Bush War In Rhodesia: The Extraordinary Combat Memoir of a Rhodesian Reconnaissance Specialist

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Wood, J R T (2012). "Chapter 29 June–July 1968". A Matter of Weeks Rather Than Months: Sanctions, Aborted Settlements and War 1965–1969. Bloomington, Indiana: Trafford Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4669-3409-2. Strong and Lahee ...tossed [hand] grenades and discharged two 32Z rifle grenades

Perhaps that is the most startling element in the book for me: for all of the author's insight and reflection there is no sense of remorse for those that he killed or injured. Maybe this is the answer to my #1 question above in that he and his fellow soldiers were fighting for a homeland - their homeland. In the later stages of the book (and the war) Croukamp comments on how the members of the RLI seemed more ruthless than when he started in the mid sixties. Obviously the average soldier felt threatened and desperate as things dragged on and on. Colour Sergeant Wally Ferreira died on 13 December 1968 while attempting to save the life of Lieutenant Charl Viljoen, who had fallen into the Zambezi and was drowning. Ferreira jumped in to save him and was also drowned. [72]Two Vampire fighter-bombers and two Canberra bombers were detailed to circle the area and provide air strikes as needed; the mere presence of these aircraft demoralised many cadres into deserting before they even met the Rhodesian forces. [4] Even though both conflicts were technically 'lost', why did the Rhodesian Army seem so much more effective with less? The troop numbering only 12 men, was pinned down on exposed ground on the side of a hill feature which the terrorists had used to establish a strong defensive position. Despite the heavy automatic fire at close range, Croukamp twice crawled forward toward the terrorists’ base and engaged them with grenades,” Hynds continued. It's a shame that Croukamp and Reid-Daly had a falling out but I commend Croukamp for giving Reid-Daly the opportunity to respond to some of the parts where Croukamp dealt a bit harshly with him. The "bamboo bazooka" was an improvised weapon first created by Mau Mau fighters in Kenya during their uprising against British rule in the 1950s. [35]

Cilliers, Jakkie (December 1984). Counter-Insurgency in Rhodesia. London, Sydney & Dover, New Hampshire: Croom Helm. ISBN 978-0-7099-3412-7. Croukamp, Dennis E. W. (December 2005). Only My Friends Call Me "Crouks": Rhodesian reconnaissance specialist. Cape Town: Pseudo Publishing. ISBN 978-0-620-29392-1.I will certainly admit, Crouks is headstrong, tenacious, stubborn and probably a good soldier in the field. But he is also unlikable, self-centered, arrogant, unprofessional, immature and incapable of writing a compelling story in my opinion. Comparing the two conflicts, the tour(s) of an American infantryman would rarely go over a maximum of a couple of years. What would it be like to fight a war for over 14 years? Croucamp related his exploits in the Rhodesian War in his book entitled, Only My Friends Call Me “Crouks” / The Bush War In Rhodesia.

Petter-Bowyer, P. J. H. (November 2005) [2003]. Winds of Destruction: the Autobiography of a Rhodesian Combat Pilot. Johannesburg: 30° South Publishers. ISBN 978-0-9584890-3-4. Croukamp's story answers these questions in a truly tell-all fashion. Croukamp fully admits in the beginning of the book that he is telling the story "warts and all". To the authors credit even the incriminating parts are told. Wood, J. R. T. (June 2005). So far and no further! Rhodesia's bid for independence during the retreat from empire 1959–1965. Victoria, British Columbia: Trafford Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4120-4952-8. For his "gallantry and leadership" in this action, Al Tourle was awarded the Bronze Cross of Rhodesia on 23 October 1970. [56]This original pair of cheetah mascots died on 6 October 1963, as did several sets of replacements over the years. New cheetahs were generally introduced some time after the deaths of their predecessors, but even during these intervals the unit's roll would specify the animal as its official mascot. [6] In February 1975, a nine-month-old cheetah cub was donated to the regiment by the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Management; this cheetah became "Trooper Saint", the RLI's permanent mascot. [7] Edwards was replaced as commanding officer of the RLI on 1 December 1964 by Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Walls. [21] A personable, jovial commander, Walls shared Smith's views on the independence question, and less than a month after his appointment incurred a reproach from his superior, Brigadier Rodney Putterill, when he allowed his men to wear paper hats marked "RLI for UDI" at Christmas dinner. [22] Walls had formed and commanded C Squadron (Rhodesian) SAS in Malaya during the early 1950s, and he was instructed to reform the RLI into a commando regiment along similar lines. Along with intensive specialist training, the new commanding officer replaced the peaked caps with tartan green berets to reinforce the Battalion's new role. He also instituted a new structure: unlike most commando units, which are battalions in their own right, Walls decided to keep the RLI name and have the sub-units referred to as "Commandos". A Company was renamed 1 Commando, B Company became 2 Commando and C and D Companies combined to form 3 Commando. HQ Company was retitled Base Group, which also controlled Support Group. The result of this reorganisation was that the RLI, in its new commando form, comprised five troops, each of 25 men. [23] During 1965 Walls expanded each Commando to number around 100 men, each divided into four troops. Each of these was in turn split into two 12-man patrols. [24] Wood, J. R. T. (April 2008). A matter of weeks rather than months: The Impasse between Harold Wilson and Ian Smith: Sanctions, Aborted Settlements and War 1965–1969. Victoria, British Columbia: Trafford Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4251-4807-2.