Congo Unravelled: Military Operations from Independence to the Mercenary Revolt 1960-68

(Paperback)

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Post-independence events in the Republic of the Congo are a veritable Gordian knot. The ambitions of Congolese political leaders, Cold War rivalry, Pan- Africanism, Belgium's continued economic interests in the country's mineral wealth, and the strategic perceptions of other southern African states all conspired to wrack Africa's second largest country with uprisings, rebellions and military interventions for almost a decade. Congo Unravelled solves the intractable complexity of this violent period by dispassionately outlining the sequence of political and military events that took place in the troubled country. The reader is systematically taken through the first military attempts to stabilize the country after independence and the two distinguishing military campaigns of the decade - the United Nations military operations (Opration des Nations Unies au Congo, or ONUC) to end the secession of the Katanga Province, and the Dragon Operations led by Belgian paratroopers, supported by the US Air Force, launched to end the insurgency in the east of the country - are chronicled in detail. Finally, the mercenary revolt - an event that tainted the reputation of the modern mercenary in Africa - is described. Lesser known military events - Irish UN forces cut off from the outside world by Katangese gendarmes and mercenaries, and a combined military operation in which Belgian paratroopers were dropped from US Air Force C-130 Hercules aircraft and supported by a mercenary ground force to achieve humanitarian ends - go far toward resolving the enigma surrounding post-independence Congo. AUTHOR: Andrew Hudson majored in military history at the South Africa Military Academy and after two decades as an infantry officer in the South African Defence Force, ten of which were spent in the operational areas, he moved into the private sector. 110 b/w photos, 8pp colour ills, 3 b/w maps, 1 diagram

Reviews

"Helion's splendid "Africa@War" series superbly summarizes men, movements and militaries in admirably balanced, handy histories. Exhibit A: Congo Unravelled. More than a half century after independence, the nation remains a political, economic and social wreck - with no end in sight. Hudson's compact installment wonderfully distills the seeds of today's tragically endless morass. For a helpful handbook on this Cold War hot spot, grab Helion's enlightening effort. Robustly recommended."-- "Cybermodeler" "Africa@War is a ground-breaking series concept, studying Africa's conflicts and military players in an informative and entertaining manner, examining some of the lesser-known campaigns and shedding new light on some of the better-known operations ... Both titles are great models of what the combination of authors and publishers can produce by way of useable case studies for the market place in a concise illustrated format. They are recommended as professional military education references."--Charles D. Melson, Chief Historian, U.S. Marine Corps "Each of the books in this series is a well-documented and researched synopsis of the events that they are focused upon. They layouts and presentation are logical and of a very high quality ... As an introduction to this field of operation, this series is outstanding. A definite asset for those wishing to improve their knowledge and understanding of the development of successful, multi-faceted doctrine in the fight against insurgent/assymetric war."--Major Chris Buckham, Royal Canadian Air Force

Author Bio

Andrew Hudson majored in military history at the South Africa Military Academy and after two decades as an infantry officer in the South African Defence Force, ten of which were spent in the operational areas, he moved into the private sector. Still a soldier at heart he divides his time between earning an income, indulging his passion for collecting books on conflict in Africa, and road running in weird and wonderful locations. He is co-author of Four Ball, One Tracer: Commanding Executive Outcomes in Angola and Sierra Leone.