Africa's Commandos

A chronicle of the military revolution of The Rhodesian Light Infantry; from commando unit to killing machine extraordinaire Few, if any, regiments have left their mark on the history of modern warfare as did the Rhodesian Light Infantry. Raised on 1 February 1961 the RLI first evolved into a comma [...]
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A chronicle of the military revolution of The Rhodesian Light Infantry; from commando unit to killing machine extraordinaire Few, if any, regiments have left their mark on the history of modern warfare as did the Rhodesian Light Infantry. Raised on 1 February 1961 the RLI first evolved into a commando unit before becoming involved in mundane border-control duties in the Zambezi Valley. Later, as the bush war intensified, the RLI was to evolve into a ruthlessly efficient 'killing machine'. This book chronicles the military evolution of the RLI from the peacetime soldiering days through to the constant high-intensity combat of the final years. Initially comprising volunteers from South Africa and Britain the RLI was always under strength until 1976 when the percentage of national servicemen serving in the RLI dramatically soared to meet ever-increasing operational demands. The historical record will show how these young men, led and commanded by an outstanding combination of tough and battle-hardened non-commissioned officers and a skilled and aggressive officer corps, inflicted massive damage on the ZANLA and ZIPRA insurgent forces.The ruthless efficiency of the joint Air Force and RLI Fireforce operations where the RLI was deployed by helicopter and later also by parachute was to account for the deaths of in excess of 12,000 insurgents during the course of the war, at a rate of 160 enemy killed for every one of their own lost: a truly remarkable record.