Fatfox9's Blog

In the next few posts I want to have a look at some additional aspects that will be of interest to those of you following the Cordon Sanitaire posts.  Included will be the following:

Defoliation Efforts:  This will make the tree-huggers and anti-Agent Orange activists very happy, however as far as I remember we were never too concerned with them and they would never have got away with any of the silly little protests they take part in these days.  Imagine a tree-hugger hand-cuffing themselves to the Cordon fence or super-gluing themselves to a fence picket (how bloody stupid is that anyway?).

Minefield Patterns:  The variety of terrain and enemy threat levels in the operational theaters in which Cordon Sanitaire was laid made it necessary use differing patterns, mine types, and density per meter front.  I will endeavour to explain the various patterns and types of mines and other ordnance used during laying operations.  The use of Booby Traps both inside and outside of the Cordon will also be discussed at that time.

Minefield Maintenance:  Many readers may assume that a minefield is laid and simply left to its own devices.  In some cases this is true but Cordon Sanitaire needed constant maintenance and surveillance from both the fencing point of view and more crucially the mines within.  In many cases this task was far more dangerous than the original laying operation and I will detail both the challenges and methodology used by us during these operations.

Artillery/Electronic Support:  Some, but not all of the Cordon was covered by electronic warning systems on the fences, and artillery fire.  I will describe how these worked as well as their effectiveness (or failure).

Wildlife Impact:  This is a subject very close to my heart.  Sadly many animals died within the Cordon and I will discuss the terrible impact that our mines had on the wonderful wildlife that we cherished so much in Rhodesia. 

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