Masodja: The History of the Rhodesian African Rifles and its Forerunner, The Rhodesia Native Regiment - Hardcover

Hopkins, John Wynne; Heppenstal, Brig David; Binda, Alexandre

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1920143033 ISBN 13: 9781920143039

Publisher: 30 Degrees South Publishers, 2007

Synopsis

Originally formed as The Rhodesia Native Regiment during World War I, this fine regiment first saw action in East Africa, pitted against the wily von Lettow-Vorbeck and his army of German askaris. Disbanded and later reformed, the regiment was to distinguish itself during World War II in the North African and Burma campaigns. Using the counter-insurgency experience gleaned from the Malayan Campaign of the 1950s, the RAR provided the frontline troops in the battle for Rhodesia in that country's bitter civil war of the 1960s and 1970s.

About this title

From the Publisher:

Alexandre Binda was born in Beira, Mozambique in 1945. He joined the Rhodesian Army in 1965. Although he had attested into the Pay Corps, he was to get more operational and combat experience than any of his colleagues. Between 1968 and 1972 he took part in a dozen or so deployments with RLI and SAS combat-tracker teams in support of the Portuguese Army in the Tete Province of Mozambique, countering Frelimo and ZANLA guerrilla incursions from the north. During his 15 years in the Rhodesian Army, he did a four-year tour of duty with the Selous Scouts and was paymaster for the Grey's Scouts and other units such as POU (Psychological Operations Unit). He was awarded a Military Forces Commendation and was commissioned in 1979. Alex is a keen student of African military history and has written several articles for "Lion & Tusk", the magazine of the Rhodesian Army Association. In addition, he has undertaken a number of significant military history projects including "Masodja - A History of the Rhodesian African Rifles", "The Saints – A History of the Rhodesian Light Infantry" and most recently, his acclaimed work "The Rhodesia Regiment – From Boer War to Bush War: 1899-1980. " Married to Jane, Alex now resides in scenic Northumberland's Cheviot Hills near the Scottish border in the UK.

Synopsis:

Formed in 1916 as The Rhodesia Native Regiment, its Shona and Ndebele troops were blooded with honour in the East African campaign, pitted against the wily General von Lettow-Vorbeck and his German askaris. Disbanded in 1919, the regiment was re-formed in 1940 during World War II as The Rhodesian African Rifles, seeing action in Egypt and Burma. In the 1950s, the regiment distinguished itself further during the Malayan Emergency. During the 1960s and 1970s, the regiment was at the forefront of hostilities in the bloody Rhodesian 'bush war'. In the specialist Fireforce role, heli- and para-borne, the soldiers of the RAR were to earn themselves a fearsome reputation as counter-insurgency fighters par excellence. Ironically, it was after Zimbabwean independence in 1980, that the RAR's finest hour came, when, fighting for their erstwhile enemy, Robert Mugabe, the soldiers of the RAR defeated Joshua Nkomo's invading ZIPRA armies at the battles of Entumbane in Bulawayo.

About this edition

• Publisher: 30 Degrees South Publishers
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 1920143033
• ISBN 13: 9781920143039
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 480