“The finest account I’ve read on the Selous Scouts . . . Andy Balaam tells it like it was—the fear, the terror, the adrenaline highs of combat in the bush.” —Chris Cocks, bestselling author of Fireforce From the searing heat of the Zambezi Valley to the freezing cold of the Chimanimani Mountains in Rhodesia, from the bars in Port St Johns in the Transkei to the Drakensberg Mountains in South Africa, this is the story of one man’s fight against terror, and his conscience. Anyone living in Rhodesia during the 1960s and 1970s would have had a father, husband, brother or son called up in the defense of the war-torn, landlocked little country. A few of these brave men would have been members of the elite and secretive unit that struck terror into the hearts of the ZANLA and ZIPRA guerrillas infiltrating the country at that time—the Selous Scouts. These men were highly trained and disciplined, with skills to rival the SAS, Navy Seals and the US Marines, although their dress and appearance were wildly unconventional: civilian clothing with blackened, hairy faces to resemble the very people they were fighting against. Twice decorated—with the Member of the Legion of Merit (MLM) and the Military Forces’ Commendation (MFC)—Andrew Balaam was a member of the Rhodesian Light Infantry and later the Selous Scouts, for a period spanning twelve years. This is his honest and insightful account of his time as a pseudo operator. His story is brutally truthful, frightening, sometimes humorous and often sad.

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 The heat in the Rhodesian desert was intense. It was not long before all the feeling in your arms was lost as the straps bit deep into your shoulder muscles, cutting off the blood supply. #2 The patrol leader and several other sergeants were hunched over the map, trying to find water. It was getting dark, and we were making one last attempt to find water before it got too dark to continue. #3 We were lost in the hottest, driest country in Rhodesia. We had no water, no radio communication with headquarters, and we had no idea where we were. We had arrived at the trees en masse, like a bunch of drunks, hope written over our blistered faces. #4 I had lost all sense of time and feeling. I was just an animal trying to survive. I was in fact a lot better off than many of my comrades, who had lapsed into a semi-coma.

From the searing heat of the Zambezi valley to the freezing cold of the Chimanimani mountains in Rhodesia; from the bars in Port St John's in the Transkei to the Drakensberg Mountains in South Africa; to the slums of Maputo Mocambique and the violence and corruption of Beira Mocamique to the beauty of the Portuguese Islands. This is one man's story of his fight against terror and survival in a world that no longer had any use for him or his skills. Twice decorated with the Member Of The Legion of Merit ( MLM ) and the Military Forces Commendation (MFC) Andrew Balaam was a member of the Rhodesian Light Infantry and later the Selous Scouts for twelve years. This is his account of his experiences whilst in the Rhodesian Light Infantry, Selous Scouts, Transkei and South African Government. His story is brutally truthful, frightening and sometimes humorous. It is also the story of the final hours of one of the finest armies in the world, The fight for power amongst senior Amy Officers, the fighting, back stabbing and spying as seen through the eyes of the author.

In Fighting and Writing Luise White brings the force of her historical insight to bear on the many war memoirs published by white soldiers who fought for Rhodesia during the 1964–1979 Zimbabwean liberation struggle. In the memoirs of white soldiers fighting to defend white minority rule in Africa long after other countries were independent, White finds a robust and contentious conversation about race, difference, and the war itself. These are writings by men who were ambivalent conscripts, generally aware of the futility of their fight—not brutal pawns flawlessly executing the orders and parroting the rhetoric of a racist regime. Moreover, most of these men insisted that the most important aspects of fighting a guerrilla war—tracking and hunting, knowledge of the land and of the ways of African society—were learned from black playmates in idealized rural childhoods. In these memoirs, African guerrillas never lost their association with the wild, even as white soldiers boasted of bringing Africans into the intimate spaces of regiment and regime.

This two-volume history of counterinsurgency covers all the major and many of the lesser known examples of this widespread and enduring form of conflict, addressing the various measures employed in the attempt to overcome the insurgency and examining the individuals and organizations responsible for everything from counterterrorism to infrastructure building. How and when should counterinsurgency be pursued as insurgency is growing in frequency and, conversely, while conventional warfare continues to decline as a means by which political rivals seek to impose their will upon each other? What lessons from the past should today's policymakers, strategists, military leaders, and soldiers in the field keep in mind while facing off against 21st-century insurgents? This two-volume set offers a comprehensive history of modern counterinsurgency, covering the key examples of this widespread and enduring form of conflict. It identifies the political, military, social, and economic measures employed in attempting to overcome insurgency, examining the work of the individuals and organizations involved, demonstrating how success and failure dictated change from established policy, and carefully analyzing the results. Readers will gain valuable insight from the detailed assessments of the history of counterinsurgency that demonstrate which strategies have succeeded and which have failed—and why. After an introductory essay on the subject, each chapter provides historical background to the insurgency being addressed before focusing on the specific policies pursued and actions taken by the counterinsurgency force. Each section also provides an assessment of those operations, including in most cases an analysis of lessons learned and, where appropriate, their relevance to counterinsurgency operations today. The set's coverage spans modern counterinsurgencies from Europe to Asia to Africa since 1900 and includes the ongoing counterinsurgency operations in Afghanistan today. Its wide, international approach to the subject makes the set a prime resource for readers seeking specific information on a particular conflict or a better understanding of the general theories and practices of counterinsurgency.

An exploration of how so-called ordinary people can disrupt violent conflict and forge peace. In this pathbreaking book, Roger Mac Ginty explores everyday peace-or how individuals and small groups can eke out spaces of tolerance and conciliation in conflict-ridden societies. Drawing on original material from the Everyday Peace Indicators project, he blends theory and concept-building together with contemporary and comparative examples. Unusual for the disciplines of peace and conflict studies as well as international relations, Everyday Peace also utilizes personal diaries and memoirs from World Wars One and Two. The book unpacks the core components of everyday peace and argues that it is constructed from a mix of sociality, reciprocity, and solidarity. This exploration of bottom-up and community-level approaches to peace challenges the usual concentration on top-down approaches to peace advanced by governments and international organizations. Indeed, the book goes to the lowest level of social organization - individuals, families and small groups of friends and colleagues - and looks at everyday interaction in workplaces, the stairwells of apartment buildings, and the queue for public transport. Mac Ginty sees peace and conflict as being embodied, lived, and experienced - and constructs a multi-layered definition of peace. Importantly, he applies his evidentiary base of micro-acts that constitute everyday peace to societies that have emerged out of conflict and have not experienced recidivism on a large scale. Unlike most who focus on top-down processes, he demonstrates that what matters is the interaction between top-down and bottom-up peace and how, in an ideal scenario, they can have a symbiotic relationship. By focusing on how the small-scale can have big and lasting effects, Everyday Peace will reshape our understanding of how peace comes about.

Using deep resources and contacts within the Bush administration and the media, Moore explores the current conflict with Iraq, the moral questions raised by one nation declaring war against another, and the political effort to help George W. Bush win a second term in office through this war.

Ranged against two powerful communist terrorist armies, the small, under-equipped army of Rhodesia defied all military convention by not only resisting the onslaught, but taking the fight to the very heart of the ZIPRA and ZANLA terrorist machines. The efforts of the Rhodesian army and air force shocked the world; how could such a small force of men repel the hordes of Russian and Chinese backed communist terrorists who threatened to overwhelm them? At the very heart of the Rhodesian war effort lay the RLI. The Rhodesian light infantry Commandos were second to none. Brave, tough, resourceful, stubborn and highly trained, the exploits of the RLI soon became legend, not only in Africa but the world over. Where ever the war situation was at its most dangerous, you would almost certainly find 'The Incredibles' at the epicentre of the action. "Stu was taking first stag and he woke Richard and me when he heard it. The voices were coming from the bush north of our location. We were unable to accurately determine distance, but estimated they were about fifty metres away. Often FRELIMO and ZANLA had little regard for noise discipline, even in circumstances such as this. So, the enemy was out here searching for us? The voices came closer then suddenly sheared off into the distance. Shortly afterwards there was more noise. Orders being issued and the clanking of unsecured kit drifted through the bush from several tens of metres away. We still couldn't see anything but it was obvious we had been overtaken and possibly encircled. In response to a question from Stu, I whispered that I didn't think the enemy knew our location. They were being far too indifferent. Had they known they would have approached cautiously, making as little noise as possible. No, they were looking for us alright, but didn't know where we were. We were on the alert now. We had about twelve hours of daylight left before we could move, plenty of time for Freddie to find us...."'Commando - Shoot To Kill' is a thrilling fictional account of service with the elite Rhodesian Light Infantry during the final year of the Bush War. Peter Rische describes heart stopping behind the lines reconnaissance missions and the realities of brutal close quarters combat as he leads the reader into the heart of the bitterest conflict in sub Saharan African history.