On Operations with C Squadron SAS: Terrorist Pursuit and Rebel Attacks in Cold War Africa

by Michael Graham

This is the third and final 'stand-alone' account of C Squadron SAS's thrilling operations against the relentless spread of communist backed terrorism in East Africa.

Drawing on first-hand experiences the author describe operations against communist-backed terrorists in Angola and Mozambique, aiding the Portuguese and Renamo against the MPLA and Frelimo respectively.

Back in Southern Rhodesia SAS General Peter Walls, realising the danger that Mugabe and ZANU represented, appealed directly to British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. This correspondence, published here for the first time, changed nothing and years of corruption and genocide followed.

Although C Squadron was disbanded in 1980 many members joined the South African special forces. Operations undertaken included unsuccessful and costly destabilisation attempts against Mugabe and missions into Mozambique including the assassination of Samora Machel. By 1986 deteriorating relationships with the South African authorities resulted in the break-up of the SAS teams who dispersed worldwide.

Had Mike Graham not written his three action-packed books, C Squadron SAS's superb fighting record might never have been revealed. For those who are fascinated by special forces soldiering his accounts are 'must reads'.

208 pages, Hardcover

Published May 27, 2020

Reviews

[JD · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written and entertaining read from a member of the Rhodesian SAS during their Bush War. He gives good background on the forces involved and then takes you along on some of his missions. Though interesting, I did not know the author had earlier books and am sorry I did not read them before picking this one up, as it feels that in this book he looks at the missions that were not included in his earlier writings, and there are big gaps between his deployments. The highlights was how they helped Portuguese forces both in Angola and Mozambique and the big differences there were in operations between the two theatres, where the Portuguese were much more successful in Angola than in Mozambique. Still highly recommended to see just how brutal the conflict was between the different factions from the same countries, where no quarter was given.

[Mattster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michael has hit it out of the park with part 3 of this history of C Squadron 22 SAS. He's covered elements of the cold war that I hadn't heard of before. Especially the force multiplying operations that the US Special Forces have used successfully from Vietnam on.

[Robert Neil Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this, the third book on Michael Graham’s exploits in the SAS, the author takes us into the African bush to fight communist terrorists during the late 1960s and 1970s. His stories are sometimes hair-raising, sometimes amusing, but always interesting and worth reading.
The book opens by profiling the men we are about to meet and share their experiences, from General Peter George Walls down through the ranks. Next comes some maps and a brief history of the unit and its reorganisation into an effective fighting force. Then we are off and running, literally, on an account of an evasion training exercise. Active missions followed: recovering evidence, training Portuguese troops in Angola, assaulting an MPLA base, and hunting terrorists in Mozambique. In 1980, after 12 years of almost constant fighting and with defeat looming in Rhodesia, the unit disbanded with many going on to serve with the South African army. Graham also describes South African efforts to destabilize Zimbabwe and the possible assassination of guerrilla leader Samora Michel, though Graham was not involved in the latter. Graham concludes with a brief family and personal biography, culminating in his facing the reality that at the time of writing he had lung cancer and not long to live.
Graham is a terrific storyteller, writing in a journalistic style. His tales of combat are those of an authentic cold warrior fighting on the front lines of a proxy war. His perspective is personal and focused on his work, though he detours into an extended opinion of how the British let down Rhodesia after Margaret Thatcher was asked to help and refused. Fighting communists was Graham’s life for twelve years, so it is unsurprising how much he hates them, but he shows little understanding of the conflict beyond the stark realities of war. For those interested in small unit combat operations in Africa, this is a very good read.

[Joester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

Enjoyable very informative of Rhode shown SAS operations. Shameful that UK US let communist tale over and allowed all suffering after.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well written book about the exploits of C Squadron SAS through the eyes of Michael Graham. The book is fast paced and provides insight into British Operations in Africa during the cold war. It is not a thorough comprehensive history of the struggles during the Cold War, but rather a description of some of the activities this unit was engaged in. I enjoyed it very much.