For product information and clips go to http://www.rhodesianvideos.mazoe.com/  DVD and CD prices below includes postage to New Zealand only, overseas is additional.

This book captures what one imagines life was like in German East Africa between the 1880s and 1918, but it is not a strict biography.  Bror MacDonnell's (1921-98) notes on Mzee Ali were made in Tanganyika in the late forties, when he and this "old grey-haired gentleman" worked for the locust control department.  He wrote out the original manuscript in Salisbury in the early sixties and dictated it to a typist a decade later.  It was then rewritten in 2005 by a Johannesburg editor determined "to get inside the mind of Mzee Ali." MacDonnell's former typist recalls his text as being overly factual and colourless; this book is nothing of the sort.

Certain portions of the book - its vivid accounts of raging bush fires, voracious tsetse flies and of Dar's sights and smell - need not have originated with Mzee Ali.  On the other hand, its eye-opening details of the slave trading business and the ordeal of von Lettow's retreat probably do.  But who thought to liken Africans' emotional responses to their German overlords to those of the earlier slave traders?  The comparison is apt, but such psychologizing is not typical of slave traders' memoirs.  Did MacDonnell actually elicit these insights from Mzee Ali?  Or did someone attribute them to him?

This is a fascinating tale.  Readers will find it hard to put down and will enjoy trying to puzzle out each bits author.

Brian Siegel, Furman University

So Far and No Further! Rhodesia's bid for independence during the retreat from the Empire 1959 - 1965 by Prof. J.R.T.  Wood $65.00 (s/b)

Given the headlong rush of the Macmillan government in Britain in 1959 to be rid of its colonies, Rhodesia should have been the first African colony in line for independence.  Rhodesia was self-governing, and possessed most powers, including the right of self-defence.  Being in the condition of New Zealand before the grant of dominion status, it seemed logical that Rhodesia would become a dominion.  However, many obstacles hindered this political progression.

So Far and No Further!  chronicles the British attempts to force white-ruled Rhodesia to accept the inevitability of majority rule, and to deny her independence on any other basis.  Majority rule was something that Rhodesia's whites understood was inevitable, but they also knew that, until democratic practices were well grounded, it would be disastrous.

The author has enjoyed sole access to the hitherto closed papers of Ian Smith to write this book.

The Kevin Woods Story - In the Shadow of Mugabe’s Gallows by Kevin Woods $55 (h/b)

Kevin worked as a double agent for the South African apartheid government and Robert Mugabe’s Central Intelligence Organization in the 80s.  He was incarcerated in the notorious Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison (Harare) for 20 years, five of which were spent naked on death row.  His release was pleaded to Mugabe by none other than Nelson Mandela in the 90s but this fell on deaf ears.  Finally, in 2006 he received a presidential pardon.  Kevin now lives in South Africa and has launched a well-received career in motivational speaking.  This is his story.

Special Price! The Many Houses of Exile by Richard Jurgens $3.00 (s/b)

This compelling autobiography takes a privileged young white man from studying philosophy at Wits University to joining the banned ANC movement.  Exiled from South Africa he and his wife live in ANC camps in Zambia, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.  The insight into his experiences is both forthright and humorous as he explores the many "exiles" he faces.

Windows - Child Migrants to Africa - Autobiographies - compiled by Peter Gould $40.00 (h/b)

276 children were sent from England between 1946 and 1955 to an 'orphanage' type school called 'Rhodesia Fairbridge Memorial College' set on a disused RAF military camp, 8 miles outside Bulawayo, then called Southern Rhodesia.  In 1962 the Fairbridge authorities in London ordered the headmaster to destroy all records of the college which means, technically at least, these children never existed!  24 former pupils of this college now tell their life stories centred on this unique childhood experience in this new book Windows - no 'outsiders' were involved in the content.  This book provides a fascinating glimpse of a lost world-empire through the eyes of the people who themselves would have become something of a 'Lost Tribe' had this book not come into being.

Special Price! Voices of Zimbabwe by Glyn Hunter, Larry & Althea Farren published by Alfa (Pvt) Ltd $10.00 (s/b)

This book tells of how resentment built up over generations as advances in the economy and educational development were not matched by parallel advances in civic rights for blacks.  An astonishing story of intense pain, of courage - often in the face of opposition - and of hope.

Fiction

Cyclone Blues by Chris Cocks $22.00 (s/b)

Intriguing love story between black prostitute and white Rhodesian against the backdrop of political machinations and treachery.  It moves between Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique touching on familiar places and emotions as well as those yet unexplored.  This is a tale with a difference, for those readers who appreciate the "out of the ordinary".

Fall of the Leaf by P.C. Feller $32.50 (s/b)

Fall of the Leaf is a sensitive and faithful representation of the lives of three white English-speaking men, from the war years to the present time.  The epoch broadly covers sixty years of South African history; it encompasses the pre-apartheid years of English cultural dominance, the apartheid period under Afrikaner Nationalist rule and the succeeding years of democracy under the ANC government.  The fulcrum and meeting point of the novel is a fifty-year school reunion.

1 left - be quick! Full Circle by Samantha Hall $15.00 (s/b)

This is the story of Edward Kenyon, a man of strong character, born in rural England during the late days of the First World War.  The book tells of his life as an uncaring father and his experiences as a Commando in the Second World War.  Then his passionate love for Isobel which endures to the end of his life.  He migrates to Rhodesia where he is involved in its bush war.  It is a gripping story taking place over many locations, written in a flowing and absorbing manner which makes for easy and pleasurable reading.

If I Should Die by Tom Hampshire self puplished $28.00 (s/b)

This is a story based on the author's experiences in the Bush War in Rhodesia..  The story is set in a fictional African country called Nyanga (which could only be Rhodesia)  It is a story of vengeance and endurance involving Sergeant Wilson and his stick of men; 'Chaka' the terrorist; and the beautiful Sally Ferguson.  Action a-plenty on every page.

King's Gold by Glenn MacAskill published by Crest Publishing $30.00 (s/b)

Set against the backdrops of the genocidal massacre of the Matabele by Mugabe's North Korean trained 5th Brigade in the 1980's and the recent actions of Mugabe in the year 2000, the author, himself a veteran of the Bush War, takes you on a journey with characters based on real people and real events.  Exciting and believable.

Land of the Long Grass by Marina Maxwell $22.00 (s/b)

A sweeping epic in the traditions of Robert Ruark and Wilbur Smith.  It is based on the true story of Harrison Clark, who after fighting on the Frontier wars of the Eastern Cape and Basutoland in the mid 1800's fled to an area north of the Zambesi.  He is elected as chief, to a tribe who have been decimated by Portuguese and Arab slave traders.

His influence is far reaching and incurs the ire of not only the slave traders but also Cecil Rhodes' BSA Company.
It is story of love, revenge, slavery, missionaries and witchcraft based on one of Africa's great characters who even after a century is remembered with love and respect by the natives of the area north of the Zambezi that he influenced.  He was known as Chief Changa-Changa (the Clever One) and to this a number of Africans from the area bear the name "Harrison", a tribute to his standing amongst the people he watched over and afforded protection This is a very readable book which flows well and holds your interest on every page.  The author captures the magic of Africa with extraordinary skill.

Special Price! Sacrificed Lives by Beverley Brackett $3.00 (s/b)

This fast paced thriller tells of two old friends, Balt Monroe and Hollis "Doc" Halliday who investigate the thirty year old disappearance of twin girls.  They uncover a long hidden tale of miscegenation, racial hatred and murder.
The man who will go to any lengths to preserve his secrets is a South Carolina senator.

Shadow Tracker by Keith A Nelson $36.00 (s/b)

The author has written this story directly from his own experience as a soldier who has served with the former US Army Special Forces (Green Berets) and the Rhodesian Light Infantry Battalion. He also earned a degree in medicine at the University of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe).

The book tell the story of Kurt Christianson who is a natural military strategist and survivor. Independent, unorthodox, resilient and resolute, he displays skills which flout established procedures. His courage and insight whilst in Special Forces in Nam unwittingly unravel a traitorous alliance, making him a threat to his superiors and placing his life in mortal danger.

This threat, combined with his inability to adjust to civilian life, spurs him to leave his beloved and beautiful Maine coastline and embark on a path of revelation and serendipity. He crews a boat being delivered to the oil fields in West Africa, where he becomes embroiled in covert action and again demonstrates his innate and inspired tactical abilities.

A hunted man, his journey leads him to bitter combat in a brutal landscape, tragic loss and to fulfil a San prophecy whilst wrestling with his alter ego - Mad Medic - and his Viking ancestry. The merciless and barbaric slaughter of a little girl and her family by terrorists move him to astonishing, crucial and shocking acts which change the course of a ravaged and savaged country. Kurt is also driven to revenge, a deed which violates his code of ethics and irreversibly affects his destiny. Ultimately, Kurt faces the inescapable and irrefutable knowledge that heroes are human and therefore fallible and that glory, however hard-won and merited, is illusory and hollow.

Shadow Tracker, an adrenaline-charged adventure, engages the reader in events which remain unknown to most of the world and leave one breathless.

Special Price! Song of Death by Dick Gledhill $2.00 (s/b)

Follow agent John Hooper's adventures as he struggles to bring peace to two different African countries on the brink of war.  Only the strong will survive.  This is a book for all lovers of intrigue and suspense.

The Plunderers by Colonel Jan Breytenbach $18.00 (s/b)

The author was founding member of the South African 32 Battalion and Recces.  He lifts the lid on ivory and rhino horn smuggling between Angola and South Africa.  It is about corruption in the upper echelons of both countries in the name of the war effort and how elephant and rhino were decimated to extinction.  A game ranger, together with his bushman tracker, wage war to halt the plunder.

Wide Boy by Montague Bentley $22.50 (s/b)

A wide boy is a person who is shrewd, unscrupulous and often dishonest, especially in business.

A 'trueish' story which starts on the streets of Bez Valley where Tony grew up hard and he grew up fast.  In the cosmopolitan working-class suburbs of Johannesburg, he mixed with, and mixed it with, Jews, Greeks, Italians, Lebanese, blacks, Afrikaners and occasionally Anglo-Saxons.  His first rite of passage is to subdue the ruthless Agnee gang, a bunch of Afrikaans school bullies.  Learning tactics from his Uncle Mick, a professional wrestler who wears a large Star of David on his back to incite the anti-Jewish crowds of the East Rand, Tony starts on his life-journey of opportunism, petty crime, street-fighting and questionable business practices, driven always by his never-ending quest "to make money, lots of it."

Subtle, brutal, poignant, outrageous, hilarious, Wide Boy will take the reader directly into the balmy streets of a summer day in 1946 Bez Valley; to the street-brawls of the 1950s' Hillbrow and Yeoville; to the post-war euphoric boom days of Southern Rhodesia, the ensuing bush war, sanctions-busting and, finally, to return full-circle to the sometimes murky otherworld of 'big business' in Johannesburg.

Police, Military and African Bush Wars

Echoes of an African War by Chas Lotter $100.00 (h/b)

A coffee table hard cover book of 197 pages of full size and mostly colour illustrations.  In a war where cameras were forbidden amongst the soldiers, few personal records were made.  However some of these pictures will bring back memories, stark and real.  Chas, a soldier himself, has cemented these illustrations with his own style of poetry - raw and poignant.  A "must buy" for any family that had connections with Rhodesia.  Preserve history and let your children be able to say with pride - "my dad was there".

NEW TITLE! - limited number available How South Africa Built Six Atom Bombs - and Then Abandoned it's Nuclear Weapons program by Al J Venter $60 (s/b)

How South Africa Built Six Atom Bombs is the definitive account of how a maverick government was able to secretly develop and test atom bombs.  South Africa – then still dominated by Pretoria ’ s apartheid-orientated regime.

That objective was achieved within six years – or roughly half the time it took Pakistan to test its first nuclear weapon.  More salient, it did so with only a fraction of the number of scientists, technicians and specialists involved in other nuclear programs, such as those of India, Pakistan and North Korea: there were never more than a half-dozen nuclear physicists involved in the actual weaponization of the South African bombs.

The same analogy holds for the medium range intercontinental missile program that South Africa launched with strong Israeli help.  Before it was abruptly terminated by Washington, Pretoria managed to launch at least one of its RSA-3 missiles into the South Indian Ocean: it landed within a few hundred metres of its designated target.  With Israeli involvement – this cooperation that dated back to the early 1970s - there was a plan in the works for a satellite launch (illustration page 118).

Al Venter argues that if a small country like South Africa could achieve so much – while using only the limited human resources drawn from its five or six million whites - then it is axiomatic that other countries – or radical political groups - will ultimately be able to do the same.  Al-Qaeda has already signalled its intention in a series of web-based nuclear weapons lectures, with examples of this trend (pages 12 and 13).

It is also significant that Dr Mohammed AlBaradei, head of Vienna ’ s International Atomic Energy Agency, said in
2007 that it was of grave concern that there were currently more than 30 countries involved in nuclear matters, quite a few of them clandestinely.

238 pages, 85 illustrations, sketches, diagrams, photos, cutaways etc

Fireforce - One Man's War in the Rhodesian Light Infantry by Chris Cocks $45.00 (s/b)

This is the 4th edition and has additional photos.  Fireforce is the compelling, brutal but true account of Chris Cocks' service in 3 Commando, The Rhodesian Light Infantry, during Zimbabwe's bitter civil war of the '70s-a war that came to be known almost innocuously as 'The Bush War'.  'Fireforce', a tactic of total airborne envelopment, was developed and perfected by the RLI, together with the Selous Scouts and the Rhodesian Air Force.  Fireforce became the principal strike weapon of the beleaguered Rhodesian forces in their struggle against the overwhelming tide of the Communist-trained and equipped ZANLA and ZIPRA guerrillas.

The combat strain on a fighting soldier was almost unbelievable, for the Rhodesians, who were always desperately short of ground troops, were sometimes obliged to parachute the same men into action as many as three times a day.  While estimates of enemy casualties vary, there seems little doubt that the RLI accounted for at least 12,000 ZANLA and ZIPRA guerrillas, but not without cost.

Fireforce is not for the squeamish.  Although it has been written with unforgettable pathos and humour, it tells of face-to-face combat in the bush and death at point-blank range.  It is a book which does nothing to glorify or glamorize war, for as Chris Cocks found at such a young age, war is merely a catalogue of suffering, destruction and death.

Fireforce has been described by critics as being to the Rhodesian War what All Quiet On The Western Front was to World War I and Dispatches was to Vietnam.  Read it for an experience you never forget.

Kenya Coyboy - A police officer's account of the MauMau Emergency by Peter Hewitt $30 (s/b)

A stylish, first-hand account of Britain’s futile struggle to retain its stake in East Africa in the face of the relentless Mau Mau uprising.  It is a book that is filled with revelations, many damning.  Due to the recent unrest in Kenya, Peter Hewitt has brought the book full circle with an updated afterword on the current violent and political crisis.

Lost in Africa by Stu Taylor $26.00 (s/b)

Lost in Africa is a colloquialism from the Rhodesian Light Infantry (RLI), meaning a state of bewilderment or cluelessness, which Stu Taylor uses to describe his disjointed life. The parallels are clear as Taylors life in many ways mirrors the white Diaspora of central-southern Africa, particularly from Zimbabwe, and the subsequent fallout they have endured after the demise of colonialism and rise of brutal tyranny.

Born in South Africa and raised in Southern Rhodesia to nomadic parents, Taylors early years were unsettled as he was shuffled from school to school during the 1950s. Describing himself as marginally above "really thick", he signed on in 1967 with the RLI and served with that crack airborne unit for thirteen years, always at the forefront of hostilities during the bitter Rhodesian bush war.

In 1980 he demobbed and slid into Civvy Street, at times an easy, and at times, a difficult transition, as he tried to find his place in the newly independent Zimbabwe. Again, in the late 1990s, he found himself on the front line - this time in the security business, desperately facing off against Mugabes war veterans in their notorious land-grab campaign of farm invasions.

Ultimately homeless, stateless and jobless, Taylor never gives up. This is his remarkable story.

Masodja by Alexandre Binda and Brig. David Heppenstall (Includes the award-winning BBC documentary DVD Frontline Rhodesia) $140.00

Formed in 1916 as The Rhodesia Native Regiment, its Shona and Ndebele troops were blooded with honour in the East African campaign, pitted against the wily General von Lettow-Vorbeck and his German askaris.  Disbanded in
1919, the regiment was re-formed in 1940 during World War II as The Rhodesian African Rifles, seeing action in Egypt and Burma.  In the 1950s, the regiment distinguished itself further during the Malayan Emergency.

During the 1960s and 1970s, the regiment was at the forefront of hostilities in the bloody Rhodesian ‘bush war’.  In the specialist Fireforce role, heli- and para-borne, the soldiers of the RAR were to earn themselves a fearsome reputation as counter-insurgency fighters par excellence. Ironically, it was after Zimbabwean independence in 1980, that the RAR’s finest hour came, when, fighting for their erstwhile enemy, Robert Mugabe, the soldiers of the RAR defeated Joshua Nkomo’s invading ZIPRA armies at the battles of Entumbane in Bulawayo. The sadness and tragedy of it all was how the warriors of the RAR faded, almost unnoticed, into history … Ndichakutengera sweet banana. 

Contents include:
The formation of the Rhodesia Native Regiment RNR operations in East Africa during WWI Armistice and the disbandment of the RNR The formation of the RAR The RAR in the Burma campaign The RAR in the Malayan Emergency The Nyasaland Emergency The RAR in the Rhodesian bush war

Out of Action - Sequel top the best selling Fireforce by Chris Cocks $36 (h/b)

It is an intensely personal journey of the story of a young man, brutalized by war, who seeks escape and in the process causes immeasurable pain and suffering to himself and to those around him. (Originally published as Survival Course, this is a hard-cover, reworked version, with new photos, maps etc.)

Paget's Progress: A Tale of High Adventure and Low Salaries by Dick Paget $50.00 (s/b)

This is a very unique book. The author will be best remembered by Rhodesians as the man in charge of Tsanga Lodge, the rehabilitation centre located at Inyanga.  Every page has a kind of magic in it.  While reading the book and carrying it with me on a couple of trips I challenged people to open the book at any page and read a sample and see if they were not completely captivated.  I cannot recall any other book of its type that you can do that with.  The book is written as if the author is holding a conversation with you.  Dick is a very funny man and also very perceptive.

Sabotage and Torture as told to Barbara Cole (author of 'The Elite') $65.00 (h/b)

Published in 1988 it tells of the events in 1982, just two years after Independence, when planes on the ground at Thornhill, near Gweru, were blown up, with devastating effect.  The target planes included four brand-new British Aerospace Hawk Mk 60 jet fighter/ground attack bombers, the pride and joy of the Air Force. They had flown less than 25 hours each and had been welcomed into the country by the then Prime Minister, Robert Mugabe, only ten days previously amid great rejoicing that Zimbabwe could now boast one of the most sophisticated Air Forces in black Africa.  Also sabotaged were the eight Hunter fighter jets and a Cessna.

The book tells the story of the confusion and heroism of that horrific night and the subsequent arrest of six members of the Air Force of Zimbabwe.  These men ranged in rank from Air Vice-Marshal (Second in command of the Air Force) down to Air Lieutenant.  They were all held separately in various places around rural Zimbabwe, and cruelly tortured until they 'confessed' to what their torturers wanted to hear.  They were eventually brought to trial and acquitted, but immediately re-arrested and it took some time to secure their release.

NEW TITLE! Tactical Tracking Operations - The Essential Guide For Military And Police Trackers by David Scott-Donelan $70.00 (s/b)

The author served in the Rhodesian Army and was an instructor in the Selous Scouts. He now trains law enforcement agents in the USA. This book is packed with practical lessons, on-the-ground tricks, training drills and equipment suggestions for the solo tracker on up to a multiagency tracking operation.  Learn from a 30-year veteran how to find and follow tracks through any terrain; assess the age of tracks; relocate the trail after it's gone missing; foil every effort to throw off your pursuit; coordinate a four-man team while tracking armed fugitives; set up and run large tracking operations, use the latest high-tech gear to find fugitives and more.

184 pages 8.5" x 11" with photos and illustrations.

NEW TITLE! The Bush War in Rhodesia - The Extraordinary Combat Memoir of a Rhodesian Reconnaissance Specialist by Dennis Croukamp $75.00 (s/b)

The Regiment by Richard Hamley in Deluxe leather bound numbered and signed $165.00

 
This A4 size book depicts the History and the uniforms of the British South African Police in Rhodesia from the 1890's to 1980.  It is a stunning coffee table pictorial illustrated with the author's own water colour plates.  The forward is written by the Honourable Ian Douglas Smith.

The Saints - The Rhodesian Light Infantry by Alex Binda, compiled and edited by Chris Cocks (h/b) $140.00 includes 90 minute DVD containing previously unseen combat footage compiled and produced by Msasa Enterprises

At last!  the history of the Rhodesian Light Infantry.  We’ve seen the stories of the more ‘glamorous’ Selous Scouts, the SAS and the Rhodesian Air Force, but very little about the RLI, often underrated, but arguably one of the most effective counter-insurgency units of all time.  This was the unit that brought the ‘Fireforce’ concept to the world’s attention—the devastatingly ruthless airborne envelopment and annihilation of a terrorist enemy.  Dubbed “The Killing Machine” by Charles D.  Melson, chief historian of the US Marine Corps, the RLI was a veritable ‘foreign legion’ with over 20 diverse nationalities serving in her ranks.

The RLI, a truly international airborne battalion, comprised of over 20 nationalities, fought the bitter Rhodesian 'Bush War’ for 15 years, against the overwhelming tide of communist-trained terrorists.  Kill rates don’t win wars, but during its brief 19-year history, it is estimated that the RLI accounted for between 12,000 and 15,000 enemy terrorists, for the loss of 135 men.  RLI soldiers were recipients of four Silver Crosses and 42 Bronze Crosses of Rhodesia.  An RLI trooper holds the world record for operational parachute descents - a staggering 73 op jumps - most under 500 feet!

A glossy coffee-table, pictorial format with hundreds of colour photos, maps, rolls, honours and awards.  It is not intended as a definitive history but, with more of a classic ‘scrapbook’ feel, the presentation attempts to capture the essence of this fine unit - what it was like to be a troopie, one of the ‘ouens’.  We have accessed a host of unique, previously unpublished photos and illustrative material and many former RLI members have embraced the project, generously contributing photos, memorabilia and anecdotes.  Ian Smith has written his tribute in the front and the foreword is by the last CO, Lieutenant-Colonel Charlie Aust.

The 1879 Zulu War - Through the Eyes of the Illustrated London News. Compiled by Ron Lock & Peter Quantrill $60.00 (h/b)

The fascination of the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879 continues unabated.  It was impassioned almost 40 years ago by the film Zulu, starring Stanley Baker and a yet-to-be-discovered Michael Caine.  Zulu has been shown - and continues to be shown - on British television more than any other feature film.  In the USA and elsewhere it has become a cult movie.  Moreover, it created a near-avalanche of books, articles, lectures, documentaries and websites that has come close to being an industry.  But the basis of all this activity was, in fact, generated 120 years ago by the weekly magazines of Victorian England such as the Illustrated London News.

Every Saturday morning, at the cost of sixpence, the Illustrated London News presented to its readers descriptions of events and bloody battles, brought alive by the magnificent illustrations drawn by the top war artists of the day.

Although copies of the original magazines are much sought after and have become collectors' items, the compilers have painstakingly acquired every issue pertaining to the conflict and, having extracted every report and illustration on the subject, have produced, with an index, and in chronological order, a unique record of the Anglo-Zulu War, albeit through the eyes of a colonial Victorian age.

War Dog - Fighting Other People's Wars by Al J Venter $50.00 (h/b)

The modern mercenary in combat - with the horror of 9/11 behind us, a new strategic equation tends to dominate world issues.  These days, when the natives of some wayward African backwater become restless, or a South American warlord fosters insurrection, the big powers are inclined to look the other way.  Thus the possibility of the Pentagon dispatching anything to assist a government in trouble - like the amphibious assault ship USS Saipan that went to Liberia with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit in August 1990, or Britain sending HMS Ocean to Sierra Leone to quell insurrection - is unlikely.  Similarly, the way things are Somalia won't get a sideways glance from any Western force.  So another solution must be sought.  Since it was the dogs of war that cleared the bramble patch in the old days, it will probably do so again.

By proposing to license private military companies in early 2002, Britain now follows the American lead of companies like the Vinnell Corporation or Washington's MPRI in giving tacit support to what is regarded, by many military specialists, as the most logical option.  While the concept of hiring freelance military professionals has some powerful detractors, the actions of these freebooters in recent years have shown that they are both efficient and cost effective.

War Dog deals with mercenary activity in a score of wars: Angola, Sierra Leone, El Salvador, the DRC, Ethiopia, Lebanon and others.  As one of a handful of correspondents who saw action with the South African 'guns for hire' group, Executive Outcomes, Al Venter reveals all about this organization as well as what has been going on in the Congo.  While the major powers grapple with more serious international issues, dogs of war might very well be the answer for some of the brush-fire wars that continue to plague the developing world.

Winds of Destruction - The autobiography of a Rhodesian combat pilot. by P.J.H. 'PB' Petter-Bowyer $60.00 (s/b)

Winds of Destruction is a unique account of one man's service in the Rhodesian Air Force, spanning a period of twenty-three years from 1957 to 1980-through the politically turbulent years of Federation; the Unilateral Declaration of Independence (U.D.I.) by Ian Smith's government in 1965 and thirteen years of relentless, uncompromising bush warfare against the never-ending tide of Robert Mugabe's and Joshua Nkomo's ZANLA and ZIPRA guerrillas.

In a gruelling conflict that permitted no quarter, the Rhodesian Air Force (Rh.A.F.) fast became one of the Rhodesian Defence Force's most lethal and effective counter-insurgency organs. In pre-emptive bombing strikes against enemy camps in Mozambique, Zambia and as far afield as Tanzania; in its integral role as a troop-carrier and airborne strike force in 'fireforce' operations; in working closely with such specialist units as the Selous Scouts, the S.A.S., the R.L.I. and the R.A.R, the Rhodesian Air Force was never far from the action and in no small way responsible for the astonishing military successes against a vastly numerically superior army.

This all in spite of the international sanctions against Rhodesia, which ordinarily would have brought a nation's armed forces to its knees. However, forced by circumstances, the Rh.A.F. was obliged to maximise usage of its aging fleet of fighter-bombers, transports and helicopters and to resort to innovative techniques in terms of tactics and weapons systems, many of which were later adopted by the South African Air Force in its own counter-insurgency operations in Angola and Namibia in the '80s.

Anglo-Boer War

Limited Stock left - be quick! Anecdotes of the Anglo-Boer War by Rob Milne $28.00 (s/b)

Rob Milne has compiled this selection of stories from all over South Africa recounting history of the war in a way that mystifies, sometimes saddens but most certainly entertains.

Bombardment of Ladysmith Anticipated - The diary of a Siege by Alan Chalmers $28.00 (s/b)

The fascinating story of the 100 day siege of Ladysmith told from the diary of a British Army orderly, George Maidment.  It is a story of great courage and great stupidity, of the very personal observations of a local boy caught up in one of the most famous sieges in British Military history.

Fire in the Sky - The destruction of the Orange Free State 1899-1902 by Owen Coetzer $28.00 (s/b)

Over 27,000 Boer women and children died during the Anglo-Boer War.  This is the account of those who died in the concentration camps of the Orange Free State in appalling conditions, of deprivation and starvation.  It is the deeply moving but shockingly brutal story of a fierce, almost forgotten struggle for freedom.

Halt!  Action Front!  - With Colonel Long at Colenso by Darrell Hall $30.00 (s/b)

Darrell Hall tells of the Battle of Colenso, of the bloody battle that left scores of British dead on the field, of how it destroyed several military careers and left the British Army savouring the bitter taste of ignominious defeat.  Yet, with defeat came heroic bravery and at Colenso 7 Victoria Crosses were awarded.  It is also the story of General Louis Botha and his tenacious Boer commandos.

How We Kept the Flag Flying by Donald MacDonald $30.00 (h/b)

This is an exciting account of the siege of Ladysmith and is written with the journalist's eye for history in the making.  The author witnessed the battles, the hand to hand combat, experienced the actual bombardment an travelled with raiding parties.  It was first published a century ago but is still eminently readable and intensely human.

Mafeking - The story of a siege by Malcolm Flower-Smith and Edmond Yorke $28.00 (s/b)

The story of the struggle for Mafeking, of the Boer's determination to regain the town, of the British, under the leadership of Colonel Baden-Powel determination to hold the town.

Humour/Sport

Rugby Stories from the Platteland by Graham Jooste $18.50 (s/b)

The heart and spirit of rugby described in Graham's book is still evident today, but the way the game was played-on a Saturday afternoon, on a dusty field, after a long day ploughing, is not.  Somehow all this became overshadowed by the glamour of large clubs and competitions, fuelled by modern technology and communication.
In this book Graham tells the stories, some dating back 100 years, of those recently arrived for work in a strange town on the platteland who, to be accepted by the community, had to play rugby.  From labourers and mechanics to clerks and farmers, these are their stories and each one is unique.  From the Northern Cape and Luderitz, down the west coast, into the Eastern Cape and through the Free State and Mpumalanga, Graham has recorded stories, as told to him, that will have you in stitches.

Graham's style of writing is reminiscent of campfire (or perhaps braais and boerewors) storytelling, the humour lying in all the deviations and asides the story makes along the way.

Children's

Jamton by Martyn Day $9.50 (s/b)

Recommended for the 7 - 10 year old reader, this compilation of stories about a young rural African boy living with his mother.  The six short stories follow his relationship with animals, helping them when hurt and in turn being helped by the animals when he finds himself in trouble.  Colour illustrated.

The Secret of St Augustines by Owen Coetzer $9.50 (s/b)

This is for the 10 - 13 year old reader and is about Nicholas, a young boy and son of a Kimberley diamond mine manager, who hears strange voices in a deserted mine.  He and his friends decide to investigate.  The book takes the reader through some wild and wonderful adventures cumulating in the tunnels beneath the Big Hole and the startling revelation of the real Secret of St Augustines.  Wonderfully illustrated with photos and drawings.

What on Earth Activity Series (in English or Afrikaans) by Jane Theron and Di Goodwin $3.95 per book (s/b)

A series of five books (only 2 illustrated above) aimed at the 10 - 13 year old covering birds; fish; reptiles and frogs; large mammals and small mammals.  These books follow principles of the South African Department of Education's Outcomes Based Education policy and are available in English or Afrikaans.  They are designed to make learning fun and play a roll in enhancing creativity, motor co-ordination, the identification of colours, shapes and textures as well as increasing general knowledge.  If you want your kids to have a wider knowledge than they would ordinarily gain and at the same time instil "a bit of Africa" in them then these quality activity books are for you.

Other

NEW TITLE!  The Ultimate Sniper - An Advanced Training Manual For Military And Police Snipers by Major John L Plaster, USAR (Ret.) $100 (s/b)

Please note that these reviews have been compiled by Hugh & Diana Bomford and are not necessarily the views expressed by the publishers and authors.  Many of these books are now out of print and stock will not last for ever
so be quick.

Contact us:- PO Box 13003, Tauranga 3141, New Zealand.
Ph +64 7 576 9500 Fax + 64 7 576 9501 e-mail: hbomford@clear.net.nz

Please use the tools below to make payment from overseas and to calculate prices in your own currency.  All prices listed above are in New Zealand $.