Selous Scouts
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The Selous Scouts was a special forces regiment of the Rhodesian Army which operated from 1973 until the introduction of majority rule and the country's independence as Zimbabwe in 1980. They were named after British explorer Frederick Courteney Selous (1851-1917), and their motto was pamwe chete, which translated from Shona means "all together", "together only" or "forward together". The charter of the Selous Scouts directed "the clandestine elimination of terrorists/terrorism both within and without the country." [1]
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[edit] Context
The period in which the Selous Scouts operated was known as the Second Chimurenga or "bush war". This was a civil war fought between Black Nationalist guerillas (ZANLA/ZANU) and the white minority government of Ian Smith. Unlike the Rhodesian Light Infantry and the Rhodesian Special Air Service (SAS), the Selous Scouts were a mixed race force and had many black Rhodesians in its ranks including the first African commissioned officers in the Rhodesian Army.
[edit] Composition
The regiment was proposed by members of the British South Africa Police Special Branch, and many of its earliest recruits were policemen. The Selous Scouts differed from C Squadron 22 (Rhodesian) SAS, in that it was formed specifically to take part in tracking and infiltration operations in which soldiers would pretend to be guerillas -- so-called pseudo-operators. In addition, it often recruited from enemy forces; captured guerillas were offered a choice between prison, a trial and possible execution or joining the Selous Scouts.[2] The pseudo-operations employed by the Selous Scouts were an aspect of counter-insurgency similar to the law enforcement use of informants and 'sting' methods to penetrate and disrupt criminal and subversive organizations.
The camouflage used by reserve members of this unit as pseudo-forces were captured "Warsaw Pact" clothing originating from various countries and specified for certain operations.
There is no doubt that the regiment achieved many of its objectives; its members were acclaimed trackers, and the unit was responsible for 68% of all guerrilla deaths within the borders of Rhodesia.[3] However, its C.O., Ron Reid-Daly, was irascible and enjoyed a poor relationship with many of the Rhodesian Army commanders; [4] in addition, from 1978 there were persistent rumours that soldiers in the regiment had been implicated in ivory poaching in the Gonarezhou National Park and that an ivory processing "factory" existed at Andre Rabie Barracks near Inkomo Garrison.[4] This was unfounded and not true.
[edit] Dissolution
Following the dissolution of the regiment in 1980, many of its soldiers travelled south to join the South African Defence Force, where they joined 5 Reconnaissance Commando.
[edit] Previous Uses
The name Selous Scouts was also given to the short-lived Rhodesian Armoured Car Regiment, a regiment in the Army of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland between about 1960 and 1962 that drove Staghound armoured cars and scout cars.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- The Selous Scouts Home Page
- Rhodesian and South African Military History
- Rhodesian Special Forces - Roll of honour, awards and images.
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ Melson, C.D., Top Secret War: Rhodesian Special Operations, 2005, Small Wars and Insurgencies Vol. 16, No. 1, Pp. 57-82. http://taylorandfrancis.metapress.com/openurl.asp?genre=article&issn=0959-2318&volume=16&issue=1&spage=57
- ^ Reid-Daly, R. F., Pamwe Chete - the legend of the Selous Scouts, 2001, Covos Day Books, Weltevreden Park, South Africa.
ISBN 1-919874-33-X, pp. 189-190) - ^ Radford, M. P., Service Before Self, 1994
- ^ a b Godwin, P. & Hancock, I.,Rhodesians Never Die - the impact of war and political change on white Rhodesia, 1995, Baobab Books, Harare, Zimbabwe.
ISBN 0-908311-82-6, pp. 241-242
