The Cold War moved to Rhodesia and left white Rhodesians facing genocide, a story that has largely been ignored by history. One of two books, the other being ‘Survival Course’, by the author about his experiences in the Rhodesian Light Infantry. This is a moving story that deserved to be told and now deserves to be read, about the costly march of socialism and the devastation it causes. – Most Highly Recommended
NAME: Fire Force, a Trooper's War in the Rhodesian Light Infantry FILE: R3313 AUTHOR: Chris Cocks PUBLISHER: Limetree Press BINDING: KDE, Kindle PRICE: £9.95 Kindle, 19.95 Paperback GENRE: Non Fiction SUBJECT: Cold War, Dash from Empire, Rhodesia, Zimbabwe, Rhodesian Light Infantry, insurgents, Communists, tribal warfare, civil war, Africa, dominoes, volunteers ISBN: 979-865502137-2 PAGES: 341, colour photographs through the body of the book IMAGE: B3313.jpg BUYNOW: tinyurl.com/yc28cav9 LINKS: DESCRIPTION: The Cold War moved to Rhodesia and left white Rhodesians facing genocide, a story that has largely been ignored by history. One of two books, the other being 'Survival Course', by the author about his experiences in the Rhodesian Light Infantry. This is a moving story that deserved to be told and now deserves to be read, about the costly march of socialism and the devastation it causes. – Most Highly Recommended Although the two books each stand alone, the reader is advised to read both and will be rewarded by that. The photographic illustration is of particular note. It is of good quality and based on rare images from a war the world tried hard to ignore. This book and 'Survival Course' provide a unique insight not only into the realities of the Rhodesian struggle against Cold War Communists but of a young man moving into a new life where he depends on his comrades and they on him. It is moving and inspiring, exposing the reality of war and the lifetime effects it has on those who fight in it. Those who have experienced combat will be able to relate to the author's experience, where ever they fought and with whom ever they were in conflict with. Those readers without this experience may wish to re-read several of the passages and may still not fully understand them, even though the author has provided a very readable narrative. This is one reason old soldiers are frequently uncomfortable talking about what it was like to any who have not been in battle. At the time, each soldier has unique experiences but the general experience is a mixture of boredom and short periods of extreme feeling, deep comradeship, joy, sorrow and excitement. Until someone starts throwing hot metal at you it is not possible to fully understand what war is like. After the battles, there is a period of readjustment to life at peace. For many, this is never completed. For each former soldier there is a period of self discovery. It is not unusual to feel that life was in the brightest colours in battle and now is at best in dull shades. New relationships can be very difficult to form because they never achieve the depth of understanding of relationships in war where each depends so heavily on the other.
The intensity of feelings and comradeship aside, this book provides a very rare view of what was a bloody fight, abandoned by the world. The story does of course continue on to the present for those still living in the prosperous Rhodesia which is now the bankrupt Zimbabwe. In 1939, the young men of Rhodesia, of all colours, stepped forward to support Britain and the Empire. Sadly Britain stepped back smartly when Rhodesians needed support in their time of troubles, fighting what was really a campaign of a new form of global war.