Africa's Vietnam: Rhodesian Bush War | Animated History

[@TheArmchairHistorian]

Thanks to Incogni for sponsoring this video. Use code ARMCHAIRHISTORIAN at the link below to get an exclusive 60% off an annual Incogni plan: incogni.com/armchairhistorian Sign up for Armchair History TV today using RHODESIA50 armchairhistory.tv/ Merchandise available at armchairhistory.tv/collections/all Android App: play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fourthwall.wla.armchairhistory IOS App: apps.apple.com/us/app/armchair-history-tv/id6471108801 Armchair Historian Video Game: store.steampowered.com/app/1679290/Fire__Maneuver/ Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/armchairhistorian Discord: discord.gg/thearmchairhistorian Twitter: twitter.com/ArmchairHist

[@pyeitme508]

Meh 😑

[@CDZRDragon]

Hi

[@steampunkcollections2613]

I’d love to see more attention put on wars in Africa, the Nigerian civil war, wars in Somalia etc would be really interesting

[@geraintthatcher3076]

I hope you do the War in Angola between South Africa and Cuba next. The Battle of Cuito Cunanavale

[@TheRealNSA]

Hey, good luck on the upcoming game! Looks really promising, I look forward to buying it!

[@clement28300yip]

The Rhodesian Bush War is a definition of "complete tactical victories but hampered by utter strategic failure".

[@عليياسر-ذ5ب]

Soldiers: 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@nughh3546]

Actually did the Rhodies even have a strategy?

[@phyrr2]

More like they didn't understand "Hearts and Minds". Once the ZANU & ZAPU forces were able to control and constrict the populace into not giving any help to the Rhodesians, the Rhodesians weren't able to get decent intelligence anymore. Furthermore, they couldn't offer protection from the opposition (as they would often commit serious acts of violence to keep said populace in line) so when they instead became more cold towards the populace they lost even MORE trust. However in the end (as in all wars) it's much more complicated than that. It had a lot to do with England wanting a good PR show for black majority rule and to maintain their mining contracts in some of the surrounding northern countries (which were putting pressure on England to ensure the Rhodesians lost).

[@hydrolifetech7911]

From the moment the white minority made the Unilateral Declaration of Independence in response to decolonisation, its collapse was only a matter of time.

[@Crystalcooker1648]

​@nughh3546 Yes, but it goes down like vietnam, a determined people, and an unpopular fight

[@lordsoupsoup7321]

This reminds me of something I read from the Bush War -Rhodies recover enemy rifles after each engagement -They keep finding rifles with the rear sight dialed in to the highest setting, practically fucking indirect fire -They are extremely confused by this -Eventually they ask a prisoner about it during interrogation -Literally none of them know what the sights are for, they think that choosing the biggest number makes the gun shoot harder Warfare in Africa is truly unbelievable

[@Joeligma69420]

Happened in Liberia and Sierra Leone as well, probably happens everywhere in Africa.

[@Patrician9000]

Classic greentext

[@dudebro91-fn7rz]

True African moment 😅

[@schoggywoggy9986]

Sub 80 average IQ moment tbh

[@F_lippy]

That’s roughly repeated as well in Brandon Herrera’s video over Kyber pass firearms with another arms guy within the ME. Sights were set to the highest setting on Aks for more power and on ARs people would either pump the forward assist for more power or they would hold down the forward assist so that it would work like a bolt action

[@TheIrishvolunteer]

This war was a fantastic example of why tactics and strategy are very different things.

[@PhansiKhongoloza]

And there was nothing wrong with either! The Rhodesians did damn well considering the resources at their disposal. There is no other military force on this planet which could have done it better under the circumstances. Prove me wrong.

[@fleurdetristesse5218]

​@@PhansiKhongoloza The British during the Malayan Emergency. Same schtick, but the Malaysian Tories won. The Rhodesians, meanwhile, are just the Confederacy for people who LARP tacticool bullshit. Prove me wrong.

[@sluggak1363]

​@@PhansiKhongoloza the ones who killed them take away air support they be gone in days

[@alexdornenherz]

Soldiers win battles, politicians lose wars.

[@PhansiKhongoloza]

@@sluggak1363 your statement makes no sense at all. Please rewrite. In English

[@turkkebab43]

I have a suggestion, the Portuguese overseas conflict was the conflict that was most associated with Vietnam, which is why it was called Portuguese Vietnam, it is a conflict little talked about, but it is one of the most emblematic conflicts of the decolonization era

[@Bluehairedgirl89]

I’d love to see a documentary on that as well, I’ve tried to find books on them but there aren’t really that many in English that I’ve been able to find. I’m fascinated by the wars of decolonization.

[@alexandrecordeiro4957]

The Portuguese guinea war was called Portugal Vietnam.

[@MysteriouslyMoon]

Guinea-Bissau War of Independence is what it’s called

[@SOULAANI_]

Based guinea-bissau, Angola and mozambique

[@spongymyBoy]

Yes

[@Dawn.tless.]

Never ask: A woman her age. A man his salary. The reason Rhodesia had a licensed copy of the UZI under the name “Ruzi”

[@sharkz4151]

"Hello, I like money."

[@Jack-sq6xb]

International arms dealing🤑🤑🤑🤑

[@PhelippeMitsu98]

@@sharkz4151hello, I like my diamonds

[@youtubesangryopinionramble1465]

What a time to release this video when theres a colonial war raging in the Holy Land

[@leaveme3559]

Israel ?

[@twinnyhill7289]

Superb work!

[@fortis3686]

It’s a long way to Mukumbura

[@arcihungbycraneonfire]

It's a long way to jawl!!!!

[@highpigeon2534]

It's a long way from your hometown

[@Spottycloth]

Such a great war song

[@Whitetailmilitia2015]

​@@highpigeon2534But you can have yourselves a ball

[@stanzer09]

​@@Whitetailmilitia2015 With your Mukkas.

[@Peter-ek9ub]

There are so many complicated and compelling episodes of history like this from Africa. We need a video on the Angolan Border War, the Portuguese Colonial wars in Angola and Mozambique (that lead to final collapse of the Portuguese Empire), Biafra and the Ugandan invasion of Tanzania as a few.

[@robertjarman3703]

And the Algerian war of independence too.

[@MegaTang1234]

Honestly I want a video on the Oegedan war.

[@mrhonkhonk6116]

An african 20th centuries series

[@Oakeshott-ko8ig]

It's a shame all the violent african intolerance of European immigration had to lead to war.

[@Googledeservestodie]

Second this. I keep waiting for them to post a Mogadishu video tbh

[@CousinPaddy]

You left out Mugabe’s genocide after taking power. Sort of an important detail.

[@ThornEternal]

This whole video is favoring the British pro African liberation position. The Rhodesian army was 2/3 black. It wasn’t a racially motivated group. It was about a few country not wanting to turn into a communist country with a currency that’s worth nothing.

[@ddddd9665]

Of course they did. That sort of thing isn’t congruent with the anti-White, anti-colonial liberal narrative which is pervasive in modern Western Society.

[@XandateOfHeaven]

​@@ddddd9665 Except Mugabe's massacres were perpetrated against the Ndebele and Kalanga people, so it would be anti-black to ignore the persecution.

[@jackdrook9762]

Came here to say this lol

[@TheDarkrebel131]

@@ddddd9665you didn’t even understand what you was talking about 😭

[@ReverendMeat51]

One thing that should have been mentioned is that Smith's government had begun talks with Nkomo looking to unite against Mugabe, and after Mugabe was no longer a threat allowing black majority rule and Nkomo's leadership. This was as close as possible to an equitable solution but was permanently dashed when Nkomo's ZANLA shot down two civilian passenger planes flying tourists to Victoria Falls, murdering the crash survivors.

[@عليياسر-ذ5ب]

Bush: Damn whoever did it 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@maximipe]

An equitable solution would have been for Smith to allow black majority rule from the start and save the country the whole mess

[@عليياسر-ذ5ب]

@@maximipe Britain: Brother, how do you trust the criminals you brought to this land? Do you trust the thief and criminal in your home?

[@iratepirate3896]

@@maximipe Like Congo?

[@moratiwawaka]

@@iratepirate3896 the trajectories of Rhodesia and the Belgian Congo are utterly different. Feels like u are trying to make a racially charged comment here but lack the background knowledge to make a coherent point…

[@tkmiz_fan]

You should make a video about the Portuguese colonial war, a conflict that also took place around the same time the Rhodesian bush war took place

[@vaqueroman9406]

Portugals vietnam

[@morisco56]

Yeah there is almost no content on the portugal colonial war

[@kiuk_kiks]

The Portuguese covered the infrastructure such as water treatment and sewerage in concrete to destroy it as they left Mozambique.

[@zhcultivator]

Yeah, I would like to see a video on the Overseas Portugese colonial war tbh

[@2hotflavored666]

@@kiuk_kiks Good. It's only fitting we Europeans take our technology we graciously given to Africa with us. Africa wants to return to the Stone Age before we enlightened Africa? Let them.

[@deadsweetheart1]

I once met a woman here in the US who actually fled the area back than her parents stayed here father was tortured and shot on his own farm they tried to get his wife she fled to the house and fought them off , they burned her alive in the family home

[@crabLT]

Things like this happen a lot in south africa

[@SarsTheSecond]

@@crabLTyou white devils did taht for centuries

[@PeruvianPotato]

Wonder what side her parents were fighting for

[@daviddavidson2357]

@@PeruvianPotato Since they owned a farm, they knew how to grow crops. Which makes it pretty self explanatory.

[@PeruvianPotato]

@@daviddavidson2357 Oh well, womp womp

[@bigfloppa3388]

My father lived right on the border near Murehwa (Rhodesia). Lived through hell, fought like hell. His whole family had to defend their farm and animals from night raids and full scale raids. Amazing man, but the war has left its scars on the family, forced off their farm right after the war.

[@nerrler5574]

Is he white? Shame if so

[@Brwigames]

If he was rhodesian, glad he was kicked off, he robbed the natives of their land.

[@Brwigames]

My comment keeps getting removed lol Anyway, Rest in Piss if he was white

[@DSTKO-w7z]

My friend's family is from Zimbabwe. We went to visit his family there a few years back and stayed at his property, a few hours north of Harare. His grandfather fought the guerillas in the bush wars and it was brutal. In his cigar room he has all sorts of cool stuff like African lion spear, his old FN FAL, Elephant tusk and a bunch of other cool stuff. He always tells my friend that they wouldn't have held out so long if it wasn't for western support. They had support from prominent American and Israeli businesses. Zimbabwe is a beautiful country, will definitely be visiting again.

[@عليياسر-ذ5ب]

​@@DSTKO-w7zHow to be Berber and say “bbbb” in one sentence

[@connorsproles9239]

The conflict didn't end there. Once Mugabe took power he launched a genocide called the gukurahundi.

[@willfakaroni5808]

It took 19 years for that to start

[@lukeneill1568]

@@willfakaroni5808and who cares. They got what they wanted

[@thomasf.9869]

@@willfakaroni5808 Nope. Gukurahundi was 1983 to 1987

[@stevemorrisby6705]

And the war with Renamo grew into a major conflict. Zimbabwe deployed several brigades into Mozambique.

[@thomasf.9869]

@@stevemorrisby6705 Good one. Of-course, keeping the Beira corridor open

[@simeonsmit6623]

Ian Smith once challenged Mugabe to walk with him through a densely-populated township (historically black-owned land near towns and cities) without any security and see who made it out alive. Smith was convinced of his position and favour amongst the black population right to the end. Mugabe refused.

[@aleksandarvil5718]

Ian Smith = CHAD 💯

[@ngari117]

smith was a white supremacist

[@eeeertoo2597]

And yet he still lost. These white supremacists have a pretty bad track of winning wars

[@DiploRaptor]

@@aleksandarvil5718 More like smith knew he could kill Mugabe if he did that and so did Mugabe well claiming proof of his superiority. I.e. it was bait no matter the response he got something out of it.

[@tanatswamaenda6724]

​@@aleksandarvil5718smith was a racist

[@elongated_musket6353]

Can you please cover the civil war in Myanmar? It is way too overlooked.

[@alexiel4406]

This would be a great video

[@John-jy3qf]

Well….this brings back debate community memories from 2004

[@impulse_xs]

This is a good one considering it’s a complicated conflict that is little known in the west.

[@ShitEatingGoblin42069]

​@impulse_xs it's even, in technicality, the longest running civil war that is still ongoing. It started as ethnic conflict in 1948, I believe, escalated in 2021 to full-blown civil war.

[@arthas640]

@@John-jy3qf you've got me curious: what are "debate community memories from 2004"?

[@danielnaude8316]

So glad you guys finally did a video on this. Cheers from all the South Africans

[@jessedenton2561]

The Mexican standoff at 14:16 shows the Rhodesian with two FN FALLS but I noticed in the animation they still have their carry handles. Rhodesians usually cut them off because one troopy, one time lost an eye from a piece of hot brass that hit the handle and flew up and took out his eye.

[@HistoryHustle]

Was waiting this one. I find this a very interesting and overlooked conflict.

[@Christian_VIII]

I didn’t think I’d find you here.

[@robertortiz-wilson1588]

Very true!

[@formalbug5716]

It's not overlooked, it's just not particularly relevant to the world today. The pastefolk were wrong and needed to go. And that's how it played out and that's how the people who matter are going to remember it and teach it 🤷‍♂️

[@CommanderLongJohn]

​@@formalbug5716Say you know literally nothing about Rhodesia and the conflict, or the history of the colony, without saying you know jack shite about any of it 🤡 Whatever you picked up from 20min layman's rundowns by armchair internet historians don't count either.

[@MayumiC-chan9377]

My husband served in the SANDF from 2005-15 and he is very interested in his culture (his family members still live in Eswatini) and he loves this channel

[@pipipupu5104]

Your white husband is still in Zimbabwe

[@JamesA.V.]

Eswatini also can be known as Swaziland and is called such by many South Africans

[@MayumiC-chan9377]

@@pipipupu5104 My husband is NOT white he is Zulu/Japanese why would you think my husband is white when most of his extended family lives in Eswatini 🇸🇿

[@damiengorgoroth5918]

@@MayumiC-chan9377so you’re going to be a single mother in the future? #Mudshark

[@fbi3526]

@@pipipupu5104 bro...

[@finlaybond]

9:35, That pronunciation of Salisbury took a chunk of my soul with it.

[@stars1010]

He said Eland wrong too 😂 “E”-Land Not “eL-land”

[@AlexLead]

Did you hear how he said Chimoio?

[@Sceptonic]

​@@AlexLeadis it Chimoyo?

[@stefanosiclari]

If you think that's bad, pay attention to how he pronounced all of the African names...

[@asordidlobster]

Also, viscount with the s pronounced...

[@alpha4979]

Finally a Rhodesia episode

[@gokugotRacks]

Ah yes the white supremacist enclave

[@sakurakou2009]

Ww call it zimbabwe now, land of million billionaires. 🇿🇼💰

[@silverranger302]

​@@sakurakou2009 Rhodesia

[@Epic_2.0]

@@sakurakou2009look at how zimbabwe looks compared to Rhodesia have a TND

[@pablo_giustiniani]

​@@Epic_2.0 It is possible to have a functional country without having to be an apartheid state

[@nyashasamuriwo-bp2mv]

As a Zimbabwean🇿🇼 this is by far the best documentation of the war I've seen covered, with less focus on the propaganda and biases, but highlighting the vast complexities that often blurs the lines during wars! Thanx mate!

[@E-stylz-1967]

As a African American who is a history buff and could never get a good account of the war your approval speaks volumes.✊🏾

[@nyashasamuriwo-bp2mv]

@@E-stylz-1967 aye, unfortunately most international medias mainly focus on the Rhodesian perspective of the war, hence, why they call it the "Rhodesian Bush War" when we call our Liberation War. Often trying to justify them and never seeing why so many ordinary folks flocked to fight the Rhodesians despite the abuses and dangers

[@noahjohnson935]

American here, I find y'all's history fascinating and only wish the best for Zimbabwe going forward.

[@nyashasamuriwo-bp2mv]

@@noahjohnson935 thanks mate, means a lot really

[@Ebola419]

It’s pronounced Rhodesia

[@reecejones1023]

I'm so glad he's finally covering this war. As a South African I can really appreciate this conflict being explained more because they don't teach this at school here in South Africa

[@Lankyblankman]

they dont even teach us about our own bush war dawg

[@CodyseusRex]

White people = prosperity. Case in point Rhodesia vs Zimbabwe. One had mass starvation and the other was stable in spite of communist attacks

[@Blackout_Koti]

@Darkest_templar once great my ass, only if you think racism and tyranny are cool

[@aromata1]

@Darkest_templar It's not the White's land or the Bantu's land, it's the Khoisan's land.

[@JohnDoe-bh2lp]

@@aromata1 The Nguni have lived there as long as the Khoisan, what a stupid comment.

[@mlg8605]

I am SO happy you covered this! Im a big nerd for African war conflicts in the cold war, and the bush war really peaked it. Amazing video and well documented especially without the biases and all that.

[@nathandixon2066]

You should come over to South Africa for a visit lots of veterans and stories my grandpa was part of the Rhodesian police but he got killed in the conflict

[@augusthoglund6053]

Living in the U.S., I have had the interesting experience of getting secondhand accounts on both sides of the racial/political divide in the conflict. My father's colleague from work was a White Zimbabwean (Rhodesian citizen) while my roomate's father and mother were Black Zimbabweans who lived through the later stages of the War and the Gukurahundi that followed. While their experience were very different, neither have been well-understood in their entirety to the outside world. I think a lot of this is because this war contemporary with the U.S. Civil Rights Movement and the Boycott South Africa Movement, with many Civil Rights leaders drawing parallels between decolonization and desegregation. Conversely, many detractors of the Civil Rights movement saw the Rhodesian Bush War/Second Chimurenga as a harbinger of what could happen if Whites "gave too much ground", and saw it as evidence that Civil Rights and decolonization were mere shams for the subterfuge of Communist oppression. Neither is totally correct. While the Rhodesian government was a colonial government in nature that implicitly limited Black franchise, there were divisions within racial groups over who to support, why and under what conditions, that made for rather imperfect parallels to overseas civil rights movement; there were idiosyncrasies that made this a war one in which race relations mattered but did not constitute the entire conflict. Practical considerations and personal gain mattered as much as lofty ideology, and local concerns mattered more than most casual international observers appreciated. Foreign influence was not the ultimate reason for the conflict; foreign powers can't plant ideas in anyone's head like magic and brainwash and entire populace into fighting a war. The dysfunction of the Mugabe regime that followed also was not an inevitable outcome of Black-majority rule, as Botswana , Namibia, and Mauritius had done quite well after independence. The Kleptocracy and dysfunction of Mugabe's rule were also real and serious, not figments made up by minority-rule apologists. The failure of the farm-seizure campaign was also more about incompetence, favoritism, and broken promises than vengeful racial animus. While every Black Zimbabwean I've met has seen majority rule as inevitable and ultimately a good thing, I've never felt like they've shown any animus towards White people like myself or White Zimbabweans/Rhodesians. I certainly don't see Zimbabwe as being any kind of harbinger.

[@CentSpaghetti]

@@nathandixon2066My great grandfather was a ZANU freedom fighter.. 🇿🇼💪🏾

[@bajscast]

@@augusthoglund6053 Mugabe also hurt different black ethnicities far more than he hurt the white ones. Gukurahundi killed far more members of black ethnic groups. My (white) mother's side of the family lived in Rhodesia then Zimbabwe, and they weren't fond of Ian Smith or Robert Mugabe, that's for sure.

[@augusthoglund6053]

@@bajscast This is a good point' while the displacement of British farmers gets more attention, probably because the (White) diaspora draws more attention to it, I've always found Gukurahindi/Ndebele purges no less important but not nearly discussed enough in illustrating precisely how Mugabe's rot took over Zimbabwe. In an interesting twist, my current roomate has a (Midlands) Shona father (who calls the Gukurahindi a genocide) and an Ndebele mother. My roomate's father has never talked to me about this in too much depth with me but as a Lutheran minister involved with local politics he definitely has some outspoken opinions worth taking note of.

[@BOKCGrizzlyWarlord]

Strangely enough, this conflict was loosely intertwined with the Angolan Wars and the South African Bush War

[@KonradvonHotzendorf]

Not loosely. We cooperated with them until we abandoned them Same enemy

[@alphagamer9505]

This whole era was mess for Southern África 60s and 70s you got the Portuguese Overseas War,Angola and Mozambique civil Wars ,South África Bush War and Rhodisia War,plus The Congo Crisis in the early 60s ,The Murderous dictator of Uganda in the 70s

[@JohnTerblanche-l1r]

​@@KonradvonHotzendorfSA enemy was ANC not ZANU or ZIPRA. Our position became untenable internationally.

[@rimlandrealist7679]

"...Zimbabwe emerged from the ashes of Rhodesia carrying with it the scars of decade long war but also the sense of a new found sovereignty". And they lived happily ever after.................................................

[@neonwhitea.1548]

In extreme poverty

[@smeekle2000]

​@@neonwhitea.1548There's extreme poverty globally.

[@eeeertoo2597]

​@neonwhitea.1548 I think thats much better than living under poverty, considered an inferior human being, while all your producitivity goes into enriching the white elites.

[@briant5685]

you know its funny how the west sanctions a country to hell then later on accuse the same country of failing because of leadership,this nonsense is what ails Zimbabwe to date

[@rulerofkripsy9143]

@@neonwhitea.1548significantly better then white rule

[@ЛюбовьщенокЛюбовьщенок]

Finally some african cold war stuff!

[@Crimsonshiv277]

Armchair historian got that high taper fade lmao. But genuinely love the work keep it up bro!

[@nikalapirmisashvili]

It has been a long day. This video is a gift at the end of the day. Thank you.

[@robertortiz-wilson1588]

Really awesome of you covering such an underrated topic and doing it very well!

[@willski52]

So, how is Zimbabwe doing since 1980? . . . . .

[@JackSamaita]

Doesn't matter how it is doing. They have got rid of a Nazi Apartheid foreign entity. That's all that matters. You have shallow reasoning

[@s.k.6616]

Can’t feed itself. Poverty. Corruption.

[@joshuakadzutu1317]

Well good Sir , it’s true that Zimbabwe is in poverty but not all people are in poverty. I didn’t grow up in poverty , went to the best schools lived a life that most kids live in Europe even though I was in Zimbabwe. The problem is that you people want to destroy and take things that didn’t belong to you by destroying life and discouraging black people to nothing. Good sir I will say your social environment isn’t good seems like you dislike black people because that’s how you were raised by your family. Sometimes you have to understand both sides and understand why Zimbabwe is poor right now. If Mugabe was evil the question is why was he evil , No one is born evil the problem is the racism he faced growing up , the trauma of not being human enough, this things affects people , and your people did that to him. Am a 19 year old student trying to understand why we blacks have to accept the injustice my people face all over the world. Good sir I thank you for reading this message and I hope that you will understand my world.

[@tylermaritz1701]

Oppression doesn't confer the right to become an oppressor. Whether Mugabe was discriminated against or not he had the choice to raise his people out of the mud and offer them a new hope after he came to power. Instead he kindly offered them a knife to the ribs and took his country for all he could before cosily leaving and living a life of luxury while the poorest had to eat dirt. If he had simply hated whites I'd understand your point but it seems he hated everyone but himself. It is the noble privilege of the empowered to see to the needs of the disadvantaged as is right and just. To not do so is the mark of a coward and disgrace. If there is anything, any single aspect of European philosophy to accept it would be that. Noblesse oblige.

[@cloutpackent]

Zimbabwe is doing good as of right now, it has one of the fastest growing economy. The president of Zimbabwe just became the chairman of the SADC and the SADC summits just got held in Zimbabwe.

[@pradesianmc]

Thank you guys for doing a video on this, you have no idea how few people actually know this part of history

[@taongamasenyama6316]

It's funny how just yesterday I got an intense interest on the topic of the Rhodesian war and then one of my favorite youtubers releases a video on it. Thank you for your work man❤

[@namelessking8905]

And then ZANU went and committed genocide against the Ndebele people.

[@conceretejungle1150]

You mean dissidents???😮

[@paleoph6168]

Nice, you finally make a video on this overlooked conflict! Can't wait to see what's in store... 6:11 Love the Metal Gear Solid homage here! I guess you did this as one of the main characters of the game - Gray Fox - was involved in this conflict.

[@DarkPuppy9]

i mean its only overlooked if you don't have to deal with white supremacists

[@عليياسر-ذ5ب]

​@@DarkPuppy9Britain: You mean criminals, brother

[@tabergineman7241]

Remind me of phantom pain development

[@ShotsMerkzAll]

@@DarkPuppy9Many Zimbabweans miss Rhodesia because it was the breadbasket of Africa

[@DarkPuppy9]

@@ShotsMerkzAll except Zimbabwea still is? So less weird bullshit in defense of a dead fascist state

[@derkaiser420]

It is pretty sad what happened afterwards. After Zimbabwe was created most of the white population, who were mostly farmers, left Zimbabwe never to return due to violence against them. This created a huge lack of food in the country which led to a massive famine in Zimbabwe. The country even asked the UK to come back and help them get sorted out but the UK refused. So this war had long lasting effects on the population as a whole.

[@warsamek8275]

farmers lol you mean invaders

[@adrianshephard378]

@@warsamek8275 They had been there since the 19th century

[@formalbug5716]

They had no business there anyways. No sympathy.

[@adrianshephard378]

@@formalbug5716 Wow that's pretty racist, why do you hate immigrants?

[@dopaminedreams1122]

@@formalbug5716 does this apply to Europe too in your opinion, because unlike Africa, Europe has a massive non native non while influx recently and yet many leftists suddenly change their mind when it comes to that topic

[@looinrims]

I’m sure nothing bad will happen now that a nice agreement for governance was made

[@JamesA.V.]

Thank you for doing some Southern African History, it means a lot to me as my Grandmother is from Southern Rhodesia, my dd is from Namibia and I am from South Africa. Please can you do more southern African History like the Frontier Wars of South Africa or the Bush war in Angola or even the Mozambique Civil War. That would just make may and and other Southern Africans very happy! Thank you and please if possible to do more Southern African history. :)

[@nathandixon2066]

Yea its amazing to see it covered Im also South African and my grandfather which I never got to know served in Rhodesia and died in the conflict

[@tristan-rx5cu]

This is awesome! I remember requesting a video on this topic a few months back. Very happy with the work!

[@HladgerdKissinger]

Incredible work. Incredible art, and stunning editing and animations. I instantly subscribed. So many history channels use AI now that I've been totally disenchanted by them. I'm so glad to find one that doesn't use AI art and actually hires real artists to create their videos!

[@bosshoodrat]

LEKKER! Waited a long time for this.

[@doomguy1902]

Ja boetie

[@SeanCourtney-h4e]

The rifles being shown are British SLRs. We used FN FAL( many from South Africa and called the R1). It has a different flash hider, thicker than the barrel with holes through it along the sides instead of the slots that are on the SLR. The cocking handle was different and did not fold down. The norm was for the carry handle and rifle sling swivels to be removed, to stop snagging in the bush. The bomber was called the British Electric Cambera (pronounced Kambera). The civilian aircraft shot down was called the De Havllin Viscount (pronounced Vi count). Some of the pronunciation of the names was shocking, you had spent a while investigating and gave a reasonably coherent history but the mis pronunciation of place names and some of the main characters destroyed my ability to give credit to your work.

[@Toxity101]

My grandad fought in the Rhodesian bush war and my Dad fought in Angola. They were Elites and my dad still does not talk much about it, all I know is that they were bad ass and that it was Hell out there.

[@gyderian9435]

I learned about Selous Scouts in the Finnish military, had a trainer who was kinda obsessed with them 😅 nice to learn about the whole war now

[@anthonyrausch2323]

My cousin was Ron Reid Daly. I was RLI and we were just ordinary guys fighting for civilized morals and values. No big deal.....

[@shadow6543]

They were bad ass

[@br7693t]

​@@anthonyrausch2323how'd that work out for you lol

[@br7693t]

​@@shadow6543no they weren't. They weren't any more well trained or capable than their adversaries. They routinely got smoked out and took casualties. They were a bunch of amateurs.

[@STM1066]

I’m sure the comments will be civilized, thoughtful, and full of nuance…

[@theguy8729]

Rhodeboos incoming

[@Raptorsified]

Ive seen more of these "civil comments inc" comments than anything actually crazy.

[@kingofcards9]

*Black, genocidal, supremacists incoming*

[@Mauzzewulf]

@@theguy8729me

[@jukebox_heroperson3994]

Rhodesians never die, that's what they say.

[@frogfinance4605]

My family, (theyre all dead now), were RLI, Grey's Scouts, and RAR. I'm often depressed I wasn't born soon enough to be the same.

[@Violetvisions86]

Fun fact: the weapon selection scene reminds me of Metal Gear Solid and Dr Naomi Hunter was found in Rhodesia

[@stefanosiclari]

That weapon selection scene IS from Metal Gear Solid!

[@Bigstarrocker9]

Foooox!

[@dwightisaacs8932]

Zimbabwe.

[@jaxonk]

snaaakeeeeee!!!!

[@Ricefieldsneaky]

As a Vietnamese I can say this is relatable.

[@lestergreen2828]

Ian Smith's government was actually based tho. The leaders of South Vietnam were as corrupt as they come, and Ho Chi Minh was controlled opposition (he worked for the OSS, the precursor to the CIA)

[@alfro201]

​@@lestergreen2828if Ian Smith was so good, why did he have to deal with an Insurgency?

[@jacaredosvudu1638]

​@@alfro201 cause e'20th century politics really had a problem with darker shades of skin

[@crowbirdryuell]

​@@alfro201because cringe fake Communism. That's one of the reason why

[@eeeertoo2597]

​@@davidgarcia5593The US is only 13% black, you can relax with the victim complex now.

[@efrainguerrero6338]

The sad thing is that in the end everything they fought for came to nothing and they ended up with a dictator who literally did the same thing as Hugo Chavez

[@XandateOfHeaven]

That's how most revolutions turn out historically. The instability following civil wars and revolutions often causes a power vacuum that allows different dictators to take power. Zimbabwe is unexceptional in this case. Look at the French revolutions in 1789, 1830 and 1848.

[@goldenfiberwheat238]

6:48 I don’t like zanla but “we are our own liberators” goes hard

[@igotfriendsinlowplaces2971]

Commies never to hard, little kid

[@goldenfiberwheat238]

@@igotfriendsinlowplaces2971 I said the poster went hard. Also little kid? I’m 26. I bet you’re 15 never had a job yet and watch fox news

[@igotfriendsinlowplaces2971]

@@goldenfiberwheat238 lol I own a ranch in Montana and my property tax is more than you make in a year, little kid

[@NORTH_CAROLINA_REAPER]

Bro proud of paying taxes​@@igotfriendsinlowplaces2971

[@baneofbanes]

@@igotfriendsinlowplaces2971sure thing kid.

[@poisonousbadge126]

FINALLY I HAD NO IDEA THIS WAS IN THE MAKING! THANK YOU! Greetings from an English Zimbabwean.

[@RAIDENCHEEKS]

"English Zimbabwean" Replace it with White Colonizer and its correct

[@jonatanlj747]

@@RAIDENCHEEKS Are all children doomed to be remembered only by the sins of their forefathers? Or do you mean that he himself took land at the end of a rifle?

[@RAIDENCHEEKS]

@@jonatanlj747 yes

[@nuhthan]

​@@RAIDENCHEEKS so with this knowledge does that mean i should js refer to young german children as nazis? makes no sense

[@2Based4Life]

​@@RAIDENCHEEKSexactly... Someone probably employing a minimum of 25 " Zimbabweans" or are you already looting SA?

[@ElHombreGato]

I LOVED the MGS item display! You should do more of this

[@aaronslater470]

When an asymmetrical war tactically becomes attritional based it is a nightmare

[@arstotzka9088]

I met a former white Rhodesian soldier. Hes a permanent nomad, traveling the world. I asked if he planned to settle and he said no, his home is gone is what he said. Recently Zimbabwe offered him money and land if he would return snd do a tour in the Zimbabwean army and a farmer but hes one among hundreds of thousands of white Rhodesians the Zimbabwean government has offered money and land too since ever since the Europeans left, the country fell into despotic poverty and famine.

[@def3ndr887]

Idiots

[@smeekle2000]

That's not true.

[@joshuatony.5353]

Why are you lying dawg 😭 Zimbabwe's government only offered to pay compensation to white land owners after the land reforms, and no they didn't call any Rhodesian nomads, the fact you need to lie to feel better is a mix of funny and pathetic

[@angrydoggo7160]

@@smeekle2000 Said the expert in truth.

[@balecalduin1993]

How old was he? If he was 20 at the end of this conflict he would be in his mid-60s by now. No same country would ask a 60-something dude to serve a tour, and I find it highly unlikely that this guy has been travelling for over 4 decades with no plan to settle anywhere

[@Game_Hero]

12:09 I was full-on expecting a VPN ad to come in at this part.

[@quillo2747]

Rhodesia went from one of the wealthiest countries and breadbaskets in africa to zimbabwe povertyvand fammine

[@fredrikr6280]

Questions..where the native living in famine and poverty before the Europeans came with guns to occupy their land. And for sure white people didn't want to integrate with the locals..they rather liked them to remain stupid and just place them as servant and gardeners.

[@tropical_boys]

​@@fredrikr6280People in Rhodesia lived well, whites and blacks side by side. It's not like there was a kind of Aparthied in Rhodesia, and regarding the white minority, of course there should be people who would be rac1st and so on... And like any other minority group, of course many would be afraid of living in a country where at any moment you can be killed just for being white, I mean, you can't live in the countryside without thinking about the possibility of having your farm invaded and your family killed by terrorists who hate you. And now you ask yourself, how much did Zimbabwe cost? The "natives" (you could say that) now had control of their lands and, look what happened, total disaster.

[@Griff00]

@@tropical_boys "It's not like there was a kind of Aparthied in Rhodesia" uh, why were the majority of blacks constitutionally disenfranchised?

[@def3ndr887]

@@tropical_boys The elite blacks wanted power so they threw their entire country under bus by chasing out the people who had money to keep the country afloat

[@stefanosiclari]

​@@Griff00 They were not. The law was the same for all, voting requirements were actually lower for blacks, and equal pay was mandatory since 1934. The problem is that education (which lowered income requirements even more) was too expensive and most blacks were uneducated farmers, while most whites were well educated skilled workers who had immigrated from Europe. The situation improved by the 1950s and 60s but not enough to make a real difference. It would have taken many years (assuming a fixed increase at least) for blacks to become the majority of voters. However Rhodesia did have some retarded laws such as an old law from 1903 which banned interracial marriage. They tried to amend it in 1957 but I honestly have no idea if the amendment passed. I believe it didn't.

[@pyrobeingpyro]

Hey Armchair Historian! Since you are covering southern african conflicts, can we have something around the South African Border War? Since it feels like the Mozambican Civil War, Angolan Civil War, Rhodesian Bush War and the South African Border War are all part of some "Great Southern African War"

[@oooshafiqooo]

Zimbabwe GDP remained under recession from independence untill 2010, when it finally grows and crashes during late 2010s and never recover from that point onwards

[@poisonousbadge126]

These animations are becoming godlike and entertaining!

[@tronabee3462]

as someone whose parent grew up in zim during the war thank you for the accurate well presented vid

[@s.wvazim6517]

The was was over by the time it was zimbabwe 😊 unless of course you are a matabele and who's family were put of the 20000 killed by mugabe if so I'm sorry for your loss the white rhodesians tried to tell the word that that would happen

[@tronabee3462]

@@s.wvazim6517 they lived there before during and after the war

[@Meyer-gp7nq]

We say Rhodesia don’t we?

[@Daimyo27]

@@Meyer-gp7nq right now it’s called Zimbabwe

[@simonh6371]

As well as the content and depth of research, I'm particularly impressed by the animated bits. The detail is very good, especially the FN FAL rifles which I'm more than familiar with, the British semi-auto variant (L1A1 SLR) having been my personal weapon for 5 years.

[@donradkos6655]

Rhodesians Never Die is a catchy tune all things considered though.

[@troydodson9641]

Haven't actually looked into the war before, thanks for the coverage

[@charlesmorgantelkom]

You forgot to mention that after independence there was tribal warfare and genocide en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gukurahundi

[@ayodejiolowokere1076]

What does that have to do with the video though?

[@thankusa9795]

The consequences of the guerillas winning ​@@ayodejiolowokere1076

[@RaffieFaffie]

@@ayodejiolowokere1076 It's something that happened in the aftermath of the war it would make sense to include it just like it makes sense to include what happened to Germany after the second world war and not just end it on the surrender

[@ayodejiolowokere1076]

@@RaffieFaffie it also had nothing to do with the war.

[@RaffieFaffie]

@@ayodejiolowokere1076 Yes

[@Niko_Malthus]

6:17 MGS item select was the best part lol

[@SekenStrm]

For real the mgs weapon menu

[@thepiratepenguin4465]

Most people don't know how rough the bush wars of Southern Africa were.

[@starfleetguy69]

its a great day when armchair historian uploads

[@ChristineCAlb1]

So Rhodesia was a real place! I always learn something new from your videos. Keep up the good work.

[@formalbug5716]

Not really. It was a concept that was imposed on a real place by a different name.

[@johnmurdoch8534]

The brits really left their settlers out to dry .. but there was no realistic way rhodesians could maintain a state with their own control of the population so small. No matter how they squared it they were done..its amazing they lasted as long as they did. It should be noted that the rhodesian whites tended to be from the lower classes compared to the ones in kenya and elsewhere and hence they likely were not as well regarded by the elites.

[@davianoinglesias5030]

All the Rhodes had to do was strike a deal with the black majority the same way the settlers in Kenya did. Kenya simply made buy out and lease deals with the settlers and that's why this country didn't suffer the fate of most former colonies. As most Africans have come to realise independence isn't the holy grail to success, some of the battles against settler's actually were detrimental to the continent while in other countries white settlers were simply replaced by black oppressors. A farm lease given to Lord Delamere in Kenya expired some time back, the land was simply taken over by the former president, did the locals benefit? Ofcourse not. I think there was exaggerated fear on both the settlers and locals yet simple agreements would have avoided lots of conflicts.

[@GarrettBradfordTX]

It seems insane to gloss over the fact that Rhodesian forces were outnumbered by an unbelievable factor. The prowess of the Rhodesian forces can’t be understated. These guys killed hundreds of enemy for every soldier they lost. They did this with small arms and gunfights

[@joshuatony.5353]

Did you ignore the part with gunships and helicopters and aerial strikes?

[@stefanosiclari]

@@joshuatony.5353 fair point. Counterpoint: the terrorists had anti-aircraft missiles while the Rhodesians had vastly outdated aircraft

[@eeeertoo2597]

​@@stefanosiclari Cringe white supremacist, keep coping about rhodesia

[@TimSerras]

Garden boys with AK’s.

[@personeater747]

They were white supremacists, don't be so quick to polish their boots.

[@FishWithAquaphobia]

Fun Fact: by 1978-79, a large portion of the Rhodesian army was comprised of black Rhodesian soldiers.

[@baneofbanes]

Too little too late.

[@stefanosiclari]

@kaiservon2936 blacks were always allowed to join the Rhodesian army. They sent a few thousands already in WW1 - when conscription did not exist and all Rhodesian soldiers were volunteers who paid for the travel out of their own pocket. What changed in 78 was that the various formations were integrated.

[@caroll7622]

And the Air Force had many black airman also. I know because I was in the Rhodesian Air Force!

[@ggpp4898]

My unit comprised of over 6500 African soldiers and around 500 Europeans.

[@BlackTeethMedia]

Malaysian Emergency or Aden Emergency would be great videos

[@oooshafiqooo]

hmm those are intresting tho

[@Griff00]

dhofar rebellion alongside the aden emergency would be really cool too; the way it ended was pretty awesome, crown prince qaboos coup'd his ultra-reactionary father and forcibly began enacting reforms, outright offering amnesty to the communist rebels alongside government jobs for some of the leadership. due to qaboos' amnesty strategy, the war pretty much fizzled itself out since he actually bothered to listen and reform, his foreign minister from 1999-2020 yusuf bin alawi bin abdullah, was one of the rebel leaders

[@crowbirdryuell]

Forget about it bro. I asked many channel like this to make a video about 13 May 1969. The fact is, nobody cares about us Malaysia

[@oooshafiqooo]

@@crowbirdryuell or the fact that we are too stable rn and that i, a Malaysian. Only knows about it after finding a book about it when i was 11

[@oooshafiqooo]

@@crowbirdryuell or 10 idr

[@alexiel4406]

In Zim rn, I absolutely love the fact y’all covered this war. One of my favorite conflicts to study

[@Brwigames]

Based UNSC

[@igotfriendsinlowplaces2971]

You misspelled Rhodesia bruh

[@alexiel4406]

@@igotfriendsinlowplaces2971 sadly they lost 😞 so much potential wasted with the current corrupt government. Imagine turning the breadbasket of Africa, the hidden jewel, into a poverty stricken ,hyperinflation suffering, corruption ridden nation.

[@igotfriendsinlowplaces2971]

@@alexiel4406 be safe my man

[@dingus6317]

@@sl_ipper it is impossible to legislate equality among blacks and whites as they are unequal

[@supermemeposting8216]

John Edmond and Clem Tholet were two very prolific singers in that country, give their music a listen!

[@looopamith9456]

Im excited for these comments. Also great video keep it up man

[@brianfischer9942]

Rhodesians never die

[@doodi1222]

@@brianfischer9942 Looks pretty dead to me

[@ALLMINDmercenarysupportsystem]

​@brianfischer9942 I don't know a thing about this war, but I'm pretty sure some Rhodesians died. That tends to happen in wars, even super lopsided ones like Desert Storm have some deaths on the side of the militarily superior force.

[@urmum3773]

@@doodi122250:1 KD lol

[@doodi1222]

@@urmum3773 this ain’t cod kid

[@joelkp1185]

As a South African, I die a little inside whenever he says some African words, names, etc

[@ElHombreGato]

Beautifully Done Video!!! I'm very thankful you're still making content!!!

[@pinwheelsteve]

armchair historian wit the low taper fade sheeeesh

[@cullencreedon7121]

now look at zimbabwe such a failed state to think about all the white farmers who were killed or driven off there land is so sad

[@WasatchBDC]

Minority rule was also sad. Can’t just focus on one side of this

[@ddddd9665]

@@WasatchBDCyeah. Minority rule is only a good thing in modern Western Society.

[@tseyazmutseyami1402]

That happened 20 years after the war and it was the British government who decided to screw them by refusing to pay what they had promised to pay Zimbabwe

[@Lawrence-se8vb]

How many were killed.And tell me how many natives Smith killed

[@ayodejiolowokere1076]

@@Lawrence-se8vb all the ones who were fighting to get their country back.

[@alexismoungara4]

That animation of the white guy holding two rifles at the black guy, and they in turn holding rifles at each other is hilarious.

[@kiuk_kiks]

You should cover the decolonisation wars of Angola and Mozambique. The Portuguese covered the infrastructure such as water treatment and sewerage in concrete to destroy it as they left Mozambique.

[@dingus6317]

The must discover the tech tree on their own

[@frankmurphy7234]

​@@dingus6317eat a BBC

[@someguy7881]

​@EKREBORN573It didnt quite work, now did it?

[@someguy7881]

@EKREBORN573 You tryna push Berlin to Polish borders? Do I need to remind you what happened to Silesia, Pomerania and Koningsberg?

[@def3ndr887]

@@dingus6317they have no research points to begin with

[@adamcheklat7387]

6:18: Let me guess, Metal Gear?

[@Atreid3s]

METAL GEAR!?!?

[@adamcheklat7387]

@@Atreid3s Yeah, the whole scene looks like the gear selection UI from the game.

[@rocksteadyboxingwilliamsbu9109]

Thank you for covering wars in Africa. I would love to see more.

[@thedoncastellani]

"We say Zimbabwe now, don't we ?" "Do we ?"

[@kriysixvector4552]

Yes? Thats what it says in the maps.

[@Apenas_Um_Brasileiro]

​@@kriysixvector4552r/whoosh lmao

[@Rockstar-bq5fm]

Fantastic movie haha, makes me think of it every time Zimbabwe gets brought up

[@kriysixvector4552]

@@Apenas_Um_Brasileiro I get the joke. Just thought I was being equally funny. Clearly my sense of humor sucks.

[@aaron-dl7dh]

NO!!!!! RHODESIA FOREVER !!!!!!!!!!

[@DominusRexDK]

always find it a bit odd when the narration says one thing and the camera shows it but in oppesite order. like in this video with the "fall" of Portuguese Mozambique and Angola and then the visuals panned between them in the oppesite

[@evolancer211]

At 7:50 one guy in the Rhodesian army was like "screw it. I want shorts, my legs look fabulous in them!" Love his attitude

[@Theletas-GG]

My grandfather fought in the war he moved to south africa after it ended

[@NotAmil4]

Should have went back home

[@Lion_Heart_Zimbabwe]

​@davidgarcia5593 Speaking as a white Zimbabwean. May I ask why? Africa is our home. We are Africans too and proud of it. We won't leave. In fact, many white Zimbabweans have remained in Zim and are mainly farmers or wildlife conservationists like my family and myself. In fact, last year, quite a few white Zimbabweans returned, owing to improvements in the farming/agricultural industry and land leases.

[@leojohn1615]

@@Lion_Heart_Zimbabwe as an Australian i know many families who came to Australia from South Africa and Rhodesia because their family was personally targeted with violence.

[@amindada9947]

@@Lion_Heart_Zimbabweyou are not Africans, you’re European colonisers and occupiers

[@erikrigt4294]

You are a settler, go home​@@Lion_Heart_Zimbabwe

[@BrianGreene-rn9uz]

Can't believe how bigoted the natives were by not just allowing the poor refugees to enter the country.

[@jimmyrourks]

We really dropped the ball with this one. Rhodesia forever!

[@BKuiAi73vn]

as a vietnamese, i can cofirm this information

[@Osama_Zyn_Laden]

Be worthy of thy name. Rhodesians never die. I was too young to experience But that green and white is flying in my heart. The only good thing ever come out of Africa.

[@thebadstation8416]

You are just weird

[@Osama_Zyn_Laden]

​@@thebadstation8416I was born in Zimbabwe. I know what happens there. My own brother was chopped up in front of me. Just because you don't know how to run a country don't mean you have to blame all your problems on a minority ethnic group that was running your country. Just look at it now. Can't even afford a loaf of bread. If you're a woman you can't walk outside at night or walk down the street safely. It is not a better place.

[@lelagrangeeffectphysics4120]

@@Osama_Zyn_Laden heads up, weird is the new shaming

[@jennijenjenjen]

Mate, Botswana is going to have to disagree with you.

[@LewisB3217]

Least crazed white supremacist

[@cannonball666]

I didn't see any baby poop camo on those FALs.

[@Atreid3s]

6:13 love the Metal Gear Solid item menu!

[@SevenRiderAirForce]

Nice job with the shorts. I like all the little details.

[@polishadamtv]

Show us what downtown Salisbury looked like in 1978 and whay it looks like now

[@juslitor]

bound to look different, back in -69 total population a tad over 5 millions, nowadays Zimbabwe has a population of 17 million.

[@DarkPuppy9]

By covert support from Portugal and South Africa, do you mean the open arming, training and fighting along side?

[@baneofbanes]

There’s a difference between “known” and “open”.

[@croonyerzoonyer]

Got a good friend who was in that war. Sounded wild.

[@Hunt-tq7ks]

This is a good video, I never heard about the Bush War until now