Douglas H. Hubbard - Bound for Africa: Cold War Fight Along The Zambezi

Bound for Africa

Bound for Africa

COLD WAR FIGHT ALONG THE ZAMBEZI

By Douglass H. Hubbard Jr.

Naval Institute Press

Annapolis, Maryland

The latest edition of the work has been brought to publication with the generous assistance of Marguerite and Gerry Lenfest.

Naval Institute Press

291 Wood Road

Annapolis, MD 21402

2008 by the United States Naval Institute

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

ISBN 978-1-61251-421-5 (eBook)

The Library of congress has cataloged the hardcover edition as follows:

Hubbard, Douglass H., 1945

Bound for Africa : Cold War fight along the Zambezi / Douglass H. Hubbard, Jr.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

1. ZimbabweHistoryChimurenga War, 19661980. 2. ZimbabweForeign relations19651980. 3. Africa, SouthernHistory18991975. 4. Africa, SouthernHistory19755. Africa, SouthernDescription and travel. 6. Hubbard, Douglass H., 1945Travel. I.Title.

DT2988.H83 2008

967.9dc22

2008015588

Print editions meet the requirements of ANSI/NISO z39.48-1992 (Permanence of Paper).

14 13 12 11 10 9 8 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

First printing

This book is dedicated to the people of Africa, whose perseverance, spirit, and determination have inspired me for more than three decades.

In memory of Guy Houghton

Leader, mentor, and friend

CONTENTS

T HIS IS A STORY that I never expected to be telling. It is a very personal tale about a young Americans journey that ultimately took him to the battlefield of Cold War southern Africa after three years of service in Vietnam. My hope is that this work will provide readers with an intimate snapshot of some of the factors and events that cumulatively formed the counterinsurgency war in Rhodesia and its neighboring countriesnow more than thirty years past.

I must first thank Naval Institute Press director Mr. Richard Russell for his vision and encouragement, for it was he who said he thought mine was a story worth tellingand who ultimately encouraged me to actually write it. I also wish to thank my copy editor, Gary Kessler, for his excellent work and insightful suggestions.

Though this is my story, a number of former colleagues enthusiastically assisted with their recollections and memorabilia. Winston Hart, one of Rhodesias most effective Special Branch operatives and who effectively became intelligence officer to the Selous Scouts, made historic photographs available and recalled important events in the war. Lieutenant Colonel Ron Reid-Daly, legendary commander of the Selous Scouts, gave useful advice about events of the day. Peter Cooper, former Grenadier Guardsman and later regimental sergeant major and training officer at the School of Infantry, Gwelo, Rhodesia, provided photographs from the school and identified personalities long vanished from my memory. Guy Houghton supplied valuable information about British South Africa Police (BSAP) Support Unit organization and its expansion.

Ormonde Power and Eric Kennelly helped confirm three-decades-old recollections of events we shared. Brian and Jo Cullingworth, ever dear friends, supported both my efforts to write the manuscript and to identify important personalities in the story.

Particular thanks go to former detective section officer of the BSAP Special Branch, Nick Russell, who shared images and reference material from the era. Geoff Hill, noted author of The Battle for Zimbabwe and What Happens after Mugabe, gave of his time to answer important questions about contemporary issues in the country that was once Rhodesiaand those relating to the languages and customs of the region.

Judith Anderson, who featured prominently in the story, encouraged me through some difficult pages in the books early days and provided her insightful mind to questions of clarity and context. It was she who gave the manuscript its final examination.

My parents, Doug and Fran Hubbard, gave of their five decades of experience as authors as well as constant support and encouragement. Without them, this book would not exist.

This work encapsulates a period in which the Cold War developed in many forms and reached its zenith. The antagonists and their allies and sympathizers formed distinct factions in the world. For a young American, educated and trained to counter potential enemies of his country and tempered by three years of service in the Vietnam War, the machinations of the former Soviet Union and Communist China formed a distinct threat to peace in the world, wherever they occurred. Today, where the face of terrorism and its causes seem more ambiguous, my observations from those days may seem simplistic. I thus request that readers consider this work in the context of the period in which the described events occurred.

I would also ask my readers indulgence about matters that are entirely my recollections and those of a few peers. Thirty years after the fact, we have done the best we could with fading memoriesbut in the end, any errors of fact are my responsibility alone.

By John P. Cann, PhD

D OUGLASS HUBBARD arrived in Johannesburg, South Africa, in January 1974, during what would prove a pivotal juncture in a conflict that would come to be known as the Rhodesian Front War of 197279. In his twenty-nine years, the young American had seen more than his share of the world and experienced the horrors of combat and the consequences of failed international strategy and policy on the most fundamental human level.