The King's African Rifles: A Study In The Milit... -

However, the KAR also served as the "cradle of nations." When independence arrived in the early 1960s, the KAR didn't simply vanish; it was partitioned. Its battalions became the foundational cores of the national armies of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Malawi. Many of the first generation of African military and political leaders, for better or worse, had their characters forged in the KAR.

The study of the King’s African Rifles is more than a study of battles; it is a study of the transition from colonial subjects to national citizens. It remains a testament to the skill and endurance of the African soldier, who fought across continents for a Crown that was, simultaneously, their protector and their occupier. The King's African Rifles: A Study in the Milit...

The KAR expanded massively, proving instrumental in the liberation of Ethiopia from Italian rule and later fighting the Japanese in the jungles of Burma. In the Arakan campaign, the askaris’ ability to operate in humid, rugged terrain earned them a reputation as some of the finest light infantry in the Empire. The Crucible of Independence However, the KAR also served as the "cradle of nations