The Siege of Jadotville - Irish Troops in the Congo ’61

The Siege of Jadotville was a five day battle that took place during the Congo Crisis between the 35th Irish Infantry Battalion and Katangan soldiers backed by European mercenaries. The Irish were serving in the Congo as part of a UN peacekeeping mission when they were attacked. The inexperienced and underequipped Irish troops fought a defense against 3,000 Katangans, killing around 400 and wounding 1000. The Irish took no casualties and only five men were wounded. However, they were inadequately supported by the UN high command and were forced into a ceasefire that turned into a tense imprisonment at the hands of their attackers. When they were released and returned home, their bravery went unrecognized for over forty years, until the early 2000s. The siege is now recognized as one of the most heroic and wrongfully forgotten stories in Irish military history. SOURCE: SONG USED: http