An Cosantóir

www.military.ie the defence forces magazine | 25 by PAUL O'BRIEN MA T he battle of Jadotville, which com- menced on 13th September 1961, is a great example of military leadership and also shows the traditional grit and determination of Irish soldiers, still evident today in the Defence Forces. 'A' Company, 35 Inf Bn, ONUC, under the command of Comdt Pat Quinlan, had been tasked with manning the UN post in the Congolese mining town, Jadotville. The Congo, the third largest country in Africa, had been a colony of Belgium until July 1960, when it became an indepen- dent republic under the rule of Prime Minister Patrice Lu- mumba. As unrest spread throughout the country, Lumumba appealed to the United Nations for assistance and the Security Council directed Secretary General Dag Hammarskjöld to form a military force to restore law and order in the Congo. Ireland was requested to assist in the peacekeeping mission and in July 1960 a newly-formed unit of volunteers, 35 Inf Bn, was sent to the country. Having only been given five months to prepare for the han- dover of power from the Belgian authorities, Lumumba and his government were unprepared for the backlash that spread through the country. Belgian nationals were attacked, prompt- ing the Belgian government to send troops to their former colony to protect them. These troops were also tasked with protecting Belgian business interest in the region, in particu- lar the mineral-rich regions of Katanga and Kasai where the Anglo-Belgian Union Miniere company operated many of the world's copper, cobalt and uranium mines. On 11th July 1960, Moishe Tshombe declared Katanga's secession from the Congo and employed an international mer- cenary force to lead his army in its battle for independence. He expected little opposition, but Katanga province was the golden calf of the country and the Congo could not afford for it to secede. In September 1960 the UN commenced Operation Morthor, a smash-and-grab mission to capture Tshombe and his ministers, disarm his mercenaries and take back control of Katanga. However, Tshombe managed to evade capture and his army fought back against the UN force. It was the midst of this chaotic situation that a company of Irish troops would find themselves outnumbered and outgunned, and fighting for their lives. On arrival at their base in Jadotville, Comdt Quinlan ordered his men to dig in, a tactic that has served military command- ers for centuries. His company of 158 soldiers set to work, digging slit trenches and establishing weapons pits for their water-cooled, Vickers machine-guns and mortars. On their arrival they found the population of the area openly hostile to the presence of UN peacekeepers, a situation Quinlan reported via radio to his superiors. However, he was ordered to continue with his mission, which was to provide protection to the white population in the area, who were under threat of attack. At 07.00hrs on Wednesday 13th September, while many Irish soldiers in the camp were attending mass, 30 gendarmes and rebel soldiers attempted to rush the Irish forward position on foot and in jeeps. On being fired on, the Irish piquet returned fire, alerting the rest of the camp that an attack on the camp was under way. After a brief fire-fight the attackers withdrew. Comdt Quinlan later stated: "I am convinced that the gendar- merie received a telephone signal from the garage depot that we were assembled for Mass and they hoped to get us off guard. All our men who were attending Mass carried loaded weapons and were in action almost immediately." For five days the Irish peacekeepers came under sus- tained attack from an estimated force of between 2,000 and 3,000 enemy troops as well as being subject to attacks by fighter planes. Attempts to relieve the beleaguered Irish garrison failed and, running low on food, water and ammunition, and with five men seriously wounded, Comdt Quinlan was forced to surrender on 17th September 1960. 'A' Coy would remain in captivity until their release was brokered on 25th October 1960. The battle and its subsequent outcome has been mired in controversy for decades but a number of books written on the subject, a song, and now a major television film have all en- sured that the men of 'A' Coy will be rightly remembered and honoured for their bravery on the field of battle. 1961 Pte Matt Quinlan (L) and Sgt Walter Hegarty (R) prepare a defensive trench in Jadotville, September 1961. Photo: Courtesy of John Gorman Comdt Pat Quinlan ( far left) poses with soldiers of 'A' Coy, 35 Inf Bn, in Elisabethville, prior to their deployment to Jadotville. Photo: Courtesy of Leo Quinlan

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