7 Independent Company (Rhodesia)
| 7 Independent Company | |
|---|---|
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Rhodesia Regiment insignia as worn by 7 Independent Company, on a patch in the colours of the French flag
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| Active | November 1977 – May 1978 |
| Country | Various French-speaking nations |
| Allegiance |
 Rhodesia
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| Branch | Rhodesian Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | Company |
| Part of | 1st Battalion, the Rhodesia Regiment |
| Garrison/HQ |
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| Colours |
 French tricolour
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| Engagements | Rhodesian Bush War |
| Disbanded | May 1978 |
| Commanders | |
| Officers commanding |
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7 Independent Company (7 Indep Coy; French: 7ème Compagnie indépendante) was a short-lived company of francophone volunteers in the Rhodesian Army during the Rhodesian Bush War. Numbering about 200 men at its peak, it was unique in the history of the Rhodesian Army as an exclusively expatriate unit. It existed between November 1977 and May 1978 as a company in the 1st Battalion, the Rhodesia Regiment, and served two counter-insurgency tours on Operation Hurricane in north-eastern Rhodesia (today Zimbabwe).
During the Bush War, the Rhodesian Army augmented its ranks with foreign volunteers, who were accepted into regular regiments with the same pay and conditions of service as locals. Most foreign recruits enlisted in the Rhodesian Light Infantry (RLI), which launched an overseas recruitment programme in 1974, but required successful applicants to speak good English. The Army attempted to alleviate the strain on its troops during late 1977 by recruiting French-speakers as well, and formed a designated company in the Rhodesia Regiment for them. The regiment already had six independent companies, so the Francophone unit became 7 Independent Company.
The company's men, a mixture of former French paratroopers, ex-Foreign Legionnaires and young adventurers, had trouble from the start integrating with the Rhodesian forces, and became unsettled by the respective ranks they were given in the Rhodesian Army. In an attempt to raise their morale and create a strong esprit de corps, the Army issued them beret insignias backed with the French tricolour and allowed them to raise the flag of France alongside that of Rhodesia each morning. Apparently under the impression that they had signed up as highly paid mercenaries, many of the French troopers returned home after their first bush trip, unhappy to have received no more money than a regular Rhodesian soldier.
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Wikipedia