Rhodesia war (1965-79). Ian Smith, Rhodesia's PM, announced his country's Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) from Great Britain on 11 November 1965. The former British colony of Southern Rhodesia rejected British moves towards majority rule, citing its existing semi-autonomy dating back to the country's foundation by the entrepreneur after which it was named, Cecil Rhodes.

With a total area of 150, 873 square miles (390, 746 km) Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) is a landlocked country in southern Africa, sharing its borders with Zambia (north-west), Mozambique (north-east and east), Botswana (west and south-west), and South Africa (south). The most prominent geophysical feature is the Highveld, the great plateau of southern Africa running north-east to south-west with an average elevation of 5, 000 feet (1, 524 metres). Following the UDI the country's white minority (270, 000) withheld political power from the black majority (5, 400, 000) despite economic sanctions imposed by Britain, the USA, and most African nations. On 9 May 1968 the UN Security Council ordered a trade embargo on Rhodesia, and on 2 March 1970 Rhodesia declared itself a republic, thus precipitating a war with black nationalist groups seeking independence under majority rule. Rhodesia remained a republic until the multi-party elections of April 1980 when Rhodesia formally became the independent Republic of Zimbabwe.

A rich country in terms of mineral deposits, which elicited clandestine multi-national corporate support especially during the early years, Rhodesia's main problem centred on providing manpower to police rural and border areas from guerrilla incursion. Pressured by Britain, Smith's government released nationalist leaders, most notably Robert Mugabe and Joshua Nkomo who had been interned within Rhodesia for ten years. Mugabe and Nkomo led the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) and the Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU) respectively. Together these political parties combined to form the Patriotic Front (PF) in exile in Zambia, where they established guerrilla training camps from which they mounted operations into Rhodesia.

As guerrilla activity increased inside its borders, Smith's Rhodesian Front (RF) security forces conducted a counter-insurgency campaign, initially with great success. The first proper ZANU incursion was mounted from Zambia with just fourteen guerrillas in April 1965. In August 1966 a combined force of 90 ZAPU and ANC (African National Congress) insurgents deployed to Rhodesia, followed by a further two groups (of 123 and 91) over the next year. None of these groups met with anything more than limited success and by the end of 1968 had lost 160 killed against 12 from the security forces.

However, Rhodesia's manpower resources were limited. In 1969 the army's strength stood at 4, 600 regular troops, of which over 1, 000 were black, most of whom belonged to the Rhodesian African Rifles (RAR). These forces were backed up by 6, 400 police regulars, both black and white, known somewhat confusingly as the British South Africa Police (BSAP). Over the next ten years these figures increased but not commensurate with the rise in guerrilla numbers. Despite national service and the annual call-up of reservists (both involving whites only) the Rhodesian government remained short of men for the remainder of the war.

In the face of increased external pressure and the lessening of support from South Africa, Smith attempted a coalition government with the black moderate Bishop Muzorewa. When this failed to attract popular support the only viable option was a British-brokered agreement with the PF, effected in London and signed on 21 December 1979. Britain resumed temporary control, overseeing open elections and demobilization, resulting in a ZANU political victory in February and independence for Zimbabwe on 17 April 1980.

— Peter MacDonald