 Southern Rhodesia , then a self @-@ governing colony of the United Kingdom , entered World War II along with Britain shortly after the invasion of Poland in 1939 . By the war 's end in 1945 , 26 @,@ 121 Southern Rhodesians of all races had served in the armed forces , 8 @,@ 390 of them overseas , operating in the European , Middle Eastern , and Far Eastern theatres . The Rhodesian Regiment , a volunteer force composed of white Southern Rhodesians , fought in Italy and North Africa . A total of 21 Southern Rhodesians died in the war .
1941 , the year of the first Rhodes