Query

Books by Ron Reid-Daly are apparently recommended, but I haven't actually managed to acquire copies of Top Secret War or Pamwe Chete yet, so I don't know personally. My copy of H. Ellert's Rhodesian Front War is good.

Reid-Daly is a major name. I have a friend who was a tracker in SWA SF late 70s early 80s. I'll ask. To some extent a lot is not yet written about that time. Vets are worried about hearings starting up at any time. Fear of persecution is strong.

John:

From my own reading on Rhodesia... Top Secret War (Reid-Daly), See You In November (Stiff), No Mean Soldier (McAleese) and Fireforce! (Cocks) are all excellent books about the war on the ground. Ian Smith's Great Betrayal lays it all out. Don't waste your time with Serving Secretly by Ken Flower; I was highly disappointed.

There are others that I have not read, but recommended too. Let me do some digging.

Stand by for more.

I, being a gamer, have a link to a company that produced a supplement to one of their rules sets called "B'Maso":

www.toofatlardies.co.uk

Maybe you can email them and ask what they used for resource material.

Sorry I don't have more info.

GregS

I read one years ago (before I went to VMI, even) called Merc: American Soldiers of Fortune by Jay Mallin and Robert K. Brown, publisher of Soldier of Fortune Magazine.

It looked at the time period from the early '60s up to the mid-'70s. Not a history per se, but nonetheless an interesting look at war in Africa.

Here is a start, possible more later: Do a search on SADF: lots of stuff. Some by well known operators, some welllll you decide.

I.E.. http://www.geocities.com/odjobman/index.htm

South African War Notes in Context:

People had to accept what they were told no matter what.

Censorship was very strong.

Children were made to attend bush schools to learn about living in Africa.

SA Govt spied on its people a lot. Especially English speakers and university students. Informers were sought.

Civil Cooperation Bureau: Security Forces hit squads. Took kids out camping a lot at SADF expense.

Application of the Terrorism act meant being held without trial.

SA conscription was being part of the society rather than a life of the professional.

Conscripts were either in it or in prison for 6 years.

If you don’t like it we will make you suffer until you do like it.

Conscription led to to the exploitation of some by those least qualified to command. Placing generally competent people in the hands of the incompetant. Thugs and louts are not wanted! The dangerous are even more dangerous when armed.

Conscription is the ultimate defense against coup de tat. They would not have the vested interest of a fully professional army.

Proportionally, three times white South Africans died on the Namibian borders than in Americans in Vietnam.

There's some good stuff on the Rhodesian bush war available. Barbara Cole's "The Elite" is one of the best if you can find it, it's a history of the Rhodesian SAS, written by a wife of one of the officers who is also a journalist. Ron Reid-daly's books on the Selous Scouts are pretty essential too.
"Fireforce" by Chris Cocks is an astonishing read. It's a memoir by a Rhodesian Light Infantry trooper which has some of the best descriptions of combat I've ever read.

There's a lot of good Rhodesian Army websites, but if you're interested in their COIN strategy and general history then Richard Woods website (jrtwood.com) is good. He's a former intel corps Lt. Best of his links is http://www.jrtwood.com/maps.asp and his Fireforce tactics article at http://www.jrtwood.com/article_fireforce.asp.

*phew* that was a bit! This is a personal interest area of mine (as you can tell!).

Life of Gordon by Gen Sir William Butler is at the bedside table right now. Been out of print for a hundred years but available.

I've got a LCDR friend who might be of service to you. Drop a PM at the email and I'll send over an introduction.

I also just recently saw an advertisement from Paladin Press (I know, just weed through the anarchist stuff...) that had a load of SA conflict titles.

GregS

Galago Press is a goldmine, too.