Alternative Bush Wars Britain vs Rhodesia

[carlos marighela]

An interesting article for those who fancy a bit of 'what if'...

Edit: Can't get the correct url for the pdf to load. Try searching

Killing Kith and Kin: The Viability of British Military Intervention in Rhodesia, 1964-5 by Carl Watts. It's available on the Research Gate website.

And some nice footage and pics of the RAF Javelins actually deployed to Zambia at the time of UDI.

http://www.britishpathe.com/video/raf-arrive-in-zambia

http://www.greatnorthroad.org/boma/Javelins_at_Ndola

http://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?123478-Gloster-Javelins-Zambia-1966

[Ash]

Interesting archive photos, thanks for posting.

[juergen c. olk]

Great idea,nice photos. Although
I do not think a war w/Rhodesia would have gone over well in Britain. But still an interesting game idea.And it would give me a chance to use my Rhodesian Staghounds.

[carlos marighela]

Harold Wilson, quite sensibly, looked for every excuse not to intervene. Britain had a full plate as it was and you're right it would have been a selfless task. Of course these are the things that what if scenarios are made of. You can have a bit of fun with the question marks over the reliability of the Rhodesian forces. Nice opportunity to use the Staghounds although only two were still serviceable at the time of UDI.

[juergen c. olk]

Good thing I only have two.

[Arlequín]

Certainly a strange scenario and no mistake. Two forces with almost identical structure, doctrine, traditions and equipment fighting each other.

I'm inclined to think the advantage would be with Rhodesia, if only due to the UK's incredibly long supply tail and their lack of air transport capability back then. The Tanzanian-Zambian railway had not been built and I'm uncertain how co-operative the Portuguese would have been in allowing use of the Angola-Congo-Zambia line... bearing in mind part of it went through war-torn Katanga.

Wilson's government was not friendly with the RSA and while I doubt substantial RSA support for Rhodesia, I doubt they would be 'difficult' with regard to what passed over the border either by the same token.

There is considerable potential for the UK to suffer some embarassment at the very least, which I suspect was why HW ultimately decided to do nothing.

[commissarmoody]

Seems like an interesting scenario none the less.

[Arlequín]

Of course... and that's what trying to dash off a quick post without re-reading it gets me.