Three Sips of Gin

The Selous Scouts: Elite Counter-Guerrilla Unit of Rhodesia's Army. In the 1970s, the name of this elite unit sent fear into the hearts of Russian and Chinese-backed guerrillas fighting in Rhodesia's bush war. The very mention of "Skuzapu" or pickpockets was enough to strike terror into the souls of even the most battle-hardened fighters. The Selous Scouts were a deadly combination of specially selected black and white soldiers, hardcore terrorists captured on the battlefield, and communist guerrillas, all dressed and equipped to blend in with their enemies. Operating in the harsh African bush, they engaged in a game of hide-and-seek with terrorist gangs, seeking and destroying them with devastating effect. By the mid-1970s, the Selous Scouts had begun to dominate Rhodesia's battle space, accounting for an extraordinary high proportion of terrorist killed in the conflict. Their success was not limited to hunting guerrillas within Rhodesia's borders; they also conducted external vehicle-borne assaults against terrorist camps in neighboring countries, causing devastating losses to their enemies. Survival in this cauldron of battle was never guaranteed.