This drill was popularised by Rhodesian mercenary Mike Rousseau, during the Mozambican War of Independence, who was the inspiration for the character of Kuben Blisk. Silveira v. Lockyer, 2003. FRELIMO was the dominant political party in Mozambique fighting for independence from Portugal. During the Mozambican War of Independence, a Rhodesian mercenary by the name of Mike Rousseau was engaged in a firefight at the airport at Lourenco Marques. ATLAS 8 DRY-FIRE TRAINING SYSTEM Spotter Up Manage all your favorite fandoms in one place! [74], The Canadian spree killer Mathew Lamb was able to join the Rhodesian Army in 1974 after being released from a mental institution. 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". They observed that the volunteers "failed in their efforts to protect the white regime, but not before they supported and contributed to a conflict that lasted fifteen years and claimed tens of thousands of lives". He offered Rhodesia the services of these men after they completed training, though he intended to eventually use them to retake Albania. In 1976 former Portuguese officials offered 2,000 white soldiers who had served with the UNITA nationalist movement in Angola until that country's independence. Software has been extensively modified by the DU administrators. What these European countries didnt factor in was the determination of the African people. |-- Political Videos ), Shoulder Holster: 8 Pro Up-Top Carry Options (2023). (snip) Rousseau related the story to an acquaintance, small arms expert Jeff Cooper, founder of the Gunsite Academy shooting school, who incorporated the "Mozambique Drill" into his . While it might seem strange at first, its not a long stretch to connect the dots from a country off the east coast of Africa, to a Rhodesian mercenary, to a shooting technique, and finally to someone who conceal carries and trains to defend themselves. These men were often directed to wear Rhodesian uniforms, and the South African government falsely claimed that some had volunteered for the Rhodesian Security Forces. Shots to the chest can also slow an attackers advance, even if they dont completely incapacitate him. The failure to stop drill is a great drill but it is only a drill, and one of many. Robert A. Sadowski has written about firearms and hunting for more than fifteen years. 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. [41][42] The CIO regarded this as a success, but all other elements of the Rhodesian government were sceptical. [11], UDI and Rhodesia's racial inequalities led to the outbreak of the Rhodesian Bush War. The Mozambique Drill[1] is a close-quarter shooting technique in which the shooter fires twice into the torso of a target (known as a double tap to the center of mass), momentarily assesses the hits, then follows them up with a carefully aimed shot to the head of the target. [69], Despite the Rhodesian government's claim that it did not recruit mercenaries, the British mercenary Peter McAleese was accepted into the Rhodesian Army during 1976. [2] Rousseau was later killed in action in the Rhodesian War. Come join the discussion about optics, gunsmithing, styles, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more! The foreign volunteers who fought for the country are celebrated by these groups. Modern zombie culture has also appropriated the Mozambique Drill. One such soldier of fortune was Mike Rousseau. Rumored to have begun with Rhodesian mercenary Mike Rousseau and adopted into coursework at Gunsight Academy, the Mozambique Drill is intended to drop an advancing threat immediately. Before it was even a drill, it was actual shots fired in a gunfight. Rhodesian Mike Rousseau was serving as a mercenary in the Mozambican War of Independence. By the early 20th century, the scramble to colonize Africa was on. While engaged in fighting at the airport of Loureno Marques (modern-day Maputo), Rousseau was armed with only a Browning HP35 pistol. The third shot should be aimed to destroy the brain or brain stem, killing the target and preventing the target from retaliating. [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. Its editor was a strong supporter of the white Rhodesian cause and wanted to encourage Americans to fight for Rhodesia. A par time for this drill should be four seconds. Rousseau immediately brought up his Browning . 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. Rousseau hit the target on either side of the sternum, usually enough to incapacitate or kill a target outright. Most of the other volunteers were from the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Europe. I prefer the original name, but whats in a name? [23] In 1979, the military historian John Keegan noted that foreigners made up between a quarter and a third of the strength of the RLI. However, even with two new and bleeding nipples, the guerrilla was still coming at him, so Rousseau tried for the head. The Portuguese forces collaborated with Rhodesia which had experience from the Bush War in the early 1960s to create special forces teams to deal with FRELIMO. Gun Wiki is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. 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. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Cooper_%28colonel%29. Oops, there's been an error. The ZANU was supported by China and the ZAPU by the Soviet Union, both of which were communist countries. [50] The high proportion of white Rhodesians who were born outside the country or held citizenship of another country also complicates the matter. [81], The British government was opposed to its citizens fighting for Rhodesia. Thank you for your support. They could also be wearing body armor. Towsley on Tactical blog Archives - Bryce Towsley [34][62] Rhodesian recruiters told prospective Australian recruits that the cost of living was much lower in Rhodesia. If a few hundred Jewish fighters in the Warsaw Ghetto could hold off the Wehrmacht for almost a month with only a handful of weapons, six million Jews armed with rifles could not so easily have been herded into cattle cars." "All too many of the other great tragedies of historyStalins atrocities, the killing fields of Cambodia, the Holocaust, to name but a fewwere perpetrated by armed troops against unarmed populations. Two to the body, one to the head. [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. Rhodesian Mike Rousseau was serving as a mercenary in the Mozambican War of Independence. The Australian parliament passed legislation banning Australians from serving with Rhodesia in 1978. Click the Go To Forum Thread link below to jump in! The British noted that such a resolution might prove impractical as many Rhodesians held dual citizenship. Got a message for Democratic Underground? Get the latest news and reviews from Gundigest.com. No use without the express written permission of Doris Wise Montrose is permitted. [77] Rhodesia attempted to counter the "mercenary" claim by processing the volunteers through the Department of Immigration and framing them as prospective Rhodesian citizens, though few ever applied for citizenship. |-- Editorials & Other Articles Mike Rousseau was a trained soldier so he instinctively presented his handgun and shot the guerilla twice in the chest, launching both rounds in quick succession. He also noted that the party drew on the ideas and language used by the contemporary radical right movement in the United States to justify UDI. a close quarter tactical method of killing a target with two shots to the chest and one follow up shot to the head. [93], The legality of volunteering for the Rhodesian Security Forces varied between other countries. Throwback Thursday The Mozambique Drill - The Mag Life Copyright 2023 Jews Can Shoot. Rousseau immediately performed a double tap two shots to the center of the torso. [31] The ads and other coverage of Rhodesia in Soldier of Fortune led to a "steady stream of volunteers". However, in a dynamic situation, the fraction of a second it takes to assess the threat could put your life in danger. [15], Foreigners with far right beliefs were often sympathetic to the Rhodesian cause during the war. Its a port city in southern Mozambique where it can be hot with humidity over 80 percent. [57] By the end of the war there were around 6,000 SADF personnel in Rhodesia. Foreign volunteers in the Rhodesian Security Forces - Wikipedia The latest content straight to your inbox plus an automatic entry to each of our monthly gungiveaways! [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. : 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. Rousseau hit an . You sweat just standing still. However, they and their guerrilla armies were motivated mainly by nationalism and a desire to end discriminatory practices and establish majority rule in Rhodesia. He serves as contributing editor for several magazines, including NRAs American Rieman and Shooting Illustrated, Varmint Hunter, and Combat Handgunner, and is the editor for Gun Digests Cartridges of the World 13th Edition. The two movements espoused Marxist beliefs and were regarded as communists by the Rhodesian government. In the 1960s he coined the term hoplophobia, an irrational fear of weapons. The shots should be fired as fast as you are able, however they shouldnt be so fast that you miss your intended target. If you can successfully perform the drill in under five seconds, youre doing better than most law enforcement officers. He is a contributing editor to numerous gun-enthusiast magazines and websites, including Combat Handguns, Black Guns, Gun Tests, Gun Digest, Gun World, Ballistic, range365.com, SHOT Business, and others. Jews Can Shoot is a 501c3 nonprofit organization and your donation is tax deductible to the full extent of the law. The Mozambique drill, originally developed by a Rhodesian mercenary, MIke Rousseau, is a standard practice drill for self defense. [4][12] The resistance to the Rhodesian regime was dominated by two black nationalist movements, the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) and the Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU). The most effective way is two easy shots to the attackers center of mass, then assess the target. This is a great exercise to work on speed, accuracy and self-defense tactics. All Rights Reserved. Military historians Paul L. Moorcraft and Peter McLaughlin believe the number was likely around 1,400, but have noted that estimates from other experts range as high as 2,000. [98], The ZANU won the February 1980 Southern Rhodesian general election. He also wrote that these men were from 38 different nationalities. While engaged in fighting at the airport of Loureno Marques (modern-day Maputo), Rousseau was armed with only a Browning HP35 pistol. Learn how your comment data is processed. Rousseau relayed this story to Jeff Cooper, who then began employing this failure to stop drill in his teaching at Gunsite. Handgun Training for Personal Protection. aka Failure Drill. You must have JavaScript enabled in your browser to use this website. The Rhodesians' brutal counterinsurgency tactics also proved counter-productive. While engaged in fighting at the airport of Loureno Marques (modern-day Maputo),. As he turned a corner, he bumped into a FRELIMO guerrilla armed with an AK-47. Messages posted on the Democratic Underground Discussion Forums are the [73] Foreign volunteers typically received a hostile reception from their Rhodesian comrades, which contributed to many leaving before the end of their contract. In many countries it was illegal to serve with the Rhodesian Security Forces. The volunteers were often labelled as mercenaries by opponents of the Rhodesian regime, though the Rhodesian government did not regard or pay them as such. Rousseau told his harrowing story to Jeff Cooper, who thought that it made a darn good defensive shooting drill. [19][20] In April 1979, 60,000 members of the military and police were on active duty to protect that month's Rhodesian general election. [96][97] In January 1980 the British Lord Privy Seal, Ian Gilmour, stated that the British government had committed during the negotiations that led to the Lancaster House Agreement to not remove foreigners from the Rhodesian military prior to the election. The articles in Soldier of Fortune reflected Rhodesian government propaganda, as they claimed that the country was a western democracy, the war was being fought against communism and did not discuss the oppression of Rhodesia's black majority. McAleese had previously led a group of British mercenaries in Angola, and was posted to the elite Rhodesian Special Air Service (SAS) after completing training. Judge turns down New Jerseys request for stay in NSSF lawsuit, MSU professor illustrates problem with gun control advocates, 71-year-old Philadelphia man shoots back at armed robbers, sends them fleeing, Texas congressman faces censure over gun control support, MO lawmaker believes he can get GOP support on gun control, Bump stocks back on store shelves in three states, Colorado Democrats introduce assault weapon ban, Bill reintroduced to abolish the Tiahrt Amendments, Nebraska Constitutional Carry bill overcomes filibuster threat, appears poised for passage, Former D.A. Canada had similar laws to the UK, and France and New Zealand were unable to prevent their citizens from travelling to Rhodesia to fight. Remember, the Mozambique drill is designed for a defensive situation where the first two shots failed to stop an attacker. Center mass shots are easier to make quickly. Rousseau immediately brought up his Browning HP35 pistol and fired two bullets into the target's upper chest, usually enough to incapacitate or kill outright. The Portuguese used WWII vintage pistols in their two decades long colonial wars in Angola and Mozambique (some claim the gun Rhodesian mercenary Mike Rousseau used in the original Mozambique . He was fighting in the Mozambican War of Independence 1964-1974. They generally served alongside Rhodesian personnel in a large number of units, though a group of Frenchmen served together in a separate unit. views and opinions of Springfield Armory. [87] The historian Hugh Patterson noted that the relatively small numbers of volunteers from the UK indicates that "however vocal the support for Rhodesia by some on the political right, very few men were actually willing to put their futures on the line for the Smith [Rhodesian prime minister Ian Smith] regime". Hitting the T-zone is a challenge. Rousseau immediately performed a "double tap" maneuver, a controlled shooting technique in which the shooter makes two quick shots at the target's torso. [32] For instance, the American neo-Nazi Harold Covington claimed to have served in the Rhodesian Army before being deported due to his racism. and opinions expressed on this website are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the The Carter administration considered taking steps to stop Americans serving in Rhodesia, but this did not result in any policy changes.