The Rhodesian Bush War , also referred to as the Rhodesian Civil War, Zimbabwe Independence War or Zimbabwean War of Liberation, as well as the Second Chimurenga, was a military conflict staged during the Decolonisation of Africa that pitted the armed and security forces loyal to the Rhodesian white minority-led government of Prime-minister Ian Smith (later the Zimbabwe-Rhodesian government of Bishop Abel Muzorewa) against the guerrilla forces of the African nationalist Liberation movements in the unrecognised country of Rhodesia (later Zimbabwe-Rhodesia), between 1965 and 1979. Main combatants comprised:
An eclectic variety of weapons was used by all sides in the Rhodesian Bush War. The Rhodesian Security Forces were equipped with a mix of Western-made weapon systems from World War II and more modern military equipment, mainly British in origin, but also included Portuguese, Spanish, French, Belgian, West German, American, Brazilian and South African military hardware. Following the Rhodesia's unilateral declaration of independence in 1965, and the institution by the United Nations of mandatory trade sanctions between December 1966 and April 1968, which required member states to cease all trade and economic links with Rhodesia, severely restricted purchases of military hardware suitable for Counter-insurgency operations. [2] While South Africa and Portugal (until 1974) gave economic, military and limited political support to the post-UDI government, [31] [32] Rhodesia was also heavily reliant on international smuggling operations, commonly referred to as "sanction-busting", in which other armaments and non-lethal military supplies were secretly purchased (often with a third country acting as broker) from West Germany, Austria, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Israel, Brazil, Iran (until 1979), the Philippines, South Vietnam (until 1975), Taiwan, Japan, Bermuda and Grenada, [33] [34] and smuggled to Rhodesia via clandestine air freighting through Oman, Iran, Gabon and the Comoros. [35] [36] Such illegally-purchased weaponry was complemented by the use of captured enemy arms and munitions late in the war, seized in the course of the Rhodesian Security Forces' own cross-border covert raids ("externals") against ZIPRA and ZANLA guerrilla bases in the neighbouring countries.
Unexpectedly, the UN sanctions provided the impetus for a shift towards the establishment of a domestic arms industry in Rhodesia. With South African technical assistance, the Rhodesians developed in coordination with the private sector their own military manufacturing capacity and began producing substitutes for items which could not be easily imported or were unaffordable in the international Black market. By the late 1970s, Rhodesia was producing an impressive array of military hardware, including automatic firearms, anti-personnel and anti-vehicle mines, bombs, mortars and a wide range of unique Mine and Ambush Protected (MAP) vehicles, which used commercial running gear to meet the specific requirements of the warfare being waged. [5]
During the early phase of the War, the African nationalist guerrilla movements were largely equipped with WWII-vintage Western and Eastern arms and munitions, though as the war went on, more modern Soviet, Eastern Bloc and Chinese weaponry began to play a major role, particularly after 1972. The African host countries that provided sanctuary to ZIPRA and ZANLA, mainly Tanzania, Zambia, Angola and Mozambique, served as conduits for arms shipments coming from the sponsor countries, although the guerrillas themselves made use of captured enemy stocks (which included small-arms and land mines) and they were able to manufacture some of their own anti-personnel mines, anti-vehicle roadside bombs and other home-made explosive devices. [37] [38]
It was license-produced in ... Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe).
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: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)Weaponry included 81mm mortars and a Russian B19[sic] recoilless rifle.
The Selous Scouts was a special forces unit of the Rhodesian Army that operated during the Rhodesian Bush War from 1973 until the reconstitution of the country as Zimbabwe in 1980. It was mainly responsible for infiltrating the black majority population of Rhodesia and collecting intelligence on insurgents so that they could be attacked by regular elements of the security forces. The unit did this by forming small teams that posed as insurgents and usually included captured insurgents. Over time, the Selous Scouts increasingly attacked insurgents themselves and operated in the countries that neighboured Rhodesia.
The Rhodesian Bush War, also known as the Second Chimurenga as well as the Zimbabwean War of Independence, was a civil conflict from July 1964 to December 1979 in the unrecognised country of Rhodesia.
The Rhodesian African Rifles (RAR) was a regiment of the Rhodesian Army. The ranks of the RAR were recruited from the black African population, although officers were generally from the white population. The regiment was formed in May 1940 in the British colony of Southern Rhodesia.
Grey's Scouts were a Rhodesian mounted infantry unit raised in July 1975 and named after George Grey, a British soldier and governor. Based in Salisbury it patrolled Rhodesia's borders during the Rhodesian Bush War, and then became a regiment of the Special Forces of Zimbabwe in June 1980. It was totally disbanded in July 1986 because of a lack of resources.
The Thyssen Henschel UR-416 is a German armoured personnel carrier, first introduced in 1969 and based on the body of the Mercedes-Benz Unimog light truck.
The Rhodesian Armoured Corps, nicknamed the "Black Devils" — was the only standing armoured cavalry battalion of the Rhodesian Army. During World War II, it took part in the Allied Spring 1945 offensive and the Battle of Monte Cassino as part of South Africa's 6th Armoured Division. The unit was among the first to enter a liberated Florence in July 1944. Prior to 1963, its crews were trained in the United Kingdom or Aden Colony and were known as the "Selous Scouts" under the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. After Rhodesia's Unilateral Declaration of Independence, maintaining the armoured vehicle fleet became a responsibility of the Rhodesian Light Infantry (RLI) until Major Bruce Rooken-Smith reactivated the former Rhodesian Armoured Car Regiment in 1972. During the Rhodesian Bush War, the regiment fought in several major campaigns and battles, particularly Operation Miracle in September 1979. It was superseded by the new Zimbabwe Armoured Corps between 1980 and 1981.
The Rhodesian Security Forces were the military forces of the Rhodesian government. The Rhodesian Security Forces consisted of a ground force, the Rhodesian Air Force, the British South Africa Police, and various personnel affiliated to the Rhodesian Ministry of Internal Affairs. Despite the impact of economic and diplomatic sanctions, Rhodesia was able to develop and maintain a potent and professional military capability.
The Police Support Unit, also known by their nickname of the Black Boots, is a paramilitary wing of the Zimbabwe Republic Police. They were founded as a native police force but later developed into a counter-insurgency unit of the British South Africa Police in Rhodesia during the Rhodesian Bush War. The unit was the only paramilitary unit retained by the Zimbabwe Republic Police after the country's reconstitution as Zimbabwe.
The Pookie MRAP vehicle was created to deal with the constant mining of roadways during the Rhodesian Bush War.
The Leopard Security Vehicle is an unusual land-mine protected APC used by the Rhodesian government and civilian population during the 1964–1979 Rhodesian Bush War. It offered basic but necessary protection against mine attack through the use of a V-hull.
The Gazelle FRV or Fast Reconnaissance Vehicle is a 4×4 infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) built for reconnaissance on the chassis of the Mercedes-Benz Unimog light truck developed by Zimbabwe in the early 1980s.
The Mine Protected Combat Vehicle – MPCV was a Rhodesian 4×4 Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle (MRAPV), first introduced in 1979 and based on the body of the Mercedes-Benz Unimog light truck. It remains in use with the Zimbabwe National Army.
The Bullet Troop-Carrying Vehicle (TCV) is a light 4x4 infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) developed by Rhodesia in the late 1970s based on the body of the Mercedes-Benz Unimog light truck.
The Crocodile armoured personnel carrier or "Croc" is a Rhodesian armoured personnel carrier first introduced in 1977 and based on Japanese commercial heavy-duty trucks' chassis. It remains in use with the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA).
The MAP75 armoured personnel carrier is a Rhodesian 4x4 heavy troop-carrying vehicle (TCV) first introduced in 1978 based on a Mercedes-Benz truck chassis. It remains in use with the Zimbabwe National Army.
The MAP45 armoured personnel carrier is a Rhodesian/Zimbabwean 4x4d heavy troop-carrying vehicle (TCV) first introduced in 1978 based on a Mercedes-Benz truck chassis. It remains in use with the Zimbabwe National Army.
The 1st Battalion, The Rhodesian Light Infantry, commonly the Rhodesian Light Infantry, was originally formed in 1961 as a regiment of the army of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. Raised as a light infantry unit at Brady Barracks, Bulawayo in Southern Rhodesia, the Regiment served in the Rhodesian Bush War as part of the Rhodesian Security Forces between 1964 and 1979, from 1965 under the unrecognised governments of Rhodesia and latterly, during the second half of 1979, Zimbabwe Rhodesia. The RLI remained active during an interim period under British control and then, from April 1980, within the armed forces of Zimbabwe, before disbanding on 31 October 1980.
The 1st Battalion, The Rhodesian Light Infantry, commonly the Rhodesian Light Infantry, served in the Rhodesian Bush War as part of the Rhodesian Security Forces between 1964 and 1979, under the unrecognised government of Rhodesia following its 1965 Unilateral Declaration of Independence from Britain. During the second half of 1979 it fought for Zimbabwe Rhodesia, a black majority-ruled version of the same state which also failed to win international recognition. After an interim period under British control from December 1979 to April 1980, the RLI briefly remained active within the armed forces of Zimbabwe, but did not see action under this government. It disbanded on 31 October 1980.
Although many other countries have possessed chemical and biological weapons programs, Rhodesia was one of the few countries known to have used chemical and biological agents. Rhodesian CBW use took place toward the end of Rhodesia's protracted struggle against a growing African nationalist insurgency in the late 1970s. The genesis of the Rhodesian CBW effort emerged as a result of a deteriorating security situation that developed following Mozambique's independence from Portuguese colonial rule. In April 1980, the former colony became the independent country of Zimbabwe.
Operation Winter was an initiative undertaken by the South African Defence Force (SADF) to recruit white members of the former Rhodesian Security Forces in 1980 after that country transitioned to majority rule as Zimbabwe. It contributed to large numbers of Rhodesian veterans moving to South Africa.