Overview

Formed in 1973 by the legendary Lieutenant-Colonel Ron Reid-Daly at the behest of Rhodesian military supremo General Peter Walls, the Selous Scouts were to write their name into the annals of military history as one of the finest counterinsurgency units of all time, through their innovative pseudo-guerrilla tactics, brilliant reconnaissance operations into Zambia and Botswana and daring flying-column raids into Mozambique. Feared and hated by the liberation movements ZIPRA and ZANLA, the Scouts wreaked untold havoc and destruction on their Soviet- and Chinese-backed enemies, accounting for 68% of guerrilla casualties within Rhodesia alone during the bitter bush war of the 1970s. Uniquely ahead of its time, the regiment - a brotherhood of men that traversed cultural and racial barriers; their Shona motto was 'Pamwe Chete' (together only) - was to produce the type of soldier that earned for the unit one Grand Cross of Valour, nine Silver Crosses and 22 Bronze Crosses of Rhodesia. AUTHOR: Peter Baxter completed a full tour of operations as a flight engineer with Royal Air Force Bomber Command during the Second World War. Subsequently he took up Engineer Leader duties with a newly formed squadron, completing further operations over Germany. After the war Peter married Joan and he worked for the family firm in Birmingham as the warehouse manager until his retirement. Peter and Joan had two sons, Andrew and Michael, who wrote the foreword to this book. 146 b/w photos, 25 colour photos, 3 maps, 6 colour profiles

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9781912866830

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Reviews

Africa@War is a ground-breaking series concept, studying Africa's conflicts and military players in an informative and entertaining manner, examining some of the lesser-known campaigns and shedding new light on some of the better-known operations ... Both titles are great models of what the combination of authors and publishers can produce by way of useable case studies for the market place in a concise illustrated format. They are recommended as professional military education references. --Charles D. Melson, Chief Historian, U.S. Marine Corps Each of the books in this series is a well-documented and researched synopsis of the events that they are focused upon. They layouts and presentation are logical and of a very high quality ... As an introduction to this field of operation, this series is outstanding. A definite asset for those wishing to improve their knowledge and understanding of the development of successful, multi-faceted doctrine in the fight against insurgent/assymetric war. --Major Chris Buckham, Royal Canadian Air Force Peter Baxter is a very good writer and his impassioned perspective led me to read this tome in one night.... The contemporary photographs support the text, and they certainly give you a good perspective of the events described. -- IPMS/USA This generally covers how the unit trained and operated more than the details of skirmishes and battles, but there's enough to sort out a scenario or two. -- Historical Miniatures Gaming Society Undoubtedly one of the most, if not the most, effective counter-insurgency units in the history of warfare --Lt-Col Robert Brown Soldier of Fortune Selous Scouts will provide the reader a number of critical lessons to be remembered when introducing a new unit to an established military force...guaranteed to provide an evening of enjoyable reading. -- ARMOR Magazine This was a fascinating read on a subject that is less known in history and the modeling world. I encourage you to get a copy and see the inspiration it contains. -- AMPS

Undoubtedly one of the most, if not the most, effective counter-insurgency units in the history of warfare --Lt-Col Robert Brown Soldier of Fortune Africa@War is a ground-breaking series concept, studying Africa's conflicts and military players in an informative and entertaining manner, examining some of the lesser-known campaigns and shedding new light on some of the better-known operations ... Both titles are great models of what the combination of authors and publishers can produce by way of useable case studies for the market place in a concise illustrated format. They are recommended as professional military education references. --Charles D. Melson, Chief Historian, U.S. Marine Corps Each of the books in this series is a well-documented and researched synopsis of the events that they are focused upon. They layouts and presentation are logical and of a very high quality ... As an introduction to this field of operation, this series is outstanding. A definite asset for those wishing to improve their knowledge and understanding of the development of successful, multi-faceted doctrine in the fight against insurgent/assymetric war. --Major Chris Buckham, Royal Canadian Air Force

Author Information

Peter Baxter completed a full tour of operations as a flight engineer with Royal Air Force Bomber Command during the Second World War. Subsequently he took up Engineer Leader duties with a newly formed squadron, completing further operations over Germany. After the war Peter married Joan and he worked for the family firm in Birmingham as the warehouse manager until his retirement. Peter and Joan had two sons, Andrew and Michael, who wrote the foreword to this book.

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