The Rhodesian Defence Regiment (RDR) was a unit of the

Rhodesian Army The Rhodesian Security Forces were the military forces of the Rhodesian government. The Rhodesian Security Forces consisted of a ground force (the Rhodesian Army), the Rhodesian Air Force, the British South Africa Police, and various personnel ...

during the last years of the

Rhodesian Bush War The Rhodesian Bush War, also called the Second as well as the Zimbabwe War of Liberation, was a civil conflict from July 1964 to December 1979 in the unrecognised country of Rhodesia (later Zimbabwe-Rhodesia). The conflict pitted three forc ...

from 1978 to 1980. It was a guard unit composed of mainly

coloured Coloureds ( af, Kleurlinge or , ) refers to members of multiracial ethnic communities in Southern Africa who may have ancestry from more than one of the various populations inhabiting the region, including African, European, and Asian. Sout ...

and

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

conscripts.

History

It was formed on 1 January 1978 from existing units known as Reserve Holding Units and Protection Units. The Reserve Holding Units (for support roles) and Protection Units (for escorting supplies in combat zones) contained Rhodesia's

(i.e. mixed race) and Asian personnel, including both conscripts and volunteers. The regiment consisted of seven companies, organized into the 1

Mashonaland Mashonaland is a region in northern Zimbabwe. Currently, Mashonaland is divided into four provinces, * Mashonaland West * Mashonaland Central * Mashonaland East * Harare The Zimbabwean capital of Harare, a province unto itself, lies entirel ...

Battalion at Cranborne Barracks in

Salisbury Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of Wil ...

and 2

Matebeleland Matabeleland is a region located in southwestern Zimbabwe that is divided into three provinces: Matabeleland North, Bulawayo, and Matabeleland South. These provinces are in the west and south-west of Zimbabwe, between the Limpopo and Zambez ...

Battalion at Brady Barracks in

Bulawayo Bulawayo (, ; Ndebele: ''Bulawayo'') is the second largest city in Zimbabwe, and the largest city in the country's Matabeleland region. The city's population is disputed; the 2022 census listed it at 665,940, while the Bulawayo City Council ...

. The regimental training depot was located at Inkomo, near Salisbury. One RDR battalion was attached to each brigade headquarters to guard military installations and lines of communication. It was also tasked with railway patrolling, convoy protection, and regular infantry duties. From its formation, the regiment was also used to mobilise white reservists over the age of 38, although it was mostly coloured and Asian. The drafts of white reservists and conscripts were usually low quality and were barely trained, and suffered from poor morale due to being attached to notoriously inefficient units. Due to its poor discipline, the RDR was disparagingly nicknamed the "Rhodesian Dagga Regiment", after the slang term for

marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in variou ...

. Paul Moorcraft and Pete McLaughlin have written that the RDF units "would have had little chance" if they were ever attacked by a determined enemy force. The RDR was disbanded shortly after the 1980 Southern Rhodesian general election.

Engagements

An example of the Regiment's role in defence of Rhodesia's strategic installations during the Bush War was witnessed in the events of 15 November 1978, at Otto Beit Bridge (on the Zambezi River) where the RDR was the most forward army unit during a major bomb, mortar, rocket and machine-gun attack on Rhodesian army positions at the Chirundu border. In this engagement the RDR contributed, as first line of defence, to the 'neutralisation' of the enemy positions. ''The Rhodesia Herald'', 18 November 1978 (from a Combined Operations communique): "On Wednesday night, 15 November 1978, security forces in the Chirundu area were subjected to a prolonged and unprovoked rocket, mortar and small-arms attack. 250 bombs landed in Rhodesia. There was no damage or casualties. Security forces fired back and neutralised the attack".

References

Bibliography

* * * {{Rhodesian Security Forces of the Bush War Military units and formations of Rhodesia in the Bush War Regiments of Rhodesia Military units and formations established in 1978 Military units and formations disestablished in 1980