Dan Tharp

The biggest weapon that an outnumbered force needs is intelligence. In a day and age that was devoid of UAV drones, sophisticated SIGINT and sizeable Recce capabilities, the Rhodesians were essentially playing a game of ‘Whack the Mole’. They needed an equalizer. A human bugging device. The Scouts began providing that in spades. Small secure […]

The SAS, being undermanned for the amount of activity required to keep the enemy on their heels, approached Major Reid-Daly to borrow some men to use on external missions. Their skill at penetrating terrorist organizations and having black soldiers would be a tremendous asset to Externals. The Major saw this as his opportunity to advance […]

He finished his medic course in July of 1974 and got his wish to be posted back to the RLI. He was posted in an operational area around Mt. Darwin, dealing with injuries sustained by the troops in the field. He found it to be a comfortable place where he could write and get stamps, […]

In September of 1972, he found himself at a crossroads and began to express his disappointment on issues agreed upon by British Delegates and Ian Smith. He was bother by unimpeded progress of Black Majority rule, stationing of foreign troops, an increase of parliamentary seats by nationalists, and coupling the Rhodesian dollar to the Pound. […]

Horses and war were intertwined throughout history until the advent of the automobile. Even though the wide variety of Fighting Vehicles now carry the Cavalry into battle, horses have found their utility in 20th century Law Enforcement and War. Although the day of General George Armstrong Custer and J.E.B. Stewart engaging in major battles are […]

Several years ago while reading the writings of Robin Moore, the author of the classic book The Green Berets, I discovered that he had spent two years in Rhodesia, a small African country, running an unofficial American embassy that catered particularly to Americans who had joined the Rhodesian Army in their battle against the tide […]

The Cockleshell Heroes In the mid 1970’s, much effort was being put into strangling northern Mozambique. More and more ZANU Terrs were based there in the Tete Province. The relationship that ZANU had with FRELIMO made Mozambique a very difficult area to operate in, especially over a prolonged period. Captain Robert Mackenzie, an American who had served with […]

Reconnaissance was key for successful Fire Force Operations. For this, the Selous Scouts were the leading source of sightings and initial battle plans. The Scouts operated in a variety of roles from direct action missions, active recon or sitting on top of a mountain awaiting iInsurgents to appear along known infiltration routes. However the intel […]

Constituted in 1961, the Rhodesian Light Infantry was the backbone of the Rhodesian Security Forces. Unlike America’s overflowing man power and resources with the ability to specialize, Rhodesian soldiers had to fill the roles of everything from Leg infantry to Special Operations capable forces. The SAS and the Selous Scouts were formed to hit the […]

The helicopter has become an iconic image of war. It changed the way soldiers were able to deploy on the battlefield, dramatically reduced the mortality rate of wounded soldiers and delivers hell fire and brimstone to the enemy. To most Americans, the Bell UH-1 Huey in Vietnam was synonymous with the war itself. To the […]