Video není dostupné.
Omlouváme se.

Fighting Men of Rhodesia ep199 | Supt Keith Samler | Selous Scouts, BSAP

Sdílet
Vložit
  • čas přidán 26. 05. 2023
  • The video commences with very interesting and rare footage of Op Dingo (1 & 2), filmed by Detective Superintendent Keith Samler. At the end of the video are great pictures from Keith's time in the Selous Scouts, so please watch to the end;)
    If you enjoy our content please consider subscribing (it's free)
    You can support this channel here ...🙏
    www.paypal.com...
    Join us on Patreon - / johnvanzyl

Komentáře • 82

  • @change_is_good4559
    @change_is_good4559 Před rokem +49

    I am from NZ, have no affiliation with Rhodesia, but have to say this series is absolutely brilliant. This is history, it may not be a history that some people want to tell, but for these people is the real and so very important. To the team who have the vision to put this together.. I salute you!

    • @daemonharper3928
      @daemonharper3928 Před rokem

      My take away from a great many of the participants in this series, is that they were pro change, pro equality - but could foresee the problems that eventually happened in Zimbabwe.

    • @glendodds3824
      @glendodds3824 Před rokem

      @@daemonharper3928 Some of the pro change, pro equality rhetoric is of course sincere. On the other hand, some former staunch right wingers now want to be remembered as liberals. They have changed their tune.

  • @geoffreyblyth6462
    @geoffreyblyth6462 Před 14 dny +1

    Well said Keith. A brilliant recollection of your hard work and excellent efforts during the Hondo and about the Rhodesian era. Very proud to be related I am too.

  • @gregorypaulbox3035
    @gregorypaulbox3035 Před rokem +26

    The contemporary Western world needs men with the Rhodesian spirit to revitalise and defend Western culture. The Finns have a unique word for it... 'Sisu' which is described as stoic determination, tenacity of purpose, grit, bravery, resilience, and hardiness. Sisu is an action mindset that equips the individual to choose to take on challenges beyond their observed capacities. It provides the final empowering push when we would otherwise hesitate to act. Sisu can be conceptualized as taking action against the odds. This also describes the character of the Rhodesian armed forces.

    • @clarencelafuentes5331
      @clarencelafuentes5331 Před rokem +1

      My sentiments, too.

    • @zuzemoyo7696
      @zuzemoyo7696 Před rokem

      The best defence a Civilisation needs is realising that greed and oppressive behaviour cotradict the very nature of the human spirit. Unless you mean the collapsing Western White Supremacist dogma. Which has self destructed ever since it was adopted.

    • @justranting4510
      @justranting4510 Před rokem

      Why would any RHODESIAN trust the west?

    • @happy_kayaker
      @happy_kayaker Před rokem

      The Western Culture will die an agonising death with likes of Trudeau and Biden. It is a gone show brother !

  • @calummackenzie1797
    @calummackenzie1797 Před rokem +20

    Here is another name that for those in the know, was highly regarded. Salute to another brave SB operator

  • @uwemeyer6823
    @uwemeyer6823 Před rokem +17

    What a great nation Rhodesia was! Betrayed by their brothers and neighbors! May the younger generation learn from their heroic fight for justice and freedom and the destruction communism and socialism brought to the people of Africa. Thanks Keith, Hannes and John for this excellent interview.

    • @glendodds3824
      @glendodds3824 Před rokem +2

      Some Rhodesians insist that they had nothing in common with South Africans. I suspect that they would have been perfectly happy to throw South Africa under the bus if they thought it was in Rhodesia's best interests to do so. Indeed, some Rhodesians do throw South Africans under the bus by promoting the myth that race mattered in Bloemfontein but not in Bulawayo. On the other hand, I have considerable affection and respect for tough, brave, honest Rhodesians.

  • @wybrandbarnard6215
    @wybrandbarnard6215 Před rokem +19

    Thank you for your service Keith. I truly hope Hannes will do at least one more episode of your combat experience and impressions of what you found in the camps in your externals
    Bless you sir! Salute

  • @user-bx4qp6xu8d
    @user-bx4qp6xu8d Před rokem +7

    Incredible bravery shown by the Fighting Men of Rhodesia. Real life Supermen. I salut you all and everything that you accomplished during those turbulent years of defending your country. Well researched and amazing storytelling by Mr Wessels. Your Audible book readers are fantastic! I look forward to listening to more of your books.

  • @robl417
    @robl417 Před rokem +16

    Thanks Keith, Hannes and John. Keith my late father was MIC at Umvukwes in the early fifties. His four son's went on to serve in the RLI, SAS and BSAP during the war.

  • @hedgehog1954
    @hedgehog1954 Před rokem +9

    Another terrific episode. Thank you Hannes and your team for putting together this wonderful, and often heartrending, record of such a critical period in the history of our motherland. In many ways it was the best of times and the worst of times as the old adage goes. Really appreciated and with much heartfelt respect to you and all those who have contributed to this extraordinary series.

  • @kanderson4417
    @kanderson4417 Před rokem +8

    Great footage, the world needs to remember their deeds.

  • @petershearing9878
    @petershearing9878 Před rokem +4

    Thank you Keith and Hannes! Remember our cricketing days in Umtali Keith! Great memories!! Thank you Hannes for your dedication in this worthy cause!

  • @TrailWalker03
    @TrailWalker03 Před rokem +7

    15.4k subs! Good to see this channel getting some traction.

  • @jamtree9746
    @jamtree9746 Před rokem +3

    Thank you Keith- As a younger Rhodesian I feel the same about losing the war.

  • @user-pp7hb5dk2r
    @user-pp7hb5dk2r Před rokem +2

    Thank you for your informative disscussion. Dad knew Peter Combes well. A lot of very special BSAP guys....Bob Wishart...Sergeant Magadza...John Coqhuoun....Tim Trafford...Puggy😮...And of course Allum .....Ian C....so many gentlemen...Thank you Keith

  • @geraldsmith1992
    @geraldsmith1992 Před rokem +10

    My deepest respect Keith. The total commitment conveyed to your adopted country is evident in the expressions mirrored in your talk. I salute you. I would have liked to hear if you had crossed paths with Ken Flower and if you had any knowledge of his treacherous activities against the state.

    • @WMalcolmc
      @WMalcolmc Před rokem

      Hi: I worked for Ken Flower at Red Bricks and, based only on my experience there, do not accept that Ken Flower was involved in any 'treacherous activities' against Rhodesia. All these years later I have yet to read from anyone who would have known better than me that Ken, who served the country for over 40 years, was a traitor.

    • @geraldsmith1992
      @geraldsmith1992 Před rokem

      @@WMalcolmc Hi: In 2011 the BBC Radio 4 programme Documents featured testimony from Lord Owen that Flower had been an MI6 mole for Britain during his tenure as head of the Rhodesian CIO. For Mugabe to retain Flower’s services as CIO boss in his Zimbabwe administration is a clear expression of earned trust by Mugabe. Of course this is all conjecture but I am willing to bet my bottom dollar that had Ian Smith weeded out the likes of Flower post U.D.I. the pre-warning of operations to the enemy, on many occasions, would have been minimised.

    • @WMalcolmc
      @WMalcolmc Před rokem

      Anyone who automatically believes Lord Owen's self-serving comments is somewhat gullible. For Mugabe to retain Ken Flower's service for the reason you state would be very foolish. Would you want someone who betrayed his boss to work for you. Absolute rubbish. Please explain your own direct experience in this situation rather than just quoting a dishonored politican.

    • @geraldsmith1992
      @geraldsmith1992 Před rokem

      @@WMalcolmc Am I correct that you left Rhodesia in 1975.

    • @WMalcolmc
      @WMalcolmc Před rokem

      Yes - that's correct.

  • @mikenorton3294
    @mikenorton3294 Před rokem +8

    Good to see you again Keith.
    Long time memories of bindura scouts fort and enterprise.
    Still have one of your Dr Hook fishing lures.
    Salute Sir.

    • @powerbite92
      @powerbite92 Před rokem +2

      Would you be able to answer this question? The BSAP (and seemingly from this interview the CID) are said to be famous for being unarmed, and yet were issued a service revolver.. At the same time Special Branch seem to have been armed on most of the assignments they went on.
      Yet the whole officer structure had service weapons. So the question is.. what situation in their line of duty would have led CID or BSAP officers to go out on the job with their weapons? Any advice greatly appreciated.

    • @mikenorton3294
      @mikenorton3294 Před rokem +7

      @powerbite92 up until 1970 almost all bsap personall were unarmed on duty.
      Weapons were held in station strong rooms and issued if the member in charge thought it necessary. For example if a rabid dog was on the loose, or a cow had been hit by a truck and had to be put down.
      Every policeman/woman was competently trained in depot on fire arms.
      As the war arrived officers in the areas where there was an insurgent presence began to carry firearms.
      The police support unit, originally used for riot control or disaster support did from 1970 become a fully fledged para military unit eventually reaching regiment strength.
      Town police remained unarmed until about 1977.
      Once insurgency reached towns and cities from 1978 most officers were armed with Walther P1 pistol, due to sanctions called the P 1.
      Uzzi machine pistols were also issued.
      By 1978 rural police, cid , and special branch were fully armed.
      During the last year of the war many of the special branch carried captured communist block arms, AK,rpk, red and tokorev pistols.
      Several military units did the same.
      I hope this helps clarify the matter.
      Thank you for you interest.
      There are several interviews by bsap members from all branches of the service on this channel that detail the activities of each branch.

    • @calummackenzie1797
      @calummackenzie1797 Před rokem +3

      ​@@mikenorton3294great reply Mike. I think that many of us forget that there are plenty people not au fait with how we operated in Rhodesia. In fact there were plenty soldiers unaware of how the BSAP operated. Your explanation has helped to fill the gap

    • @mikenorton3294
      @mikenorton3294 Před rokem +1

      @Calum Mackenzie thank you Calum.

    • @powerbite92
      @powerbite92 Před rokem +1

      @@mikenorton3294 Thanks so much. Very informative and explained something that had previously confused me.

  • @Nick.T-Alo.G-Car
    @Nick.T-Alo.G-Car Před rokem +4

    Thanks for a great interview Keith and Hannes, more info / light shed on the unheard side of the SB involvement in the bush war. Thanks also to John, Tony and background crew for their involvement in making these interviews possible and also to Jennie Upton for her admin work.
    God Bless one and all.

  • @glennllewellyn7369
    @glennllewellyn7369 Před rokem +2

    Such a pleasant chat Keith. Thank you.

  • @fraseredk7433
    @fraseredk7433 Před rokem +12

    Most interesting but there must be much more material to warrant a second talk ? Thank you Keith.

  • @Toncor12
    @Toncor12 Před rokem +6

    Part 2 with more details please :)

  • @isaymymind1727
    @isaymymind1727 Před rokem +8

    @46:30 I understand your pain despite being a descendant of magandanga. Its been fastly forgotten that infrastructure that exists till date and is usually referred to when the government wants to attract tourists was built by Rhodesia. It has outlasted even the poorest maintenance by the black government. The big hospitals that were built in many cities and even in rural places like Saint Luke's hospital in Lupane were built by white people.
    The railway system was built by white people.
    All the majestic bridges (Vicfalls Bridge, Brichenough Bridge etc) were built by Rhodesians.
    I have heard many times the politicians brag about ZIm having good education. Even though its no longer the case, it once was a good education based ont he Cambridge system and introduced to us by Rhodesians.
    The Kariba Dam was built in 1959 by Rhodesians.
    All successful High schools that exist today were built by RHodesians and they still stand despite the poor management (Falcon High School, Umtali Boys high, Gotoma high school, Lomagindi , to name a few).
    A zimbabwean is rarely out of place when he or she travels the world because we speak English..its not Nehanda or Kaguvi who taught us that.
    And lets face the other elephant in the house... While others were inventing things and progressing, some were basking in the sun and eating melons.

  • @rochellevorster8795
    @rochellevorster8795 Před rokem +1

    Thank you for an extremely interesting talk, Keith. I hope you're asked to do more 😊

  • @nathanmiller6051
    @nathanmiller6051 Před rokem +3

    Thanks Keith for sharing your experiences and history 🙏 excellent interview, I enjoyed the film and thought the incorporation of it in the video was excellent including the text. Thanks to all involved! an education

  • @rossitherhodie5659
    @rossitherhodie5659 Před rokem +5

    Great chat. Just one statement perhaps needing correction is "I still regret loosing the war" correction :- I think we won the war but lost the country and so so sad it is for us all. Today many many Zimbabweans I now befriend, agree fully. Thanks John, keep things going cause we getting madala now and these stories need to be told. An ex BSAP member.

  • @user-zf8zg6ji2r
    @user-zf8zg6ji2r Před 7 měsíci +1

    I must admit a love the whole chopper thing However never got to jump as a para trooper. Since then took up SKY DIving and loved it .1073 RLI were not jumping RESPECT

  • @mtkoslowski
    @mtkoslowski Před rokem +9

    What a long and rich life Keith has lived and with I am sure very few regrets. I wish him and the other survivors a peaceful retirement.
    Thanks to the channel presenters who make these warriors recollections immortal.

  • @762parabillim
    @762parabillim Před 6 měsíci +1

    'About time you went out and saw the world'.
    Time was when that was the way to experience the brilliant overseas services of the British Empire; now, of course, people go to Dubai or some other grisly spot, to see the insides of marble-clad hotels. My dad went to the Groundnut Scheme in Tanganyika after the war, which didn't end too well, but the family had its 50s and 60s there, and I spent much of the following decades around Africa, with a bit of military service inbetween.
    Met up with many, many Whenwe's in Tz much later, of course!

  • @vancecrow3909
    @vancecrow3909 Před rokem +5

    "That supreme idiot" 😂 Keith you beaut.

  • @westcountrypirate7504
    @westcountrypirate7504 Před rokem +3

    Another great video , thank you guys

  • @WMalcolmc
    @WMalcolmc Před rokem +1

    The BSAP did not use the branch of service in which a commissioned officer served, in the rank structure. Keith was a Superintendent who happened to be in the CID and SB at different times. So his rank was Superintendent, not Detective Superintendent.

  • @charlietreston4035
    @charlietreston4035 Před rokem +4

    Amusing and interesting interview much respect

  • @patrickwilliamson29
    @patrickwilliamson29 Před 11 měsíci +1

    Some great footage at the start, thanks for doing these interesting interviews

  • @tightcamper
    @tightcamper Před rokem +5

    It's interesting how in Rhodesia intelligence was handled mostly by the BSAP and electronic warfare was almost exclusively the domain of Signals.
    I'm not sure any other country had a similar intelligence organization.
    I often shake my head at the Americans who have 1/2 dozen intelligence agencies. (imagine the infighting that creates?)

    • @greg_4201
      @greg_4201 Před rokem +4

      in the US's case it doesn't help that while one intelligence service is directed against threats to national security, the other is directed against the American people for internationalists 😆

    • @greg_4201
      @greg_4201 Před rokem +1

      it's important to remember Rhodesia was an extremely 'small' country with very limited assets and institutions. it's not like their intelligence services were intended to be set up that way; they just threw the tasks at the only organisations they had that had the loosely required skillsets.
      it could only be the BSAP and the Signals for those two spheres. it was all hodgepodge and scraped together rather than by some grand design.

    • @greenpedal370
      @greenpedal370 Před rokem +2

      ​@@greg_4201 ​ I worked in electronic countermeasures in Rhodesia and I assure you it was anything but hodgepot..
      We were motivated and had some of the best equipment in the world.
      We even plugged a Scouts leak!

  • @DJNaija
    @DJNaija Před rokem +3

    Pro-Trip: play the interview at 2x speed for a better listening experience

  • @JeffreyThomas-th2ps
    @JeffreyThomas-th2ps Před 6 měsíci +1

    I remember goimg on a course as a Sandf vet in Pretoria towards the end in 1987 as our war was also winding down the overall sense of impending doom prevailed over everything now after 30 years of this Anc communist paradise i just hope that all the sacifise and hard fighting was not for nothing😢

  • @royalordinance
    @royalordinance Před 7 měsíci +1

    As a south african, i feel tremendous shame, the
    Way we sold-out Rhodesia.

  • @greg_4201
    @greg_4201 Před rokem +2

    That's a hot take on Andrew P. Bowles there 🤣

  • @flemingmeendee6917
    @flemingmeendee6917 Před 3 měsíci +1

    any rhodies in brisbane i reside in mt gravatt

  • @neddonkin1608
    @neddonkin1608 Před rokem +3

    The script scrolling over the pictures goes too quickly for easy reading. Also the colour of the script does not stand out clearly enough from the background.
    Please can you fix this?

    • @fightingmenofrhodesia
      @fightingmenofrhodesia  Před rokem +5

      Not with deleting this video, re-editing and re-uploading. The dilemma is there are light and dark parts in the clip, so a light script will not stand out against a light background and vice-versa for a dark script. I tried several options...the easiest solution is to just pause the video (hit the space bar) and read the script. My apologies...

    • @TOMTOM-nh3nl
      @TOMTOM-nh3nl Před rokem +2

      @@fightingmenofrhodesia Thank You John, for the content

    • @hennies9509
      @hennies9509 Před rokem +2

      ​@John van Zyl
      Keith, thank you for your story. The coin story they did in South Africa as well. May we please have some more stories from Keith, as Hannes says we must talk. I do not know how long I have.

    • @johnsmith-ht3sy
      @johnsmith-ht3sy Před rokem +2

      Hit the pause button and read at your leisure.

  • @greg_4201
    @greg_4201 Před rokem +6

    Note to self; hand grenades aren't great self-defence weapons

    • @fightingmenofrhodesia
      @fightingmenofrhodesia  Před rokem +2

      😂

    • @greg_4201
      @greg_4201 Před rokem

      @@fightingmenofrhodesia 🤣

    • @tommyfoley462
      @tommyfoley462 Před rokem +1

      I thought tht was a let's say strange moment and I am, glad I didn't hear it irl from the horses mouth cus I wouldn't know how to respond

  • @jesusrmoralesr3936
    @jesusrmoralesr3936 Před 10 měsíci

    Hagan un esfuerzo para colocar subtitúlos en español

  • @abednigondlovu4096
    @abednigondlovu4096 Před rokem +2

    I see all you are gathered here in Rhodesia and here in Zimbabgwe things are not easy but better than when it was stolen from us good luck ladies and gentlemen there in Rhodesia I will not visit. Did you know even now officially the name of our country is wrongly spelt?

    • @calummackenzie1797
      @calummackenzie1797 Před rokem +1

      Stop smoking mbanje & please post something basically lucid

    • @glennllewellyn7369
      @glennllewellyn7369 Před rokem

      LOL, you guys...

    • @abednigondlovu4096
      @abednigondlovu4096 Před rokem

      @@calummackenzie1797 Lol in 1976 you would be right but now a few things may have changed maybe it would be better to understand that even the BSAP were a criminal organisation.

  • @justranting4510
    @justranting4510 Před rokem +1

    241 vs 5000 NOW that is BALLS OF STEEL seal team 6 are would never try those odds, hell doubt even Delta Force would (though could be wrong there they also bad ass LOL) What is also important to point out is that BSAP was POLICEMEN.