Bush War Operator
Title | Bush War Operator PDF eBook |
Author | A. J. Balaam |
Publisher | Helion and Company |
Total Pages | 273 |
Release | 2014-11-19 |
Genre | History |
ISBN | 1910777455 |
“The finest account I’ve read on the Selous Scouts . . . Andy Balaam tells it like it was—the fear, the terror, the adrenaline highs of combat in the bush.” —Chris Cocks, bestselling author of Fireforce From the searing heat of the Zambezi Valley to the freezing cold of the Chimanimani Mountains in Rhodesia, from the bars in Port St Johns in the Transkei to the Drakensberg Mountains in South Africa, this is the story of one man’s fight against terror, and his conscience. Anyone living in Rhodesia during the 1960s and 1970s would have had a father, husband, brother or son called up in the defense of the war-torn, landlocked little country. A few of these brave men would have been members of the elite and secretive unit that struck terror into the hearts of the ZANLA and ZIPRA guerrillas infiltrating the country at that time—the Selous Scouts. These men were highly trained and disciplined, with skills to rival the SAS, Navy Seals and the US Marines, although their dress and appearance were wildly unconventional: civilian clothing with blackened, hairy faces to resemble the very people they were fighting against. Twice decorated—with the Member of the Legion of Merit (MLM) and the Military Forces’ Commendation (MFC)—Andrew Balaam was a member of the Rhodesian Light Infantry and later the Selous Scouts, for a period spanning twelve years. This is his honest and insightful account of his time as a pseudo operator. His story is brutally truthful, frightening, sometimes humorous and often sad.
Further Memoirs of a Bush War Operator
Title | Further Memoirs of a Bush War Operator PDF eBook |
Author | A. J. Balaam |
Publisher | Helion |
Total Pages | |
Release | 2020-03-19 |
Genre | Biography & Autobiography |
ISBN | 9781913118587 |
From the searing heat of the Zambezi valley to the freezing cold of the Chimanimani mountains in Rhodesia; from the bars in Port St John's in the Transkei to the Drakensberg Mountains in South Africa; to the slums of Maputo Mocambique and the violence and corruption of Beira Mocamique to the beauty of the Portuguese Islands. This is one man's story of his fight against terror and survival in a world that no longer had any use for him or his skills. Twice decorated with the Member Of The Legion of Merit ( MLM ) and the Military Forces Commendation (MFC) Andrew Balaam was a member of the Rhodesian Light Infantry and later the Selous Scouts for twelve years. This is his account of his experiences whilst in the Rhodesian Light Infantry, Selous Scouts, Transkei and South African Government. His story is brutally truthful, frightening and sometimes humorous. It is also the story of the final hours of one of the finest armies in the world, The fight for power amongst senior Amy Officers, the fighting, back stabbing and spying as seen through the eyes of the author.
The Rhodesian War
Title | The Rhodesian War PDF eBook |
Author | Paul L. Moorcraft |
Publisher | Stackpole Books |
Total Pages | 242 |
Release | 2010 |
Genre | History |
ISBN | 0811707253 |
- The vicious conflict (1964-79) that brought Robert Mugabe to power in Zimbabwe - Expert coverage of the war, its historical context, and its aftermath - Descriptions of guerrilla warfare, counterinsurgency operations, and actions by units like Grey's Scouts Amid the colonial upheaval of the 1960s, Britain urged its colony in Southern Rhodesia (modern-day Zimbabwe) to grant its black residents a greater role in governing the territory. The white-minority government refused and soon declared its independence, a move bitterly opposed by the black majority. The result was the Rhodesian Bush War, which pitted the government against black nationalist groups, one of which was led by Robert Mugabe. Marked by unspeakable atrocities, the war ended in favor of the nationalists.
A Handful of Hard Men
Title | A Handful of Hard Men PDF eBook |
Author | Hannes Wessels |
Publisher | Casemate |
Total Pages | 303 |
Release | 2015-10-19 |
Genre | History |
ISBN | 1612003451 |
During the WestÕs great transition into the post-Colonial age, the country of Rhodesia refused to succumb quietly, and throughout the 1970s fought back almost alone against Communist-supported elements that it did not believe would deliver proper governance. During this long war many heroes emerged, but none more skillful and courageous than Captain Darrell Watt of the Rhodesian SAS, who placed himself at the tip of the spear in the deadly battle to resist the forces of Robert Mugabe and Joshua Nkomo. It is difficult to find another soldierÕs story to equal WattÕs in terms of time spent on the field of battle and challenges faced. Even by the lofty standards of the SAS and Special Forces, one has to look far to find anyone who can match his record of resilience and valor in the face of such daunting odds and with resources so paltry. In the fight he showed himself to be a military maestro. A bush-lore genius, blessed with uncanny instincts and an unbridled determination to close with the enemy, he had no peers as a combat-tracker (and there was plenty of competition). But the Rhodesian theater was a fluid and volatile one in which he performed in almost every imaginable fighting role; as an airborne shock-trooper leading camp attacks, long range reconnaissance operator, covert urban operator, sniper, saboteur, seek-and-strike expert, and in the final stages as a key figure in mobilizing an allied army in neighboring Mozambique. After 12 years in the cauldron of war his cause slipped from beneath him, however, and Rhodesia gave way to Zimbabwe. When the guns went quiet Watt had won all his battles but lost the war. In this fascinating biography we learn that in his twilight years he is now concerned with saving wildlife on a continent where they are in continued danger, devoting himself to both the fauna and African people he has cared so deeply about.
Bush At War
Title | Bush At War PDF eBook |
Author | Bob Woodward |
Publisher | Simon and Schuster |
Total Pages | 483 |
Release | 2012-12-25 |
Genre | Social Science |
ISBN | 1471104699 |
With his unmatched investigative skill, Bob Woodward tells the behind-the-scenes story of how President George W. Bush and his top national security advisers led the nation to war. Extensive quotations from the secret deliberations of the National Security Council and firsthand revelations of the private thoughts, concerns and fears of the president and his war cabinet, make BUSH AT WAR an unprecedented chronicle of a modern presidency in a time of grave crisis. Based on interviews with more than a hundred sources and four hours of exclusive interviews with the president, BUSH AT WAR reveals Bush's sweeping, almost grandiose vision for remaking the world. Woodward's virtual wiretap into the White House Situation Room reveals a stunning group portrait of an untested president and his advisers, three of whom might themselves have made it to the presidency. In BUSH AT WAR, Bob Woodward once again delivers a reporting tour de force.
Three Sips of Gin
Title | Three Sips of Gin PDF eBook |
Author | Timothy Bax |
Publisher | Casemate Publishers |
Total Pages | 406 |
Release | 2013-08-19 |
Genre | History |
ISBN | 190998244X |
The memoir of a special forces veteran of the Rhodesian War, with over a hundred photos included. Nothing terrorized Russian and Chinese-backed guerillas fighting Rhodesia’s bush war in the 1970s more than the famed Selous Scouts. The name of the unit struck fear in the hearts of even the most battle-hardened—rather than speak it, they referred to its soldiers simply as Skuzapu, or pickpockets. History has recorded the regiment as being one of the deadliest and most effective killing machines in modern counter-insurgency warfare. In this book, a veteran of the unit shares his stories of childhood in colonial Africa with his British family, documenting a world where Foreign Service employees gathered at “the club” to find company and alcohol, leopards prowled the night, and his mother knew how to use a gun. Eventually he would move to Canada, only to feel drawn back to the continent where he grew up. There he would be recruited into the Selous Scouts, comprised of specially selected black and white soldiers of the Rhodesian army, supplemented with hardcore terrorists captured on the battlefield. Posing as communist guerrillas, members of this elite Special Forces unit would slip silently into the night to seek out insurgents in a deadly game of hide-and-seek played out between gangs and counter-gangs in the harsh and unforgiving landscape of the African bush. By the mid-1970s, the Selous Scouts had begun to dominate Rhodesia’s battle space. Working in conjunction with the elite airborne assault troops of the Rhodesian Light Infantry, the Selous Scouts accounted for an extraordinarily high proportion of enemy casualties. Not content with restricting themselves to hunting guerrillas inside Rhodesia, they began conducting external vehicle-borne assaults against camps situated deep inside neighboring countries. Recounting his experiences while surviving in this cauldron of battle, while also relating with dry wit the day-to-day details and absurdities of the world that surrounded him, Timothy Bax provides a rare look at this time and place.
Baghdad Operators
Title | Baghdad Operators PDF eBook |
Author | James Glasse |
Publisher | Pen and Sword |
Total Pages | 248 |
Release | 2013-06-10 |
Genre | History |
ISBN | 1781593655 |
p across worn torn Iraq in the spring 2003. Discover how they used their unique military skills to create a successful security company with over 300 employees during the early days of the occupation. See how Iraq was torn apart from the inside from someone who was there and get an insight into what it took to rebuild a country ripped apart by war and insurgency.??Discover how their journey moved from the Basra oilfields, where they apply their skills to beat the bad guys and get more work, into Baghdad dangerous streets. Learn how they used their Close Protection skills to escort their clients around the countrys electricity grid. Find out how the power stations became a target and what steps were taken to protect them from mortars, rockets and infiltrators. Learn how the insurgents upped up their game and turned their attentions on the security teams, using everything from snipers and rockets to car bombs and IEDs to try and kill them. Also see how the security teams played piggy in the middle between the American military and the Iraqi police and how they had to use their skills and wits to keep working. Even in Kurdistan, the safest part of the country, one wrong move could cost have cost lives.??Find out how Britains ex-Special Forces helped Iraqs reconstruction and the part they had to pay along the way...