Fireforce (Signed)

Fireforce is a raw, intense, and deeply personal account of frontline combat during the Rhodesian Bush War, as experienced by Chris Cocks, a young soldier in the elite Rhodesian Light Infantry (RLI). Told with brutal honesty and emotional depth, this memoir captures the adrenaline, fear, and chaos of a war fought in the shadows of fading empire and rising insurgency.

The term “Fireforce” refers to a rapid-response counter-insurgency tactic developed by the Rhodesian military—an airborne assault strategy that dropped troops by helicopter and parachute into active combat zones within minutes of an enemy sighting. Cocks was part of this high-risk unit, often facing life-or-death situations in the unforgiving African bush.

With unflinching detail, Cocks recounts the harsh realities of daily operations, the camaraderie and loss among his fellow soldiers, and the psychological toll of fighting a war with no clear end. More than a military memoir, Fireforce also grapples with the moral ambiguities of the conflict and the personal cost of serving in a war marked by political controversy and racial tension.

Widely regarded as one of the most vivid and honest accounts of the Bush War, Fireforce is essential reading for anyone interested in modern warfare, African military history, or the human experience of combat.