An Cosantóir

www.military.ie the defence forces magazine | 37 After consultation with OC 33rd Battalion at Albertville it was decided I was to command a party in an operation that had as its objective the taking of the Niemba Baluba wounded from Manono Hospital. I asked that Bn HQ and A Coy of 33rd Battalion could also have some representation in the party. The group finally consisted of (all B Coy personnel unless otherwise indicated): Comdt PP Barry, Comdt EJ Quigley (Bn HQ), Comdt L Hogan (A Coy), Lt P Condron, Sgt M Ryan, Sgt W Maher, Cpl M Roche, Cpl E Fox, Cpl W Blake, Cpl T Cunningham, Tpr JJ O'Connor, Tpr J Harris, Lt Roland Lendholm (Swedish interpreter attached B Coy), MO Comdt A Beckett (joined the party on its arrival in Manono). We left Albertville airport by UN DC3 air- craft on 30th Novem- ber at approximately 1700hrs, arriving at Manono at 1800hrs. On arrival at Manono, after consultation with the Nigerian and Moroccan UN company commanders a plan was made to raid the hospital the following morning at 0430hrs and bring out as many as possible of the ten wounded there. By pre-arrangement by Comdt Beckett with a Belgian doctor, bed cards of the Niemba wounded were marked with a red 'X'. If men were not in bed we could not take them, as there was no other method of identification. The group from B Coy would enter the hospital, with different officers commanding small groups to go to each of three wards where wounded were housed. Approximately 20 Nigerian troops would go as far as the hospital gate and remain there until the wounded men were taken out. The Moroccan platoon would go to the airport and remain there until the 'plane had taken off for Albertville with the wounded. It was expected that the hospital gate (a large heavy iron gate) would not be locked. In actual fact it was open. Had it been locked it was intended to have it opened by a ruse – Lt Condron was dressed up as a badly wounded UN soldier. (Shooting the lock off would awaken the sleeping patients, who would get out of bed in the commotion and we would not be able to distinguish the Niemba men from others.) For the movement from camp to the hospital (two miles) we bor- rowed jeeps from the Nigerian company. Plans worked out well, but in all wards we found only seven bed cards marked with a red 'X'; we took the seven. Two of them pro- tested they were not from Niemba but had been wounded by the Katanga Gendarmerie at Monga. After consideration I decided to bring all seven along though I felt the two Monga men were telling the truth. It was afterwards established that two of the beds were wrongly marked or that some occupants had changed beds for the night. (The Monga men were later returned by UN aircraft from Albertville to Manono). Three of the wounded were not in a good physical state and were unable to walk. We left Manono Hospital at about 0515hrs, leaving the airport at 0600hrs, arriving in Albertville at 0715hrs. OC 33rd Battalion and the IO arrived at Albertville Airport. The Katanga Gendarmerie also arrived – arrangements had been made that wounded would be taken away by them – this was done. (33 Inf Bn Unit History) The aftermath The five Balubas who were detained after the operation were brought to trial in Elizabethville in September 1961. The trial was adjourned because at the time the city was the scene of bitter fight- ing between UN and Katanga forces. It speaks well for the Katanga legal system that despite the attitude of the government towards the UN the trial was resumed in October '61. Judgement was pronounced by at Elizabethville District Court Judge A de Bevere on Monday 13th November 1961. The accused, all from the Niemba area, were found guilty of murder and attempted murder, without premeditation, as well as the offence of carrying arms in an insurrectionist movement. Two of the accused were sen- tenced to three years' penal servitude. The other three each received sentences of two years' penal servitude. (33 Inf Bn Unit History) additional information The author, Des Keegan served in the Congo with 33 and 35 Inf Bns and 3 Armd Car Sqn. The two troopers from Operation Sham- rock, JJ O'Connor and J Harris also served with 35 Inf Bn, during which Tpr Harris was part of the armoured section, with Capt Art Magennis DSM, involved in the capture of the Post Office, while the author and Tpr O'Connor participated in the mission to cap- ture Interior Minister Munongo in September 1961. Last November IUNVA hosted a group of Swedish veterans in Dublin, where, amongst other things, they laid a wreath at the Congo Plot in Glasnevin. During the visit, Des met two Swedes who had been also been part of the Munongo mission. Comdt Beckett MO assisting one of the wounded Balubas from the aircraft at Albertville. Tpr JJ O'Connor is in the plane, armed with a Lee Enfield and with a bandolier across his shoulder. Photo courtesy of Paudie McGrath Members of Number 2 Pln, A Coy, 33 Inf Bn, ONUC. The photo includes six personnel who were killed in the Niemba Ambush on 8th November 1960. The three other members were posted to the platoon later. Military Archives/MA_129_001

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