Jean-Michel Caffin is a former military officer and current business executive who served in the Rhodesian Security Forces and South African Special Forces
Rhodesian Bush War
John van Zyl
John applied to join the SAS but was told he had to do his basic training with the RLI first. He then underwent the very rigorous SAS selection course and although he passed he decided to join the RLI and was imbedded with 14 Troop 3 Commando. John is the joint...
Stuart John Hodgson
Chiredzi Fort
The Selous Scouts established a forward operational base, often referred to as Chiredzi Fort, at Chiredzi in southeastern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) during the Rhodesian Bush War. This base was strategically important for several reasons: Chiredzi is situated in the...
GAZ-66
The GAZ-66 truck was extensively used in Angola and Mozambique, primarily by the Soviet-backed liberation movements and later the national armies (MPLA in Angola, FRELIMO in Mozambique) during their respective wars of independence and subsequent civil wars. The...
Dave Hughes
Canadian volunteer Dave Hughes, Rhodesian Armoured Car Regiment, assigned as a grenadier prior to Op Miracle 1979. He is one of the few men in the Western World to have ever operated out of the T-55. Rhodesia had received a few, that had been confiscated by the South...
Rhodesian Armoured Car Regiment
he Rhodesian Armoured Corps—the "Black Devils" - was the only standing armoured battalion of the Rhodesian Security Forces. During World War II, it took part in the Allied Spring 1945 offensive and the Battle of Monte Cassino as part of South Africa's 6th Armoured...
Ken Gaudet on his time in the RLI and SADF Pathfinders
I was taking some time off of work at a shipyard in San Francisco and I had planned a trip to South Africa & Rhodesia for a couple of years. I was in contact with Al J. Venter from SOF magazine and Al told me what to bring over to Africa to trade with the farmers...
Andre Paulus Rabie
Sergeant Andre Paulus Rabie, a founding member of the Rhodesian Selous Scouts special forces unit, was killed in a friendly fire incident on September 16, 1973. He was a highly skilled soldier with C Squadron SAS who, along with Sergeant Alan "Stretch" Franklin, was...
Rob Riddell
Johann “Joubs” Joubert
Eland 90
The Eland 90 is a South African-produced, four-wheeled light armored car that was used extensively in various conflicts across Southern Africa, most notably by the defense forces of South Africa and Rhodesia, during the Angolan Civil War and the Rhodesian Bush War....
T-54/55
The T-54/55 was a primary main battle tank used by Angolan and Cuban forces in the Southern African conflict (South African Border War). These tanks frequently engaged the South African Defence Force's (SADF) lighter, wheeled armored vehicles, such as the Ratel 90,...
BTR-152
The BTR-152 was a significant, though often vulnerable, piece of military hardware in the Angolan and Mozambican Civil Wars, primarily used by the Soviet-backed government forces of the MPLA and FRELIMO, respectively. Angola In Angola, the BTR-152 was a standard piece...
M-4 Patmor
The 60mm Patmor is a lightweight, man-portable patrol mortar system, primarily associated with South African defence companies like Denel Land Systems and Truvelo. "Patmor" is a contraction of "Patrol Mortar". Key Features and Specifications Type: Muzzle-loading,...
Shaw Barracks
Shaw Barracks was a military installation in Balla Balla, near Bulawayo, that served as the regimental training depot for the Rhodesian African Rifles from 1976 to 1980. It was named after the late Major General John Moore Shaw. After 1980, it was renamed the Zimbabwe...