A Handful of Hard Men: The SAS and the Battle for Rhodesia

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During the West’s great transition into the post-Colonial age, the country of Rhodesia refused to succumb quietly, and throughout the 1970s fought back almost alone against Communist-supported elements that it did not believe would deliver proper governance.

During this long war many heroes emerged, but none more skillful and courageous than Captain Darrell Watt of the Rhodesian SAS, who placed himself at the tip of the spear in the deadly battle to resist the forces of Robert Mugabe and Joshua Nkomo.

It is difficult to find another soldier’s story to equal Watt’s in terms of time spent on the field of battle and challenges faced. Even by the lofty standards of the SAS and Special Forces, one has to look far to find anyone who can match his record of resilience and valor in the face of such daunting odds and with resources so paltry. In the fight he showed himself to be a military maestro. A bush-lore genius, blessed with uncanny instincts and an unbridled determination to close with the enemy, he had no peers as a combat-tracker (and there was plenty of competition). But the Rhodesian theater was a fluid and volatile one in which he performed in almost every imaginable fighting role; as an airborne shock-trooper leading camp attacks, long range reconnaissance operator, covert urban operator, sniper, saboteur, seek-and-strike expert, and in the final stages as a key figure in mobilizing an allied army in neighboring Mozambique.

After 12 years in the cauldron of war his cause slipped from beneath him, however, and Rhodesia gave way to Zimbabwe. When the guns went quiet Watt had won all his battles but lost the war. In this fascinating work we learn that in his twilight years he is now concerned with saving wildlife on a continent where they are in continued danger, devoting himself to both the fauna and African people he has cared so deeply about.

[This author is an Afrikaans Rhodesian (like my own family was. He was born in Rhodesia and fought in the SAS which was a Whites Only unit. Jan]

Price for Hardcover: $31.00

Some Customer Reviews:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating book on an overlooked chapter of history
Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2021
The story of Rhodesia is a fascinating one and unfortunately if you poll people, 90% have never heard of it. This isn’t some grand history but a history of their special forces and their actions, told by the soldiers themselves, with a glimpse of the decline and fall of Rhodesia. Like with many books about special forces, it seemed at first to just be a collection of mostly unrelated war stories, most of which weren’t especially interesting. But as the Bush War heated up and the UK blatantly betrayed their former subjects for a Communist dictator, the book gets a lot more interesting. I don’t think Ill look at Thatcher the same way again. Mugabe is an evil man whose troops would kill little children by stomping on their heads or bayoneting them. And the UK government didn’t care (neither did the US under Carter). You really get a sense here on how politics/diplomacy is really done even though its a relatively small part of the book. You also get a sense for how effective the Rhodesian SAS was with their extremely small numbers and ancient equipment from the 1940’s. I also enjoyed the local politics regarding the surrounding countries like Mozambique.

The book doesn’t really delve into the dark side of Rhodesia and it’s apartheid system, so don’t expect this to be balanced. But it sounded like the troops in the SAS were not fighting for white domination, they were fighting against these specific terrorist organizations who besides murdering white men, women and children, did the same to tens of thousands of blacks. Anyway, this is worth a read if you are interested in a subject that nobody seems to like to talk about

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2020
For anyone wanting to get a better understanding of the Rhodesian conflict, this book should be considered essential reading.

It’s not an unbiased book and it isn’t intended to be, and it’s also not a thorough history of the conflict. It does do an excellent job of describing one unit within the Rhodesian military, and by focusing on that unit and it’s people charts a path through the conflict right to the end of it and the dissolution of the state. It can be emotionally difficult to read at times, and it can be hard to read it and try and stay objective, but it is very well written, very engaging, and provides insight and background on the conflict that I haven’t seen elsewhere.

Without being pro- or anti-Rhodesia, the Rhodesian SAS have to be considered among the top special operations units in the 20th century. If it wasn’t such a politically charged history, there would be more recognition of their story and their experiences.

4.0 out of 5 stars it is an excellent read, not to mention being a tour de …
Reviewed in the United States on June 21, 2016
A most interesting book for those interested in serious special forces operations. It covers what is now a barely-known 1970s war in which a tiny force of Rhodesian Special Air Service soldiers took on, and trounced, tens of thousands of insurgents trained and armed by the Soviet Union, China and Cuba and supported by virtually the entire Western world. Setting aside any feelings a reader might have about the rights and wrongs of a colonial remnant fighting to retain an unsustainable way of life, this book recounts a military epic. It is also a welcome change from the customary diet of special forces accounts of actions in Vietnam and the Middle East. Well written and structured, it is an excellent read, not to mention being a tour de force of what can be achieved in the face of terrible odds by a tiny number of highly skilled and totally committed soldiers.