The Saints: The Rhodesian Light Infantry

We’ve seen the stories of the more `glamorous’ Selous Scouts, the SAS and the Rhodesian Air Force, but very little about the Rhodesian Light Infantry, often underrated, but arguably one of the most effective counter-insurgency units of all time. This was the unit that brought the `Fireforce’ concept to the world’s attention, the devastatingly ruthless airborne envelopment and annihilation of a guerrilla enemy. Dubbed “The Killing Machine” by Charles D. Melson, chief historian of the US Marine Corps, the RLI was a veritable `foreign legion’ with over 20 diverse nationalities serving in her ranks. The RLI, a truly international airborne battalion, fought the bitter Zimbabwean`bush war’ for 15 years, against the overwhelming tide of communist-trained guerrillas. Kill rates don’t win wars, but during its brief 19-year history, it is estimated that the RLI accounted for between 12,000 and 15,000 enemy guerrillas, for the loss of 135 men. RLI soldiers were recipients of four Silver Crosses and 42 Bronze Crosses of Rhodesia, and it is an RLI trooper who holds the world record for operational parachute descents, a staggering 73 op jumps, most under 500 feet! The Saints is not intended as a definitive history but, with more of a classic`scrapbook’ feel, the presentation attempts to capture the essence of this fine unit and what it was like to be a troopie, one of the `ouens’. About the Author Alexandre Binda was born in Beira, Mozambique in 1945 and joined the Rhodesian Army in 1965. He is a keen student of African military history and has written several articles for Lion& Tusk, the magazine of the Rhodesian Army Association.

About the Author :
Chris Cocks was born in Salisbury, Rhodesia in 1957 and served three years and 28 days as a combat NCO with 3 Commando, the Rhodesian Light Infantry (the RLI, an airborne/airmobile unit), from 1976 to 1979. He was then offered a farming job in the country’s Lowveld; however, the army refused to countenance a waiver of call-ups, so he attested into the British South Africa Police and spent the remaining 14 months of the bush war as a PATU (Police Anti-Terrorist Unit) stick leader and avoiding the Military Police. He moved to Johannesburg in 1996 and stumbled into a publishing career, specializing in southern African military history. He has written four books: the bestselling Fireforce: One Man’s War in the Rhodesian Light Infantry, its sequel Out of Action, a steamy novel Cyclone Blues, and co-wrote The Saints, the RLI’s history. He is the historian for The Rhodesian Light Infantry Regimental Association and edits its magazine, The Cheetah. Alexandre Binda was born in Beira, Mozambique in 1945. He joined the Rhodesian Army in 1965. Although he had attested into the Pay Corps, he was to get more operational and combat experience than any of his colleagues. Between 1968 and 1972 he took part in a dozen or so deployments with RLI and SAS combat-tracker teams in support of the Portuguese Army in the Tete Province of Mozambique, countering Frelimo and ZANLA guerrilla incursions from the north. During his 15 years in the Rhodesian Army, he did a four-year tour of duty with the Selous Scouts and was paymaster for the Grey's Scouts and other units such as POU (Psychological Operations Unit). He was awarded a Military Forces Commendation and was commissioned in 1979. Alex is a keen student of African military history and has written several articles for "Lion & Tusk", the magazine of the Rhodesian Army Association. In addition, he has undertaken a number of significant military history projects including "Masodja - A History of the Rhodesian African Rifles", "The Saints – A History of the Rhodesian Light Infantry" and most recently, his acclaimed work "The Rhodesia Regiment – From Boer War to Bush War: 1899-1980. " Married to Jane, Alex now resides in scenic Northumberland's Cheviot Hills near the Scottish border in the UK.