Balls of Steel - A LEGENDARY Rescue in the Rhodesian Bush (1896)

A forgotten battle deep in the Rhodesian Bush…
A handful of Mounted Police battling over a thousand Shona rebels in a running battle during the 2nd Matabele War.
It's an epic fight that deserves to be remembered.
Today we are talking about the Mazoe Patrol in what is now known as Zimbabwe.
A special thanks to historian Cam Simpson who researched and co-wrote this episode. If you are interested in reading his books on the era then here is the Amazon link: amzn.to/3Ra4zHN
If you are interested in the Zulu War, then please sign up for my mailing list to receive my free book on the subject: redcoathistory.com/newsletter/
If you are very generous, you can also buy me a coffee and help support the channel via ko-fi.com/redcoathistory

[@andygeorgeparkinson2515]

Amazing story superbly told 👏👏

[@robertbarras7893]

Ripping yarn, as they used to say. Very well told and presented 👌

[@redcoathistory]

Thank you kindly

[@keithagn]

Great story and well told. Thank you!

[@janlindtner305]

Interesting story, well told as always, super duper Chris👍👍👍

[@redcoathistory]

Thanls, Jan. Glad you enjoyed it

[@user-ud4pn8it9z]

What a wonderful episode as you rightly say this deserves to be remembered. It would make a great skirmish wargame. Thanks for the video. MRC@1966

[@redcoathistory]

Thanks a lot. Hope you are well.

[@user-ud4pn8it9z]

@@redcoathistory I'm very well thanks

[@andymoore9977]

As a solo wargamer I was just thinking the same. But then I started to think about what rules to use. Would it just be played as one a flash point skirmish or a journey with various uncoordinated mini ambushes along the way? I think the fugitives would have to be able to fire and move at the same time without any activation tests whilst the Shona would be dogged with all sorts of activation problems making it hard to make up any fully coordinated attacks and even have units just, well, erm "disappear" just when you thought they were in position. I suspect anything but home made rules would not cope with this scenario, most commercial rules would have the Shona moving faster than the wagonette and being armed with at least few modern rifles be able to pick off the fugitives even at long range over a couple of turns. The stretch from playable war 'games' to simulations that reflect a reality is often quite a gap! But I am going to give it a go!

[@user-ud4pn8it9z]

@@andymoore9977 I reckon using Sharp Practice rules would give a good game.

[@FranciscoPreira]

Another great forgotten story, thabks for sharing.

[@redcoathistory]

Hi mate. Thank you so much. I'm glad you enjoyed the video and found the story interesting. Stay tuned for more forgotten stories like this one! Got another video ready to post on Friday also.

[@thatcouncilestatekid1832]

Great stuff Chris I had never heard that story before so cheers for the enlightenment

[@redcoathistory]

Thanks a lot - I also learned a lot making this video. Big thanks to my mate Cam Simpson who did most of the research.

[@gerryhasell7828]

Well done as usual Christian, educated again - thank you

[@redcoathistory]

Thanks, Gerry.

[@evilstorm5954]

The Victoria Cross CAN be awarded to civilians filling Military duties. There are 2 maybe 3 instances of this happening. It can also be awarded to a UNIT, who then can vote on who should receive it, this was how Group Captain Leonard Cheshire received his for service over Europe during WW2. The George cross, the Civillian equivalent of the VC is awarded for acts of Valour while not under fire, but in extreme personal danger. So BOTH of these men could have, and should have been nominated at the very least for the VC.

[@jakemocci3953]

Interesting, we had a debate in Congress over this for the MOH. They tried to take it back from a civilian who had gained it fighting Indians.

[@charlietreston4035]

Great stuff 👏

[@redcoathistory]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@ric6383]

Great stuff to hear Rhodesian history.

[@SmokinLoon5150]

Job well done, thanks for sharing your talents. :)

[@redcoathistory]

Thank you very much.

[@dansmith4077]

Great video thank you

[@andhelm7097]

Thank you for sharing this incident, have not read about it.

[@steveshaw2581]

Very interesting, thankyou!

[@redcoathistory]

Thanks, Steve.

[@tinashemachani2917]

Viva Chimurenga Viva 🔥🔥🔥 : Hwata was my Great great great grand father : Love from Zimbabwe

[@redcoathistory]

Great thanks a lot. I am always pleased when descendents of both sides watch and enjoy my videos.

[@GrumblingGrognard]

Great stuff! Subscribed!

[@redcoathistory]

Welcome aboard.

[@vumba1331]

We lived on the Mazoe Citrus Estate in 1954/56, my father helped survey the land so that they could run irrigation ditches from the Mazoe dam to irrigate the trees. Have fond memories, my father died there from the polio epidemic. (Edit - spelling 'lived')

[@redcoathistory]

Thanks for sharing.I would love to visit one day.

[@vumba1331]

@@redcoathistory It's a shadow of its former self with the trees cut down for firewood and the majority of the land taken over by members of the family of the ruling politicians and used for dairy farming. Irrigation ditches have also evidently been filled in as they moved to the more efficient dripline system to save water - all of which was stolen and the orchards left to go to wreck and ruin. Great pity, Mazoe Orange crush was very popular.

[@BillsWargameWorld]

Got it on listening while driving

[@jamest6781]

Do a video on Major Fred Burnham DSO, his was an amazing story. He was an American scout who worked for the British mainly in Africa and General Lord Roberts in the second Boer War. He received the rank of major from the British and one of a few Americans to receive the DSO. He was good friends with Lord Baden Powell.

[@redcoathistory]

It's in the pipline 👍

[@christopping5876]

Great video, thank you.I used to work in the area. Picked up a fired brass Webley .45 cal. pistol casing from the laager site 30 years ago. Look at a terrain map on Google to see where they needed to escape from in order to get to the plateau Salisbury/Harare stands on.

[@Jubilo1]

Men of Iron with Anglosphere pluck !

[@Phansikhongolza]

Most were South Africans. And mostly Afrikaans speaking. The Pioneer Column was raised in Kimberly, not London.

[@gordonharland5579]

I remember the motel by the Mazoe dam just of the main road.

[@andyshaw5378]

Great video really interesting 👍🏻

[@redcoathistory]

Thanks, Andy

[@samuelseymour7850]

Onward through the years of laughter, toil and pleasure, striff and play, still we try to follow after Blakiston, in duties way ? the Blakiston school song, circa 1965

[@redcoathistory]

Thanks - are you an alumni?

[@samuelseymour7850]

@@redcoathistory Was there 1963-66, story and song was drummed into us 😊

[@reynardthefox]

Well done Chris, a great of soldiers...a girlfriend of mine wa a Rhodesian of A farmer family...they were great people... History is a Bitch...not all Black and White...

[@smytheandywesson5134]

It will always be Rhodesia to me.

[@garethcoombs1622]

Southern Rhodesia to me. I grew up in the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland.

[@ducthman4737]

👍.

[@redcoathistory]

Thanks mate

[@censusgary]

Why was it called the Second Matabele War, but the First Chimurenga? Do two Matabele wars equal one chimurenga?

[@redcoathistory]

Because the 1st matabele War wasn't an uprising or "revolutionary struggle". The second was - hence 1st Chimurenga.

[@censusgary]

@@redcoathistory Good answer.

[@johnhallett6393]

If.only Great Britain had men like this TODAY.

[@jameswright6886]

I doubt if it was called "the 2nd matabele war,consideriing that it occured in mashonaland.

[@cameronsimpson-ld8nk]

Agreed and in this context, the 1896 Matabele Rebellion sparked the Rebellion in Mashonaland and the Mazoe saga.

[@BrixtonTone]

I hitch hiked through what was then Rhodesia in the early 1970's . I was met with exceptional kindness and generosity from people of ALL colours. Whilst this story grabs my attention, I'm sad to see that the indigenous people (the Shona and Matabele) are continuously referred too in this presentation as "Rebels" 🤨 Surely they were only attempting to protect what was their land 🤔

[@Phansikhongolza]

Actually both tribes are not indigenous to the region at all. Only the San and Khoi are indigenous to Southern Africa.

[@DaDaW9762]

Sad, the settlers took effort care and love over a hundred years and made that country a first world country..And those horrible glorified terrorists, have made it a 3rd world country in less than 40 years.. And the world helped them do it.. If the world and especially, the mother country, Britain had supported Rhodesia, units like the RLI and the Rhodesian SAS would have kept the terrorists back forever.

[@ruaridhdalrymple3275]

And SA has gone the same way. Owned by China and crumbling economically.