WI Britain used forced against Southern Rhodesia?

What if Britain had made clear it would use force against Southern Rhodesia if UDI were declared, or just after it was?

Part of me thinks this may be ASB because I cannot imagine the political will for it to happen, but given Wilson specifically ruled out “a lightning bolt from the sky, in the form of the Royal Air Force” it must have been given some consideration.

Was the power projection capacity for a strike hard enough to make a difference available? What form would it have taken and what would have happened next?
 
I think that the simple answer to this is that the UDI occurred at a time when the UK was actively seeking to draw down its colonial commitments and didn't want to actively coerce colonies anymore.

Also, on a general point the Royal Navy's fleets were old and in need of repair and this, along with the fact that Rhodesia was bordered by Apartheid South Africa and Portuguese Angola and Mozambique would have made power projection practically difficult.
 
Part of me thinks this may be ASB because I cannot imagine the political will for it to happen, but given Wilson specifically ruled out “a lightning bolt from the sky, in the form of the Royal Air Force” it must have been given some consideration.
One problem is how you get British forces to Rhodesia. Realistically to get there you need the permission of the South Africans and Portuguese to either overfly or pass through their territory neither of which is going to grant it. Strikes by Victors or Vulcans are the only option and no doubt Ian Smith will have vital posts moved to hidden locations just in case, the RAF is not going to carpet bomb Salisbury or Bulawayo on the off chance of taking out his key people.
 
Also, many Britons and also many senior military figures in the British military were reluctant to use force due to feelings of "kith and kin". There were actually strong positive feelings for Rhodesia as the Rhodesians served alongside with the British military in the Second World War, including North Africa, the Battle of Britain, and other campaigns. Ian Smith himself was an RAF pilot in North Africa during the war.
 
Could be argued that if there was any chance of military force being used, then UDI wouldn’t have happened. With Southern Rhodesia being the only colony with its own armed forces - not under the control of the Governor-General - combined with geographical reality, the threat wasn’t much of a threat.
 
It wouldn't have played well in the press. Pictures of British troops rounding up what to all intents and purposes are other British troops as well as British civilians at gun point and herding them into internment camps really wouldn't have gone down well. I suspect the Government wouldn't have lasted long.
 
What if, the liberal party were in power? Before all the hoohah with his dog and boyfriend, Mr. Thorpe cut his political teeth on opposing white rule in Southern Africa. If Joshua Nkomo or ngabandi Sithole asked for it, the uk would just be responding to a call for help.
 
Top