Paul Moorcraft - The Rhodesian War: A Military History

1. A Rhodesian T-55 tank: none were used in combat. Originally en route to Uganda, they wereintercepted by South Africa, and were included in the Rhodesian inventory in 1979.

2. A Rhodesian copy of the British anti-bomb robot developed in Northern Ireland. The vehiclewas remotely controlled, mounted a TV camera and carried a shotgun to blast open packagesor suspect objects.

3. A Rhodesian Air Force Hawker Hunter, a maid-of-all-work. The Rhodesians had nine.

4. A Mirage III of the South African Air Force. They did not take part in the war in Rhodesianair space, but they did provide a crucial backstop for security force raids into neighbouringstates. They were a deterrent to prevent the involvement of Soviet MiGs.

5. A Fire Force operation, the most important military technique developed by the Rhodesians.

6. One of the Alouettes loaned by South Africa. Note the heat dispersal unit, baffle at rear. TheRhodesians modified the heat exhausts to confuse SAM-7 missiles.

7. Slaughter of the innocents. On 23 June 1978, 12 men, women and children were variouslyraped, hacked and bludgeoned to death by ZANLA regulars at Elim Pentecostal Mission,near Umtali.

8. ZIPRA shot down two Air Rhodesia civilian airliners with SAM-7 missiles.

9. Selous Scouts in their initial period of formation. The Scouts were ultra-secret so this rarepicture was probably used for army propaganda.

10. Close-combat use of the bayonet was not uncommon in the security forces, especially inexternal raids, though the insurgents used bayonets regularly in punishment attacks onalleged collaborators in the black population.

11. Guerrilla attacks on urban targets forced the Rhodesians to form a Special Weapons andTactics (SWAT) unit. Here a SWAT team drops on to a factory roof in a training exercise.

12. Rhodesian police SWAT teams wore distinctive blue denim uniforms and caps and carriedUzi submachine guns or P1 pistols.

13. On 11 December 1978, ZANLA guerrillas fired rockets and tracers at the central oil storagedepot in Salisbury and destroyed 25 million gallons of fuel. The fire raged for six days.Prime Minister Ian Smith thanks the fire crew.

14. Dads army. Towards the end of the war, whites up to the age of 60 were called up. (Photograph courtesy of Allen Pizzey.)

15. A Security Force Auxiliary, loyal to Bishop Muzorewa.(Allen Pizzey.)

16. A rare photograph of Selous Scouts preparing for Operation Miracle (September/October1979) against a ZANLA base in the New Chimoio area of Mozambique, as part of the finaltotal war strategy against the frontline states.

17. An early Soviet BTR-152 with a 12.7mm machine gun, used by FRELIMO. It was destroyedby elements of 2 Commando, Rhodesian Light Infantry, during Operation Snoopy, Chimoio,Mozambique, 20 September 1978.

18. Mike Edden, Assistant Commissioner of Police, displays a Russian-made officers cap capturedduring a raid on a ZIPRA complex at Mkushi in Zambia. It was a training camp for youngfemale administrative assistants, but Salisbury covered up the failed raid as a successful attackon combat guerrillas.

19. Lieutenant General Peter Walls, the Commander of Combined Operations, was popular with histroops, not least for his hands-on approach. Here he is seen helping a paratrooper before a raid.

20. Young Renamo soldier - the Rhodesian CIO set up this guerrilla army to disrupt its enemiesin Mozambique.

21. ZIPRA guerrillas examine a Rhodesian helicopter shot down during a raid on Victory Camp,Zambia, in 1979.

22. Guerrilla propaganda was simple and highly effective. Pamberi ne Chimurenga meansForward with the Liberation Struggle.

23. Bishop Abel Muzorewa electioneering, 1979.

24. Robert Gabriel Mugabe. He ran Zimbabwe as a revolutionarymovement, not a government, still targeting all his political enemies both black andwhite.