the commander of the unit, Ron Reid-Daly, always tried to be present at this moment.

When the cadets reached the finish line, the instructors suddenly appeared from the bushes and congratulated them on their successful delivery qualifying course. Most of the candidates refused to believe the words of the Scouts, believing that this was another insidious trick of the instructors, designed to break the spirit and force them to give up. Candidates, barely on their feet, scolded and covered the laughing instructors with choice curses, until at last it dawned on them that they had indeed passed all the exams. After that, many cried, and according to Reid-Daly, at such moments, he, who had repeatedly observed this, nevertheless always ached with pride for those who passed.

After three days of rest to recuperate their legs—by that point, all cadets had a dermatologist's nightmare on their feet—the cadets embarked on a two-week course in bush hunting and survival. At the end of it, the newly minted Scouts from the territorial units went home, waiting for a call on a mission. Those who were in the regular units were sent to another camp to study the actual anti-terrorist operations, the so-called. "dark phase". The camp copied to the smallest detail a typical terrorist camp in Mozambique. The instructors there were former ZANLA and ZIPRA militants, many of whom defected to the RDF and were selected for the Scouts. For two weeks, the instructors taught the new Scouts the techniques of pseudo-terrorist operations, the ability to impersonate real terrorists, customs, dialect, songs, manners, etc. After that, the Scouts underwent 3 weeks of parachute training at New Sarum and Grand Reef Base. Some of the Scouts additionally received light diving training and learned to jump from great heights. On average, it took about six months to train a qualified Scout. After another six months, filled with constant training and combat operations, the soldier turned into the most formidable combat vehicle of the Rhodesian armed forces, a man who can survive anytime and anywhere, a scout who can conduct multi-day surveillance, a shooter who hits any target, an operative who could do any task - Scout Selous.

Original taken from thiomkin to Rhodesia || South African Special Forces and SAS Rhodesia. Part II

Colonel Jan Breitenbach's story

In October 1961, I retired from the Royal Navy Naval Air Service and rejoined the South African Armed Forces, the 1st Airborne Battalion. I was lucky to be under the command of a distinguished officer, Lieutenant Colonel Willem Lauv, known by the nickname "Sir William". When I presented him with my considerations on the subject that 1 Pdb should be converted into a commando unit on the model of the SAS, he read them carefully, and, as shown further developments, not just read, but thought deeply about them.

Later "Sir William" was promoted. He was already a brigadier general in command of the Northern Transvaal Command, and I was still a simple captain - and unexpectedly he invited me to his home in Vortrekkehucht. It was there that I first met a real SAS officer - who at that time commanded a Rhodesian SAS battalion. I was natural plaasjapie(a hick-boer), even if he had already served in the Royal Navy - and this officer, Major Dudley Coventry, seemed to me a rather exotic type: a sort of snob (judging by his clear British accent) and an aristocrat who was exiled for some unsightly deeds into the depths of the African bush. Who knows, I decided, judging by his appearance and manners, he could be with equal success both an aristocrat and a former officer of the Foreign Legion.
I was pleasantly surprised when "Sir William" informed me that Coventry was in South Africa at the request of the commander of the land forces in order to choose a place where a new part of the South African army, created in the style of SAS, would be quartered. Apparently, things are finally starting to take a serious turn. However, I recalled at the same time that the commander of the armed forces of South Africa was initially categorically against "all these senseless special forces" and realized that, apparently, he had not yet been informed about the Coventry visit. Coventry traveled the length and breadth of the country and eventually submitted a report that best place for the new part will be Oudshorn. After that, he returned to Rhodesia, and I - to myself, in my fairly understaffed second parachute company. The army routine, like any energetic officer, irritated me, I longed for at least some action. And soon he waited - we, the paratroopers, together with a group of policemen were thrown to clean up the rebel camp, located in the wilderness of Ovamboland. This was the beginning of the Border War. Then we landed troops from helicopters - three attack groups and several mixed stop groups, consisting of paratroopers and policemen. The police, of course, were eager to capture the militants in order to interrogate them later. We, in turn, no less passionately wanted to destroy the terrorists - in other words, to shoot. We even had a command helicopter in the air - this would later become a standard and extremely effective tactical procedure, successfully used with success from Kunene to Mozambique. (Operation blue wildebeest- attack on the camp of SWAPO militants in Ongulumbash on August 26, 1966. The operation was considered a police operation, but army units were attached to reinforce the police, which were commanded by Captain Breitenbach. Two terrorists were killed, several were captured).
Five captains of paratroopers were invited to the CAC selection course in Rhodesia - Boyty Viviers, Barry Ferreira, Eddie Webb, Frank Bestbear and myself. In addition, there were also two officers from other units. (They, like one of the paratroopers, did not pass the course). Non-commissioned officers were also invited to this course: staff sergeants Johnny Kruger and Pep fan Sail and sergeants Tilly Smith and Mike Potgieter, nicknamed "Yogi". The rest were given nicknames ouboet, boet and kleinboet(“bro”, “brother” and “brother”).
The beginning was quite calm - we were introduced to the official (and more unofficial) culture of the CAC, to the club Winged Stagger("Winged Stumbler", a play on words built on the CAC emblem Winged Dagger- "Winged Dagger") and its regulars. And it should be noted that Saturday evenings turned into harsh survival exams - which we passed more and more successfully each time. (Percy Johnson and Mike Curtin were particularly stern examiners, not forgetting to load us with lectures on how a SAS man should behave, both in the ranks and out of the ranks). But joking aside, our weeks were filled with intensive initial training, which included explosives (including the handling of special charges), radio engineering and different types and communication techniques, an advanced first aid course, tactical training, especially in small units and mobile groups, rock climbing and, of course, an incredible amount physical training. A unique person was responsible for the latter - outwardly he looked like a nice, kind-hearted pensioner from the London suburbs, but in fact, he was a seasoned veteran of many campaigns. His name was Jock Hutton, he wore the epaulettes of a warrant officer and held the position of sergeant major of the battalion. The course officer, if I remember correctly, was Captain Ken Phillipson.
All instructors on the course were staff sergeants or sergeants - SAS veterans with years of service behind them. I think that at that time they were the best specialists in the world. Their names were Rob Johnston, Yanni Boltman, Danny Hartman and Stan Hornby. They have been with us all the time. Others, such as Brian Robinson, Harry Harvey, and Barney Bentley, appeared for a while, either to give individual lectures on individual subjects or simply to supervise the Boers' absorption of CAS traditions. Dudley Coventry managed to greet us when we arrived, but then disappeared somewhere unexpectedly for a long time. He showed up later - when his wound (a bullet in his leg) healed. It turned out that Coventry and a group of SAS fighters stopped a suspicious furniture van somewhere near the border with Zambia. From there, the terrorists crackled - that's the bullet of one of them and hit Dudley. So, yes, there was already a war in Rhodesia - albeit not as intense then as it broke out in the 1970s.
Finally, the most nightmarish day came - the day of testing, when we had to demonstrate all the knowledge that the instructors tried to put into us. We left for Inyanga - there, in the reserve, we set up a temporary camp. Jock Hutton drove us mercilessly and now I appreciated his severity in physical training. We were already in great shape, but I decided to test myself again and arranged for myself an additional forced march to the top of Inyangani. After that, I was stuck in the group left from the previous qualifying round - it was still that company, which was distinguished by amazing diversity. They came from all over the world and from different social strata. I remember one Englishman - at first glance he was no more than fifteen years old (although in fact, of course, 20 years old) and he weighed, God forbid, 50 kilograms. But he, like us, carried all the equipment (I I suspect, weighing as much as he did) explosives, magazines, machine-gun belts, spare batteries for the radio station, one or two anti-tank missiles, hand grenades, smoke bombs, two weeks of rations, spare uniforms, a sleeping bag, raincoat, etc. etc.
Loaded like mules, we trudged from one point to another - and we had to meet a certain time, go to all the control posts, not just go in a senseless bunch, but “move using tactics” and avoid being spotted by instructors, located on hidden NPs. Add here rugged terrain and far from comfortable weather. As a result, I climbed the top of Yinggani for the second time, exhausted to the limit, but managed to pass this stage. Already standing at the top, I saw how one of the paratrooper officers gave up - although he had only 100 meters to go, and he had time for this distance with a margin. This entire selection stage was built with the expectation that the candidates would come to the top, where instructors were waiting for them. As far as I remember, most of us passed this stage - with the exception of three officers who received the "VHF" (direction "Back to the unit").
We returned to Cranborne, and after short rest started further preparations. Dudley Coventry has decided that we will take part in an evasion and escape exercise in Matabeleland South. I was already familiar with this, but for the rest of the South Africans, these exercises became an unforgettable event. In addition, almost all SAS sergeants free from operations were involved in these exercises. The beaters were guys from a company of Rhodesian African Rifles under the command of Major Dizzy Danes - and they were skilled trackers.
The exercises began with us (30 people) being locked in a cell at the Brady garrison guardhouse for three days - more precisely, they were stuffed there like sardines in a can. Each day was given half a plate of stew and half a cup of tea. There was one bucket for everyone - for natural needs. All these three days the jailers entertained us with a constant monstrous cacophony from huge speakers - in order to turn our brains into jelly. Finally we were herded into a cattle wagon and driven east towards Figtree. We ran from this truck - we rushed into the bush, to a point agreed in advance. As soon as the escape happened, our pursuers were immediately informed about it. We were informed that military intelligence officers would interrogate those caught - and interrogation methods would be the most realistic. It is clear that these exercises were planned to be extremely tough - especially if you are being hunted by special forces from the SAS or patrols of the African Rifles.
The SAS men caught me and my partner - just on the way to the agreed place. While the court is doing business, they decided to temporarily place me in the location of the RAS company. Danes immediately jumped at the opportunity to conduct his own interrogation. I decided that the best interrogation tactic would be to "turn on the fool" and not answer a single question, even the most legitimate ones, such as "name-rank-personal-number." From such stubbornness of the South African parachutist, Dizzy was amazed and seriously decided to break me - hanging by thumbs hands to the tree. Luckily, it was at that moment that the SAS came back and took me away. Danes was extremely disappointed.
I was brought to the "torture center" - to the military intelligence base. It was in the evening, they immediately put a bag over my head, stripped me to the waist, and left me like that all night. Naturally, they didn’t let me sleep at the same time - sometimes they suddenly doused me with ice water, sometimes they just kicked or shouted something in my ear. This torture continued the next morning and until the evening of the next day. After that, I was taken to a cozy room - where the interrogation was actually carried out. When they pulled the bag off my head, I saw my investigator. According to the script, it was supposed to be some kind of violent psychopath. Instead, I stared at my old friend, an artillery officer, Major Alan Slater, whom I had not seen in a thousand years. He did his best to pretend that he did not know me - well, I did the same. I boldly declared that I was not going to say a single word - period! In the end, this "interrogation" almost turned into a comedy, as Alan and I winked at each other incessantly. But after that, I ended up in the company of really gloomy and unpleasant investigators who really wanted to milk the necessary information from me. And I very quickly came to the same conclusion as before - the best tactic in interrogations, from my point of view, is "do not hear anything - do not say anything."
I again "went on the run" (this was provided for by the exercise plan) - but this time already alone. These interrogations had an incredible impact on me - neither before nor after, and in general, never again in my life have I had the opportunity to learn so much new about myself as during the interrogation. Among other things, I visited Dizzy Danes's field kitchen and got myself dry rations - as much as I could carry. The composition of the rations for me sounded like the sweetest music: cheese, chocolate, coffee, tea, condensed milk ... In general, now for me the escape has turned into a kind of hike from one picnic to another - through the wild bush south of the Matopos mountains. (After the end of this stage, the "survivors" were collected at a hotel in Gwanda, and fed to satiety).
Half of the South Africans returned south, the rest were transferred to the Zambezi Valley, to the Chivore River - there we learned the art of reading other people's tracks, masking our own, and also surviving in the wild bush. Our instructors were Bryan Robinson, Henny Pretorius and Alan Franklin, whom everyone knew by the nickname "Lanky". Upon completion of training in Chivora, we left for Lake Kariba to learn how to handle small boats, especially kayaks, as well as combat diving. Rob Johnston, Danny Hartman and Yanni Boltman joined us there. It was my first time in the Caribbean - before that I did not imagine that reservoirs and dams could be so huge. The dam on the Waal, compared to Cariba, looked like a shallow puddle.
Finally, when it was all over, we were presented with the famous beige berets and blue CAC uniform belts. I still keep them, and in those (unfortunately rare) cases when I had to take part in operations with the Rhodesians, I wore these insignia with pride. We returned home, and I looked forward to the fact that a special forces unit was about to be deployed in our army. But nothing happened - weeks, months went by, and the situation did not move forward. Brigadier General Lauv received a second star for shoulder straps and became commander of the ground forces. I, in turn, was assigned to the headquarters in Windhoek in SWA.
And then suddenly I and a few of my colleagues were at war - in Biafra. It was a top secret operation - we secretly trained the Biathrian rebels, sometimes led them into battle, and sometimes we ourselves organized sabotage in the Nigerian rear. Those. we finally got into real spetsnaz activities. Our participation in that war was one of the most closely guarded secrets in South Africa - that the Republic's tacit assistance to the Biathrians became known long after the fall of the apartheid regime. When the Nigerians went on a decisive offensive and it became clear that not only the days, the hours of Biafra were numbered, we barely had time to fly out of there - literally at the last minute and on the last plane. But the experience we gained in the rear of the Nigerian troops proved once again that it is simply vital for South Africa to have its own unit like the SAS - Generals Lauv and Lutz understood the importance of special operations without this, but the head of the armed forces of the Republic, General Hemstra, believed that all this "secret war" is a whim and nonsense.
Sir William, at his own peril and risk, gave me a tacit signal that I should begin to form a still unofficial special forces unit under the roof of the Infantry School at Oudshorn. The project was named the Special Warfare Department, later renamed the Experimental Task Force. There were 12 of us, and it was only natural that we were immediately dubbed the "Dirty Dozen": Jan Breitenbach, Dan Lamprecht, "Yogi" Potgieter, "Kernas" Conradi, "Fires" fan Feuren, Koos Moorcroft, John More, Trevor Floyd, Dewald de Beer, "Hoppy" Fury, "FC" Fan Sile and Malcolm Kinghorn. It was they who later became those who founded and deployed the 1st Reconnaissance and sabotage detachment. We conducted one selection course, then another, and after that we started combat operations in Angola and Zambia. In 1970 I passed additional training in the 1st PDB in Bloemfontein and qualified as a high-altitude paratrooper. I was 39 years old at the time and became the oldest member of the military to successfully pass the jump test. We were divided into two secret penetration groups - air and sea - and, by secret agreement with Paris, were sent to the bases of the French special forces Cercotte and Ajaccio. There we received additional training in the field of covert penetration into enemy territory from the water and from the air. Later, these skills were useful to us: we carried out an operation to destroy coastal facilities in a well-known port in East Africa - where sabotage groups in kayaks were landed from a submarine. An indescribable feeling: to swing on small boats in the ocean, to wait for a submarine to pick you up, and to watch how explosions rumble in the city and it plunges into darkness.
By 1973, when the 1st RDO was already officially included in the Armed Forces, a shortage of specialists with experience in deep reconnaissance and special operations behind enemy lines began to be felt. I approached General Lutz (then a Special Operations Officer at the Army Headquarters) with a proposal to assign us to a battalion of the Rhodesian SAS - at that time they were already operating with might and main in Zambia and Mozambique, and I wanted to gain first-hand combat experience. Brian Robinson, then the battalion commander, often visited South Africa, and on one of these visits we met with him. In the Mozambique province of Tete, the war waged by the Portuguese against the rebels was in full swing in sitzkrieg(positional warfare), and Rhodesia tacitly but intensively took part in it on the side of Lisbon. The problem was that there were very few SAS members, and Robinson, having heard my offer, jumped at the opportunity to get extra eyes, ears and skillful hands.
Almost the entire region, on both sides of the Zambezi, from the Rhodesian border in the south to the Zambian in the north, from Zumbo in the west to Tete in the east, was under the complete control of FRELIMO - for the simple reason that the Portuguese troops frankly gave up on this war and occupied the position "keep your head down and you'll live to be demobilized." They preferred to sit in aldeamentos- so-called. "protected villages" - which they turned into a certain semblance of safe forts, and preferred not to risk it. And everything that happened behind the barbed wire fence around the perimeter did not bother them at all. ZANLA immediately appreciated the benefits of this status quo - in fact, the militants received direct and free access to the northern part of Rhodesia. And very soon the region was covered with a network of paths along which the terrorists rushed from Zambia, through Tete, to the north of Rhodesia. It is clear that the Rhodesians wanted to cut these routes, and to do so as far as possible from their borders. But FRELIMO, which actually occupied this province and flooded it with well-armed and well-organized militants, granted ZANLA the most favored nation treatment. Figuratively speaking, the "freds" covered them with a blanket. And the Rhodesians were faced with the task of tearing this blanket into small pieces.
Brian Robinson sensibly reasoned that in order to achieve this goal, the SAS should return to the good old methods of conducting deep reconnaissance - and the physical destruction of the ZANLA militants and the FRELIMO camps would fall on the shoulders of aviation and airborne troops, which SAS patrols would call and direct on the target. Accordingly, the SAS was to deploy a whole network of camouflaged OPs north of the Zambezi, on which small reconnaissance groups would be present. The offer of assistance from the 1st RDO meant that the SAS could count on more fighters and, accordingly, cover a much larger area. For us, the South Africans, this had its own benefit - we did not have the experience of long-term long-range patrols and long-term reconnaissance from hidden OPs.
If I remember correctly, our first patrol in Teta was at the beginning of 1974. The rainy season was already in full swing. But before going on a mission, we spent some time at the SAS base in order to work together with the Rhodesians and get used to each other - a vital process if you have two special forces of different armies at your disposal. We were brought up to date, enlightened about all aspects of the operation, we once again worked out landing techniques, both with forced opening of the parachute and long jumps with self-opening. In addition, we were given notebooks with SAS codes - an incredibly necessary thing: with the help of these codes, we could do anything: report on the movement of the enemy, about the losses of our own and others, not to mention the fact that with their help we could order the supplies we needed from warehouse.
The SAS forward tactical base was located at Macombe, on the south bank of the Zambezi. In fact, it was a garrison in which there was a company of African riflemen (later they were replaced by light infantrymen), and the SAS simply occupied a piece of territory from them. There was a small field airfield nearby, which could only receive light aircraft. The joint group on our side included Warrant Officers Fan Sile and Floyd, Corporals Vannenburg, Tippett and Oberholzer, and myself as an ordinary member of the group (Fan Sile was the commander). An amazingly interesting feeling for an officer - to trail behind and watch how all the cones and gingerbread go to the warrant officer, and you decide nothing and are not responsible for anything. As an ordinary fighter, I stuck out on the NP, stood on guard and, like everyone else, fought against the ungodly environment - which turned out to be no easy task.
Firstly, it rained without ceasing - as a result, everything that could be soaked through with moisture. Our daytime attire consisted of a T-shirt and shorts - always wet. At night, we put on trousers and shirts - but they were damp, as were our sleeping bags. The grass stood as tall as a man, constantly flowing and dripping from it - it's like walking waist-deep in a river. In addition, all the time I had to wade through the web - there was simply no salvation from these sticky threads. Trees and thick bushes, on the one hand, gave us an excellent shelter, but on the other hand, the flattened wet grass immediately betrayed the places of our camps and halts. We could not use the methods of covering tracks due to the senselessness of these actions - it was not a heavy downpour that washed away the tracks, but what is called in Rhodesia guti, the incessant soft rain that irritated us insanely. In principle, there were enough hills to arrange hidden NPs ( gomo), but we still had to get close to them - because of the rains, streams and rivulets spilled abundantly, the water in some reached our chests. Unlike southwestern Zambia or southeastern Angola, where the population was one or two and counted, this territory was quite densely populated - and besides, there was enough so-called. "militias", i.e. not regular FRELIMO cadres, but those who sympathized with them. The "militias" were the ears and eyes of the "freds", and half of them carried weapons, mostly SKS carbines. As a rule, in each small valley about half kimbo(kraals) somehow helping the local base "freds" (the militants set up a camp in the distance and carefully camouflaged it). "Freds" often used the local population as porters to transfer something from Zambia to Rhodesia - just at gunpoint. We called it the “safari express”: a sprawling column of locals, fairly loaded, wanders along the valley, and “militias” marching parallel to it with carbines at the ready. Cargo was stored on the north bank of the Zambezi, and at night on mokoros(boats) were smuggled into Rhodesia. Having identified the routes of movement of the Terrans, as well as the main bases of the militants (they were given out by the smoke from the morning fires), we coordinated attacks on the Terrans from our hidden NPs. In theory - nothing complicated. Helicopter landings of the African riflemen fell upon the camps, the militants suffered losses - but this operation had another side: the terras sometimes managed to detect us. Most often we were given away mujibas, shepherd boys who wandered almost around the clock everywhere, and in particular around the hills. If they noticed footprints leading to the top of the hill, then the terras immediately became aware of this. We, accordingly, had to abandon the illuminated NPs - more than a couple of times we spotted militants, "freds" and "militia" in time, approaching our positions, clearly not in order to invite us to a friendly cup of tea. The Air Force rescued us every other time: as long as the information reached the headquarters, as long as it was possible to agree with the Air Force headquarters, until this and that, the militants disappeared. Brian, I remember, was in a quiet rage.
Once we urgently changed the place of our NP - at night. At night, it was generally more convenient for us to move around - along the same paths that the terras used. As a rule, we walked barefoot - in this case, our footprints often mixed with the footprints of the militants (few of the Terrans could afford to wear shoes). Trevor Floyd walked in the forefront. He carefully walked around a large bush that stood in his way, dived under the branches, quietly entered under this natural tent and was dumbfounded: it was the most natural hut created by nature and terrorists slept there! The head of one of the militants was a few centimeters from Floyd's mud-stained feet. With the utmost care, Trevor moved back. When he finally got on the trail, we all silently retired as far as possible - after all, we were engaged in covert operations, and not strike and search raids.
Another time, I unexpectedly found myself in the role of the commander of one of the mini-groups of the SAS - the militants who were fleeing from persecution were firmly on the tail, one of the special forces was seriously wounded. To make matters worse, the group's radio operator was also out of order - when water was being boiled, he managed to knock over a pot of hot water on himself. As a result, the group was urgently evacuated by helicopter to Macombe. I was flying with two SAS men in one of the helicopters when suddenly the pilot spotted the Terrans in the kraal below us. Without thinking, he landed his car right in the middle of the huts. We immediately unloaded, the helicopter immediately took off and disappeared in the direction of Macomba. The Terrans had fled, but I had no doubt that they would now come to their senses, regroup and attack us. We didn’t have a radio - it was left in another helicopter, along with a wounded soldier and a radio operator who was out of action. Our immediate future, apparently, was under a big question. So I figured a heroic Fort Alamo-style defense would be the best option. I quickly deployed defenses - if you can call it that: three fighters (including me) are holding in their own sector of fire, but you should not count on each other's support, there are too few of us and everyone has their own area. The locals slowly calmed down and returned to their business - although they looked warily in our direction. The terras never showed up: either they rushed to hell, or they decided that they would soon let us in anyway, so why bother. I will not hide it, with great relief after a while I heard the familiar roar of the blades - the helicopter returned to pick us up. Returning to the base, I again got into line, to my usual place as a private - no discounts on the fact that I was actually a lieutenant colonel, no liberties ... if you say in line, then in line.
Soon we were replaced by another group from the 1st RDO, it was commanded by Major Nick Fisser, deputy commander of the detachment. With him also came Koos Moorcroft, Kernas Conradi, Dewald de Beer, Fingers Krueger and Chilly du Plessis. They also had adventures. During one of the operations, de Beer single-handedly destroyed 12 terrorists from the vanguard of a large group that followed our heels for half a day. The most remarkable thing is that de Beer only used 12 rounds on them. And he filled them up with his trusty automatic rifle R1- for some reason, de Beer stubbornly refused to take Kalashnikov to the operation.
As a result, ZANLA and FRELIMO were forced to abandon the developed paths, in particular from the Cabora Bassa canyon to Zumbo, and look for new paths in the eastern part of the region (which was categorically unprofitable for them). In addition, the Rhodesians were able to locate and confiscate all the boats, thus blocking the penetration into the operational sector "Hurricane". But some time later, a pro-communist coup took place in Portugal, followed by the "expulsion" of Rhodesia from Mozambique. The war went on with renewed vigor, significantly increasing the burden on the already small Rhodesian armed forces.
A few years later, the 1st RDO again found itself in Mozambique - in order to help take control of the province of Gaza. In the course of joint special operations with the Rhodesians, 6 special forces from South Africa were killed. But by that time, I had already left the special forces. I served in the 32nd battalion, and later was again transferred to the airborne units - to form the 44th parachute brigade. As commander of this unit, at least I could at least occasionally help the Rhodesians - throwing out tactical landings in the Gwanda area in order to surround and block the militants. But this did not help Rhodesia in the end - the governments of the United States, Great Britain and South Africa forced Ian Smith to lay down their arms, in the naive hope that a new democratic country would be born in Africa.
My most recent visit to Rhodesia I will never forget. I personally accompanied the last group of South African paratroopers leaving Gwanda. We were all dressed in Rhodesian uniforms, on my head, in addition to this, proudly flaunted a crumpled beige beret with the emblem of the Rhodesian CAC. I remember Major Roy Mankowitz of the 1st Brigade - we took to the air, and he stood near the runway, furious, stunned and betrayed. In a rage, he shook his fist at the sky, as if he wanted to say a few non-parliamentary expressions to someone (in general, it’s clear to whom and what). I have never been to Zimbabwe again, but this image of a lone officer in a state of impotent rage from vile betrayal remained in my soul forever.