[83] Various approaches were considered to develop legislation to ban recruitment by the Rhodesian Security Forces during the late 1970s, but none eventuated. 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. The Rhodesian government attempted several strategies to address these shortages. [7] The party believed that Rhodesia needed to take a stand against the perceived communist threat to protect western civilisation in Africa. This page was last edited on 27 January 2023, at 09:37. Get free updates when we add new tips, articles and more! Some of the volunteers were later identified as agents of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. 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. Now you understand the history and background as well as the importance of the Failure Drill. [99][100], A range of works have provided positive portrayals of the foreign volunteers. Canada had similar laws to the UK, and France and New Zealand were unable to prevent their citizens from travelling to Rhodesia to fight. Today, with the proliferation of zombies in our culture, it could be called the zombie drill or zombie check, because a head shot is the only way to kill a zombie. 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. Mike Rousseau was a white Rhodesian mercenary engaged in combat against FRELIMO guerillas in and around the Mozambique capital of Maputo. [47], The Rhodesian Special Branch sought to vet all of the foreign volunteers for security risks. [98], The ZANU won the February 1980 Southern Rhodesian general election. a close quarter tactical method of killing a target with two shots to the chest and one follow up shot to the head. From the beginning, Africas indigenous people resisted. Rousseau relayed this story to Jeff Cooper, who then began employing this failure to stop drill in his teaching at Gunsite. While a thousand organizations use the Holocaust as a platform for speeches about tolerance, Alex Kozinski, Chief Judge, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Children Of Jewish Holocaust Survivors [Jews Can Shoot]. 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. Got a message for Democratic Underground? 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. Therefore, the more difficult head shot should be used as a follow up to your double tap. [47], All foreign volunteers were required to complete basic training upon arrival in Rhodesia, even if they had prior military experience. Today, most instructors teach their students to hold the pistol on target after the first two shots. [5] South Africa and Portugal provided Rhodesia with assistance, and it was able to evade the sanctions and covertly trade with many countries. He is the leader of the Apex Predators, an infamous outfit of ruthless freelance Pilots. Armed with a Browning HP35 pistol chambered in 9mm, Rousseau immediately brought up his Hi Power and shot the guerrilla twice in the chest. 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. Under three seconds, and youve got some major skills. Shooting Skills: The Mozambique-Failure Drill, Light Em Up: Home Defense Lasers and Lights. 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. What these European countries didnt factor in was the determination of the African people. It was expected that most of the volunteers for the security forces would not settle in Rhodesia. This proved impossible due to the large numbers and difficulty of checking their backgrounds. He was fighting in the. Rousseau immediately performed a "double tap" maneuver, a controlled shooting technique in which the shooter makes two quick shots at the target's torso. [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. Although speed is definitely one of the goals of the Mozambique Drill, it isnt nearly as important as accuracy. Messages posted on the Democratic Underground Discussion Forums are the Not exactly a headshot, but the situation was terminated. Body armor, extra thick clothing, psychoactive drugs, or even a massive adrenaline dump are all reasons those first two shots may not be effective on your target. Editors Note: Please be sure to check out The Armory Life Forum, where you can comment about our daily articles, as well as just talk guns and gear. Its editor was a strong supporter of the white Rhodesian cause and wanted to encourage Americans to fight for Rhodesia. [32][33], The Rhodesian Security Forces' recruitment staff responded to people who wrote letters of inquiry after reading the advertisements. It is estimated that between 800 and 2,000 foreign volunteers enlisted, with the exact number not being known. Product prices mentioned in articles and videos are current as of the date of publication. 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. The most common motivation was opposition to governments led by black people, but other volunteers were motivated by anti-communism or a desire for adventure. However, since you wont have time to interview your attacker in the heat of the moment, the specific cause of the failure isnt important. Before it was even a drill, it was actual shots fired in a gunfight. (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 . The Rhodesian government openly advertised in the American Soldier of Fortune magazine during 1975. Copyright Ammotogo.com 2023 All Rights Reserved. However, the guerilla soldier kept coming, with two bleeding wounds to the torso, and still armed with his rifle. Once you can achieve repeatable accuracy, then you can start to speed things up. [65] Most of the volunteers served under Rhodesian officers. One such soldier of fortune was Mike Rousseau. They generally served alongside Rhodesian personnel in a large number of units, though a group of Frenchmen served together in a separate unit. Springfield Armory recommends you seek qualified and competent training from a
Two to the body and one to the head is guaranteed to stop a threat. [94], Many of the foreign volunteers opposed the March 1978 Internal Settlement, under which the white Rhodesian government agreed to cede power to moderate black leaders. MOZAMBIQUE DRILL.. Rhodesian Mike Rousseau was serving as a mercenary in the Mozambican War of Independence. [22][24], Another strategy used to address white manpower shortages was seeking white volunteers from outside the country, which the Rhodesian government began doing in 1973. Software has been extensively modified by the DU administrators. Titanfall Blisk is working under a new long-term contract with the IMC on the Frontier, providing Combat Intel and Counterinsurgency services. 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. All other white military personnel, other than members of the Selous Scouts unit that had a reputation for atrocities, were given an assurance that they would not be required to leave the military. Two to the body and one to the head became the mantra. 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). Shots to the chest can also slow an attackers advance, even if they dont completely incapacitate him. Rousseaus exploit turned into the Failure Drill and was included in the Academys curriculum starting in the late 1970s. He is the author of numerous gun books, including 9MM Guide to America's Most Popular Caliber, a #1 New Release on Amazon. Due to the sanctions against Rhodesia, these ads were generally lodged via front organisations and were vague about the country the volunteers would serve in. [40] They were recruited by the Rhodesian Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) from a French military base in Djibouti. No country ever officially recognised Rhodesia's independence. Historian Michael Raeburn put the figure in 1978 as between 1,500 and 2,000. Rousseau had a pistol. [29] Advertisements were also placed in other American magazines, including Shotgun News and Shooting Times. Of course, we have to be careful of adhering to dogma, no matter where it comes from. This is an effective way to stop a threat that isnt immediately stopped by two shots to the bodys center mass. the phrase was coined by a rhodesian mercenary named Mike Rousseau while he was serving in Mozambique. If any of your three shots miss, you have failed the drill. As the story goes, a Rhodesian named Mike Rousseau was serving as a mercenary in the Mozambican War of Independence. Sundry populist uprisings supported by distant communist benefactors strived to nip at the forces and institutions of the European colonial powers long enough to draw blood. Engaged in a firefight at an airport in Lourenco Marques, Rousseau encountered a guerilla fighter armed with an AK-47. I prefer the original name, but whats in a name? Thankfully, the shot hit the attackers throat, severing his spinal cord and eliminating the threat. [84] The FCO advised anyone who sought information about fighting for Rhodesia that doing so was illegal, but did not explain why. The Rhodesian government did not formally reply. the opinions of Democratic Underground, LLC. The Australian parliament passed legislation banning Australians from serving with Rhodesia in 1978. Two to the body, one to the head, is guaranteed to leave them dead.. [74], The Canadian spree killer Mathew Lamb was able to join the Rhodesian Army in 1974 after being released from a mental institution. [10] This ideology attracted support from many mainstream conservative politicians and military veterans in the United Kingdom and United States, as well as from some far right groups in those countries. 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. [23] Other volunteers were posted to a range of units, including protection companies mainly made up of black soldiers and the largely white Grey's Scouts and Rhodesian Armoured Corps. [38], Most of the foreigners who volunteered to fight for Rhodesia did so individually. [62][76], The nationalist groups that were fighting the Rhodesian regime and many progressive groups worldwide considered the volunteers to be mercenaries. [93], The legality of volunteering for the Rhodesian Security Forces varied between other countries. The foreign volunteers who fought for the country are celebrated by these groups. 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. [36][74] These volunteers may have further encouraged the Rhodesian Security Forces use of the 'body count' of guerrillas killed as a measure of success, with this having been a key metric in Vietnam. [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. They could also be wearing body armor. While Im no gunfighter and there isnt any (sane) person who wants to learn gunfighting from me, Id offer another alternative that might be more slightly attainable to more people, and which is suggested by our own Stephen Wenger based off of his decades in studying armed self-defense. 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. Rousseau then lowered his weapon to the ready position. [22] The number of white conscripts in the security forces was also increased by considerably expanding the age groups of men who were required to serve and the periods of active duty reservists needed to undertake. So why not just send the first shot to the head? [26], Several individuals and companies recruited United States citizens to fight in Rhodesia. Back in the day when European countries colonized portions of Africa, this area on the east coast of Africa was called Portuguese East Africa. You may have also heard it called the Failure To Stop Drill. [90] The activities of Americans in Rhodesia were widely publicised in the United States, leading to protests. The Mozambique drill, originally developed by a Rhodesian mercenary, MIke Rousseau, is a standard practice drill for self defense. According to anecdotal history, the technique originated with a Rhodesian mercenary, Mike Rousseau, engaged in the Mozambican War of Independence (1964-1974). [101] Robin Moore included profiles of twelve volunteers as part of a non-fiction book he wrote in 1976 that argued that the Rhodesian government was not racist and sanctions against it should be lifted.