A Handful of Hard Men

The SAS and the Battle for Rhodesia

By: Hannes Wessels

Narrated by: Jack Chekijian

It is difficult to find another soldier's story to equal Captain Darrell Watt's in terms of time spent on the field of battle and challenges faced. Even by the lofty standards of the SAS and Special Forces, one has to look far to find anyone who can match his record of resilience and valor in the face of such daunting odds and with resources so paltry.

In the fight, he showed himself to be a military maestro. A bush-lore genius, blessed with uncanny instincts and an unbridled determination to close with the enemy, he had no peers as a combat-tracker (and there was plenty of competition). But the Rhodesian theater was a fluid and volatile one in which he performed in almost every imaginable fighting role.

After 12 years in the cauldron of war, his cause slipped from beneath him, and Rhodesia gave way to Zimbabwe. When the guns went quiet, Watt had won all his battles but lost the war. In this fascinating biography, we learn that in his twilight years, he is now concerned with saving wildlife on a continent where they are in continued danger and devoting himself to both the fauna and African people he cares so deeply about.

©2015 Hannes Wessels (P)2017 Tantor

Fantastic Story- Title says it all... Hard Men

What a story! The book is not for the lighthearted. Tells the story from the perspective of the Rhodesian SAS, which some may find objectionable philosophically, and in deed. However, it also reveals the other side of the events-- the complicity of neighbors, the role of South Africa, Cuba, the Soviet Union and the UK/US/UN. Like the sinking of the Titanic we know the ending, but with a continuing vengeful twist not envisioned by the world players.

As the book progressed I grew accustomed to the narrator's slow reading and lack of inflection.

Wow!! Heart wrenching story of Rhodesia

The story here is absolutely heart breaking, and breathtaking. So sad that the world turned their back on Rhodesia when she needed her the most.
Story is a bit hard to follow with all the names and locations and narrator is a little monotonous at times but overall it is superb!

Fascinating stuff!

Absolutely riveting, very insightful, albeit possibly a tad one sided, but a really good account of a war which only those involved generally know much about!

For anyone who has a problem with the narrator...

In the Audible app just increase the playback speed to 1.25x. When you do that, the pace is exactly what you'd hoped it would be. The narration is fantastic at that speed; it sounds entirely natural. The story is very captivating, too!

For anyone considering this audiobook but are skittish due to either listening to the sample or reading the reviews, take my word for it: increasing the playback speed is absolutely the answer.

Truly Great!

I saw before reading/listening, the complaints about the narrator and how slow he was. I simply changed the play speed to 1.1 and solved the issue. I enjoyed this book so much. The stories of these men of men going toe to toe like they did, stories from different members of the SAS, and how the (now) almost forgotten history of Rhodesia unfolded through the eyes of a Handful of Hard Men, was indeed a truly great read! As a US Army veteran, units like the Special Forces and SAS have always intrigued me and pushed me to complete any and every task or mission I was given. Tip of the hat to these legends: D. Watt, M. West, A. Sleepers, A.J. Balaam, the RLI, and of course the Rhodesian SAS

Detailed, Unbelievable Combat

Simple, detailed and immersive on the ground combat told about an against the odds battle. Terrible politics and a war that was impossible to win without dramatically different international, strategic, political and ethical realities, nevertheless, the bravery and skill of the Rhodesian military is amazing to learn about.

Incredible story

Very incredible story of the tenacity of the Rhosedians, and the heartbreaking learning of how the “freedom and democracy” loving western world not only betrayed Rhodesia, but aided the communists to destroy that country.

Rhodesians never die!

Rhodesian's never die!

I grew up in Rhodesia during the war and stayed Zimbabwe a few years after. My dad was in the military during that period and I remember when was he was call up and the tension it brought. There were many unsung heroes who in different circumstances would have got the recognition they deserve. The betrayal and duplicity of Britain and the "globalist" west rings out loud and now is coming to rest on their doorstep. I salute the SAS, RLI and Scouts who took the fight to enemy and never wavered in our fight.

Good listen!

Good listen, would like to hear a book from the other side of the story.

Brilliant book ruined by a terrible narrator.

Loved the book, but struggled to listen to the narrator's strange reading style, combined with his horrible pronounciations.