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(More customer reviews)This is an excellent history written by an officer who played a central role in realizing the air-ground joint coordination essential to Rhodesia's lethal "Fire Force" operations against communist insurgents. It is also de facto a history of the Rhodesian Air Force before and after UDI. Lavishly illustrated and detailed, it is a must-have for any serious student of the war. Since titles on Rhodesia sell out and become costly to find when out of print, one would do well to purchase this sooner rather than later.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Winds of Destruction: The Autobiography of a Rhodesian Combat Pilot
A unique account of one man's service in the Rhodesian Air Force, spanning a period of twenty-three years from 1957 to 1980 - through the politically turbulent years of Federation; the Unilateral Declaration of Independence (U.D.I.) by Ian Smith's government in 1965 and thirteen years of relentless, uncompromising bush warfare against the never-ending tide of Robert Mugabe's and Joshua Nkomo's ZANLA and ZIPRA guerrillas. In a grueling conflict that permitted no quarter, the Rhodesian Air Force (Rh.A.F.) fast became one of the Rhodesian Defence Force's most lethal and effective counter-insurgency organs. In pre-emptive bombing strikes against enemy camps in Mozambique, Zambia and as far afield as Tanzania; in its integral role as a troop-carrier and airborne strike force in 'Fireforce' operations; in working closely with such specialist units as the Selous Scouts, the S.A.S., the R.L.I. and the R.A.R., the Rhodesian Air Force was never far from the action and in no small way responsible for the astonishing military successes against a vastly numerically superior army.This all in spite of the international sanctions against Rhodesia, which ordinarily would have brought a nation's armed forces to its knees. However, forced by circumstances, the Rh.A.F. was obliged to maximize usage of its aging fleet of fighter-bombers, transports and helicopters and to resort to innovative techniques in terms of tactics and weapons systems, many of which were later adopted by the South African Air Force in its own counter-insurgency operations in Angola and Namibia in the '80s.
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