An Cosantóir

www.military.ie the defence forces magazine | 27 attack by a force of 4,000 troops backed up by Belgian mercenaries and a Fouga jet. Moving to the high ground overlooking the company's position that was used by the Katangan forces to stage their attack, we could only admire the bravery displayed by the Irish soldiers in holding their position for as long as they ultimately did. Leaving Likasi that afternoon the extraordinary courage displayed by the Irish troops, combined with the application of tactical awareness which produced a heroic stand, we felt proud of the actions of our soldiers and the progress made by the army during their relatively short period of overseas service. the battle of the tunnel – December 1961 The journey back to the centre of Lubumbashi City (Elisabethville) saw us reach the location of the Battle of the Tunnel. On this occasion Lt Col Dan Harvey's book, A Company Action: the Battle of the Tunnel, provided us with the detail to enable us retrace this famous incident. The Battle of the Tunnel constituted, in effect, a multi-national brigade-in-attack operation. Access to Elisabethville had been hampered by Katangan forces and their shelling of UN positions had already resulted in the death of one Irish soldier, Cpl Fallon, on the second day of his deployment to the Congo. Six days later saw the launch of Operation 'UNOKAT', designed to clear the Katangan forces that were dominating access to the city. The operation utilised the Irish 36 Inf Bn as the main effort, with one company of Swedish troops to seize and hold two objectives. Two battalions of Ethiopians and a battalion of Indians provided an investment force of troops around Elisabethville. As I walked the railway line that A Coy used as their axis of advance, I could not help but think of the military decision-making process currently taught not only in our military college, but to militaries throughout the world. This was a deliberate, offensive brigade operation conducted by Irish soldiers in 1961, as part of a UN mission. (As atrocities currently continue to be committed on a weekly basis in eastern Congo, one wonders could the UN learn some lessons from the past regarding its willingness to take decisive action in the cause of peace.) The reality of the operation soon hit home as we encountered the spot where Lt Riordan and Pte Wickham were shot and killed by enemy fire. Sgt Mulcahy was also shot during the battle and died from his wounds later that day. First- hand accounts from surviving members of the operation recount how deployment of the, then new, 84mm anti-tank weapon proved decisive in winning the momentum of the battle and taking the objec- tive. Impact damage that still remains on the railway bridge from one of the 84mm rounds acts as a reminder of the reality and scale of this operation. Similar to our thoughts after leaving Jadotville, our abiding memory of 'the Tun- nel' will be the professionalism and bravery of the Irish, Swedish, Ethiopian and Indian troops who fought on that day. Fourteen members of A Coy, 36th Irish Bn, were to be awarded the Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) following this battle, the most ever awarded to a single Irish unit. Perhaps more Irish soldiers who fought so bravely in the Congo deserved the same honour. An evident theme throughout our visit to the former battle sites in chronological order was the development in experience and tactical knowledge made by the Irish troops who served in the Congo during the 1960s. In recounting our experience in Katanga I am not attempting to retell the stories, as the aforementioned authors have done a far better job than I ever could. It was more of an attempt to put myself back more than 50 years to try and get a feeling for what those Irish soldiers must have experienced at that time. The ultimate sen- timent that we four Irish officers who underwent this journey will take away from the experience is that of immense pride in the bravery and professionalism of our former comrades who served and died with the United Nations in the Congo in the cause of peace.

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