Historian Michael Raeburn put the figure in 1978 as between 1,500 and 2,000. These two additions to the drill could make a world of difference in a real-life self-defense situation. Rousseau later related the story to an acquaintance, Jeff Cooper, who incorporated the "triple tap" or "Mozambique Drill" into his practical shooting technique. However, even with two new and bleeding nipples, the guerrilla was still coming at him, so Rousseau tried for the head. He is the author of numerous gun books, including 9MM Guide to America's Most Popular Caliber, a #1 New Release on Amazon. [51] As a result, there are a range of estimates of the numbers of foreigners who travelled to Rhodesia to serve with the security forces: British citizens made up the majority of the foreign volunteers who served with the Rhodesian Security Forces. This little rhyme, refers to the Mozambique Drill. Those who were combat veterans resented being placed under the command of younger and less experienced Rhodesians. Fighting at the airport at Loureno Marques (modern-day Maputo), Rousseau rounded a corner and encountered a FRELIMO guerrilla, armed with an AK-47 assault rifle, at 10 paces (~7.5 . Remember that 9mm ammo circa late 1960s and late 1970s was marginally better than 9mm ammo from WWII. [40], The Rhodesian government did not accept all offers of volunteers. Mike Rousseau, a Rhodesian mercenary during the Mozambican War of Independence, was armed only with a 9mm Browning Hi-Power pistol, and he rounded a corner at Loureno Marques (now Maputo) Airport and came face-to-face with an African guerilla armed with an AK-47 assault rifle, less than 25 feet away. Remember, the Mozambique drill is designed for a defensive situation where the first two shots failed to stop an attacker. [4] UDI was illegal under British law, and was regarded as such by almost all other countries and the United Nations. FRELIMO's Marxist underpinnings earned it support from Russia and China. The bullet hit the base of his attackers neck, severed the spinal cord, and stopped the fight. The third shot should be aimed to destroy the brain or brain stem, killing the target and preventing the target from retaliating. During fighting at the Loureno Marques airport (modern-day Maputo ), Rousseau rounded a corner and encountered a FRELIMO guerrilla, 10 paces away and armed with an AK-47. ), Shoulder Holster: 8 Pro Up-Top Carry Options (2023). The Mozambique drill was made famous by Jeff Cooper after learning about this incident. Some years back, Col. Cooper developed what he called the Mozambique Drill for the purposes of dealing with this type of situation. Handgun Training for Personal Protection. FRELIMOs Marxist underpinnings earned it support from Russia and China. [13], Guerrilla activities began in 1966, and mainly involved small groups operating in northern Rhodesia. Hitting the T-zone is a challenge. While engaged in fighting at the airport of Lourenco Marques (modern-day Maputo), Rousseau was armed with only a Browning HP35 pistol. The JEWS CAN SHOOT trademarks are owned and controlled by Doris Wise Montrose. [9] It took pains to not be seen as racially or politically extreme, and the party's rhetoric was focused on the need to combat the perceived communist threat rather than the goal of sustaining racial superiority. Thats why practicing the Mozambique Drill is so important. [22][27] Men with previous military experience, and especially service in wars, were preferred. Failure in a gunfight is not an option. In 2021 White wrote that the numbers of foreign volunteers may have been small, and the ex-Rhodesian generals she had interviewed "scoffed at me when I asked if there were fifteen hundred foreigners in the Rhodesian Army". During a fight, he bumped into a guerrilla soldier armed with an AK-47. This led to a rapid growth in the insurgency which the security forces were unable to contain. Kuben Blisk is a South African mercenary Pilot who served in the IMC 's forces as a ranking commander and contracted mercenary. Live The Armory Life. He turned a corner and came face-to-face about 10 paces with a FRELIMO guerrilla armed with an AK-47. |-- DU Groups Rousseau immediately performed a double tap two shots to the center of the torso. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Manage all your favorite fandoms in one place! [66], Under the terms of the 1979 Lancaster House Agreement that ended the war the British government resumed control over Rhodesia in December 1979, with the country temporarily reverting to the colony of Southern Rhodesia until elections could be held. During the fighting, he encountered a guerrilla fighter armed with an AK-47 at . Heres the connection. A British deserter from the Rhodesian military claimed in 1976 that 2,000 of the 6,000 regular soldiers in the Rhodesian Army were British and another 100 Americans. [106], Foreign volunteers in the Rhodesian Security Forces, Rhodesia's Unilateral Declaration of Independence, February 1980 Southern Rhodesian general election, "Foreign Fighter Problem: What the War in Rhodesia Means for Ukraine", "Fine-mannered, articulate and urbane: the mercenary as deadly romantic", "Security Council resolution 460 (1979) [Southern Rhodesia]", "Rhodesia: Oral Answers to Questions Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 16th January 1980", "Many Rhodesian Whites Threaten to Quit Jobs", "Rhodesia's Approach to Counterinsurgency: A Preference for Killing", "Mercenary Activity: United States Neutrality Laws and Enforcement", "The White House and White Africa: Presidential Policy on Rhodesia 1965-79", "The 'New Model' Armies of Africa? Rousseau was carrying his Browning HP35 pistol when he turned a corner and found himself face-to-face with a guerilla armed with an AK-47. These letters were closely scrutinised, as many of the men who had written them were considered "obviously nuts" by the Rhodesian Army's recruitment officer Major Nick Lamprecht. [42][68] Two of the former French volunteers who remained in Zimbabwe after the war were sentenced to death for murdering a caf owner during a robbery in 1982 and were executed the next year. The young African not only failed to fall, but he advanced toward Rousseau with murderous intent. [67], The large group of Frenchmen who enlisted together were used to form 7 Independent Company. [5], The Mozambique Drill is intended to ensure that the target is immediately stopped, by first placing two shots into the larger, easier-to-hit mass of the upper body, then, if the target is still active, following with a third, more precisely aimed and difficult head shot. Britain and the United Nations Security Council imposed wide-ranging trade and other sanctions on Rhodesia with the objective of forcing it to return to its previous status. [91] The American volunteers were generally regarded in the United States as mercenaries. Mike Rousseau was friends with Colonel Jeff Cooper, a legend in the firearms training world and the founder of Gunsite Academy. The sanctions it imposed following UDI banned efforts to entice British citizens to live or work in Rhodesia. The Portuguese government banned Rhodesian recruitment in the late 1970s, but was unable to enforce the legislation. Portugal had ruled Mozambique for . The latest content straight to your inbox plus an automatic entry to each of our monthly gungiveaways! He told Cooper the story, and Cooper began to teach what he called the "Mozambique Drill" at Gunsite. : The British Military Advisory and Training Team and the Creation of the Zimbabwe National Army", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Foreign_volunteers_in_the_Rhodesian_Security_Forces&oldid=1135864497, The historians Peter Godwin and Ian Hancock have written that foreign volunteers represented only a "tiny minority" of the Rhodesian military in 1972, with 90 per cent of recruits being Rhodesians and most of the remainder. [62] He had previously attempted to enlist in the Israel Defense Forces, but was rejected. The story goes that this technique originated with a Rhodesian mercenary, Mike Rousseau. Titanfall Blisk is working under a new long-term contract with the IMC on the Frontier, providing Combat Intel and Counterinsurgency services. Hearing this story, Cooper later incorporated this three-shot drill into his program of instruction as a way to end a fight that cannot be immediately stopped with bullets fired into the chest. According to the anecdotal history, the technique originated with a Rhodesian mercenary, Mike Rousseau, engaged in the Mozambican War of Independence (1964-1974). The Guardian reported in 1979 that "his presence is a source of embarrassment to the regime which has always insisted that it does not want foreign mercenaries". Volume 9: EDC Digital Magazine. It is estimated that between 800 and 2,000 foreign volunteers enlisted, with the exact number not being known. |-- Political Videos [32][33], The Rhodesian Security Forces' recruitment staff responded to people who wrote letters of inquiry after reading the advertisements. Shots to the chest can also slow an attackers advance, even if they dont completely incapacitate him. |-- General Discussion Africa has always offered employment opportunities to those with certain skills. The ZAPU argued that the failure of the British and US governments to stop the flow of volunteers was a barrier to reaching a negotiated settlement with the Rhodesian government, and demanded in 1977 that this be halted. in 1978, he was the final recipient of the Rhodesian civil Independence Commemorative Decoration for services rendered to the country. The British noted that such a resolution might prove impractical as many Rhodesians held dual citizenship. The French troops were being withdrawn from Djibouti upon that country's independence, and French intelligence agents helped facilitate their recruitment by the Rhodesian Army. The Mozambique Drill brings together low-round count that challenges a shooter's speed, accuracy, and fundamentals. He also wrote that these men were from 38 different nationalities. The so-called Mozambique Drill (two shots to the chest, one to the head) was actually developed by accident by Rhodesian mercenary Mike Rousseau during the War of Independence in Mozambique when two pistol shots to the torso failed to bring down an enemy guerrilla. Today, most instructors teach their students to hold the pistol on target after the first two shots. One such soldier of fortune was Mike Rousseau. Click As historians have found it difficult to access Rhodesian records, it is not known exactly how many foreigners volunteered for the Rhodesian Security Forces. Rhodesian Mike Rousseau was serving as a mercenary in the Mozambican War of Independence. We can either live in a paranoid politically correct world frantically trying not to offend the Hitlers and Mohammeds, and blaming their victims when they kill, or we can be free men and women who have chosen to take the power to defend our rights into our own hands. Shooting Skills: The Mozambique-Failure Drill, Light Em Up: Home Defense Lasers and Lights. [47], All foreign volunteers were required to complete basic training upon arrival in Rhodesia, even if they had prior military experience. The Mozambique drill, originally developed by a Rhodesian mercenary, MIke Rousseau, is a standard practice drill for self defense. [6], The Rhodesian Front's ideology held that the end of colonial rule in Africa and the development of African nationalism during the 1950s and 1960s had been the result of international communism aided by a policy of appeasement towards African nationalists by the United Kingdom and other western countries. While engaged in fighting at the airport of Loureno Marques (modern-day Maputo), Rousseau was armed with only a Browning HP35 pistol. This led to a negotiated conclusion to the war that involved a transition to majority rule and the establishment of Zimbabwe in 1980. Successful applicants were then offered a rank in the security forces. However, they and their guerrilla armies were motivated mainly by nationalism and a desire to end discriminatory practices and establish majority rule in Rhodesia. The Rhodesian Front's ideology held that the end of colonial rule in Africa and the development of African nationalism during the 1950s and 1960s had been the result of international communism aided by a policy of appeasement towards African nationalists by the United Kingdom and other western countries. As he turned a corner, he bumped into a FRELIMO guerrilla armed with an AK-47. [39] An exception was a group of almost 200 French military personnel who enlisted together in late 1976. This proposal was quickly dismissed as the Rhodesians did not see how they could arm or use large numbers of non-English speakers. Two to the body, one to the head, is guaranteed to leave them dead.. Originally, it was called the Mozambique Drill, but the more current name is Failure Drill. Rousseaus exploit turned into the Failure Drill and was included in the Academys curriculum starting in the late 1970s. Heads bob around erratically and the effective zone is relatively small. Rousseau was later killed in action in the Rhodesian War. I imagine Rousseau had a moment of shock and then quickly decided to end it with a headshot. The Mozambique drill is performed for both accuracy and time. One would figure two slugs to the chest would drop the enemy fighter, but no. [45] Some American volunteers were attracted by a belief that the war in Rhodesia was comparable to that which had been fought on the American frontier. Rousseau told his harrowing story to Jeff Cooper, who thought that it made a darn good defensive shooting drill. [10] This ideology attracted support from many mainstream conservative politicians and military veterans in the United Kingdom and United States, as well as from some far right groups in those countries. History. [62][76], The nationalist groups that were fighting the Rhodesian regime and many progressive groups worldwide considered the volunteers to be mercenaries. John McVicar Malloch ICD, was a South African-born Rhodesian bush pilot, gun-runner and sanctions-buster who flew in World War II and in various legal and illegal roles around Africa and the Middle East until the early 1980s. Once you can achieve repeatable accuracy, then you can start to speed things up. [30] As a result, White has observed that the volunteers were typically more willing to fight and even die for the ideology of the Rhodesian Front party than for Rhodesia itself. If a few hundred Jewish fighter in the Warsaw Ghetto could hold off the Wehrmacht for almost a month with only a handful weapons, six million Jews armed with rifles could not so easily have been herded into cattle cars. Most of the other volunteers were from the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Europe. [34], In addition to using advertisements, Rhodesian recruitment teams, including some led by Lamprecht, visited several countries. This was because they believed that it was being fought to sustain white rule and prevent communists from taking over the country. Now you understand the history and background as well as the importance of the Failure Drill. In 1980, two Los Angeles Police Department SWAT officers, Larry Mudgett and John Helms, attended pistol training at Gunsite and received permission from Cooper to teach the technique to the LAPD, and to rename it the Failure Drill (concerned that "Mozambique" might have racist overtones). Felons can be high on adrenalin or drugs to the point that they do not recognize or respond to pain. [38], Most of the foreigners who volunteered to fight for Rhodesia did so individually. [82] British citizens were prohibited from joining the Rhodesian Security Forces under the terms of an embargo enacted in 1968, with those who did so potentially facing fines or imprisonment. However, the guerilla soldier kept coming, with two bleeding wounds to the torso, and still armed with his rifle. Frankly, I dont know of many shooters who maintain the level of skill to pull this off consistently at 3-5 yards. To guarantee instant incapacitation by impacting the brain and central nervous system, the head shot must be delivered to the area between eyebrows and upper lip, otherwise, various bony areas of the skull could deflect the bullet. [17] The Army's structure of administrative corps was similar to that of the British Army, and many of its officers had undergone training in the United Kingdom. Copyright 2023 BearingArms.com/Salem Media. Southern Rhodesia was a self-governing British colony located in southern Africa whose economy and government was dominated by the small white minority of its population. A quick how-to on shooting the Mozambique Drill. FRELIMO's Marxist underpinnings earned it support from Russia and China. [57] By the end of the war there were around 6,000 SADF personnel in Rhodesia. [25] Rhodesian recruitment leaflets were also circulated within British Army barracks that year.

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