Selous Scouts – Top Secret War

This is the story of the Selous Scouts Regiment of Rhodesia, which was formed in 1973 and abolished without benefit of formal disbandment, when Robert Mugabe’s ZANU-PF took power after the British supervised elections in 1980. Its purpose on formation was the clandestine elimination of ZANLA and ZIPRA guerrillas, both within and outside Rhodesia. Their success in this field can be gauged by the fact that Combined Operations Rhodesia, officially credited them with either directly or indirectly being responsible for the deaths of 68% of all guerrillas killed within Rhodesia during the war – losing less than 40 Selous Scouts in the process.

This book tells the story of one of the most famous special forces, based on the accountings of its creator Lt Col Ron Reid-Daly. From the political context in which the force was formed, the training required, bush survival techniques, to the description of the military operations. Considered one of the most efficient units: at a peak of 1500 responsible for 68% of terrorist casualties between 1973 and 1980. It is of interest to know that a carcass of a decomposing animal is still a good source of proteins if boiled only once

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