Woo Skin - Shop now
$2.99 with 83 percent savings
Digital List Price: $17.99

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Sold by Amazon.com Services LLC.
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Paul Moorcraft
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

The Rhodesian War: Fifty Years On Kindle Edition

by Paul L. Moorcraft (Author), Peter McLaughlin (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 out of 5 stars 142 ratings
A political and military analysis of this conflict in southern Africa with maps, photos, and a new introduction assessing its long aftermath.

A half century after the Universal Declaration of Independence, this superb book depicts the military history of Southern Rhodesia from the first resistance to colonial rule, through the period of UDI by the Smith government to the Lancaster House agreement that transferred power. There are vivid accounts of the operations against the black nationalist guerillas by the security forces, and the intensity of the fighting and courage of the participants will surprise and enthrall readers. Atrocities were undoubtedly committed by both sides as the protagonists played for very high stakes.

But this is more than just a book on military operations. The authors are able to provide expert analysis of the historical situation and examine events well into the twenty-first century, including Mugabe’s operations against rival tribes and white farmers. With a new introduction, this is essential reading for those wishing to learn more about a counterinsurgency campaign and why despite the ingenuity of the Rhodesian military fighting against overwhelming odds and restricted by sanctions, the outcome culminating in the Lancaster House Agreement was inevitable.
Previous slide of product details
  1. Print length
    355 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Pen & Sword Military
  4. Publication date
    January 20, 2016
  5. File size
    17.3 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
Next slide of product details
Due to its large file size, this book may take longer to download

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Professor Paul Moorcraft has frontline experience reporting on over 20 years, from A-Z, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, as a correspondent for print, radio and TV for nearly 40 years. He is currently Visiting Professor at Cardiff University and Director of the Centre for Foreign Policy Analysis, London.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08DL72KWW
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pen & Sword Military; Illustrated edition (January 20, 2016)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 20, 2016
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 17.3 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 355 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 out of 5 stars 142 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Paul Moorcraft

Paul Moorcraft

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
142 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Customers say

Customers appreciate the book's historical context, with one review highlighting its unique insights and perspectives from both sides of the conflict. The book receives positive feedback for its pacing, with one customer noting it's written in a lively manner.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more

8 customers mention "Historical context"8 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the historical context of the book, with one review highlighting its coverage of both military and political aspects, while another notes its unique insights from both sides of the conflict.

"...Unique insights and perspectives from both sides, including political and psyops perspectives...." Read more

"...the operational and strategic levels while still adding enough tactical info to keep it interesting." Read more

"This book gives a short mostly political history of the Rhodesian war...." Read more

"Excellent read, very informative and well presented. Unbais account of what really transpired during the war...." Read more

4 customers mention "Value for money"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book to be worth their money.

"Highly recommend this book...." Read more

"Excellent read, very informative and well presented. Unbais account of what really transpired during the war...." Read more

"Great book. Another good one is Masodja available from the Rhodesian African Rifles Regimental Association." Read more

"Interesting book." Read more

3 customers mention "Pacing"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the pacing of the book, with one noting it is well presented and written in a lively manner, while another describes it as a great rendition of the war.

"...you are at all interested in the Rhodesia conflict it gives a pretty unbiased look at the operational and strategic levels while still adding enough..." Read more

"Excellent read, very informative and well presented. Unbais account of what really transpired during the war...." Read more

"...Gritty book, gritty time, gritty place. But written in a lively manner and like it was...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Lloyd Le Page
    5.0 out of 5 stars Historians and Military Tactics Gem
    Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    A fairly balanced view of the now almost forgotten (apart from those that fought in it and lived through it) Rhodesian bush war, in what is now Zimbabwe.

    Unique insights and perspectives from both sides, including political and psyops perspectives.

    A manual on how into how insurgencies are fought and countered, and the reality that politics and public opinion can override military prowess, which is at times its own worst enemy.
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • James
    5.0 out of 5 stars Worth your time
    Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Highly recommend this book. If you are at all interested in the Rhodesia conflict it gives a pretty unbiased look at the operational and strategic levels while still adding enough tactical info to keep it interesting.
    7 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • J at Kwaj
    4.0 out of 5 stars Political short history of the Rhodesian War
    Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    This book gives a short mostly political history of the Rhodesian war. Most books on this war are more tactical or operational and do not cover the last couple of years when the Rhodesian govt began losing the numbers game. This book focuses on the political side. Includes the various strange bedfellows of neighbor nations that sometimes played both sides. Did not include enough details of the financial side of the war. Afterall, the white govt stayed in business for many years despite numerous sanctions.
    9 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • F. Clark
    5.0 out of 5 stars Tell all book
    Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Excellent read, very informative and well presented. Unbais account of what
    really transpired during the war. A must read for anyone interested in the Rhodesian war.
    3 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • VikingWolf
    5.0 out of 5 stars Rhodesians never die
    Reviewed in the United States on June 21, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Great book. Another good one is Masodja available from the Rhodesian African Rifles Regimental Association.
    3 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • The Outlawyer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Flying in the Face of History
    Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Great rendition of the war that raged for decades over on the East side of Africa. I was a missionary there at the time and the people and events are set out as they happened. Gritty book, gritty time, gritty place. But written in a lively manner and like it was. Now the place is starving and the UN calls it a Kleptocracy, a government of thieves.
    18 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Harlan
    4.0 out of 5 stars good account of major issues
    Reviewed in the United States on September 2, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    This book covered various aspects of the war, from military to political. It has accounts of the insurgents' terrorism, the high standards and capabilities of the Rhodesian military, and reviews the toll that the war took on families as men were serving for several months each year in the bush.
    3 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Maverickzw
    5.0 out of 5 stars .
    Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Read this in conjunction with a Handful of Hardmen a biography of a Rhodesian SAS soldier. The book being reviewed gave a more political overview of the conflict. The book was detailed about the support for the various protagonists and particular Russian and Chinese support for the "freedom fighters. It was well researched and eye opening particularly for someone who moved to Rhodesia in the late 70's
    12 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • JPS
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fighting a lost war
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 22, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    This is a remarkable book whose first edition was published in South Africa in 1982, very shortly after the events related in the book, when these were still very fresh in the actors’ minds. It has been updated and republished in 2008 and now in 2015 for the fiftieth anniversary of the Unilateral Declaration of Independence (or UDI) of what was then called Rhodesia (or even South Rhodesia).

    Despite being told from the side of the Rhodesian security forces, the book is, as another reviewer mentioned, a surprisingly non-partisan and lucid analysis of their counter-insurgency operations. The authors show that despite the superior organisation and training, the undermanned, outnumbered and outgunned Rhodesian forces were fighting a losing war almost from the very beginning and explain why this was the case.

    While the book is written in a lively manner and makes no mystery about the atrocities that took place on both sides, it clearly shows how both the government and the security forces lacked a clear strategy and clearly defined objectives. It also shows how their propaganda only reached the small white minority that they were fighting for, and not the huge black majority which became increasingly “politicised” over the years as the regime gradually lost control of much of the countryside.

    A further merit of this book is to show to what extent Rhodesian forces and government became increasingly dependent upon the barely covert support they were receiving through and from South Africa. It also shows how the latter’s Vorster government used them, applied pressure on them and manipulated them to suit its own interests. Finally, it makes no bones of the internal divisions and – at times – rivalries that hampered their war effort, divisions that were matched by those of the Marxist and Maoist guerrilla forces and parties that were opposing them.

    Above all, however, this is a book about military history, the history of a war that – at least in retrospect – seemed impossible to win for the white Rhodesian minority although it refused to accept it and believed otherwise. It is also very much topical with regards to counter-insurgencies, with the events and operations that it includes still being studied in Western war schools.

    Finally, and although the authors’ tone remains factual throughout the book, the book’s last section is about “doom and gloom”. It concludes on a war than could only be lost, the emigration of the (small) white minority and the complete and disastrous mismanagement of a country that used to be portrayed as a breadbasket but has known several famines since 1980. Five stars.
    Report
  • Joakre
    5.0 out of 5 stars Rhodesien
    Reviewed in Germany on May 25, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Good condition
    Report
  • Amazon Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars A good read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 8, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    Enjoyable and thought provoking. Recommended read
    Report
  • Keith L.
    5.0 out of 5 stars A compelling read. The true military & political story.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 6, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    A very good historical timeline of events of the Rhodesian Bush war.
    Report
  • pilgrimmaster
    5.0 out of 5 stars Classic COIN: Lessons learned
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 21, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Detailed, comprehensive and surprisingly non-partisan analysis which remains required reading for anyone with a need to understand the vagaries of counter-insurgency operations, Moorcroft's work is highly recommended by this reviewer.
    Report

Report an issue


Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report