I got this because I didn't know much about Portugal's guerrilla wars in Africa. I've read bits about it - the occasional Portuguese veteran pops up in an action novel, in the battle of Rhodesia the fall of Portugal colonialism was a big deal.
Venter's spent a lot of time in Africa and knows the word. It's an interesting structured book - it feels as though it ambles a long a bit; it doesn't try to be a definitive account of the war or anything, which I admit frustrated me because I only wanted to read one book on this topic.
It's a depressing book because the wars went on for over a decade, and lots of people died (innocent locals more than Portuguese) and bankrupted Portugal, and resulted in dictatorships coming in. There was a lot to admire about the way Portugal ran their countries - the color bar didn't see to be as strong - but the countries weren't particularly well developed; they didn't leave much of an administrative or democratic legacy.
The three fields of war were very different. Mozambique was badly run - the general seems to have been an idiot, frustrating the Rhodesians. Portuguese Guinea was tough and primitive and based in water. The war in Angola was actually won.
In hindsight the Portuguese were clearly over-stretched, fighting wars in three different areas. An interesting "what if"... what if they'd abandoned Portuguese Guinea and Mozambique and focused all there energies on Angola, which bordered South Africa? They might have held it. Still, I imagine the decision was too ruthless for the colonial office to take.
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