What special men,by God we had a military of note and the world bloody well knew it.They just couldn't believe it was possible.Rhodesian's showed them how to do it,God bless them one and all.Salute
Darrell Watt, shirt or no shirt, you're an awesome Rhodesian Hero. God bless you for going beyond the call of duty time and time again to keep us safe. I already learned some bush skills in this short interview. Please come back and tell us more! Some of our bravest heroic young men were not officially 'badged' for all their awesome activities, a flaw in the system. Hearing their stories is a great way of honouring these individuals.
Having just finished a Handful of Hard Man and a British veteran, I have never held people in such high regard as Darrell and boys in the Rhodesian SAS. Truly ally blokes.
i just finished it too incredible book and well written throughout the book so many men credit Mr. Watt with their having survived and if you read it, its amazing any of his team survived some of those. what a Great leader
Hannes is a fantastic interviewer, but I'd like to see someone interview him. I read A Handful of Hard Men, but hearing him tell a few stories would be great.
I just finished reading all 3 of Hannes Wessels's Rhodesia books (Handful of Hard Men, We Dared to Win, and Men of War) and I must say I have never more admired and respected such an incredible and fearless group of fighting men than I do the guys on the tip of the spear battling for Rhodesia. These guys were absolute legends, fighting and winning incredible battles with the numbers stacked against them, while being virtually isolated by the rest of the world, and stabbed in the back by some of their own leaders and intelligence officers. Amazing books, and amazing soldiers. I'm glad I found these books and this little piece of forgotten history.
Imagine how good a movie would be on this man’s life. I enjoyed your book and appreciate your efforts in protecting wildlife. Thank you for your sacrifices
Hello from California. I just finished Handful of Hard Men. Darrell is a real hero and warrior. I am grateful to have learned the history of the Rhodesian Conflict. Thanks for making this video.
Darrell's a fascinating individual... his story's like some wild work of fiction! I really do hope that Hannes gets another opportunity to record a full length, in-depth interview with him. It's a great channel fellas! You can't beat these first hand, primary source accounts of history 👍
I am truly honardard and proud to be born a Rhodsian. Respect to my eldership that gave us MBOROS to lead , any where in the world! Pamberi 🙏😉 our Tribe, Rhodsians never die.
Now they are coming thick and fast John 👍 The more that you and Hannes post the better they get and Hannes has a great ability to put the blokes at ease and the stories flow. At times you can almost feel its 1978 all over again. When you listen to warriors like Darrell speak and tell you of the SAS activity in the late 60's you forget how much went on and also how much was kept under wraps. It is a common misconception by guys that most things started with Op Hurricane and FireForce at JOC Darwin and finished with Splinter and Salops. Sure enough though there was always the older instructor at Training Troop at Cranbourne to put you straight!! 🤣🤣 Thanks again
Yes - for many years there was this belief that prior to December 1972 pretty much nothing happened, and it's common to see, in older publications, the date of the Bush War as starting in 1972. Growing up there in the late 60s and early 70s I can see why my father who was in the op's room at New Sarum was reluctant to take his young family to certain places. The general public was in blissful ignorance.
@@tigershoot I am not sure we stopped going anywhere as a family, young and old, I think the big difference was that a lot of activity in the late 1969’s was that a lot of the successes we had was done externally on long range patrols that Darrell talked about.
Hi. It is of course true that Rhodesian troops undertook external operations in the late 1960s but there were also numerous incursions by the 'terrs' during the second half of the decade and the first significant clash in Rhodesia occurred at Sinoia in April 1966 when the Rhodesian Air Force and BSAP wiped out members of ZANLA. In the early years of the conflict, however, the Zambezi Valley was the main theatre of operations. The following quotation is from an interesting article by a Rhodesian journalist in 1968: ‘The Zambezi River Valley is the butt-end of the world. The heat is merciless, the terrain rough. Energy is quickly sapped. Initially, the terrorists’ main task is to avoid leaving tracks which can be picked up by security force patrols. But this means that their progress is slow and laborious. After a while, many of the gangs get careless . . . [and] sometimes their conduct is hardly inspiring. Tales of the Mickey Mouse antics of some of the terrorists are two a penny . . . But other reports tell of remarkable bravery and endurance. . . . Not all the infiltrators are jelly-kneed, press-ganged and naïve . . . . This is why the Rhodesian and South African security forces cannot be complacent . . . . The Rhodesian and South African forces do not underestimate the enemy: the insurgents sometimes do. It’s their main, fatal, mistake.’ Peter Martin, ‘Rhodesia’s Thin Green Line’, in 'Illustrated Life Rhodesia', 29th August 1968.
@@glendodds3824 You are correct Glen about the Zambezi Valley but as someone born in Vic Falls in the 1950s I find the Zambezi Valley an area of beauty especially from a G Car......not so much on patrol. 😂 I also remember the SAP presence at that time as well which confirms the number of contacts in Rhodesia 👍
@@pamberinehondo9447 Hi Bugsy. My father was in the Air Force and spent most of his time at New Sarum but was also posted to Thornhill for nearly three years and also spent time at an FAF at Kariba. Interesting and dangerous times. Incidentally, two of my father's colleagues lost their lives on 16 November 1971 when, owing to metal fatigue, their canberra came down shortly after taking off from New Sarum. The plane crashed on the farm of my relatives and two of them had to run for their lives as burning wreckage hurtled towards them. Take care.
Just reading a handful of hard men after reading the sas in rhodesia, we dared to win. Constantly being educated. When I read the real life stuff you guys where doing, my respect for you all goes through the roof. I feel very cheated by my uk education they never mentioned Rhodesia once during my years in UK education. We had a lovely couple called Syd and Amy stott come to live in my tiny village in Devon in the mid 70s.They came to UK from rhodesia. Now I know what they lost my heart goes out to there memory. I was 6 or 7 then,, didn't know Jack about the world then. Bless their memory.
I had family from Rhodesia who ended up moving back here. What a tragedy how it turned out. And yet it's a shame that our school system completely distorts the truth about what happened there - if it bothers to mention it at all, that is.
Hi. One of my cousins who was born and bred in Rhodesia now works as a safari guide in the Kruger National Park in South Africa and is likewise passionate about protecting wildlife. She has a dangerous job, partly because poachers are active in the area and were indeed very close to her lodge only a few days ago. She's tough, courageous and determined.
I finished A Handful of Hard Men today. It left a lump in my throat, and a mixture bewilderment and shame at my (UK) government’s actions. I have a lot of questions which I’ll endeavour to find answers for.
The questions are getting much better, well done and am looking forward to the next time you interview him. It's the detail we all want, like hearing about crickets giving the enemy away, that is amazing information. Keep up the good work!!!
Hey John, I have would love to see a video on the structure of the RLI and the positions it had within its ranks, such as a RSM, CSM, and stuff like the positions of Commando units and the Troop groupings within it, I think this would make a very interesting and good video as I do not see very many sources explaining all of it.
Any chance of seeing a video about the structure of the Rhodesian armed forces? I know the American Army has battalions broken down into several companies, broken down into several platoons, broken down into 4 squads, each squad broken down into 2 fireteams, with 1 team leader, 1 rifleman, 1 automatic rifleman, and 1 grenadire per fireteam. But I wonder what the RLI, RAR, etc was broken down into
He's constantly scanning during the whole interview, I would say not a man to suffer fools gladly. I met a Scottish RSM in Hong Kong that had the same attributes and as a young boy I knew instantly he wouldn't tolerate my normal behavior and it was always yes Mr no Mr if addressed otherwise I stayed very quiet in the background and listened, fond memories.
Hi. Yes, that would be interesting. Helicopters, and particularly Alouettes, played a major role in the Rhodesian Bush War. Incidentally, the Rhodesian Air Force first bought helicopters in 1962, a few years before the war began. The following article by a Rhodesian historian contains a lot of interesting information on the use of helicopters during the war and also mentions that a substantial percentage of the helicopters belonged to South Africa and were flown by South African pilots. www.jrtwood.com/article_fireforce.asp
Further to my previous comment, I am not involved in arranging any of the interviews. My use of the word 'Yes' might inadvertently give that wrong impression.
Interestingly the British SAS came and had a recruiting meeting immediately after Mugabe was elected. To my knowledge, none took them up on the offer as they had been the real power behind the fall of Rhodesia.
We are the hollow men We are the stuffed men Leaning together Headpiece filled with straw. Alas! Our dried voices, when We whisper together Are quiet and meaningless As wind in dry grass Or rats' feet over broken glass In our dry cellar ... Forever with youse
Lol Looking good Darrell.rough and tuff
I just bought the new book today and can't wait to read it!
I would love to have been accepted by youse
I say professionally
What special men,by God we had a military of note and the world bloody well knew it.They just couldn't believe it was possible.Rhodesian's showed them how to do it,God bless them one and all.Salute
Darrell Watt, shirt or no shirt, you're an awesome Rhodesian Hero. God bless you for going beyond the call of duty time and time again to keep us safe. I already learned some bush skills in this short interview. Please come back and tell us more! Some of our bravest heroic young men were not officially 'badged' for all their awesome activities, a flaw in the system. Hearing their stories is a great way of honouring these individuals.
Thanks!
Hi John have you been able to arrange another more clear interview with Darrel?
Regards
Wyt Barnard
Having just finished a Handful of Hard Man and a British veteran, I have never held people in such high regard as Darrell and boys in the Rhodesian SAS. Truly ally blokes.
i just finished it too incredible book and well written throughout the book so many men credit Mr. Watt with their having survived and if you read it, its amazing any of his team survived some of those. what a Great leader
Hannes is a fantastic interviewer, but I'd like to see someone interview him. I read A Handful of Hard Men, but hearing him tell a few stories would be great.
I just came from finishing that book, wanted to see if I could find out more about Darrell Watt.
I just finished reading all 3 of Hannes Wessels's Rhodesia books (Handful of Hard Men, We Dared to Win, and Men of War) and I must say I have never more admired and respected such an incredible and fearless group of fighting men than I do the guys on the tip of the spear battling for Rhodesia. These guys were absolute legends, fighting and winning incredible battles with the numbers stacked against them, while being virtually isolated by the rest of the world, and stabbed in the back by some of their own leaders and intelligence officers. Amazing books, and amazing soldiers. I'm glad I found these books and this little piece of forgotten history.
yeah what they did compared to modern SF is insane. 6 or more weeks in the bush with no support living off the land... insane.
Imagine how good a movie would be on this man’s life. I enjoyed your book and appreciate your efforts in protecting wildlife. Thank you for your sacrifices
This is an amazing channel. Cheers from Detroit, Michigan.
It's great you are watching!!
Hello from California. I just finished Handful of Hard Men. Darrell is a real hero and warrior. I am grateful to have learned the history of the Rhodesian Conflict. Thanks for making this video.
Loved it. Thanks John van Zyl. Made a small contribution. Please keep these stories coming.
Thanks, will do!
Darrell's a fascinating individual... his story's like some wild work of fiction!
I really do hope that Hannes gets another opportunity to record a full length, in-depth interview with him.
It's a great channel fellas! You can't beat these first hand, primary source accounts of history 👍
Thank you 😊 and 💯 Percent Respect! You men of Rhodsian war and telling the truth on both sides is awsome 🖖✌️👍🤟🤙👊💪 from a kafepe , living in Scotland.
I miss my home 🏡,so much, but I grateful! Pamberi our Tribe 🖖👍✌️
I am truly honardard and proud to be born a Rhodsian. Respect to my eldership that gave us MBOROS to lead , any where in the world! Pamberi 🙏😉 our Tribe, Rhodsians never die.
Handful of Hard Men was an amazing story. Rhodesian SAS are true legends.
Wow! Just finished reading a Handful of Hard Men so this is perfect!
Now they are coming thick and fast John 👍 The more that you and Hannes post the better they get and Hannes has a great ability to put the blokes at ease and the stories flow. At times you can almost feel its 1978 all over again. When you listen to warriors like Darrell speak and tell you of the SAS activity in the late 60's you forget how much went on and also how much was kept under wraps. It is a common misconception by guys that most things started with Op Hurricane and FireForce at JOC Darwin and finished with Splinter and Salops. Sure enough though there was always the older instructor at Training Troop at Cranbourne to put you straight!! 🤣🤣 Thanks again
Yes - for many years there was this belief that prior to December 1972 pretty much nothing happened, and it's common to see, in older publications, the date of the Bush War as starting in 1972. Growing up there in the late 60s and early 70s I can see why my father who was in the op's room at New Sarum was reluctant to take his young family to certain places. The general public was in blissful ignorance.
@@tigershoot I am not sure we stopped going anywhere as a family, young and old, I think the big difference was that a lot of activity in the late 1969’s was that a lot of the successes we had was done externally on long range patrols that Darrell talked about.
Hi. It is of course true that Rhodesian troops undertook external operations in the late 1960s but there were also numerous incursions by the 'terrs' during the second half of the decade and the first significant clash in Rhodesia occurred at Sinoia in April 1966 when the Rhodesian Air Force and BSAP wiped out members of ZANLA.
In the early years of the conflict, however, the Zambezi Valley was the main theatre of operations. The following quotation is from an interesting article by a Rhodesian journalist in 1968:
‘The Zambezi River Valley is the butt-end of the world. The heat is merciless, the terrain rough. Energy is quickly sapped. Initially, the terrorists’ main task is to avoid leaving tracks which can be picked up by security force patrols. But this means that their progress is slow and laborious. After a while, many of the gangs get careless . . . [and] sometimes their conduct is hardly inspiring. Tales of the Mickey Mouse antics of some of the terrorists are two a penny . . . But other reports tell of remarkable bravery and endurance. . . . Not all the infiltrators are jelly-kneed, press-ganged and naïve . . . . This is why the Rhodesian and South African security forces cannot be complacent . . . . The Rhodesian and South African forces do not underestimate the enemy: the insurgents sometimes do. It’s their main, fatal, mistake.’ Peter Martin, ‘Rhodesia’s Thin Green Line’, in 'Illustrated Life Rhodesia', 29th August 1968.
@@glendodds3824 You are correct Glen about the Zambezi Valley but as someone born in Vic Falls in the 1950s I find the Zambezi Valley an area of beauty especially from a G Car......not so much on patrol. 😂 I also remember the SAP presence at that time as well which confirms the number of contacts in Rhodesia 👍
@@pamberinehondo9447 Hi Bugsy. My father was in the Air Force and spent most of his time at New Sarum but was also posted to Thornhill for nearly three years and also spent time at an FAF at Kariba. Interesting and dangerous times. Incidentally, two of my father's colleagues lost their lives on 16 November 1971 when, owing to metal fatigue, their canberra came down shortly after taking off from New Sarum. The plane crashed on the farm of my relatives and two of them had to run for their lives as burning wreckage hurtled towards them. Take care.
Just reading a handful of hard men after reading the sas in rhodesia, we dared to win. Constantly being educated. When I read the real life stuff you guys where doing, my respect for you all goes through the roof. I feel very cheated by my uk education they never mentioned Rhodesia once during my years in UK education. We had a lovely couple called Syd and Amy stott come to live in my tiny village in Devon in the mid 70s.They came to UK from rhodesia. Now I know what they lost my heart goes out to there memory. I was 6 or 7 then,, didn't know Jack about the world then. Bless their memory.
I had family from Rhodesia who ended up moving back here. What a tragedy how it turned out. And yet it's a shame that our school system completely distorts the truth about what happened there - if it bothers to mention it at all, that is.
Darrell Watt, a legend ! A man of few words and alot of action.
A legend indeed, another great. Good to see him looking fit still and even better using his skill set to protect wildlife.
Hi. One of my cousins who was born and bred in Rhodesia now works as a safari guide in the Kruger National Park in South Africa and is likewise passionate about protecting wildlife. She has a dangerous job, partly because poachers are active in the area and were indeed very close to her lodge only a few days ago. She's tough, courageous and determined.
More from Darrell please. His knowledge of bushcraft is amazing.
Great interview. Looking forward to the next. And Darrell. .no change budd...keep it up and good luck in your wildlife conservation efforts..
I read A Handful of Hard Men. Absolutely brilliant.
I finished A Handful of Hard Men today. It left a lump in my throat, and a mixture bewilderment and shame at my (UK) government’s actions. I have a lot of questions which I’ll endeavour to find answers for.
He looks like a friend of mine. You do not want to meet this guy or my friend in the bush. I have great respect for this man, I salute you, sir.
I hope you do a part two for this. Great channel. Thank you.
We will!
Love the books, mad respect Mr. Watts.
Truly we have so much to thank our Rhodies guys. I was at Junior and High school with Darrell he was a true gentleman and has never changed.
The questions are getting much better, well done and am looking forward to the next time you interview him. It's the detail we all want, like hearing about crickets giving the enemy away, that is amazing information. Keep up the good work!!!
Glad you enjoyed it
Darryl yes what a fine soldier and one that any soldier who was with him
... What a beast of a man ... Cometh the time, cometh the man.
Great Stuff
Just bought your book.
Holy shit, the legend is real!!!! Fucking awesome.
I grew up in zimbabwe in the bush and I learnt alot from my dad and the shona people. Bushcraft is a good thing to know
Shona shitracker. Matabele matters
Colonel Darryl not sure how his first name was spelt. He was at the time I met him,with 5th Bat JOC Sinoia. A man of men.
Legend...Unsung Hero..
PAMWE CHETE...LEGENDS LIVE FOREVER!!
That's quite the teaser, hope you can finish the interview at a later time. And also talk about Matt Lamb since he's not among us to do it himself.
C Sqn is still open in the Orbat of 22, good luck to you all.
Good to see you again
Legend of legends!
Hey John, I have would love to see a video on the structure of the RLI and the positions it had within its ranks, such as a RSM, CSM, and stuff like the positions of Commando units and the Troop groupings within it, I think this would make a very interesting and good video as I do not see very many sources explaining all of it.
Thanks for the idea!
Hopefully you can get a good interview with Darrell soon. Time waits for no man
Any chance of seeing a video about the structure of the Rhodesian armed forces? I know the American Army has battalions broken down into several companies, broken down into several platoons, broken down into 4 squads, each squad broken down into 2 fireteams, with 1 team leader, 1 rifleman, 1 automatic rifleman, and 1 grenadire per fireteam. But I wonder what the RLI, RAR, etc was broken down into
Can you perhaps do an interview with Willem Ratte? Was he a member of the SAS and Selous Scouts?
I will ask Hannes, good idea ;)
Eish! Darrell, what happened with the dress requirements, chukka boots & cravat LOL. Look forward to follow-up episode. Mike
Impressive dude
Awesome man, awesome story.
Still looking for Colonel Darrell Van Zyl SAS
Need to get this interview up and going or give me a reference I can read up more
My father is in the middle of this picture.
You must be proud!
@@gregc6661 Very
Unfortunately I was too young to do my military service in Rhodesia. I’m a ‘67 model, born in Que Que
@@gregc6661 Lived & went to school in Que Que in the late 70's.
@@colinm2056 Fitchlea or QQ Junior School? Good days!
A man of few words, but with a lot of stories to tell. Get more beer next time :)
True 🤣
I think Darrell has PTSD.I love you man
He's constantly scanning during the whole interview, I would say not a man to suffer fools gladly. I met a Scottish RSM in Hong Kong that had the same attributes and as a young boy I knew instantly he wouldn't tolerate my normal behavior and it was always yes Mr no Mr if addressed otherwise I stayed very quiet in the background and listened, fond memories.
Darrel watt should be crowned king of mad lads
Any chance of a follow up full interview with him
A pity that the interview was cut, are you going to interview the helicopter pilots?
Hi. Yes, that would be interesting. Helicopters, and particularly Alouettes, played a major role in the Rhodesian Bush War. Incidentally, the Rhodesian Air Force first bought helicopters in 1962, a few years before the war began. The following article by a Rhodesian historian contains a lot of interesting information on the use of helicopters during the war and also mentions that a substantial percentage of the helicopters belonged to South Africa and were flown by South African pilots. www.jrtwood.com/article_fireforce.asp
Further to my previous comment, I am not involved in arranging any of the interviews. My use of the word 'Yes' might inadvertently give that wrong impression.
@@glendodds3824 Thanks for the article, I had knowledge about the rumor of South African pilots operating the helicopters.
The man looks tough as nails.
Gotta get up and get a good Vid with Darrell. Stop through there on your way back from Kenya Hannes. Lol
Was that before or after Sgt. Allan?
Kushinga
Hannes, you have to get a decent quality of communication with Watt; far more could be gained.
Check on your hen Darryl, she is not happy. Thank you for your service.
One wonders if the british and australian sas offered support
After all brothers in arms
Interestingly the British SAS came and had a recruiting meeting immediately after Mugabe was elected. To my knowledge, none took them up on the offer as they had been the real power behind the fall of Rhodesia.
Quite the opposite from what I gather. Britain had it's own agenda and it certainly didn't include Rhodesian success
Didn't the UK sas take the rhodie sas memorial to their dead back to Hereford?
Thank you for all the memories. Hanns, how can I order your books? Please let me know. Regards
exmontibusmedia.co.za
Sit Nomine Digna
We are the hollow men
We are the stuffed men
Leaning together
Headpiece filled with straw. Alas!
Our dried voices, when
We whisper together
Are quiet and meaningless
As wind in dry grass
Or rats' feet over broken glass
In our dry cellar
... Forever with youse