The special forces of Rhodesia were elite units that formed part of the

Rhodesian Army The Rhodesian Security Forces were the military forces of the Rhodesian government. The Rhodesian Security Forces consisted of a ground force (the Rhodesian Army), the Rhodesian Air Force, the British South Africa Police, and various personnel ...

during the

Rhodesian Bush War The Rhodesian Bush War, also called the Second as well as the Zimbabwe War of Liberation, was a civil conflict from July 1964 to December 1979 in the unrecognised country of Rhodesia (later Zimbabwe-Rhodesia). The conflict pitted three for ...

. From 1977 they reported directly to the Commander, Combined Operations Lieutenant General

Peter Walls Lieutenant General George Peter Walls GLM DCD MBE (1927-201Walls: "We will make it work" Time magazine and CNN – 20 July 2010) was a Rhodesian soldier. He served as the Head of the Armed Forces of Rhodesia during the Rhodesian Bush War from ...

. The Rhodesian military considered two units to be special forces, the Special Air Service and the

Selous Scouts The Selous Scouts was a special forces unit of the Rhodesian Army that operated during the Rhodesian Bush War from 1973 until the reconstitution of the country as Zimbabwe in 1980. It was mainly responsible for infiltrating the black majority ...

. Combined Operations also considered the

Grey's Scouts Grey's Scouts were a Rhodesian mounted infantry unit raised in July 1975 and named after George Grey, a British soldier and governor. Based in Salisbury (now Harare) it patrolled Rhodesia's borders during the Rhodesian Bush War, and then became a ...

mounted infantry unit to be an elite unit, but it was not as well trained or effective as the SAS or Selous Scouts. Headquarters, Special Forces was established on 1 July 1978 to control the special operations conducted under Combined Operations. The SAS and Selous Scouts were disbanded in 1980 following the end of the Rhodesian Bush War and Rhodesia's transition to

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and ...

References

;Citations ;Works consulted * * * Special forces of Rhodesia {{Rhodesia-stub

See also

References