[38], Most of the foreigners who volunteered to fight for Rhodesia did so individually. [74], The Canadian spree killer Mathew Lamb was able to join the Rhodesian Army in 1974 after being released from a mental institution. This page was last edited on 27 January 2023, at 09:37. [7] Product prices mentioned in articles and videos are current as of the date of publication. [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. Portugal said it supported the Mozambique people and designated it an overseas territory in the 1950s in lieu of calling it a colony, but it was still a colony no matter how Portugal presented it. Engaged in a firefight at an airport in Lourenco Marques, Rousseau encountered a guerilla fighter armed with an AK-47. Transitioning between targets can take some getting used to, especially for shooters still trying to get some experience under their belts. Seeing that the guerrilla was still advancing, Rousseau made an attempt at a head shot that hit the guerrilla through the base of his neck, severing the spinal cord. aka Failure Drill. |-- The DU Lounge Most police officers cannot do it in less than five seconds without a miss. It is commonly known as a" Mozambique Drill" because it comes from a story told to Cooper from Rhodesian Mike Rousseau, a mercenary during the Mozambican War of Independence. [21], While most of the security forces' personnel were black, the Rhodesian government had a strong preference for whites. [37] Some of the Americans volunteered to work as security guards on farms in Rhodesia as this offered the opportunity to fight communists while receiving higher pay than that offered by the security forces. You sweat just standing still. He offered Rhodesia the services of these men after they completed training, though he intended to eventually use them to retake Albania. Hitting the T-zone is a challenge. The term refers to his encounter with an AK-47 armed guerilla at an airport in Mozambique where he was armed with a Browning Hi-Power. the phrase was coined by a rhodesian mercenary named Mike Rousseau while he was serving in Mozambique. Its much harder than you may think. Rousseau later related the story to an acquaintance, Jeff Cooper, who incorporated the "triple tap" or "Mozambique Drill" into his practical shooting technique. in 1978, he was the final recipient of the Rhodesian civil Independence Commemorative Decoration for services rendered to the country. [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. It is vital to mix up your training, firing different numbers of shots into your targets, at different locations, because you never know if your first shot or your fifteenth is going to be the one that stops the threat. Aaron Cowan of Sage Dynamics takes a look at the Mozambique Drill and puts his own spin on it, suggesting for arguments sake to try firing all three shots to the head instead of two to the chest and one to the head. [78], The nationalists argued in their propaganda that the Rhodesian regime's need for foreign volunteers illustrated its political and military weaknesses. 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. 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. the opinions of Democratic Underground, LLC. Guerrilla fighters were swarming the airport and Rousseau turned a corner and nearly bumped into a FRELIMO fighter wielding an AK-47. [5][9], The Mozambique Drill is featured in a number of movies, notably Heat and Collateral, both directed by Michael Mann.[10]. These two additions to the drill could make a world of difference in a real-life self-defense situation. While catchy mottoes are easy to remember, the technique itself can be difficult to master. He was fighting in the Mozambican War of Independence 1964-1974. These [47], The Rhodesian Special Branch sought to vet all of the foreign volunteers for security risks. They also feared for their lives due to a perception that a black majority government would place them on trial for murder and other crimes. Today, most instructors teach their students to hold the pistol on target after the first two shots. |-- Archives We must protect our Second Amendment and we must spread the word that Jews support the right to bear arms. 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. [95] On 21 December that year the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 460 that, among other things, called for the British authorities to expel all "mercenaries" and South African forces from Southern Rhodesia. 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. 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. In the 1960s he coined the term hoplophobia, an irrational fear of weapons. [65] Most of the volunteers served under Rhodesian officers. The Rhodesian government attempted several strategies to address these shortages. However, here we are more concerned with your shooting than tactics, because the subtle nuances of the proper tactics can vary from situation to situation. The Rhodesian military also adopted some of the terminology used by Americans in Vietnam, such as referring to guerrillas as 'gooks' and labelling one of their supply lines the 'Ho Chi Minh trail'. [32] For instance, the American neo-Nazi Harold Covington claimed to have served in the Rhodesian Army before being deported due to his racism. The Mozambique Drill 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. The story goes that this technique originated with a Rhodesian mercenary, Mike Rousseau. Rousseau immediately performed a double tap two shots to the center of the torso. Two shots to the chest failed to stop the guy, so Rousseau had to transition point of aim for a head shot. He named it after the country where the incident occurred, dubbing his drill the Mozambique Drill., Practical Variations to the Mozambique Drill, El Presidente Drill Assessing Your Shooting Skills, The Best Self Defense Ammo Ballistic Testing. Rhodesian officers also sought to use their networks in other militaries to attract volunteers. |-- General Discussion [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. Sorry, an error occurred and we could not sign you up. Ideally, a more practical application might be to fire two shots to the torso, take two steps back and to the side to keep your distance and, if your attacker is still attacking, attempt the head shot. 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. In many countries it was illegal to serve with the Rhodesian Security Forces. 2003) (Kozinski, J. [2] Rousseau was later killed in action in the Rhodesian War. [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. Seeing that the fighter was still advancing, Rousseau attempted a head shot that hit the guerrilla through the base of his neck, severing the spinal cord. Miss the zone, and the projectile could deflect off the bony areas of the skull without eliminating the threat. The shots should be fired as fast as you are able, however they shouldnt be so fast that you miss your intended target. [22][27] Men with previous military experience, and especially service in wars, were preferred. Flat nose bullets and hollow points were not in widespread use, so those FMJs from Rousseaus HP35 must have passed right through the fighter. Forums | Journals| Store You may have also heard it called the Failure To Stop Drill. The sanctions it imposed following UDI banned efforts to entice British citizens to live or work in Rhodesia. Rousseau later related the story to an acquaintance, Jeff Cooper, who incorporated the "triple tap" or "Mozambique Drill" into his practical shooting technique. They could also be wearing body armor. 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. The Portuguese government banned Rhodesian recruitment in the late 1970s, but was unable to enforce the legislation. Seeing that the guerrilla was still advancing, Rousseau made an attempt at a head shot that hit the guerrilla through the base of his neck, severing the spinal cord. After the end of the Frontier War, he went on to create a popular bloodsport competition called the Apex Games. the technique may also be called a triple tap, or failure to stop drill. The Rhodesians' brutal counterinsurgency tactics also proved counter-productive. Easter Lessons by bmt | Mar 29, 2016 | Towsley on Tactical blog [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. [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. | ContactUs | PrivacyPolicy. [34] The Rhodesian government paid the airfares of volunteers who were unable to afford to travel until 1977. Jews Can Shoot is a 501c3 nonprofit organization and your donation is tax deductible to the full extent of the law. The new Prime Minister Robert Mugabe directed shortly after the election that "mercenaries" be dismissed as they were among the "irregular features of the present Army" and were "not needed". 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. Rounding a corner Rousseau found himself unexpectedly face to face with a FRELIMO guerilla armed with an AK47 at a range of about ten paces. Rousseau and his mates were in action clearing the airport in what was then known as Lourenco Marques, the Maputo appellation came later. European colonial powers like Belgium and Portugal fought to defend their interests, but the rebels had little to lose and everything to gain. [86] The United States government did little to slow the flow of volunteers to Rhodesia. Learn how your comment data is processed. Two to the body and one to the head became the mantra. Most of its members left Rhodesia after the company was withdrawn from operations to be retrained, though some settled in Rhodesia. Rhodesian Mike Rousseau was serving as a mercenary in the Mozambican War of Independence. However, they and their guerrilla armies were motivated mainly by nationalism and a desire to end discriminatory practices and establish majority rule in Rhodesia. [86] Due to the difficulty of drafting legislation that could effectively ban Britons from serving with Rhodesia or enforcing the measures that were brought in, there is no record of any British citizens being punished for serving with the Rhodesian Security Forces during the war. The Mozambique drill was made famous by Jeff Cooper after learning about this incident. Although two shots to the vitals of an attacker will stop a threat cold in most situations, it doesnt work 100 percent of the time. The pelvis does not move as erratically as the head or shoulders, and should be an easier target than a bobbing and weaving head. : 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. In 1977 the pretender to the Albanian throne, Leka I, asked the Rhodesian government to train a battalion of Albanians that he hoped to recruit. So how does a Rhodesian mercenary figure into the story? [34], American and Australian volunteers who had fought in the Vietnam War were generally well regarded by Rhodesian soldiers, and were often posted to the elite SAS and Selous Scouts. |-- Latest Breaking News That was in the 1400s and 1500s when Portugal set up trading settlements that evolved into colonies. 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. Before it was even a drill, it was actual shots fired in a gunfight. Although speed is definitely one of the goals of the Mozambique Drill, it isnt nearly as important as accuracy. He is the leader of the Apex Predators, an infamous outfit of ruthless freelance Pilots. [34][62] Rhodesian recruiters told prospective Australian recruits that the cost of living was much lower in Rhodesia. A quick how-to on shooting the Mozambique Drill. a close quarter tactical method of killing a target with two shots to the chest and one follow up shot to the head. [26][34] Other volunteers were expected to pay their own way. You can support the efforts of Jews Can Shoot that Nothing Says Never Again Like an Armed Jew. Silveira v Lockyer, (9th Cir. [7] Fighting at the airport at Loureno Marques (modern-day Maputo), Rousseau rounded a corner and encountered an enemy combatant, armed with an AK-47 assault rifle, at 10 paces (7.5m (25ft)). The volunteers frequently received a hostile response from Rhodesians in the units they were posted to, and many ended their contracts early as a result. The third shot should be aimed to destroy the brain or brain stem, killing the target and preventing the target from retaliating. No matter the reason, the third shot should stop the attacker in his tracks. opinions of the individuals who post them, and do not necessarily represent He finished the job with a headshot. This proposal was quickly dismissed as the Rhodesians did not see how they could arm or use large numbers of non-English speakers. [105], Modern white supremacist and far-right groups continue to provide a positive portrayal of white rule in Rhodesia. Jews Can Shoot is a civil rights group that honors the memory of the Holocaust to preserve, protect and defend the Second Amendment and was formed for the purpose of education regarding gun laws, gun rights, legal precedent and cause-related advocacy. The latest content straight to your inbox plus an automatic entry to each of our monthly giveaways! [8] The historian Donal Lowry has endorsed Evans' views, noting also that "the Rhodesia Front sought to combine the notion that Rhodesia embodied the best of true Britishness, the notion that white Rhodesians were the sort of people who once made the Great" of Britain, while turning to America as the only remaining champion of the Free World. Rousseau told his harrowing story to Jeff Cooper, who thought that it made a darn good defensive shooting drill. Due to factors such as body armor, the bolstering effect of drugs, or failure to hit vital organs, the body shots may not be immediately effective, necessitating the third shot. 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. Springfield Armory recommends you seek qualified and competent training from a Position a silhouette target (preferably with outlined V1 and V2 zones) five yards from the firing line. [99][100], A range of works have provided positive portrayals of the foreign volunteers. [67], The large group of Frenchmen who enlisted together were used to form 7 Independent Company. All Rights Reserved. This proved impossible due to the large numbers and difficulty of checking their backgrounds. According to anecdotal history, the technique originated with a Rhodesian mercenary, Mike Rousseau, engaged in the Mozambican War of Independence (1964-1974). Named for Mike Rousseau, an associate of Jeff Cooper, who, ironically, died during the war in Rhodesia. This is a drill created during the Mozambique War of Independence, when a Rhodesian Mercenary (Mike Rousseau) had an up-close encounter with an opponent wielding an AK-47. He was fighting in the. According to anecdotal history, the technique originated with a Rhodesian mercenary, Mike Rousseau, engaged in the Mozambican War of Independence (1964-1974). One such soldier of fortune was Mike Rousseau. 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. Engaged in a firefight at an airport in Lourenco Marques, Rousseau encountered a guerilla fighter armed with an AK-47. Alex Kozinski, Chief Judge, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals 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. |-- Ask the Administrators No country ever officially recognised Rhodesia's independence. 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. Forum Categories These volunteers felt that Ian Smith had betrayed white Rhodesians by signing this agreement. Over the years, this drill has morphed into a variety of other drills and, if you put any two firearms instructors together, youll get a different opinion as to how its to be properly executed. [46], In addition to the actual volunteers, thousands of South African Police and South African Defence Force (SADF) personnel were deployed to Rhodesia by the South African government to serve in or alongside the Rhodesian Security Forces. Rousseau immediately performed a double tap two shots to the center of the torso. The Triple Tap Callsign can be unlocked by playing with the Mozambique, and Triple Tap XL can be unlocked via Advocate Gift. The more we all know, the better organized and stronger the shooting and hunting community will be. This led to a rapid growth in the insurgency which the security forces were unable to contain. The Rhodesian government openly advertised in the American Soldier of Fortune magazine during 1975. At the start signal, draw from concealment and fire two shots into the V1 zone and one shot into the V2 zone as fast as you can do so without missing either zone. 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." The bottom line: Accurate head shots are hard. [29] Advertisements were also placed in other American magazines, including Shotgun News and Shooting Times. During a fight, he bumped into a guerrilla soldier armed with an AK-47. Rousseau hit the target on either side of the sternum, usually enough to incapacitate or kill a target outright. LLC. board, visitors agree to abide by the rules outlined on our Rules Setup: 1x USPSA Silhouette Target: Copyright 2023 Jews Can Shoot. Historian Michael Raeburn put the figure in 1978 as between 1,500 and 2,000. The British noted that such a resolution might prove impractical as many Rhodesians held dual citizenship. [4][5][6], According to anecdotal history, the technique originated with a Rhodesian mercenary, Mike Rousseau, engaged in the Mozambican War of Independence (19641974). Rousseau then aimed for the head, and fired the shot that finally put the enemy solder down. [72], The Rhodesian Army regarded the volunteers as disloyal and undisciplined. 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). Rousseaus exploit turned into the Failure Drill and was included in the Academys curriculum starting in the late 1970s. The story goes that this technique originated with a Rhodesian mercenary, Mike Rousseau. [63], After completing training, many of the volunteers were assigned to the all-white Rhodesian Light Infantry (RLI) and particularly its 3 Commando sub-unit. dissenting.). Sometimes shooting a bad guy in the chest just isnt enough. Armed with a Browning HP35 pistol chambered in 9mm, Rousseau immediately brought up his Hi Power and shot the guerrilla twice in the chest. Save my name and email to use for future comments. In a veritable ocean of blood, one otherwise trivial engagement gained lasting notoriety. Editor's Note: This article is an excerpt from Handgun Training for Personal Protection. 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. Volume 9: EDC Digital Magazine. 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. Jeff Cooper created The Modern Technique of the Pistol and the Combat Mindset. |-- Political Videos [62] Those who failed this training had to leave the country, with their airfare home being paid by the Rhodesian government. MOZAMBIQUE DRILL.. Rhodesian Mike Rousseau was serving as a mercenary in the Mozambican War of Independence. Robert A. Sadowski has written about firearms and hunting for more than fifteen years. By 1979 the Rhodesian government was facing defeat and the war was costing 2,000 lives each month. As historians have found it difficult to access Rhodesian records, it is not known exactly how many foreigners volunteered for the Rhodesian Security Forces. [43] The academic Luise White has written that they were commonly opposed to the establishment of governments run by black people and did not have any particular commitment to Rhodesia itself. [16], Despite its need for foreign volunteers, the Rhodesian government was uncomfortable with them. There is evidence that the Departments of Justice and State tacitly encouraged Americans to volunteer for Rhodesia as part of efforts to prevent the country collapsing before a negotiated solution to the war could be finalised. When a double-tap to the chest failed to stop the aggressor, a third shot to the head ended the threat and created the Mozambique Drill. Silveira v. Lockyer, 2003. [13], Guerrilla activities began in 1966, and mainly involved small groups operating in northern Rhodesia. "The Mozambique Drill: A History and How To", "Lesson Plan: Immediate Target Engagement (CMC-22 Combat Marksmanship Coaches Course 08/12/2008)", "History of the Failure Drill: Mozambique Revolt Roots", "Shooting Skills: The Mozambique-Failure Drill", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mozambique_Drill&oldid=1141379493, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 24 February 2023, at 19:40. Manage all your favorite fandoms in one place! Mike Rousseau was a white Rhodesian mercenary engaged in combat against FRELIMO guerillas in and around the Mozambique capital of Maputo. FRELIMOs Marxist underpinnings earned it support from Russia and China. 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 . Guerrilla forces of the Mozambique Liberation Front (or FRELIMO) became embroiled in a war of independence with Portugal. Rousseau was fighting at the airport at Loureno Marques, which is now called Maputo. [26], Several individuals and companies recruited United States citizens to fight in Rhodesia. [1][5][8][9], The Mozambique Drill was incorporated in the Gunsite curriculum from the late 1970s. Portugal had ruled Mozambique for four hundred years, had subsequent deep roots in the country, and was not leaving without a fight. They generally joined the Rhodesian Security Forces individually after seeing advertisements or after being contacted by recruiters. The drill was inspired by an incident encountered by Rhodesian mercenary Mike Rousseau during the Mozambican War of Independence (1964 to about 1974). 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. FRELIMO was the dominant political party in Mozambique fighting for independence from Portugal. 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. [44] Many volunteers were also strongly anti-communist, and wanted to stop the further spread of this ideology in Africa. Blisk's character is based off Rhodesian mercenary Michael Rousseau, who popularized the shooting technique known as the Mozambique drill. [14] Rhodesia's security situation deteriorated during the mid-1970s when the nationalists were able to establish bases in Mozambique as Portuguese rule faltered and finally ended in 1975. However, this drill is mostly concerned with improving your shooting skills rather than learning the nuances of self-defense tactics. If you start slinging your lead outside of the V1 or V2 zones, slow it down. The Rhodesian government actively recruited white personnel from other countries from the mid-1970s to address manpower shortages in the Rhodesian Security Forces during the Rhodesian Bush War. The Australian parliament passed legislation banning Australians from serving with Rhodesia in 1978. The United Nations General Assembly had adopted a similar motion several days earlier at the behest of several countries in southern Africa. Important Notices: By participating on this discussion While engaged in fighting at the airport of Loureno Marques (modern-day Maputo), Rousseau was armed with only a Browning HP35 pistol. This was because they believed that it was being fought to sustain white rule and prevent communists from taking over the country. Even better (although much more difficult), make the final shot as youre moving offline. Taken aback by the failure of his double tap to stop the threat, Rousseau took a moment, leveled his pistol at the charging mans face, and fired a third round. Come join the discussion about optics, gunsmithing, styles, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more! In the 1980s, the Los Angeles Police Department began teaching the drill but renamed it the more politically correct Failure Drill. There was a flurry of unrest in Mozambique. While engaged in fighting at the airport of Lourenco Marques (modern-day Maputo), Rousseau was armed with only a Browning HP35 pistol. 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. 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. My Forums, Powered by DCForum+ Version 1.1 Copyright 1997-2002 DCScripts.com Relying on instinct and training, Rousseau delivered a double tap to the combatants chest with his Browning Hi Power pistol and 9mm ammunition. At the start signal, draw your weapon and fire two shots to the chest (V1 zone), followed by one shot to the head (V2 zone).