If any of your three shots miss, you have failed the drill. |-- The DU Lounge Flat nose bullets and hollow points were not in widespread use, so those FMJs from Rousseaus HP35 must have passed right through the fighter. dissenting.). There was a flurry of unrest in Mozambique. These letters were closely scrutinised, as many of the men who had written them were considered "obviously nuts" by the Rhodesian Army's recruitment officer Major Nick Lamprecht. The Guardian reported in 1979 that "his presence is a source of embarrassment to the regime which has always insisted that it does not want foreign mercenaries". In this work she estimated that around 100 Americans served with the Rhodesian Security Forces between 1976 and 1980. Rousseau immediately performed a double tap two shots to the center of the torso. While engaged in fighting at the airport of Lourenco Marques (modern-day Maputo), Rousseau was armed with only a Browning HP35 pistol. During a fight, he bumped into a guerrilla soldier armed with an AK-47. The Mozambique Drill brings together low-round count that challenges a shooter's speed, accuracy, and fundamentals. [87] The historian Hugh Patterson noted that the relatively small numbers of volunteers from the UK indicates that "however vocal the support for Rhodesia by some on the political right, very few men were actually willing to put their futures on the line for the Smith [Rhodesian prime minister Ian Smith] regime". 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). 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 . Originally, it was called the Mozambique Drill, but the more current name is Failure Drill. You fight with what you have, and at about ten paces (or five yards) Rousseau fired two 9mm rounds into the fighters chest. 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 modern technique shooting method. [48] The British intelligence agencies also infiltrated agents into the Rhodesian Security Forces.[49]. [34] The Rhodesian government paid the airfares of volunteers who were unable to afford to travel until 1977. 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]. [46] Economic factors also influenced some of the volunteers, as they believed that the Rhodesian Security Forces offered better career prospects than those available in their home country. It is not known how many Vietnam veterans fought in Rhodesia. As of 2021, the literature largely comprises brief discussions of the topic as part of books and academic journal articles on broader issues. articles and videos are considered to be suggestions and not recommendations from Springfield Armory. Today, most instructors teach their students to hold the pistol on target after the first two shots. [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. So why not just send the first shot to the head? Two to the body, one to the head. The young African not only failed to fall, but he advanced toward Rousseau with murderous intent. Rhodesian Mike Rousseau was serving as a mercenary in the Mozambican War of Independence. 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. 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. 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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Once you can achieve repeatable accuracy, then you can start to speed things up. Thankfully, the shot hit the attackers throat, severing his spinal cord and eliminating the threat. [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. 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. According to the anecdotal history, the technique originated with a Rhodesian mercenary, Mike Rousseau, engaged in the Mozambican War of Independence (1964-1974). [84] The FCO advised anyone who sought information about fighting for Rhodesia that doing so was illegal, but did not explain why. Named for Mike Rousseau, an associate of Jeff Cooper, who, ironically, died during the war in Rhodesia. Two to the body, one to the head, is guaranteed to leave them dead.. Rousseau later related the story to an acquaintance, Jeff Cooper, who incorporated the "triple tap" or "Mozambique Drill" into his practical shooting technique. |-- Editorials & Other Articles Live The Armory Life. [26], Several individuals and companies recruited United States citizens to fight in Rhodesia. [16] The academic Kyle Burke has written that some anti-government paramilitary forces in the United States draw inspiration from the volunteers, and cite them as an example when encouraging violence against African Americans. Many could well have been avoided or mitigated, had the perpetrators known their intended victims were equipped with a rifle and twenty bullets apiece, as the Militia Act required here. 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. [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. 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. Until the early 1970s the Rhodesian Security Forces had little difficulty in defeating the guerrillas. |-- General Discussion: Presidency [5], The Mozambique Drill is intended to ensure that the target is immediately stopped, by first placing two shots into the larger, easier-to-hit mass of the upper body, then, if the target is still active, following with a third, more precisely aimed and difficult head shot. If any of your three shots land outside the V zones, you have failed the drill. [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. However, since you wont have time to interview your attacker in the heat of the moment, the specific cause of the failure isnt important. 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. FRELIMO's Marxist underpinnings earned it support from Russia and China. The drill was inspired by an incident encountered by Rhodesian mercenary Mike Rousseau during the Mozambican War of Independence (1964 to about 1974). If you start slinging your lead outside of the V1 or V2 zones, slow it down. After the end of the Frontier War, he went on to create a popular bloodsport competition called the Apex Games. 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. [40] They were recruited by the Rhodesian Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) from a French military base in Djibouti. 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. During a fight, he bumped into a guerrilla soldier armed with an AK-47. "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. His third shot was low, taking out the fighters neck and spinal cord. the opinions of Democratic Underground, LLC. The pelvis does not move as erratically as the head or shoulders, and should be an easier target than a bobbing and weaving head. Rhodesian Mike Rousseau was serving as a mercenary in the Mozambican War of Independence. [44] The Rhodesian military rarely discussed the foreign volunteers with journalists. These volunteers felt that Ian Smith had betrayed white Rhodesians by signing this agreement. 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. [44] Many volunteers were also strongly anti-communist, and wanted to stop the further spread of this ideology in Africa. [21], While most of the security forces' personnel were black, the Rhodesian government had a strong preference for whites. The more we all know, the better organized and stronger the shooting and hunting community will be. Rousseau relayed this story to Jeff Cooper, who then began employing this failure to stop drill in his teaching at Gunsite. 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. He was fighting in the Mozambican War of Independence 1964-1974. 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. John McVicar Malloch ICD, was a South African-born Rhodesian bush pilot, gun-runner and sanctions-buster who flew in World War II and in various legal and illegal roles around Africa and the Middle East until the early 1980s. While engaged in fighting at the airport of Loureno Marques (modern-day Maputo), Rousseau was armed with only a Browning HP35 pistol. The military took steps to prevent material encouraging enlistment with Rhodesia from being circulated in its bases and service newspapers, however. Habah l'hargecha hashkem l'hargo -- "If someone is coming to kill you, rise against him and kill him first.". 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. 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. Its editor was a strong supporter of the white Rhodesian cause and wanted to encourage Americans to fight for Rhodesia. |-- DU Groups Guerrilla fighters were swarming the airport and Rousseau turned a corner and nearly bumped into a FRELIMO fighter wielding an AK-47. 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. Most of the other volunteers were from the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Europe. Its a port city in southern Mozambique where it can be hot with humidity over 80 percent. This article is featured in FRELIMOs Marxist underpinnings earned it support from Russia and China. [26][34] Other volunteers were expected to pay their own way. 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. This drill was popularised by Rhodesian mercenary Mike Rousseau, during the Mozambican War of Independence, who was the inspiration for the character of Kuben Blisk. [34] Foreign volunteers were also offered land if they settled in Rhodesia after completing their service with the security forces. 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. [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. This proved impossible due to the large numbers and difficulty of checking their backgrounds. Thank you for your support. Apparently, the only way to stop a zombie is with a well-placed head shot. He also edited Shooters Bible Guide to Firearms Assembly, Disassembly, and Cleaning; 50 Guns That Changed the World; and Gun Traders Guide. Guerrilla forces of the Mozambique Liberation Front (or FRELIMO) became embroiled in a war of independence with Portugal. [88], The United States' Neutrality Act of 1794 prohibits American citizens from enlisting with foreign militaries or working as mercenaries for other governments. Some of the volunteers were later identified as agents of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. (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 . All too many of the other great tragedies of history - Stalin's atrocities, the killing fields of Cambodia, the Holocaust, to name but a few - were perpetrated by armed troops against unarmed populations. [62][76], The nationalist groups that were fighting the Rhodesian regime and many progressive groups worldwide considered the volunteers to be mercenaries. The story goes that this technique originated with a Rhodesian mercenary, Mike Rousseau. We must protect our Second Amendment and we must spread the word that Jews support the right to bear arms. Although in most situations, the two perfectly placed shots to the chest should disable an attacker, there are several reasons they could fail. Got a message for Democratic Underground? A forum community dedicated to Springfield Armory XD and XD-M series firearm owners and enthusiasts. [106], Foreign volunteers in the Rhodesian Security Forces, Rhodesia's Unilateral Declaration of Independence, February 1980 Southern Rhodesian general election, "Foreign Fighter Problem: What the War in Rhodesia Means for Ukraine", "Fine-mannered, articulate and urbane: the mercenary as deadly romantic", "Security Council resolution 460 (1979) [Southern Rhodesia]", "Rhodesia: Oral Answers to Questions Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 16th January 1980", "Many Rhodesian Whites Threaten to Quit Jobs", "Rhodesia's Approach to Counterinsurgency: A Preference for Killing", "Mercenary Activity: United States Neutrality Laws and Enforcement", "The White House and White Africa: Presidential Policy on Rhodesia 1965-79", "The 'New Model' Armies of Africa? [62] He had previously attempted to enlist in the Israel Defense Forces, but was rejected. Relying on instinct and training, Rousseau delivered a double tap to the combatants chest with his Browning Hi Power pistol and, Upon hearing the story of Rousseaus encounter, Cooper incorporated a three-shot drill into his training at the famous, . It was expected that most of the volunteers for the security forces would not settle in Rhodesia. |-- General Discussion |-- Ask the Administrators Sorry, an error occurred and we could not sign you up. Although speed is definitely one of the goals of the Mozambique Drill, it isnt nearly as important as accuracy. Those who were combat veterans resented being placed under the command of younger and less experienced Rhodesians. Anything less than three seconds is very good. Come join the discussion about optics, gunsmithing, styles, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more! During fighting at the. 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. In many countries it was illegal to serve with the Rhodesian Security Forces. Mike Rousseau was a white Rhodesian mercenary engaged in combat against FRELIMO guerillas in and around the Mozambique capital of Maputo. He is the leader of the Apex Predators, an infamous outfit of ruthless freelance Pilots. |-- Topic Forums The United Nations General Assembly had adopted a similar motion several days earlier at the behest of several countries in southern Africa. Live The Armory Life. Col. Jeff Cooper - A shooting legend and the man who codified the drill. [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. These organisations provided recruits for the security forces as well as private industry, including farms, mines and timber companies. Handgun Training for Personal Protection. 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. From the beginning, Africas indigenous people resisted. One would figure two slugs to the chest would drop the enemy fighter, but no. The Mozambique drill was made famous by Jeff Cooper after learning about this incident. [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. This led to a rapid growth in the insurgency which the security forces were unable to contain. Rousseau and his mates were in action clearing the airport in what was then known as Lourenco Marques, the Maputo appellation came later. [1][5][8][9], The Mozambique Drill was incorporated in the Gunsite curriculum from the late 1970s. Engaged in a firefight at an airport in Lourenco Marques, Rousseau encountered a guerilla fighter armed with an AK-47. | ContactUs | PrivacyPolicy. While catchy mottoes are easy to remember, the technique itself can be difficult to master.