This highly illustrated title traces the development of mercenary
soldiering, from individuals and small units in the African wars of the
1960s-90s to today's state-employed corporate military contractors.
The phenomenon of mercenary soldiering has constantly recurred in the
news since the 1960s and has always attracted lively interest. The
concept of "mercenaries" began in the former Belgian Congo during the
1960s when men such as Mike Hoare and Bob Denard assembled hundreds of
military veterans to 'do the fighting' for a particular leader or
faction. This idea soon evolved into small teams of individuals training
and leading local forces with varying success; wars in Rhodesia and on
South Africa's borders attracted foreign volunteers into national armed
forces, and veterans of these conflicts later sought employment
elsewhere as mercenaries. The wars in former Yugoslavia also attracted
foreign fighters inspired as much by political and religious motives as
by pay. This picture then evolved again, as former officers with recent
experience set up sophisticated commercial companies to identify and
fill the needs of governments whose own militaries were inadequate.
Most recently, the aftermath of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has seen
such contractors taking on some of the burden of long-term security off
major national armies, while the subsequent rise of ISIS/Daesh has added
a parallel strain of ideological volunteers. The author is well placed
to describe how the face of mercenary soldiering has evolved and changed
over 60 years. Using first-hand accounts, photos and detailed
illustrations, this book presents a compelling snapshot of the life,
campaigns and kit used by mercenary operatives engaged in fighting
within both larger and more specific conflicts around the world.
