Black Soldiers in the Rhodesian Army: Colonialism, Professionalism, and Race

During Zimbabwe's war of liberation, thousands of black soldiers volunteered for and served in the Rhodesian Army, despite the minority-white Rhodesian settler-colonial regime. M. T. Howard's research demonstrates that black Rhodesian veterans felt loyalty to their comrades and regiments and were crucial to the Rhodesian counter-insurgency campaign. This is a significant contribution to the study of Zimbabwean decolonisation.

Format: Hardback
Length: 308 pages
Publication date: 08 February 2024
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

During Zimbabwe's war of liberation (1965-80), fought between Zimbabwean nationalists and the minority-white Rhodesian settler-colonial regime, thousands of black soldiers volunteered for and served in the Rhodesian Army. This seeming paradox has often been noted by scholars and military researchers, yet little has been heard from black Rhodesian veterans themselves. Drawing from original interviews with black Rhodesian veterans and extensive archival research, M. T. Howard tackles the question of why so many black soldiers fought steadfastly and effectively for the Rhodesian Army, demonstrating that they felt loyalty to their comrades and regiments and not the Smith regime. Howard also shows that units in which black soldiers served, particularly the Rhodesian African Rifles, were fundamental to the Rhodesian counter-insurgency campaign. Highlighting the pivotal role black Rhodesian veterans played during both the war and the tumultuous early years of independence, this is a crucial contribution to the study of Zimbabwean decolonisation.

During Zimbabwe's war of liberation (1965-80), fought between Zimbabwean nationalists and the minority-white Rhodesian settler-colonial regime, thousands of black soldiers volunteered for and served in the Rhodesian Army. This seeming paradox has often been noted by scholars and military researchers, yet little has been heard from black Rhodesian veterans themselves. Drawing from original interviews with black Rhodesian veterans and extensive archival research, M. T. Howard tackles the question of why so many black soldiers fought steadfastly and effectively for the Rhodesian Army, demonstrating that they felt loyalty to their comrades and regiments and not the Smith regime. Howard also shows that units in which black soldiers served, particularly the Rhodesian African Rifles, were fundamental to the Rhodesian counter-insurgency campaign. Highlighting the pivotal role black Rhodesian veterans played during both the war and the tumultuous early years of independence, this is a crucial contribution to the study of Zimbabwean decolonisation.

Weight: 611g
ISBN-13: 9781009348447