Selous Scouts: The Controversial Legacy of Rhodesia's Elite Warriors

Buckle up for a journey through the controversial legacy of Rhodesia's elite Selous Scouts. From their covert operations to their role in the Rhodesian Bush War, Join us as we discover the fascinating story of one of the most enigmatic military units in African history. Uncover the complexities of their operations and the lasting impact they left on Rhodesia and beyond.
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The ownership of the footage and images used in the creation of this documentary is vested in their respective owners.

[@mikestaak7951]

My late brother was a scout

[@ShimomuraTakezoWong]

One of the Top Combat units in the World during that time that's the way to fight a war especially now with political Islamic extremism & terrorism; no holds barred.

[@stupitdog9686]

Good guys trying to improve things for everyone !

[@oreilly1237878]

They had a operational military history second to none.

[@TheGrenadier97]

The portuguese were on the top with the rhodesians.

[@ourclassicmovies1929-es1jd]

RHODESIA WAS A FIRST RATE ECONOMIC POWER # 2 IN THE RANKING ACROSS AFRICA WITH PLENTY OF ELECTRICITY AND AIR CONDITIONING A STABLE CURRENCY RUNNING WATER MEDICINE THRIVING AGRICULTURE CANALS FOR AGRICULTURAL EXPANSION SCHOOLS PLENTY OF JOBS NO TRASH IN THE STREETS THE LOCALS HAD THE 2ND HIGHEST BLACK WAGES ON THE CONTINENT AND IT WAS GROWING RAILROADS WILDLIFE CONSERVATION CLEAN STREETS AIRPLANES AND AIR TRAVEL PLENTY OF PETROL AND DIESEL PLENTY OF HYDRO ELECTRIC POWER PAVED ROADS HOSPITALS FUNCTIONING SEWAGE SYSTEMS THRIVING STEEL INDUSTRY WEALTHY BLACK NEIGHBORHOODS PLENTY OF FOOD HUGE TOBACCO TRADE A THRIVING ECONOMY PLENTY OF COAL EMERALDS AND IRON ORE TELEVISION GROWING INDUSTRIAL BASE

[@MichaelBessinger]

I am proud to say i was one of the troopers to go into battle with the scouts i was in the SAS . Mess with the best die like the rest.😮😅😅

[@user-mm4jv3fs5l]

Share brotherman

[@user-jj1yk3yv3b]

Did you know Frik Muller?

[@user-jj1yk3yv3b]

You must give more info for me to believe that you were SAS. Sorry man, but today almost everybody claims to have been in the special forces.

[@MichaelBessinger]

As a SAS I made an oath to secrecy. And of many ordeals after all these years I still got PTSD. My CO was Major John Dealy Read.

[@Phansikhongolza]

The Scouts and the SAS were Rhodesia's biggest units...... everyone claims to have been a member!

[@bernardhacking7462]

Seloo not Sellus

[@TimelessChroniclesYT]

Apologies for the mispronunciation, Thanks for the correction.

[@wernervanderwalt8541]

Apart from the horrible pronunciation of some names this the most accurate video I've seen on this highly secretive unit of the Rhodesian security forces. Well done.

[@TimelessChroniclesYT]

Thank you! Apologies for the horrible pronounciation.

[@RobMacK-]

Selou(s) silent 'S' pronounced Selloo and definatley not Sellas!

[@TimelessChroniclesYT]

Please excuse the mispronounciation.

[@Mark-te5uz]

Was about to make a similar remark..👍

[@mudgutsiv]

Great footage of regular and national service Rhodesian soldiers, particularly pre 1976 when full camouflage wasn't worn. Very few pictures of the Selous Scouts - and the RLI marching when talking of the disbandment, the Scouts weren't a final parade.

[@TimelessChroniclesYT]

Thank you! Did my best to locate available footage of the scouts, but footage of them is indeed quite rare and challenging to source. The RLI march was intended to symbolically represent the end of an era rather than to be a literal depiction of the specific event. Thanks again for the feedback, I'll keep striving to find the best possible content.

[@colinriddell9553]

The clip you used was not RLI but infact the Air Force.

[@zekeooo2]

pretty neat video, there's a podcast that has a bunch of episodes with different selous scouts being interviewed if you want to go further down the rabbit hole. it's called "fighting men of rhodesia" it's a pretty interesting podcast regardless of someones views of the war. certainly interesting for someone into history that is. it has episodes with rhodesian soldiers being interviewed, rhodesian police officers, one episode with someone from the opposing forces and even an episode with an interview of a rhodesian farm family member

[@TheGrenadier97]

Check out the portuguese Flechas of east Angola. Author John P. Cann has a good Osprey-style book about them, and other troops of the Ultramar. The specific recruitment and inclusion of the Flechas in the excepcionally well-suited portuguese counter-insurgency forces were perhaps even more remarkable.

[@TimelessChroniclesYT]

Thank you for the recommendation! Yes, there are some fascinating stories from the Ultramar, I'll try to make a video about the Flechas as well.

[@grahampovey8073]

Pamwe Chete!

[@comitatus5337]

Pronounced Selloo scouts

[@fmyles3]

Rhodesia - Will be back soon.

[@ozzyphil74]

In your dreams... Lol...

[@skillzsett7958]

​@@ozzyphil74👊🏻

[@ayodejiolowokere1076]

In Hell, why not?

[@mikestaak7951]

Exactly

[@user-bc5nl6uq5t]

loo tenant???

[@TimSerras]

How can you infiltrate enemy base disguised as a defector and still be able to kill, destroy and slip away without being detected? So, why desguise?

[@TimelessChroniclesYT]

There were instances where native African Rhodesian infantry troops would defect to the side of the rebels. So the Selous Scouts took advantage of that. For them, disguising as defectors would help in gaining the enemy's trust. As the rebels didn’t have strong intelligence or counterintelligence units, they were less likely to suspect someone of their own that they believed had turned against the Rhodesians, allowing the scouts to operate more freely within the base. The scouts also maintained a low profile and avoided unnecessary interactions. Only took action when they were confident it won't raise suspicions. When the time came to kill, destroy, or sabotage, They chose targets that will cause the most disruption while minimizing the risk of immediate detection.

[@TimSerras]

@@TimelessChroniclesYT I understand what you mean. What puzzles me is the “defector “. I witnessed the same ops with Portuguese GEP’s (black paratroopers) what they called operation manioc (mandioca) but they posed as Frelimo guerrillas not defectors. That would raise great suspicion within the guerrillas. Many new groups would arrive from Zambia or Tanzania and since communications within the Frelimo was pratically non existing, they were almost always welcomed. Once the GEP’s were confident enough, they would act with Portuguese special forces (comandos or paras) as backup. Most operation manioc were very successful. Flechas also used same procedure in Angola. Defectors of Portuguese Army in Frelimo had to go through a very painful procedure before being accepted, many were not and were executed , the process lasting several days, even weeks. One famous manioc operator was sergeant Robbie (Ribeiro his real name) a Cape Verdean that is mentioned in Breytenbach’s book “Forged in battle “ about Bravo group in Angola. Breytenbach even recommended he receive the Honoris cross for bravery but it was refused. He was killed by a SA army truck that jumped the military convoy in SWA .

[@groovydrzi6967]

They murdered many innocent people and caused the death of many more. They instilled terror into the hearts of many of us African teenagers of the 70s. And what did they achieve in the final analysis?

[@gazhandrail]

When narrating something like this, you need to get your pronunciations right. Main example, it is pronounced "Sel-oos Scouts", not "Selous" as in "Jelous."

[@stikkkkk]

Thanks for that, was driving me nuts!

[@gazhandrail]

@@stikkkkk No worries, Mate. Yeah, me too!

[@seandobson499]

Named in honour of Frederick Courtney Selous, on whom Sir Henry Rider Haggard based his most famous fictional creation, Allan Quatermain.

[@ourclassicmovies1929-es1jd]

" WE GET TO RIDE MOTORCYCLES INTO BATTLE? " " YES " " AND WEAR SHORT SHORTS?" " YES" " WHERE DO I SIGN ?"

[@daffidkane8350]

1800 members? That’s almost a brigade!

[@TimelessChroniclesYT]

Indeed, 1,800 members is a substantial number, comparable to the size of a brigade in later stages. Most of the later additions were regular RLI troops who were not permanently assigned to the unit. The expansion to this scale highlights the significant increase in their operational capacity, even though it came with challenges related to personnel quality and operational effectiveness.

[@colinriddell9553]

It was actually 1650 personal, of which a vast majority of the black personnel were ex guerrillas

[@colinriddell9553]

Only read your comment after, completely wrong! The unit was actually formed by SAS & RAR personal in the experimental stage. Once it was decided to form a unit, a selection process was introduced where persons from all units could try for selection. You could break down to unit into two sections, internal operations consisted of mainly black personal from predominantly the RAR & and turned! Captured guerrillas with white regular soldiers as control. The Assualt grp consisted mainly of white territorial personal.

[@rickybosman6158]

The Rhodesian a S.A.S.were equally one of the best combat forces in world.

[@peterbrigden2124]

It must have been the biggest and best army in the world ? Everyone Zimbabwean that I know was in it and brag about it. Its the same with the South African army, the only trouble is that they both lost their respective wars and their countries 😈😈😈😈

[@billisaac326]

Don,t you mean every Rhodesian was in it? Everyone but you.

[@FreeWorldSoldier1]

Men of steel ❣️

[@GhostRanger5060]

When men were men.

[@user-bp6qo8gw6w]

All this is very well. You may love them or hate them. They were awesome in their effectiveness and ruthlessness. What always haunts me about Rhodesia is that it's fatal flaw was apparent from its formation. Similar to the Afrikaners in South Africa; they seemed to exclude from their plans the fact that Africans existed and shared the land into which they had moved. In reflection it was a big mistake. The Rhodesians basically lost everything in the end. But the underlying stupidity of never addressing a fundamental flaw in their plans belongs to them alone.

[@rhodesia1578]

In your opinion 😂 ! You speculate ! You assume !!

[@groovydrzi6967]

Well said.

[@hoseA-sy4ld]

the woodoo

[@Uuu29-fy2vc]

But African triumphed

[@russellcoleman8840]

Yeah they have really gone ahead since independence. Smashing it

[@MrPh30]

Good troops , that mostly were farm guys and pro Hunters . All guys no matter where one came from were equal there . Capable of much , and what was the expression again “ Miskuzi “

[@DirkJacobsz]

who cares who wins..

[@terrancecharles2108]

All this hype. But still got their asses kick in my the cubans in Angola. Smfh

[@colinriddell9553]

Should get your facts right!, before you make such a stupid comment!. Two different countries and armies.

[@MabvutoPhiri2015]

These were cowards who attacked inocent civilians who fought racism

[@jdoyle6821]

JUST LOOK AT THE SHITHOLE NOW.

[@MabvutoPhiri2015]

Look at the shit

[@reinerraymondo1586]

Lies. Zanupf propaganda.

[@ourclassicmovies1929-es1jd]

" WE GET TO RIDE MOTORCYCLES INTO BATTLE? " " YES " " AND WEAR SHORT SHORTS?" " YES" " WHERE DO I SIGN ?"