Irish UN troops in the Congo

Ronan Abayawickrema on the Battle of the Tunnel, which made one Irish company the most
decorated in the history of the Defense Forces
As the plane came in to land, the soldiers onboard could hear a strange 'pinging' sound.
At first, they didn't know what it was. Then, the chilling realization dawned -- it was the
sound of bullets piercing the aircraft's fuselage.
The men rushed to take evasive action -- some spread-eagled themselves against the sides of
the plane.
"I sat on my helmet," says Dubliner Tony Confrey, who was then a 19-year-old private in the
Irish Defense Forces.
"The bullets were coming up (through the floor of the aircraft), so it was the handiest thing to
do."
The plane was a huge US Globemaster, carrying the men of A Company, 36th Infantry
Battalion, to Elizabethville in the Congo in December 1961.
A Company's deployment, which ended 54 years ago this May, was part of Ireland's
contribution to the UN peacekeeping mission to the war-torn African country, which had only
gained independence from Belgium the previous year.
"Over the years, Niemba (where nine Irish peacekeepers were killed in an ambush in
November 1960) and Jadotville (where an Irish company was besieged by rebel troops) have
been adequately covered, and rightly so, but we feel the achievements of A Company have
been overlooked," says Jim 'Nobby' Clarke, from Dublin, also then a 19-year-old private and
a company driver.
On arriving in the Congolese capital Leopoldville (now Kinshasa) following a 24-hour flight,
A Company found that the situation in the country was deteriorating rapidly, and its mission
had been altered.
"At the transit camp, a muster parade was called and we were informed we were going into a
war-like situation, and our destination was changed from Nyunzu (in the north of the country)
to Elizabethville," says Jim.
"It was obvious that things were changing -- fast."
Now known as Lubumbashi, Elizabethville was the Congo's second city and capital of the
resource-rich Katanga province, which had seceded from the rest of the country.

Katangese leader Mose Tshombe had broken away from the central government and set up
his own administration. Tshombe had mustered a considerable military force, made up of the
province's gendarmerie, backed by Western mercenaries.
The UN's mandate was to return control of Katanga to the central government. "We went out
as peacekeepers, and overnight became peace enforcers," adds Jim.
The men of A Company were in no doubt about the perilous nature of their new mission.
"While we were in Leopoldville, (chaplain) Fr Matthews actually gave anyone who wanted it
absolution, because we were going into a dangerous situation," says Tony Confrey.
Just how dangerous things were in Elizabethville was confirmed as A Company's plane came
under fire from Katangese forces as it approached the city's airport.
The US crew safely landed the aircraft, but it had been riddled with bullets. "They discovered
40 puncture holes in the fuselage," says Jim.
"As a result, there was fuel flying out around the tarmac and the biggest fear the Americans
had was that our hobnailed boots would cause sparks on the ground and ignite the fuel. There
would have been an inferno."
The journey from the airport to the Leopold Farm UN base was no less fraught.
"(It) was quite frightening, because you could hear the gunfire from all directions, and you
could also see the tracer bullets flying overhead," says Tony.
"From the time we got to the Farm, we had to dig in -- we lived in the trenches, we ate in the
trenches," he adds.
Conditions were grim. At first, the soldiers had only the regular 'bull's wool' Irish Army
uniforms in the stifling heat; tropical clothing didn't arrive until later.
What's more, it was the rainy season and the area was wracked by tropical storms. However,
waterlogged trenches were the least of A Company's problems, says John Woolley, from Co
Cavan.
Then an 18-year-old private, he was on his second tour in the Congo.
"When someone fires a shot at you, you'll dive into a sewer, it's as simple as that," he adds
wryly.
Tony sums it up: "All in all, it was a war situation... there were snipers, there were mortar
bombs falling, there was all kinds of chaos going on." Many of the company were young men
who had never been outside Ireland before, let alone seen action, but now they found
themselves in the middle of a vicious internecine war.
The company suffered casualties just two days after arriving in the Congo, and on December
8, Corporal Mick Fallon was killed by mortar fire at Leopold Farm.

"I was quite close to him when he was hit," remembers Tony, quietly, "and I actually didn't
think there was anything wrong with him, because I didn't see any blood. I think he got a
shrapnel wound straight into the heart."
Four days later, A Company fought the Battle of the Tunnel. Their objective was to take 'the
Tunnel', the railway that was the main link in and out of Elizabethville.
"We were the first Irish troops to be ordered into battle," says Jim, "and, indeed (the only
ones) since then."
They achieved their objective, but at high cost -- two of A Company were killed in the battle
and many more were wounded.
The Katangese troops they faced were a formidable foe; John Woolley notes that they were
well armed, with automatic weapons, and were supported by three Fouga jets.
And they were backed by Western mercenaries from a host of countries -- including
Germany, Britain, South Africa and Belgium -- led by the Irish-born 'Mad' Mike Hoare.
As a result of the bravery shown by A Company in the action, it garnered 14 of the 25
Distinguished Service Medals (DSMs) awarded to the 36th Infantry Battalion, making it the
most decorated company in the history of the Defense Forces.
"We feel perhaps it could have been more (DSMs)," says Jim. "For example, Pte Andy
Wickham, who was killed alongside his platoon commander, Lt Paddy Riordan -- he was his
radio operator."
Tony was wounded in the battle, being hit by mortar shrapnel in the left hip.
He was treated in the field hospital, and was able to serve the rest of his tour, but he still had
two pieces of shrapnel in his leg, which were only discovered and removed after he visited
the doctor in pain some 15 years later.
And he has high praise for his platoon sergeant, Jim Sexton, who took command of the
platoon after Lt Riordan had been killed.
"He was a fantastic sergeant -- we were all very young, he was the senior man, and he looked
after us like we were his own family."
Sgt Sexton survived the battle.
After the UN's victory in the Battle of the Tunnel, the situation improved and the
peacekeepers were now able to enter Elizabethville, although there were still some
skirmishes.
A Company was even able to celebrate Christmas, cobbling together enough provisions for
Christmas dinner by bartering with other contingents. The menu reveals the gallows humor
that sustained the soldiers in the grim conditions -- dishes include Sniper Soup and Turkey a
la Tunnel.

After Christmas, A Company moved from the Leopold Farm camp to billets in villas
abandoned by Belgian settlers.
Tony remembers that there were still meals on the tables in some of these homes, so quickly
did their owners have to flee the fighting.
The Congo was largely peaceful when A Company returned home in May 1962, says John,
but the country, now known as The Democratic Republic of Congo, has had a turbulent
history since then.
Millions died in renewed conflict between 1998 and 2003, and the east of the nation remains
unstable today.
"You have to ask yourself what's been achieved really," says Tony.
But if the UN mission of the 1960s failed to bring lasting peace to the Congo, it was the
beginning of Ireland's contribution to international peacekeeping, which continues today, 50
years later, and has won the Defense Forces worldwide respect.
"The mere fact that 25 DSMs were given shows that we were up to the task," says Tony, "and
any Irish troops sent on peacekeeping missions after that have lived up to the Irish name."
Tony Confrey left the Defense Forces in the 1960s, while John Woolley served another
peacekeeping tour, this time in Cyprus, before leaving in the 1970s.
Jim Clarke stayed in the army, retiring in 2002 with the rank of Company Quartermaster
Sergeant after 43 years' service.
Yet all three men clearly still feel a strong connection to the country in which they served as
peacekeepers for six months half a century ago and to the five fallen comrades who didn't
return.
"I've been to lots of places since then," says Tony, "but it's the Congo that stays in your
heart."
By Ronan Abayawickrema

Errata on some internet and Facebook sites:

Following picture that was added showing the battle of the Tunnel is wrongthis picture isnt showing
the Tunnel or Kasenga railway bridge of Elisabethville with a soldier armed with a Belgian SAFN .30
and another one in front of a heavy machine gun Degtjarev Dusha M38 calibre 0.51.

To show the difference of the wall construction see next picture showing the Kasenga Railway bridge:

The Irish Defence Forces experiences

in the
UN forces in the Congo 1960 1964
An essay by

Siobhn Pierce
Education and Outreach Officer - Archaeology & Natural History
National Museum of Ireland - Archaeology

Images in gallery
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8.

Irish Soldiers & Native Soldier (Force Publique?).

On patrol December 1961 Elizabethville .
Soldier in steel helmet & with FN Rifle.
34th Battalion pennant and soldier of 34th.
Irish soldier washing brassard with Irish flag.
33rd Battalion marching up ramp of U.S. Globemaster at Baldonnel.
Convoy including Ford APC in Congo
Three Irish Defense Forces soldiers returning from Congo with Baluba arrows.

Introduction
It is fifty years since Irish soldiers went to serve as part of a United Nations Peacekeeping
Mission in the Congo in July 1960. The experiences and events of the Irish Defense
Forces service there reflect both the inconsistencies and constraints of the original UN
mandates and the complex political and military situation, but also the determination of
the Irish to carry out the work of the UN and keep the peace, and indeed create peace, in
the Congo. Based on the experiences of many of the soldiers who served there, this
article gives a quick overview of the four years and primarily concentrates on the initial
phase of operations in the Congo and explains some of the routine work involved in
peacekeeping.

The History of the Congo

In 1960 seventeen newly independent states, sixteen of which were from Africa, joined
the UN. One of those countries was the Republic of the Congo, emerging from nearly a
century of Belgian misrule, which dated back to the 1878 when King Leopold of Belgium
hired the explorer Henry Stanley to explore the area, establish the kings authority and to
sign treaties with African rulers. During the next few decades the country and its people
were continually exploited by many of the private companies intent on mining the great
mineral wealth of the Congo. Reports by campaigners such as Roger Casement brought
some changes to the worst of the mining and rubber companies misrule, but by the

middle of the twentieth century the country was still only partially developed. In 1955,
when demands for independence were mounting throughout Africa, Antoine van Bilsen,
a Belgian professor, published a 30-Year Plan for granting the Congo increased selfgovernment. Disappointed with the proposed long time line, Congolese nationalists,
notably Joseph Kasa-Vubu and Patrice Lumumba, became increasingly strident in their
calls for independence. In 1959, there were serious nationalist riots in Kinshasa and
thereafter the Belgians steadily began to lose control of the Congo.

The Background to the Formation of UN Forces

In January 1960, at a roundtable conference in Brussels that included Congolese
nationalists, it was decided that the Belgian Congo would become fully independent on
30 June 1960. The first legislative elections took place in May and the first central
government took office one week before independence, with Joseph Kasa-Vubu as
President and Patrice Lumumba as Prime Minister. A high-level UN Secretariat Mission
was sent to Leopoldville for the Independence Day ceremonies on 30th June and stayed
on to discuss plans for UN technical assistance. On 5th July as a result of a decision to
delay the start of re-organizing the officers' corps of the Congolese army, a series of
mutinies by soldiers took place in garrisons all over the country. While the President and
Prime Minister were trying to negotiate with the mutineers, the Belgian government
decided that military intervention had become necessary. Contemporaneously two of the
countrys richest states, Katanga and Kivu, started planning to secede. Parliamentary
representatives from Katanga, who were most vociferous in criticizing the government,
were headed by Mose Tshombe. On 10th July, Belgian paratroops already stationed in
the Congo since before independence went to Elizabethville, the capital of Katanga
province, purportedly to assist Mr. Tshombe to control the situation and protect Belgian
civilians. On 11th July, Tshombe proclaimed the independence of Katanga province. The
following day, the Congolese government sent a cable to the UN Secretary-General Dag
Hammarskjld asking for the urgent dispatch of U.N. military assistance to respond to the
Belgians military action. Hammarskjld addressed the Security Council at a night
meeting on 13th and the Security Council adopted a resolution which called upon the
Government of Belgium to withdraw its troops from the Congo, and authorized the
Secretary-General to provide the Congolese with the necessary military assistance until
the national security forces of the central government were able to fully meet their tasks.
Following Security Council actions, the United Nations Force in the Congo (Organization
des Nations Unies de Congo - ONUC)was established. On the 22nd, another resolution
demanding Belgian withdrawal was passed. Meanwhile, the first of the ONUC troops
from Tunisia, Ethiopia, Ghana and Morocco arrived at Leopoldville, the capital of the
Congo, on the evening of 15 July and were deployed the next morning. By the 26th there
were 9,496 UN forces in the Congo from the following countries Ethiopia, Ghana,
Guinea, Liberia, Morocco, Sweden and Tunisia.

The departure and deployment of the first two Irish Battalions

On the 17th July, the UN requested the Irish government to send a force of men as part of
the ONUC to the Congo. The next day a cabinet meeting was called and the idea
approved. Meanwhile the amendment to the Defense Act to allow the soldiers to serve
overseas was drafted, was submitted by the IDF and was passed in the Dil on the 26th
July. The call for volunteers and departure of the Irish soldiers to Africa occurred
exceptionally fast. In a period of just two weeks the government and Dil agreed to send
two infantry battalions to the Congo and the first Irish battalion in the ONUC the 32nd
Battalion arrived in the Congo.

Preparations and organization of departure of initial Irish ONUC

Battalions.
The rapid escalation of tensions in the Congo led to a quick deployment, which was all
the more amazing given that the army that had never before sent large units of men to
serve abroad. While there were briefings for senior Officers, these were simple and basic
due to time constraints. The advance part of the 32nd Battalion left on the 23rdJuly and
the main body left on the 28th July. With personnel being sent out in such quick
succession, the problems which arose for the first battalion were not all resolved by time
the second departed. There was a scramble for supplies and information for the men the
English War Office was asked to supply water sterilizing equipment, health manuals for
the tropics, and a very important piece of equipment 1,500 water bags. The Irish
Ambassador to Belgium, meanwhile, sent 14 maps of the Congo to the Defense Forces.
The soldiers also had to endure medical checks before they left. They endured thorough
inoculations for tropical diseases which, left some ill, and rigorous dental checks. Nearly
half of the 32nd and 33rd battalions had bad reactions to two of the vaccines. Due to this
experience and those of later ONUC troops it was agreed by the medical corps that the
inoculations should happen 5 weeks before departure. The dental health of the soldiers
reflected that of the Irish nation: in other words, it was woeful, and some soldiers had to
endure many teeth being extracted some poor men as many as 11 -before they left.
Infamous now are the photographs of the 32nd and 33rd battalions heading for Africa in
their heavy bulls wool uniforms and soft caps as they board the huge United States Air
Force Globemaster planes for their four day journey to the Congo. It would be two
months before all troops had the appropriate lighter uniforms for the climate.

Uniforms and health of Irish battalions of the ONUC

Throughout the four years of their service in the Congo, there were continuous appeals
for a greater supply of these uniforms per soldier. In the beginning, only two shirts were
allocated per soldier, which is far from ideal in such a tropical climate. The brassards or
armbands announcing the soldiers were Irish and part of the UN, essential for
peacekeeping forces, were however fairly well organized, though too requiring cleaning!
These brassards are key pieces of kit as they demonstrated the Irish soldiers were UN
soldiers important when there were many white mercenaries in the region.
Unfortunately, the dye and colors sometimes ran and this problem still occurred in late
1963 during the last months of the mission.
Over the four years of the mission the Irish soldiers at times endured erratic supplies, due
to a labyrinth of UN paperwork and logistical problems, and on at least one occasion the
defense Forces sent officers to investigate logistical problems. Surprisingly the initial
battalions of soldiers adapted well to the climate in that their sickness rate compared
favorably to other ONUC battalions. During the first month the ratio of illness per 1000,
was 81.3 for the first month, amazing given the majority of the men had not been outside
Europe or served abroad before starting their month tour of duty. The sick rate would
however vary through the four years given the wide range of accommodation, food and
conditions experienced by Irish troops from bungalows once occupied by the Belgian
elite to tents and accommodation which had been long in use by other UN troops and not
cleaned before it was handed over to the Irish. 80% of the 1st Infantry Group fell ill with
dysentery to gastroenteritis. The Irish command also ensured, when the opportunity
arose, the troops participated in as many athletic sports and leagues as possible. Irish
troops of the 35th battalion joined in a sports days in Leopoldville and troops of the 38th
played football against a Rhodesian team, and also against ANC, Belgian and other local
teams. The GAA and the FAI also sent out sports equipment for the soldiers and some
battalions at quieter times played many sports, the 39th utilised basketball and volley ball
pitches, and a running track. One wise decision made by the Irish was the decision to
limit the tour per soldier to six months at a time and this would have resulted in the long
run in healthier troops.

The nature of the area the Irish were deployed and armed forces in the
Congo
The ONUC numbers peaked at 20,000 but this is not a large force as they were patrolling
and keeping the peace in an area the same size of western Europe - 2,344,858 square
kilometres. The first issue that the Irish battalions in the Congo had to tackle was the size
and nature of the areas they were responsible for. The battalions were normally in areas
worst affected by the fighting, in Katanga and Kivu, coincidentally the richest provinces
and dominated by Belgian money. The dense jungle and scrub and poor roads of some of
this area brought problems, the maintenance of vehicles being a major headache for many
battalions. Initially, the problems of patrolling such terrain were exacerbated by a lack of
powerful radios, resulting in some radio operatives being particularly imaginative when
seeking radio signals. The 32nd Unit history notes on one instance, On arrival at

Shabunda, the patrol was met by a hostile group of ANC soldiers, but once again
diplomacy won the day, and 22.0 hours saw Corporal King frantically climbing banana
trees in an endeavour to set up aerials for his radio. The main issue facing the Irish was
to understand the politics and thus actions of the three main types of military forces the
Irish would encounter. The secessionist Katangan force that the UN was facing was well
equipped and led by very experienced and determined white mercenaries. The Congolese
Army, the ANC (Arme Nationale Congolaise), was the Central Governments force,
hence the legitimate army of the state, but were poorly trained, indeed, initially the UN
was invited to train this army. The last type of force was various groups of armed locals,
from tribes such as the Balubas, who were poorly armed, but determined to protect their
villages from either rampaging secessionist or ANC soldiers. The lack of infrastructure
in some areas, the size of the areas they were responsible for and the financial importance
and international political interests in the regions they were operating in, meant the
Congo would be a tough mission for all units there over the four years.

Learning to Negotiate and Discovering Simple Tactics to Stop Escalating

Tension
Keeping the peace primarily involved a variety of tasks such as securing important
locations, for example air force bases, camp duties, including the day-to-day maintenance
of equipment, patrols to show the vigilance and intent of the U.N. to ensure peace, and
negotiating peace when tensions became high in areas. Examples of how quickly
emotions and situations escalate can be found in many of the unit histories and reports by
the battalions who served in the Congo. One example of this was nicknamed The Battle
of the Shirts and occurred when A Company of the 32nd Battalion were stationed in
Bukavu on the border of the Congo and Belgian controlled Ruanda-Urundi. Belgian
paratroopers in Ruanda-Urundi sent their uniforms to be cleaned in a laundry run by a
Belgian in Bukavu. The Congolese army, the ANC, confiscated the clothes when they
were being brought into the country stating the real aim was to distribute them to the
local Belgian civilians to use. Another problem was that the ANC had received reports
that three ANC officers had disappeared while on their way to an airport in RuandaUrundi. The ANC brought in two extra platoons of soldiers to back them up when
refusing the Belgians access to the uniforms. The Irish heard what was happening and
had to rush to the area. Due to recent relocating of other platoons, they had to use their
initiative to appear stronger than they were by whisking foot patrols from one part of the
city to another by vehicles and thus showing they had the force to ensure that things did
not escalate. The troops would be sauntering down a street one moment, the next
moment they would be picked up by a jeep in a side street and rushed somewhere else.
Meanwhile after several hours of discussion with the two sides, the missing officers were
established as safe and sound and the laundry returned. Quick thinking, initiative and
patience were vital in ensuring a peaceful status quo could be maintained.

Patrols and Niemba

Sgt Gaynor's Platoon, with Lt Kevin Gleeson in center and Sgt Gaynor on his left

Patrols were very important and served a variety of purposes, and they also varied in
terrain, duration and size. They could be foot patrols going through a major town, or
platoon strength going through the country side visiting native villages, plantations and
religious missions. Patrols are a key strategy in peacekeeping and hence the last Irish
force to serve there, the 2nd Infantry Group, initiated as many as the first. However, the
initial UN mandates did not take into account that in some areas of the country there was
an escalating civil war. The 33rd Battalion was stationed in Northern Katanga, which was
spiraling into a state of anarchy with three forces in the area, those backing Katangan
secession, the Central Congolese Government ANC, and local inhabitants, the
Balubas, taking up arms to defend themselves. The Balubas who inhabited the area were
loyal to the Congolese government in Leopoldville and hostile to the mercenary led
Katangan Forces - these latter forces often had white mercenaries as officers. Frequently,
as Irish UN patrols were taken through the jungle the soldiers discovered empty villages
which had been raided and burnt, such as the village of Kisele where all inhabitants, 100
men women and children had been killed. This is an extract from a letter by Sergeant
Hugh Gaynor to his family 6 days before the Niemba Ambush, at which he would die and
which demonstrates what the situation was like on the ground in the villages:
most of the places were burned down and we had to bury and burn 17 bodies and
what a job. Most of the villages were deserted and we had to search each one looking for
bodies. Only last Saturday two of the boys found a little girl of eight in one village, which

was thought to (be) empty, When everyone fled before the Balubas they left her there
because she is paralyzed from the hips down and survived for 21 days without water or
food by eating fruit which fell from a tree from outside the hut. Naturally we give her
food and drink everyday.
In reaction to the anarchy in the area, road blocks were set up though the area by the
villagers, the Balubas. The Irish adapted quickly to their situation and normally
negotiated their way through these by using a mixture of Swahili, French, English and
sign language. Tensions still could escalate: on occasion the Irish had to fire their rifles as
warnings and in self-defense, during one such incident the Irish accidentally shot a
Baluba Chiefs son while firing warning shots. Irish soldiers in these early months were
coming to grips with a difficult situation, all the time learning the diplomatic restraint,
and working according to the limitations of the UN mandate. Unfortunately, an ambush
by Baluba soldiers of a platoon of 10 Irish soldiers, near Niemba, occurred while the first
mandates were in place. In early November a patrol from the village of Niemba to the
main town of Albertville had easily been accomplished by Lieutenant Gleeson and some
of his platoon. According to the Battalion Unit History, on the 7th November a patrol
with Lt Gleeson tried to get to the southern town of Manono. They cleared one road
block per mile then came to a river where the bridge was destroyed and could get no
further. The next day, ordered to try to patrol the same road again, they decided to once
again proceed down as far as the river. Gleeson and the others arrived at the bridge again
the next day, the 8th November. Coming to a halt and getting out of the vehicles, Gleeson
and one member of the platoon approached the fallen bridge over the river. Spotting a
large party of Baluba around 40- Gleeson raised his hand and said hello in Swahili. The
Balubas at this stage attacked - there were nine Irish fatalities and two survivors. The
survivors, Ptes Joseph Fitzpatrick and Thomas Kenny, gave nightmare accounts of what
ensued as the Irish tried to defend themselves against a vicious attack. Some Irish were
killed in the first hail of arrows and some bludgeoned to death. It later emerged one
soldier had escaped but, injured and disorientated, he wandered through the bush, came to
a Baluba village and was killed. 26 Balubas were killed by fire from the Irish Gustav
machine guns. One other death resulted from the ambush and that was of an Irish soldier
on guard duty at the Niemba accommodation, tragically accidentally shot at night while
on guard duty by another Irish soldier.

1961 Resolutions and New Equipment

The mandate for UN operations in the Congo was altered twice in 1961 as Katanga
continued to provoke war with the central government. There was a lot of infighting
amongst the central government as the Prime Minster Lumumba was sacked and then
taken prisoner in front of UN troops by Colonel Mobutu. Afterwards Lumumba was
killed in Katanga. The Central Government also re-invaded northern Katanga at this
time. One mandate in February authorized the force to take all appropriate measures to
prevent the occurrence of civil war.and the use of force if necessary in the last
resort and one in the end of November to take vigorous action, including the use of the
requisite measure of force, if necessary to apprehend, detain and/or deport n of all foreign
military and paramilitary personnel and political advisers not under UN command. In

January 1961 along with the new Battalion and Infantry Group replacing the first two
battalions, the Irish were equipped with some 84mm anti-tank weapons. The troops also
had the more serious FN Light Automatic Rifle. The troops who first left for the Congo
had basic weapons, outdated Lee Enfields and Gustaf Sub-Machine Guns. Armored cars
albeit the Ford APCs armed with machine guns were also sent out for extra support. The
Irish troops would need these and more as the year progressed. Later in the year, the
troops would be issued first with plastic and then with steel helmets, which were
necessary for the operations later in the year, and also a walking out uniform which was
not so relevant when the fighting began, but welcome all the same. In 1961 there were
four major operations involving Irish forces, Operation Morthor (Hindi for splash),
Rumpunch, UNOKAT and Sarsfield. They all took place in Katanga and were aimed at
ejecting the mercenaries who were often Belgian and French and who were leading the
Katangan Gendarmerie in harassing the UN Forces. At the same time relations between
the UN and the Central Government deteriorated as the Congolese government felt that
the UN was allowing the seceded state of Katanga to exist by operating a buffer zone
between the forces.

UN Operations in 1961
In August 1961 as the situation deteriorated in Katanga during Operation Rumpunch and
then Mothor, the Irish Defense Forces, for the first time since the Emergency, went into
offensive action. Operation Rumpunch, instigated by Irishman, Conor Cruise OBrien,
who was a UN Special Envoy in the Congo, and the representative of Dag
Hammarskjold, Secretary General of the UN, was at first considered a success but later a
failure, and there were bitter political recriminations over whether the operation should
have been planned. Its primary aim had been to round up and eject foreign mercenaries
from Elizabethville. Contemporary photographs of Elisabethville from this time show
buildings riddled with the results of the attacks. However it soon became apparent that
many of the mercenaries had evaded capture and were re-grouping. Other operations
were then planned and carried out leading to even fiercer fighting in September with
Operation Morthor in Elizabethville and led to the siege of A company at Jadotville.
This company endured one of the most intense weeks of fighting experienced by any
troops in the Congo. During the week they came under very heavy attack, their water and
food ran out and re-enforcements could not get through from Elizabethville. A company
declared a truce with the Katangans who then took the Irish prisoners. Tense negotiations
by UN officials finally led to their release. In 2005 an army report exonerated the 155
Irish soldiers of A company who had been taken prisoner. In mid-December in
Elizabethville, the capital of Katanga, the mercenaries were trying to reassert control over
the city, and the UN initiated Operation UNOKAT and Sarsfield to stop them. Seven
Irishmen would die in the fighting between September and December 1961. Three of
these deaths, Lt ORiordan, Pte Wickham and Sgt Mulcahy died at the Battle of the
Tunnel on the 16th December 1961 during fighting which occurred at a crucial position
on a bridge over a road.

1963

It took many more patrols, and heavy fighting in December 1962 before the secessionist
forces were defeated and Tshombe fled in early 1963. The 39th battalions Unit History
demonstrates how the area was still a powder keg and how difficult the operation was for
the UN forces in 1963. The Irish battalion was trying to control a troubled area, in South
Western Katanga and also had to try to deal with an ill-disciplined ANC, the army of the
Congolese government, who were technically supposed to be partners in maintaining a
peaceful status quo in that area . For example in June 1963 the ANC forces got drunk and
randomly killed inhabitants of the area. The UN troops presence and UN Commanders
pressure on the ANC commanders would stop this bloodshed. The 39th battalion
repeatedly was called upon by even the commanders of the ANC such as Colonel Mobutu
to suppress riots, like those after the elections in September 1963 in Kolwezi and which
the Irish quickly quelled in a calm and peaceful manner. The ease in which the Irish
troops carried out their duties as time went on can certainly be due to the fact that serious
attention was being paid by the Irish as to what tactics worked and were most efficient. A
large proportion of the initial troops who went to the Congo also re-volunteered for later
battalions service in the Congo, meaning the men on the ground were increasingly
confident and experienced in the tasks they were carrying out. Tshombe fled in 1963 and
the last Irish unit to serve was the 2nd Infantry group who left in June 1964, and the
ONUC was wound down by the end of that year.

Humanitarian
One other strong Irish tradition while peacekeeping began in the Congo is the voluntary
humanitarian projects that Irish battalions often carry out in the countries where they
serve. In Kivu over 50 children were fed and clothed by the Irish troops from their UN
allowance. These children were vagrants unwanted by their families who did not wish to
pay a bride price if they got married. Medical treatment was also offered to local people
and for a period of five to six weeks in one area of the 32nd battalions command, local
people received medical attention.

Conclusion
Ireland had a uniquely important role in the overall ONUC operations at times over the
four years, when Conor Cruise OBrien was present and, importantly, when Irishman LtGen S McKeown was appointed overall commander of the ONUC between January 1961
and March 1962. However, the actions and experiences of those Irish soldiers who were
stationed far and wide in the Congo also should be closely studied as their experiences
are very good case studies in how a peace keeping force can operate. It is often forgotten
that soldiers in the Defense Forces volunteer to serve overseas with the UN and it is a
testimony to them that there 1691 missions served by their personnel in the Congo. The
history of the Irish battalions in Africa at this time demonstrates the steep learning curve
for a force, the overwhelming majority of whom had never served abroad. Peace-keeping
tactics also had to be developed amidst a complicated military situation. Understanding
how the UN as an institution and its mandates were translated into military strategy also
had to be learnt. The histories of the soldiers also show how resourceful and ingenious

the soldiers were in coping with the challenges of peacekeeping in a country with a very
different culture from their own and which was at war with itself.

Comment:
Subjects which are not mentioned or investigated by Irish authorities:
The number of civilian fatal causalities in Katanga were very huge and there were
numerous cases of woman been raped and looting of houses by UN military.
The civilian causalities includes many cases of murder (with robbery) and liquidations of
unarmed men and woman who surrender or whom were hiding without any military
participation. Jets attacked civilian targets, ambulances and their drivers and nurses were
shot, hospitals used as ammunition storage points. *
The UN commander Conor Cruise OBrien used civilian hostages (with at least once a
woman), sitting near to him in an armored car to go from one point to another. And of
course he got the highest medal of honor for it.
He even couldnt dissimulate his joy when Dag Hammarskjld was
killed.
It is known, there is witnessing and other evidence that Irish troops
participated on all this kind of actions which are without any
exception all war crimes or crimes against humanity.

The actions of the UN in the Katanga are known as the biggest betrayal ever committed
by peacekeeping forces and making heroes of the participants on such a unhuman
intervention is making a mockery of human dignity (Victor E. Rosez)

The stories about cruelties committed by the Katanga guards on a complete company of
Irish prisoners is false too as can be seen on following pictures
*

Rapports, witnesses and pictures about the committed atrocities

https://www.dropbox.com/s/h1qoqg3vuitse8l/livre%20blanc%20du%20katanga%20pages%201-111.pdf?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/d8l75lu0fptfvnv/46-hommes-en-colere.pdf?dl=0
Video the Untold Story of Katanga or the UN betrayal
https://www.dropbox.com/s/c5r46pfzoex2a4b/EdwardGriffinTheUntoldStor.avi?dl=0

The Irish forces 32nd Bn

And here as prisoners and well treated by Katanga Paras

They could do it but the Katanga paras didnt take revenge because of this these 25 guys, even
those who surrendered were killed after been disarmed by UN forces
(Victor E. Rosez)