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Selous Scouts

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Selous Scouts
File:Selous-Scouts-cap-badge.jpg
The cap badge of the Selous Scouts was a stylised osprey.
Active1973–1980
CountryRhodesia File:Rhodesia Flag.png
AllegianceRepublic of Rhodesia
BranchRegular Army, Rhodesian Bush War
TypeSpecial Forces
Garrison/HQInkomo Barracks (Andre Rabie Barracks)
Motto(s)Pamwe Chete
ColorsGreen  
EngagementsRhodesian Bush War
Commanders
Notable
commanders		Lt. Col. Ron Reid Daly

The Selous Scouts was a special forces regiment of the Rhodesian Army which operated from 1973 until the introduction of majority rule 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]

Context

The period in which the Selous Scouts operated was known as the Rhodesian Bush War or Second Chimurenga. This was a civil war fought between black nationalist guerrillas (ZANLA/ZANU and ZIPRA/ZAPU) 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.

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 guerrillas -- so-called pseudo-operators. These tactics were used very successfully in the Mau Mau Uprising. In addition, it often recruited from enemy forces; captured guerrillas were offered a choice between prison, a trial and possible execution or joining the Selous Scouts.[2] This concept was initially highly controversial in the Rhodesian government; the idea of "turning" what they regarded as captured terrorists instead of punishing them was unpalatable to some.[3] However, the idea's supporters, who won out, portrayed these operations as an aspect of counter-insurgency similar to the law enforcement use of informants and 'sting' methods to penetrate and disrupt criminal and subversive organizations. In order to keep knowledge of their existence as restricted as possible, the "turned" guerrillas were paid from Special Branch funds which were not accountable to government auditors,[4] and volunteers for the unit were not told of its actual function until they actually joined it;[5] in some cases, where captured guerrillas had already entered the judicial system, the Selous Scouts would fake their escapes without informing the Criminal Investigation Department.[6] In order to prevent the regular army or police from firing at the regiment while it was operating, the authorities would declare "frozen areas", where Army and Police units were ordered to temporarily cease all operations in, and withdraw from, certain areas, without being told the reason for this.[7] Many commanders felt that the initiation of "frozen areas" ceded control to the enemy and reduced the initiative of the security forces. In addition to the obvious tactic of luring "fellow" guerrillas into ambushes, the pseudo-operators also took measures to weaken popular support for the guerrillas; in one case, for example, a group of pseudo-operators pretending to be guerrillas accused eight of the most enthusiastic guerrilla supporters in the Madziwa region of being police informers and beat them up before leaving.[8] The unit's detractors cited events like this as the difference between the phrases anti-terrorism and counter-terrorism.

The Selous Scouts used covert forms of chemical warfare. Clothing would be impregnated with parathion and left for enemy guerillas to find. Cigarettes and canned food were used in a similar fashion after being contaminated with thallium.[9]

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.[10] However, its C.O., Ron Reid-Daly, was irascible and enjoyed a poor relationship with many of the Rhodesian Army commanders; [11] 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.[11]

The Selous Scouts numbered only about 1,500 men at peak strength, yet according to a Combined Operations statement, they inflicted 68 percent of the nationalist guerilla fatalities between 1973 and 1980[12].

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. Those that remained formed 4th Bn(HU)R.A.R. which was placed on "immediate standby " for most of its short service. The battalion covered the areas to the north of Andre Rabie Barracks, as far as Miami/Mangula in the east and as far as Kariba in the north. The unit existed from 23rd April to 30th September 1980 when it changed its name for the final time and became as it is today, 1st Zimbabwe Parachute Battalion/Group.

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.

See also

Footnotes

  1. ^ 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
  2. ^ 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)
  3. ^ Lt. Col. Ron Reid Daly as told to Peter Stiff, Selous Scouts: Top Secret War, Alberton (South Africa):Galago 1982, p. 26
  4. ^ Lt. Col. Ron Reid Daly as told to Peter Stiff, Selous Scouts: Top Secret War, Alberton (South Africa):Galago 1982, p. 31
  5. ^ Lt. Col. Ron Reid Daly as told to Peter Stiff, Selous Scouts: Top Secret War, Alberton (South Africa):Galago 1982, p. 116
  6. ^ Lt. Col. Ron Reid Daly as told to Peter Stiff, Selous Scouts: Top Secret War, Alberton (South Africa):Galago 1982, p. 60
  7. ^ Lt. Col. Ron Reid Daly as told to Peter Stiff, Selous Scouts: Top Secret War, Alberton (South Africa):Galago 1982, p. 41
  8. ^ Lt. Col. Ron Reid Daly as told to Peter Stiff, Selous Scouts: Top Secret War, Alberton (South Africa):Galago 1982, p. 33
  9. ^ Moorcraft, Paul and McLaughlin, Peter. The Rhodesian War: A Military History. Yorkshire: Pen & Sword, 2008, p. 106
  10. ^ Radford, M. P., Service Before Self, 1994
  11. ^ 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
  12. ^ McNab, Chris, "Modern Military Uniforms", Chartwell Books, Inc., 2000, p. 158.
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