I am a Rhodesian and was involved militarily from 1971 to 1977.Thank you so much Dave for your service, it is and was greatly appreciated. Thank you again Pamwe Chete forward together brother!
thanks for coming by dave. what a tragic time. our war was lost strategically as early as '76. losing my birthland in '80 has been a hole in my heart every since.
I’m Still an SADF soldier,I’ve never gotten over our betrayal! As I’m terminally ill I have these tortured thoughts of still being this fighter for truth and justice with communist terrorists ,ANC,under control! Our enemy today is our master….
@@Renoster77 hostile fronts the width of southern africa and the expedient legacy of the boer war to rationalise for it ou maat. perhaps you guys did not appreciate how integral die volk were in our history and lives too. i felt we were one, my own blood being part dutch hugenoet, french missionary, scottish, irish and engels. oor ongeveer 7 generasies, 'n ware brak van europese kolonialisme in suider-afrika met my voorouers begrawe van kaapstad tot livingstone in zambië. ek weet nou hoe verkeerd ons was om so onderdrukkend en onverdraagsaam te wees. dit was 'n strategiese mislukking. ons moes vroeër dieper geploeg het my broer. meer aanvaarbaar was. ons het beslis verskille gehad, engels, afrikaans, swart, wit, maar ons is almal kinders van god, van die grond. daardie grond. die ironie van dna wat bewys dat dit nie vir my verlore gaan nie. integrasie sou mettertyd tot 'n beloofde land geblom het in plaas van die kleptokrasie en polêre 'apartheid' van vandag. my afrikaanse oupa het gesê moenie weggaan nie en ek is dalk nou terug in europa maar ek is 'n buitelander hier terwyl my hart nog daar is, 'n soutpiel van die era van eksplorasie en imperialisme wat nooit weer huis sal ken nie. dit is my straf en nalatenskap. leer hulle taal my broer. help hulle soos jy jou eie sal doen. begin daar. dit mag dalk laat wees maar net dit sal nog vrugte afwerp. 🙏
@@Renoster77 it was never actually against communism my brother. they had to turn to the eastern bloc for military help fighting us because we were so intransigent. it was a civil war and it was propagandised to us as a commie insurgency. our own people led us down that manipulative deceit. they just wanted what we had and because we undermined and denied that they took it instead. they are still taking it, one way or another. there is no right in that but there was no right in what we did. that is the hard truth we must now live with. 🙏
Brilliant Dave, absolutely brilliant. Your recall of events is spot on. 100% correct, especially with Op Miracle. Thank you for your service and loyalty to Rhodesia.
In 77 and 78 I was working in the Northwoods sawmill in remote northern B.C. Canada with a fellow from Rhodesia. He was conscripted to duty as a teenager and kept us all in awe with battle stories. His family anticipated that they would be betrayed by the British and advised him to emigrated to Canada. He had an incredible influence on the entire bunkhouse as a devoted Christian. He was also studying to be a pilot in his spare time. As soon as he passed his flight test he was immediately hired as a bush pilot and left us slackers behind.
Howzit Dave...long time...Hans Sittig here...watching the broadcast I see that you met Bob Mackenzie....I operated with Bob in 1977...we raided the ZANLA Base...Ruya Magazine toigether...killed 40 and captured tons of gear...Bob also took an 8 ton Zil truck back to Rhodesia...as you say...a qiwt spoken guy...absolute gentleman
@tprdfh51 changes nothing Mr KKK, you can't come all the way from Europe and dominate people based on their race and call them names when they want to rule themselves in their own land.
Great interview. Tough to find stories (of operation) especially told by veterans themselves of the Rhodesian bush war in such a format due to the nature a lot in the West look back at that time. They're still stories that deserve telling and here's one told very well.
Having cameras on every battlefield has kept us from winning every war we've engaged in. The people are more than willing to send their young men off to die, but Lord forbid if they have to watch them killing their enemy on the evening news. Great video! Always nice to hear history from the people who were there.
In 1979 intake 163 was the first intake that never went to Llewellyn barracks. The intake assembled in Salisbury at the Drill Hall and from there we were shipped to Cranbourne barracks. From there we were allocated directly into the units of our choice. 163 was the biggest intake in Rhodesia’s history.
Very interesting, I had no idea Canadians fought in the Rhodesian bush war. My Dad and two uncles fought in the bush war. Selous Scouts and RLI. It was a scary time to be a kid. Thanks for your story Dave.
Thanks Dave I was in support commando RLI , we always had 4 G car helicopters carrying 4 guys each ,and 1 K car with the 20mm cannon flying in to battle . As soon as we were airborne there would be group in trucks called the tail end carrying more troops and fuel for the choppers . This was to get more troops to the contact zone quickly and less time for choppers to ferry more guy to the contact zone. Rhodesia was a great country , pity it is now in a very bad state due to so much corruption.
Mr. Hughes was correct about the name of the obscure firearm in the Rhodesian armory, the American 180, which Ian McCollum covered over on Forgotten Weapons. Magazines were in 177 and 250 round variants and fed .22LR at 1200-1500 RPM. I remember it because Ian's mention that the Utah Highway Patrol of the day had some of them and found occasion to operate one from moving vehicle to neutralize the target vehicle it was under fire from. It did the job, though it was designed for that purpose of Law Enforcement of increased shots on target and limited penetration.
My Dad was a radio operator, did not talk much about it but did say on Sunday nights he would put out over the radio an episode of Dallas or some show so the guys in bush could listen, dont think it was allowed but he never got into any hot water about.
Can someone link this gentleman's info to Jon Van Zyl at the fighting men of Rhodesia channel? I know he, Tony Ballenger and Hannes Wessles would value this greatly.
@tprdfh51 From a guy in Maine, US this interview was huge. Your perspectives and story, coming all the way from Canada to help a country in need, your a legend.
The strangest story I have for a Canadian in the Vietnam era US Army was a French Canadian I met in Quebec. He was back and forth living in backwoods Quebec and New England then he got drafted. The guy told me the recruiter realized this guy's English wasn't going to keep him alive. So he showed him how to read the courses descriptions and told him to pick the school with the longest training period. He was some sort of office administration trade for his enlistment.
An interesting you tube channel to watch is "Fighting Men Of Rhodesia" where a lot of ex-Rhodesians are interviewed. Watching those videos may give you a good insight of the war in Rhodesia which was not a racial war as the majority of Rhodesian troops were in fact black people and they were excellent soldiers. Dave also makes an appearance on that channel.
selous scouts support group had very recently been changed to assault group when uncle ron reid-daly was replaced by pat armstrong. no operational changes were made. it consisted of national servicemen and territorial army (post ns) soldiers of all ranks with regular officers and ncos.
Awesome interview. The story of operation miracle had me listening to every word with 100% attention, so very interesting. The plane you were wondering about the name of mr Hughes, is called a Lynx. cheers.
the key with hippo is don't get between them and deep water, and steer well clear of mamas and their 'babies'. crocs were solitary, less predictable / overtly aggressive until they struck. at least one sas operator i can think of was taken by a croc in lake kariba. not operational if memory serves.
Rhodesians were abandoned by South Africa. That is the cruel reality. After the exit of Portuguese from Mozambique, Rhodesia depended 100% from their southern big brother. After all, many Rhodesians were either South African born or had strong South African bond. Blaming Britain is senseless, since London had always the same policy: majority rule come what may.
What? White Rhodesians were mostly Anglos from the Commonwealth and made clear distinctions between themselves and Afrikaners, although there was some crossover and influence
i still have a solitary camo shirt like that and a pair of camo trousers i couldn't fit in now with the help of grease and cookie inducements. cun* cap with cutoff tail (it was the sas 'style') and dayglo insert too. all need a good home 'cos i'm outta beer. i am open to offers.
We never gave up we were let down by our friends I was there in 3cdo RLI and would of died for my country still biggest disappointment having to be told it's over
Very interesting just a bit confused about your opening statement about the Rhodesian army fighting against the British Government. Rhodesia was never at war with Britain, the Rhodesian army fought against ZANLA and ZIPRA who infiltrated Rhodesia from Mocambique and Zambia.
Southern Rhodesia's declaration of UDI on November 11, 1965 was technically speaking, a rebellion against Great Britain, hence Rhodesian's were fighting against the Crown.
All that service and deaths and injuries were for a lost cause from the start, as my hubby always said, history books will read "how africa went back to the blacks" this has been borne out subsequently. He left Rhodesia and never served as his father fought in WW II and found it horrific and did not see any justification and did not want his son killed. Many other young guys avoided call-up papers and never returned.
@@tprdfh51 They all knew it was a lost cause and waste of time. Becoming a soldier doesnt make you a man, it may kill, injure and leave you with PTSD, which person wants that?
@Bluefalconspiracies correct...Zac was referring to the fact that UDI was similar in many respects to 1776 and a strict interpretation of the situation in Rhodesia was the Rhodies were rebelling against the Crown.
Thanks Dave for your service, well told story.I’m sure the mortared camp was Kabrit barracks. Respect to the Rhodesians as their tactics were co-opted partially into the Zimbabwe Army although the current military has fallen short of their true intentions now more of a threat to civilians instead of protecting them. Much respect to the Mounted on horseback Grey scouts, the best toughest trained special forces behind enemy lines the Selous “skuz apo,the Eskimos,Pamwe Chete”Scouts now Zimbabwe 1 Parachute Regiment/ Zimbabwe SAS, Rhodesian Armoured CAR REGIMENT “Asisabi lutho “ now Zimbabwe Mechanized brigade all at Inkomo barracks , the Rhodesian S.A.S, RLI now One Commando Regiment, RAR,RDR,respect to the BSAPS too. Boy those Crocodile mine protected vehicles were a piece of exceptional military equipment showing how resilient the Rhodesians were in adapting, they the RLI still hold the most parachute 🪂 jumps in history don’t know if the record still stands. Follow the K-Car , alpha 76 radios, the R1 or F.N 7.62x51mm so many weapons used including enemies ones notably by the Selous Scouts, proud to have learnt from these exceptional warriors Respect 🫡 🫡🫡
I am a Rhodesian and was involved militarily from 1971 to 1977.Thank you so much Dave for your service, it is and was greatly appreciated. Thank you again Pamwe Chete forward together brother!
Please tell your story on Fighting Men of Rhodesia channel!
Thanks for putting this together, history like this is important
thanks for coming by dave. what a tragic time. our war was lost strategically as early as '76. losing my birthland in '80 has been a hole in my heart every since.
I’m Still an SADF soldier,I’ve never gotten over our betrayal!
As I’m terminally ill I have these tortured thoughts of still being this fighter for truth and justice with communist terrorists ,ANC,under control!
Our enemy today is our master….
@@Renoster77 hostile fronts the width of southern africa and the expedient legacy of the boer war to rationalise for it ou maat. perhaps you guys did not appreciate how integral die volk were in our history and lives too.
i felt we were one, my own blood being part dutch hugenoet, french missionary, scottish, irish and engels.
oor ongeveer 7 generasies, 'n ware brak van europese kolonialisme in suider-afrika met my voorouers begrawe van kaapstad tot livingstone in zambië. ek weet nou hoe verkeerd ons was om so onderdrukkend en onverdraagsaam te wees. dit was 'n strategiese mislukking.
ons moes vroeër dieper geploeg het my broer. meer aanvaarbaar was.
ons het beslis verskille gehad, engels, afrikaans, swart, wit, maar ons is almal kinders van god, van die grond. daardie grond.
die ironie van dna wat bewys dat dit nie vir my verlore gaan nie.
integrasie sou mettertyd tot 'n beloofde land geblom het in plaas van die kleptokrasie en polêre 'apartheid' van vandag.
my afrikaanse oupa het gesê moenie weggaan nie en ek is dalk nou terug in europa maar ek is 'n buitelander hier terwyl my hart nog daar is, 'n soutpiel van die era van eksplorasie en imperialisme wat nooit weer huis sal ken nie. dit is my straf en nalatenskap.
leer hulle taal my broer. help hulle soos jy jou eie sal doen. begin daar. dit mag dalk laat wees maar net dit sal nog vrugte afwerp. 🙏
@@Renoster77 it was never actually against communism my brother. they had to turn to the eastern bloc for military help fighting us because we were so intransigent. it was a civil war and it was propagandised to us as a commie insurgency. our own people led us down that manipulative deceit. they just wanted what we had and because we undermined and denied that they took it instead. they are still taking it, one way or another. there is no right in that but there was no right in what we did. that is the hard truth we must now live with. 🙏
Brilliant Dave, absolutely brilliant. Your recall of events is spot on. 100% correct, especially with Op Miracle. Thank you for your service and loyalty to Rhodesia.
In 77 and 78 I was working in the Northwoods sawmill in remote northern B.C. Canada with a fellow from Rhodesia. He was conscripted to duty as a teenager and kept us all in awe with battle stories. His family anticipated that they would be betrayed by the British and advised him to emigrated to Canada. He had an incredible influence on the entire bunkhouse as a devoted Christian. He was also studying to be a pilot in his spare time. As soon as he passed his flight test he was immediately hired as a bush pilot and left us slackers behind.
Howzit Dave...long time...Hans Sittig here...watching the broadcast I see that you met Bob Mackenzie....I operated with Bob in 1977...we raided the ZANLA Base...Ruya Magazine toigether...killed 40 and captured tons of gear...Bob also took an 8 ton Zil truck back to Rhodesia...as you say...a qiwt spoken guy...absolute gentleman
He truly was...a sad loss but he went down doing what he did best - a warrior to the end.
Fighting killing and dying to preserve racism in an African country, crazy people
Enjoyed your talks on FMR. Thank you for sharing them😄
@@wilshokoI call BS mate.
@tprdfh51 changes nothing Mr KKK, you can't come all the way from Europe and dominate people based on their race and call them names when they want to rule themselves in their own land.
Great interview. Tough to find stories (of operation) especially told by veterans themselves of the Rhodesian bush war in such a format due to the nature a lot in the West look back at that time. They're still stories that deserve telling and here's one told very well.
Then you should look up John van Zyl, his entire channel is interviews with servicemen and women from Rhodesia
From old RLI Trooper thank you for your service to our country .
Great stories, and much respect to all Rhodies out there..
This was excellent! It would be great to hear more from these veterans.
This was awesome, thank you
Thanks for sharing.
Great stuff, hope to hear more stories from those who fought for Rhodesia
Did many years as a "contractor" in the sub-Sahara... changed my life and I will never forget. TAB!
Fascinating story
Enjoyed your account. I was in Engineers and drove a Pookie from the mid 70's. You need to write a book.
You must write a book too.
@MarkVersfeld-s5i I'm starting to write up notes on various incidents mainly for my family
Thanks ‘boet’, glad for your service from ‘Rhodies wherever they find themselves
push pull aircraft was a cessna skymaster called a 'lynx'. 'bull dogs' were a 'nam airie.
Having cameras on every battlefield has kept us from winning every war we've engaged in. The people are more than willing to send their young men off to die, but Lord forbid if they have to watch them killing their enemy on the evening news.
Great video! Always nice to hear history from the people who were there.
Yeah no lol, you're clueless and out of touch if this is your honest opinion.
There were plenty of cameras for WW2
I hope this hits the algorithm
In 1979 intake 163 was the first intake that never went to Llewellyn barracks. The intake assembled in Salisbury at the Drill Hall and from there we were shipped to Cranbourne barracks. From there we were allocated directly into the units of our choice. 163 was the biggest intake in Rhodesia’s history.
Great Story 👍
"gaped it". authentic technical term. 😄
Very interesting, I had no idea Canadians fought in the Rhodesian bush war. My Dad and two uncles fought in the bush war. Selous Scouts and RLI. It was a scary time to be a kid. Thanks for your story Dave.
Thanks Dave I was in support commando RLI , we always had 4 G car helicopters carrying 4 guys each ,and 1 K car with the 20mm cannon flying in to battle . As soon as we were airborne there would be group in trucks called the tail end carrying more troops and fuel for the choppers . This was to get more troops to the contact zone quickly and less time for choppers to ferry more guy to the contact zone. Rhodesia was a great country , pity it is now in a very bad state due to so much corruption.
Please tell your story on Fighting Men of Rhodesia channel!
ZANU PF are still clinging on to power, 44 years and we all know the mess they have made. No surprise...
Yes, and look at how “wonderfully” (cough, cough, gag) they have done.
Mr. Hughes was correct about the name of the obscure firearm in the Rhodesian armory, the American 180, which Ian McCollum covered over on Forgotten Weapons. Magazines were in 177 and 250 round variants and fed .22LR at 1200-1500 RPM. I remember it because Ian's mention that the Utah Highway Patrol of the day had some of them and found occasion to operate one from moving vehicle to neutralize the target vehicle it was under fire from. It did the job, though it was designed for that purpose of Law Enforcement of increased shots on target and limited penetration.
My understanding is the '180's were used on a few raids by the SAS when they went into Moz late in the war.
Interesting conversation.
My Dad was a radio operator, did not talk much about it but did say on Sunday nights he would put out over the radio an episode of Dallas or some show so the guys in bush could listen, dont think it was allowed but he never got into any hot water about.
What a fantastic memory
Can someone link this gentleman's info to Jon Van Zyl at the fighting men of Rhodesia channel? I know he, Tony Ballenger and Hannes Wessles would value this greatly.
My episode on that show should be out shortly.
@tprdfh51 From a guy in Maine, US this interview was huge. Your perspectives and story, coming all the way from Canada to help a country in need, your a legend.
Dave is a great man
The strangest story I have for a Canadian in the Vietnam era US Army was a French Canadian I met in Quebec. He was back and forth living in backwoods Quebec and New England then he got drafted. The guy told me the recruiter realized this guy's English wasn't going to keep him alive. So he showed him how to read the courses descriptions and told him to pick the school with the longest training period. He was some sort of office administration trade for his enlistment.
An interesting you tube channel to watch is "Fighting Men Of Rhodesia" where a lot of ex-Rhodesians are interviewed. Watching those videos may give you a good insight of the war in Rhodesia which was not a racial war as the majority of Rhodesian troops were in fact black people and they were excellent soldiers. Dave also makes an appearance on that channel.
selous scouts support group had very recently been changed to assault group when uncle ron reid-daly was replaced by pat armstrong. no operational changes were made.
it consisted of national servicemen and territorial army (post ns) soldiers of all ranks with regular officers and ncos.
i was one of those lighties in intake 163 at kabrit - probably at gwaai river by the time this gent arrived. 😁
You guys were still at Kabrit when I got there...but not for long.
@tprdfh51 164?
Ross Boyd was an armourer at the time
Awesome interview. The story of operation miracle had me listening to every word with 100% attention, so very interesting. The plane you were wondering about the name of mr Hughes, is called a Lynx. cheers.
Thank you...on a few occasions during the live interview I did find myself searching my memory for the right names and dates.😊
zero ear protection back in the day. tinnitus in both ears to this day. little silicon covered piston inserts were introduced in '79.
I have often wondered about that, was on the rifle for two days and by the second day my left ear was numb, we did not wear ear defenders..!!??
@MarkVersfeld-s5i are you a southpaw? was someone shooting on your lhs? rhs?
the key with hippo is don't get between them and deep water, and steer well clear of mamas and their 'babies'. crocs were solitary, less predictable / overtly aggressive until they struck. at least one sas operator i can think of was taken by a croc in lake kariba. not operational if memory serves.
You can still get kleppers. The carbon version is £7000!
Curious what year did you join 1978 ? And did you do your basic? "728501
Enlisted in Jan/79.
Rhodesians were abandoned by South Africa. That is the cruel reality. After the exit of Portuguese from Mozambique, Rhodesia depended 100% from their southern big brother. After all, many Rhodesians were either South African born or had strong South African bond. Blaming Britain is senseless, since London had always the same policy: majority rule come what may.
What? White Rhodesians were mostly Anglos from the Commonwealth and made clear distinctions between themselves and Afrikaners, although there was some crossover and influence
those mine protected vehicles were called crocodiles. naturally. fyi.
Where is McSoak on this one?
Monte Cassino a bit like Magersfontein?
Live long rhodesia from Northern Ireland
i still have a solitary camo shirt like that and a pair of camo trousers i couldn't fit in now with the help of grease and cookie inducements. cun* cap with cutoff tail (it was the sas 'style') and dayglo insert too. all need a good home 'cos i'm outta beer. i am open to offers.
What country are you in mate, I may be interested
@@Mr-Damage europe.
@@inhale.exhale.2527 I'm in Australia.
Idi went to Saudi , I think.
Correct.
Rhodesia should have never given up. The entire west is falling into the same traps....
We never gave up we were let down by our friends
I was there in 3cdo RLI and would of died for my country still biggest disappointment having to be told it's over
My comments on Matt Lamb's age were incorrect...he was 18yrs old when charged with "Capital Murder" in Windsor, Ontario.
You did Amazing
Thanks for telling your story
Very interesting just a bit confused about your opening statement about the Rhodesian army fighting against the British Government. Rhodesia was never at war with Britain, the Rhodesian army fought against ZANLA and ZIPRA who infiltrated Rhodesia from Mocambique and Zambia.
Southern Rhodesia's declaration of UDI on November 11, 1965 was technically speaking, a rebellion against Great Britain, hence Rhodesian's were fighting against the Crown.
All that service and deaths and injuries were for a lost cause from the start, as my hubby always said, history books will read "how africa went back to the blacks" this has been borne out subsequently. He left Rhodesia and never served as his father fought in WW II and found it horrific and did not see any justification and did not want his son killed. Many other young guys avoided call-up papers and never returned.
Yes, many took the "gap"...for whatever their reason?
@@tprdfh51 They all knew it was a lost cause and waste of time. Becoming a soldier doesnt make you a man, it may kill, injure and leave you with PTSD, which person wants that?
heat stroke in salisbury?? damn. gwaai river would have fried your brain. 😂
150 rds
5 mags x 20rds + 20rds in a cardboard box = 120rds.
Terrible anti colonial intro, can’t this guy at least wiki some history first. Regardless, thanks for,your service. Namibia 77-79 here.
A joke I assume
@Bluefalconspiracies correct...Zac was referring to the fact that UDI was similar in many respects to 1776 and a strict interpretation of the situation in Rhodesia was the Rhodies were rebelling against the Crown.
i have a 25lb shell casing from op miracle open to offers. a genuine item.
🗿
How can someone fighting with colonialist againt colonialist Anti-colonialist?
@@natturner1619 say what?
Thanks Dave for your service, well told story.I’m sure the mortared camp was Kabrit barracks. Respect to the Rhodesians as their tactics were co-opted partially into the Zimbabwe Army although the current military has fallen short of their true intentions now more of a threat to civilians instead of protecting them.
Much respect to the Mounted on horseback
Grey scouts, the best toughest trained special forces behind enemy lines the Selous “skuz apo,the Eskimos,Pamwe Chete”Scouts now Zimbabwe 1 Parachute Regiment/ Zimbabwe SAS, Rhodesian Armoured CAR REGIMENT “Asisabi lutho “ now Zimbabwe Mechanized brigade all at Inkomo barracks , the Rhodesian S.A.S, RLI now One Commando Regiment, RAR,RDR,respect to the BSAPS too.
Boy those Crocodile mine protected vehicles were a piece of exceptional military equipment showing how resilient the Rhodesians were in adapting, they the RLI still hold the most parachute 🪂 jumps in history don’t know if the record still stands.
Follow the K-Car , alpha 76 radios, the R1 or F.N 7.62x51mm so many weapons used including enemies ones notably by the Selous Scouts, proud to have learnt from these exceptional warriors Respect 🫡 🫡🫡
It was the "New Kabrit Barracks."
We call it Zimbabwe now, dont we?
Do we?
Yes, "we" do...what's your point?
@@tprdfh51 it was a reference to the movie Blood Diamond