Pamwe Chete!

This is coolbert:

"Pamwe Chete" - - the motto of the SELOUS SCOUTS. Translated from the Shona, literally meaning "Together only!" or "All Together!"

Here is how an army can prepare for jungle warfare.

In this case the Rhodesian Army of the original post-colonial white regime.

Fought an unsuccessful counter-insurgency war against communist guerillas. Communist guerillas aided and abetted by the forces of international communism.

A war that resulted with white rule ending. A negotiated settlement to a war that resulted in a-no-good-situation-for-everyone [the rule of the dictator Mugabe].

The Rhodesian Army did things their own way. Realized that with limited manpower and resources, and with what must have seemed almost all the world against them, they were at a serious disadvantage.

Unconventional methods of warfare were needed. And used!

Foremost among the users of these unconventional methods were the Selous Scouts. Elite unit of specially selected, specially trained young men who received unconventional and rigorous training in counter-guerilla techniques.

[named after Frederick Selous. The famous big-game hunter and explorer. I have blogged about him before.]

Men who had to live, fight, survive, and WIN.

Living and surviving in the jungle, tropical type environment of Rhodesia.

Let me make this clear. Rhodesia did not have the tropical, equatorial type of jungle as would be found in the Congo or New Guinea. Is call the "bush" by local standards. Wilds or wilderness is more accurate. A mix of terrain that IS hostile to man. Without proper knowledge, you cannot survive, thrive, fight, and WIN!

Also, the Selous Scouts were very small detachments of men sent into the bush to live for long extended periods. NOT a Corps size unit as the Americans fielded in New Guinea.

It WAS possible to train the Selous Scouts to a VERY HIGH standard of "bushcraft". It was NOT possible to train a Corps level unit in New Guinea to the same level of knowledge regarding jungle warfare.

The training of the Selous Scouts relied upon a lot of accumulated knowledge gathered by generations of men before them. Knowledge on how to survive and thrive in the bush using the basics at hand.

Of particular concern for survival in the Rhodesian bush was the possibility of danger from wild game animals. Most likely from the "big five" wild game animals. Lion, rhino, elephant, leopard, Cape buffalo. Wild critters that can kill you in a heartbeat. This sort of thing WAS NOT present in New Guinea.

The Selous Scouts syllabus of instruction for survival in the bush included such topics as:

[I would emphasize that this training was NOT ONLY for survival. Allowed the combatant to THRIVE as well!!]

* BIG GAME BUSHCRAFT TIPS FOR SCOUTS.

["***NOTE*** In some circles and other locations on the "Dark Continent" the "BIG FIVE" includes the Hippo; usually substituting the Leopard, as is the case in Malawi. Incidentally the hippo is responsible for more deaths yearly then any of the aforementioned."]

* RHODESIAN SECURITY FORCES BUSHCRAFT AND TRACKING PROGRAM OF INSTRUCTION (POI)

There would have been a lot of useful info in this POI that could have helped U.S. forces in New Guinea.

Such as:

* Water purification and filtration. [How to make sure water is safe to drink!!]

* Food sources. [expedient food sources in the jungle.]

* Heat casualty prevention. [how to prevent heat injury.]

* Medicinal plants. [what plants are good for you.]

* Poisonous plants. [what plants are bad for you.]

* Hygiene. [how to keep clean in a place you cannot keep clean in.]

* Malaria. [how to prevent in the first place.]

Some of the survival techniques taught to the Selous Scouts go way beyond normal for military training, to say the least:

* "During bushcraft/survival training Selous Scouts are made to drink the innards of gutted game animals. Due to the many valuable nutrients that may be drunken to supplement ones diet in extreme situations."

[highly nutritious I am sure!!!]

* "Learning to gut and quarter game was an essential skill taught to all Selous Scouts during there time at the Tracking and Bushcraft course."

[you have to have a way to get at the innards, don't you!!??]

* "Here two Selous Scouts remove the innards of what appears to be a antelope. Scouts were also trained to eat rotten carcasses by boiling. This technique would only work once, if the scout reheated the meat a second time it would poison through a chemical change in the meat."

[eat from the rotten carcass of a game animal. But boil only once!!]

* "Here a Selous Scout instructor is teaching the finer points of botany. By describing signs to look for to retrieve water from vines and not poisons or irritants."

[obtain water where it is normally not available. Do so without killing yourself in the process!!]

* "The gutting and preparing of the rotten baboon the candidates are made to eat. The candidates are not fed for days and made to observe the rotten decomposing baboon all week, till they are told to eat it. At this point most are quite willing."

[yummmmmmm!! Rotting baboon!]

[YOU HAVE TO GO TO THE WEB SITE TO SEE IT ALL IN COLOR. VERY INTERESTING STUFF!! THIS IS THE TYPE OF INTENSE HARD SOLDIERING YOUNG MEN HAVE IN MIND WHEN THEY JOIN THE ARMY. ALMOST NONE EVER GET THAT SORT OF STUFF!! JUST NOT POSSIBLE OR NECESSARY!!]

And beards. Some of the Selous Scouts troops did wear beards. At least the white ones can be see in photos wearing a beard. This DOES HAVE SIGNIFICANCE AND UTILITY IN THE JUNGLE. PREVENTS MALARIA CARRYING INSECTS FROM BITING YOU ON THE FACE AND INFECTING YOU. THE FAMOUS BRITISH GENERAL ORDE WINGATE ALSO WORE A BEARD WHILE SERVING IN BURMA. SUCH A THING WOULD NOT HAVE ALLOWED BY U.S. TROOPS IN NEW GUINEA. NEITHER APPRECIATED OR ALLOWED!!!



[well, I have to qualify that last paragraph about beards. You CANNOT get a good seal on a gas mask if you wear a beard. American commanders in New Guinea would have had in the back of their minds the possibility that the Japanese could employ poison gas. Even if the versatility of wearing a beard in the jungle was appreciated, more pressing concerns would have overridden the possibility of troops growing beards.]

[The reaction of an American officer seeing that photo of those Selous Scouts having a beer would have been to call for barracks inspection at 1800 hours, short hair, no beards, no shorts, in uniform. After passing inspection, WE WILL THEN BEGIN TRAINING BY LEARING HOW TO SALUTE PROPERLY!!]

coolbert.