Copyright Ammotogo.com 2023 All Rights Reserved. Robert A. Sadowski has written about firearms and hunting for more than fifteen years. The Rhodesian Front's ideology held that the end of colonial rule in Africa and the development of African nationalism during the 1950s and 1960s had been the result of international communism aided by a policy of appeasement towards African nationalists by the United Kingdom and other western countries. Some years back, Col. Cooper developed what he called the Mozambique Drill for the purposes of dealing with this type of situation. It was finished in 1980 and published in 1991. As he turned a corner, he encountered a FRELIMO guerrilla armed with an AK-47. It is not the only way to do things, and was never intended to be taken as the one true way.. One such soldier of fortune was Mike Rousseau. [42][68] Two of the former French volunteers who remained in Zimbabwe after the war were sentenced to death for murdering a caf owner during a robbery in 1982 and were executed the next year. The third shot should be aimed to destroy the brain or brain stem, killing the target and preventing the target from retaliating. This proved impossible due to the large numbers and difficulty of checking their backgrounds. If youve been around defensive pistol shooting for a while, youve likely heard of the Mozambique Drill (AKA, failure to stop drill). [23], The expansion of the security forces, increasing battle casualties and a decline in the white population due to high rates of emigration led to serious shortages of white personnel that greatly hindered the Rhodesian war effort. Got a message for Democratic Underground? Position a silhouette target (preferably with outlined V1 and V2 zones) five yards from the firing line. During the Mozambican War of Independence, a Rhodesian mercenary by the name of Mike Rousseau was engaged in a firefight at the airport at Lourenco Marques. Rhodesian Mike Rousseau was serving as a mercenary in the Mozambican War of Independence. Home [22] The army units manned by full time personnel, which included a high proportion of white regular and conscripted soldiers, were the most powerful element of the security forces and formed a strategic reserve that responded to the guerrilla activities. The most effective way is two easy shots to the attackers center of mass, then assess the target. The failure to stop drill is a great drill but it is only a drill, and one of many. There was a flurry of unrest in Mozambique. They observed that the volunteers "failed in their efforts to protect the white regime, but not before they supported and contributed to a conflict that lasted fifteen years and claimed tens of thousands of lives". Rhodesian officers also sought to use their networks in other militaries to attract volunteers. [31] The ads and other coverage of Rhodesia in Soldier of Fortune led to a "steady stream of volunteers". views and opinions of Springfield Armory. Until the early 1970s the Rhodesian Security Forces had little difficulty in defeating the guerrillas. Those who did so received amnesties as part of the British government measures associated to end of the conflict. Rousseau then lowered his weapon to the ready position. [51] As a result, there are a range of estimates of the numbers of foreigners who travelled to Rhodesia to serve with the security forces: British citizens made up the majority of the foreign volunteers who served with the Rhodesian Security Forces. [45] Some American volunteers were attracted by a belief that the war in Rhodesia was comparable to that which had been fought on the American frontier. You can support the efforts of Jews Can Shoot that Nothing Says Never Again Like an Armed Jew. [84] The FCO advised anyone who sought information about fighting for Rhodesia that doing so was illegal, but did not explain why. Two American ex-Marine deserters from the Forces who robbed jewelry stores in Salisbury, while carrying stolen Uzis, were involved in a shoot-out with authorities at the South African border. [22], From the mid-1970s the Rhodesian government began placing advertisements seeking volunteers in the international media. board, visitors agree to abide by the rules outlined on our Rules [26], Several individuals and companies recruited United States citizens to fight in Rhodesia. the opinions of Democratic Underground, LLC. Come join the discussion about optics, gunsmithing, styles, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more! This is a drill created during the Mozambique War of Independence, when a Rhodesian Mercenary (Mike Rousseau) had an up-close encounter with an opponent wielding an AK-47. Product prices mentioned in articles and videos are current as of the date of publication. [87] The historian Hugh Patterson noted that the relatively small numbers of volunteers from the UK indicates that "however vocal the support for Rhodesia by some on the political right, very few men were actually willing to put their futures on the line for the Smith [Rhodesian prime minister Ian Smith] regime". Two to the body and one to the head is guaranteed to stop a threat. It was also unclear whether serving in the Rhodesian military was illegal under laws that prohibited service in foreign militaries as the British did not recognise Rhodesia's independence. [34] The Rhodesian government paid the airfares of volunteers who were unable to afford to travel until 1977. Jews Can Shoot is a civil rights group that honors the memory of the Holocaust to preserve, protect and defend the Second Amendment and was formed for the purpose of education regarding gun laws, gun rights, legal precedent and cause-related advocacy. Sometimes shooting a bad guy in the chest just isnt enough. Body armor, extra thick clothing, psychoactive drugs, or even a massive adrenaline dump are all reasons those first two shots may not be effective on your target. Miss the zone, and the projectile could deflect off the bony areas of the skull without eliminating the threat. The bullet hit the base of his attackers neck, severed the spinal cord, and stopped the fight. [86] Due to the difficulty of drafting legislation that could effectively ban Britons from serving with Rhodesia or enforcing the measures that were brought in, there is no record of any British citizens being punished for serving with the Rhodesian Security Forces during the war. Its much harder than you may think. However, they and their guerrilla armies were motivated mainly by nationalism and a desire to end discriminatory practices and establish majority rule in Rhodesia. Portugal had ruled Mozambique for four hundred years, had subsequent deep roots in the country, and was not leaving without a fight. Your goal should be three accurate shots in under four seconds. He finished the job with a headshot. Rousseau was carrying his Browning HP35 pistol when he turned a corner and found himself face-to-face with a guerilla armed with an AK-47. The sanctions it imposed following UDI banned efforts to entice British citizens to live or work in Rhodesia. [60] Foreign volunteers who openly expressed extreme racial views were deported. Two to the body, one to the head. certified instructor prior to handling any firearm and be sure to read your owners manual. The Rhodesian military also adopted some of the terminology used by Americans in Vietnam, such as referring to guerrillas as 'gooks' and labelling one of their supply lines the 'Ho Chi Minh trail'. Seeing that the guerrilla was still advancing, Rousseau made an attempt at a head shot that hit the guerrilla through the base of his neck, severing the spinal cord. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Engaged in a firefight at an airport in Lourenco Marques, Rousseau encountered a guerilla fighter armed with an AK-47. [46], In addition to the actual volunteers, thousands of South African Police and South African Defence Force (SADF) personnel were deployed to Rhodesia by the South African government to serve in or alongside the Rhodesian Security Forces. While a thousand organizations use the Holocaust as a platform for speeches about tolerance, Alex Kozinski, Chief Judge, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Children Of Jewish Holocaust Survivors [Jews Can Shoot]. List of battleships of the United States Navy, List of aircraft of the Malaysian Armed Forces, http://practicalfirearmstraining.com/reading/HandgunDrillsPDF.pdf, Handgun Wounding Factors and Effectiveness, Articles incorporating text from Wikipedia, USMC manual CMC-37R of 8 Feb 2006: METHOD OF TARGET ENGAGEMENTS. [61] These pay rates were lower than those in some other armies; for instance, they were around half the levels in the United States Army and between 50 and 60 per cent of the Australian Army's pay scale. Fighting at the airport at Loureno Marques (modern-day Maputo), Rousseau rounded a corner and encountered a FRELIMO guerrilla, armed with an AK-47 assault rifle, at 10 paces (~7.5 . If a few hundred Jewish fighters in the Warsaw Ghetto could hold off the Wehrmacht for almost a month with only a handful of weapons, six million Jews armed with rifles could not so easily have been herded into cattle cars." FRELIMO was the dominant political party in Mozambique fighting for independence from Portugal. The Rhodesian government openly advertised in the American Soldier of Fortune magazine during 1975. [36] Neil Grant gave a lower figure in 2015, stating that over 10 per cent of the unit were foreign volunteers. While it might seem strange at first, its not a long stretch to connect the dots from a country off the east coast of Africa, to a Rhodesian mercenary, to a shooting technique, and finally to someone who conceal carries and trains to defend themselves. Rousseau hit an . Felons can be high on adrenalin or drugs to the point that they do not recognize or respond to pain. [66] The difficult conditions contributed to high desertion rates. [26][34] Other volunteers were expected to pay their own way. [95] On 21 December that year the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 460 that, among other things, called for the British authorities to expel all "mercenaries" and South African forces from Southern Rhodesia. Doing so was illegal under laws banning mercenary activity in Israel, West Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands. |-- The DU Lounge The views Click It is vital to mix up your training, firing different numbers of shots into your targets, at different locations, because you never know if your first shot or your fifteenth is going to be the one that stops the threat. FRELIMO's Marxist underpinnings earned it support from Russia and China. Mike Rousseau was friends with Colonel Jeff Cooper, a legend in the firearms training world and the founder of Gunsite Academy. Semi-automatic pistols in those days relied on FMJ bullets so the pistol would function properly. The United Nations General Assembly had adopted a similar motion several days earlier at the behest of several countries in southern Africa. [34] Foreign volunteers were also offered land if they settled in Rhodesia after completing their service with the security forces. Sometimes in practice, I will draw my weapon and shoot one shot to the chest . Remember that 9mm ammo circa late 1960s and late 1970s was marginally better than 9mm ammo from WWII. John McVicar Malloch ICD, was a South African-born Rhodesian bush pilot, gun-runner and sanctions-buster who flew in World War II and in various legal and illegal roles around Africa and the Middle East until the early 1980s. 2003) (Kozinski, J. Titanfall Blisk is working under a new long-term contract with the IMC on the Frontier, providing Combat Intel and Counterinsurgency services. As the story goes, a Rhodesian named Mike Rousseau was serving as a mercenary in the Mozambican War of Independence. The party was deeply committed to maintaining the white minority's status, with this motivating a decision to declare independence from the United Kingdom rather than submit to a transition to majority rule. Oops, there's been an error. The drill was inspired by an incident encountered by Rhodesian mercenary Mike Rousseau during the Mozambican War of Independence (1964 to about 1974). [70], Ware and Campbell wrote in 2022 that the foreign volunteers had little influence on the war, and the pressure from western governments on the Rhodesian government to agree to a transition to majority rule was of greater importance. [22] The number of white conscripts in the security forces was also increased by considerably expanding the age groups of men who were required to serve and the periods of active duty reservists needed to undertake. [29] Advertisements were also placed in other American magazines, including Shotgun News and Shooting Times. opinions of the individuals who post them, and do not necessarily represent [40] They were recruited by the Rhodesian Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) from a French military base in Djibouti. While catchy mottoes are easy to remember, the technique itself can be difficult to master. [1] From 1962 its government was led by the Rhodesian Front political party. Armed with a Browning HP35 pistol chambered in 9mm, Rousseau immediately brought up his Hi Power and shot the guerrilla twice in the chest. Mike Rousseau, a Rhodesian mercenary during the Mozambican War of Independence, was armed only with a 9mm Browning Hi-Power pistol, and he rounded a corner at Loureno Marques (now Maputo) Airport and came face-to-face with an African guerilla armed with an AK-47 assault rifle, less than 25 feet away. : The British Military Advisory and Training Team and the Creation of the Zimbabwe National Army", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Foreign_volunteers_in_the_Rhodesian_Security_Forces&oldid=1135864497, The historians Peter Godwin and Ian Hancock have written that foreign volunteers represented only a "tiny minority" of the Rhodesian military in 1972, with 90 per cent of recruits being Rhodesians and most of the remainder. Big Forums Blisk's character is based off Rhodesian mercenary Michael Rousseau, who popularized the shooting technique known as the Mozambique drill. This is a great exercise to work on speed, accuracy and self-defense tactics. Once you can achieve repeatable accuracy, then you can start to speed things up. "All too many of the other great tragedies of historyStalins atrocities, the killing fields of Cambodia, the Holocaust, to name but a fewwere perpetrated by armed troops against unarmed populations. Military historians Paul L. Moorcraft and Peter McLaughlin believe the number was likely around 1,400, but have noted that estimates from other experts range as high as 2,000. Most of its members left Rhodesia after the company was withdrawn from operations to be retrained, though some settled in Rhodesia. While Im no gunfighter and there isnt any (sane) person who wants to learn gunfighting from me, Id offer another alternative that might be more slightly attainable to more people, and which is suggested by our own Stephen Wenger based off of his decades in studying armed self-defense. I imagine Rousseau had a moment of shock and then quickly decided to end it with a headshot. The Portuguese used WWII vintage pistols in their two decades long colonial wars in Angola and Mozambique (some claim the gun Rhodesian mercenary Mike Rousseau used in the original Mozambique . [39][40][41] Sources differ on whether these men were paratroopers or members of the French Foreign Legion. [23] In 1979, the military historian John Keegan noted that foreigners made up between a quarter and a third of the strength of the RLI. The Mozambique Drill[1] is a close-quarter shooting technique in which the shooter fires twice into the torso of a target (known as a double tap to the center of mass), momentarily assesses the hits, then follows them up with a carefully aimed shot to the head of the target. The volunteers frequently received a hostile response from Rhodesians in the units they were posted to, and many ended their contracts early as a result. [36][74] These volunteers may have further encouraged the Rhodesian Security Forces use of the 'body count' of guerrillas killed as a measure of success, with this having been a key metric in Vietnam. During the Mozambique War of Independence (1964-1974) mercenary Mike Rousseau was fighting at the airport in Moputo. You sweat just standing still. No matter the reason, the third shot should stop the attacker in his tracks. Rousseauarmed onyl with a pistolturned a corner and encountered an enemy. This is an effective way to stop a threat that isnt immediately stopped by two shots to the bodys center mass. Thankfully, the shot hit the attackers throat, severing his spinal cord and eliminating the threat. [56] The desertion rate among foreigners serving in the SAS was particularly high. Live The Armory Life. Seeing that the fighter was still advancing, Rousseau attempted a head shot that hit the guerrilla through the base of his neck, severing the spinal cord. However, for reasons lost to history Rousseau was reduced to his sidearm, a GP35 Browning Hi-Power in 9mm. Ex-military wanting to ply their tactical handiwork in return for treasure were welcomed to Mozambique to help the Portuguese military. During a fight, he bumped into a guerrilla soldier armed with an AK-47. Sundry populist uprisings supported by distant communist benefactors strived to nip at the forces and institutions of the European colonial powers long enough to draw blood. You fight with what you have, and at about ten paces (or five yards) Rousseau fired two 9mm rounds into the fighters chest. [62] The revelations about Lamb's history embarrassed the Army and led to concerns in Rhodesia about the quality of the foreign volunteers. Ideally, a more practical application might be to fire two shots to the torso, take two steps back and to the side to keep your distance and, if your attacker is still attacking, attempt the head shot. By 1979 the Rhodesian government was facing defeat and the war was costing 2,000 lives each month. In 1976 former Portuguese officials offered 2,000 white soldiers who had served with the UNITA nationalist movement in Angola until that country's independence. [78], The nationalists argued in their propaganda that the Rhodesian regime's need for foreign volunteers illustrated its political and military weaknesses. [11], UDI and Rhodesia's racial inequalities led to the outbreak of the Rhodesian Bush War. [67] Many of the volunteers were frustrated that they were paid only in Rhodesian dollars, as foreign banks would not process this currency and the Rhodesian government allowed no more than R$1,500 to be converted to other currencies. Under three seconds, and youve got some major skills. Although the legendary Col. Jeff Cooper is credited with developing the Mozambique Drill, he had a little help. slams Colorado gun control bills, Biden's FAA Nominee Can't Answer a Single Question About Aviation, Russell Brand was challenged to give examples of MSNBC pushing misinformation (that was a BAD idea), Trump Reveals What He'll Do If He's Indicted, California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. in 1978, he was the final recipient of the Rhodesian civil Independence Commemorative Decoration for services rendered to the country. The academics Jacob Ware and John Campbell stated in 2022 that people from more than fifteen countries had volunteered to fight for Rhodesia, including "several hundred" Americans. The British noted that such a resolution might prove impractical as many Rhodesians held dual citizenship. "The Mozambique Drill: A History and How To", "Lesson Plan: Immediate Target Engagement (CMC-22 Combat Marksmanship Coaches Course 08/12/2008)", "History of the Failure Drill: Mozambique Revolt Roots", "Shooting Skills: The Mozambique-Failure Drill", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mozambique_Drill&oldid=1141379493, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 24 February 2023, at 19:40. Habah l'hargecha hashkem l'hargo -- "If someone is coming to kill you, rise against him and kill him first.". According to anecdotal history, the technique originated with a Rhodesian mercenary, Mike Rousseau, engaged in the Mozambican War of Independence (1964-1974). [19][20] In April 1979, 60,000 members of the military and police were on active duty to protect that month's Rhodesian general election. The Mozambique drill, originally developed by a Rhodesian mercenary, MIke Rousseau, is a standard practice drill for self defense. [35] Organisations representing veterans were another method used to contact potential recruits. One such soldier of fortune was Mike Rousseau. [62] Those who failed this training had to leave the country, with their airfare home being paid by the Rhodesian government. Rousseau was fighting at the airport at Loureno Marques, which is now called Maputo. The Portuguese forces collaborated with Rhodesia which had experience from the Bush War in the early 1960s to create special forces teams to deal with FRELIMO. Rousseau hit the target on either side of the sternum, usually enough to incapacitate or kill a target outright. The articles in Soldier of Fortune reflected Rhodesian government propaganda, as they claimed that the country was a western democracy, the war was being fought against communism and did not discuss the oppression of Rhodesia's black majority.