Attack on Camp Massart

Attack on Camp Massart
	Part of Operation Unokat and the Congo Crisis
Date	16 December 1961
Location	Élisabethville, State of Katanga
Result	ONUC victory
Belligerents
ONUC Sweden ;	State of Katanga Katangese Gendarmerie ; Foreign mercenaries;
Commanders and leaders
Jonas Wærn ; Ulf Mide	Moïse Tshombe
Strength
3 companies	350 men
Casualties and losses
1 killed; 5 wounded;	10-20 killed; Unknown wounded; 8 captured;

Last updated September 01, 2024

The Attack on Camp Massart^{[lower-alpha 1]} took place on 16 December 1961 and was an attack on Camp Massart, the heavily defended main base of the Katangese Gendarmerie during the Congo Crisis. The attack was part of Operation Unokat which aimed to break the roadblocks set up by the gendarmerie by the end of November 1961 and at the same time stop Katangese President Moïse Tshombe's opposition to the UN. In a coordinated offensive, Swedish troops captured Camp Massart; Irish troops attacked the railway tunnel; the Indian contingent created diversionary attacks and blocked fleeing Katangese forces; and the Ethiopian forces secured the western part of the city.^[6] The attack on Camp Massart begun in the early hours of 16 December and ended at around 1 pm when the Swedes captured the camp. Between 10 and 20 Gendarmes were killed in the attack. One Swedish soldier was killed and five were injured.

The attack

The 1st Brigade, which was under the command of Colonel Jonas Wærn, consisted of the Swedish and the Irish battalion. The Swedish battalion, led by Major Ulf Mide, included two platoons of the 3rd Company from the old 12th Battalion under Major Robert Ekengren of Dalarna Regiment. One platoon from the old 1st Company was in the operation under Ekengren's command. It also included two companies of the newly arrived 14th Battalion. One anti-aircraft squad with 20 mm AA automatic guns had been added.^[7]

The battalion's goal was to capture the gendarmerie main base, Camp Massart. Three companies of Katangese gendarmerie were in Camp Massart at the time of the attack.^[8] At 03.00 am, the battalion went into attack position. The 3rd Company's platoon Gullstrand constituted the advance party. At 03.40 am, nine (Indian, Irish and Swedish) mortars started firing which lasted for 35 minutes.^[7] 940 grenades were fired and of these grenades, 168 were fired in rafale for 10 minutes.^[9] The advance began and an extraordinarily strong tropical downpour filled in a few minutes the Kapemba stream which became a rushing river. The advance party got with difficulty wading across; a machine-gun squad moved the heavy Kulspruta m/42 machine gun across using a floating door. The rest of the company had to look toward the only bridge that existed. The new 1st Company that went to the left got over with the help of a rope.^[7] The new 2nd Company, which went to the right, managed to find a small boat. The attack was delayed. The advance took place under heavy enemy fire from mortars and machine guns, and from snipers in the buildings' upper floors. Some houses got cleaned out using armor piercing explosive shells, fired by Carl Gustaf 8.4cm recoilless rifle gunner Andersson from Skövde. The recoilless rifle gunner in the platoon Kamstedt, Lars Frost, excelled during the operation. Sub-machine guns and hand grenades were suitable close-quarters combat weapons for urban warfare.^[7]

The Swedes were unable to use their vehicles which were stuck in the mud. Instead, they stormed the bridge, which was under fire from Camp Massart.^[1] By 08.30^[1] the distance was close enough, 30 meters from the Camp Massart's main entrance, which was partially blocked, for the Swedes to make a charge.^[7] The advance party (Gullstrand) secured the flanks with two machine guns and 3rd Company's 2nd Platoon (Kamstedt) stormed into the big military base.^[7] The Swedes stormed straight for the main entrance, which they captured after a fierce hand-to-hand fighting. The Gendarmes now regrouped and at 09.30 they went into a violent counter-attack. The attack was directed against the Swedes' left flank and was supported by fire from the surrounding houses inhabited by European employees of the Katangan railway company BCK. The Gendarmes attacked with rage and the Swedes again entered into hand-to-hand fighting. At 1 pm, the UN headquarters announced that the Swedes had definitely captured the area around the main entrance but that it would take the whole day would to clear the rest of Camp Massart. A few hours later, however, it was announced that Camp Massart had fallen and that the Swedes had complete control over the Katangese stronghold.^[1]

Aftermath

During the attack on Camp Massart, one Swedish soldier was killed, private Lars Erik Öhrberg, and a few were wounded.^[2] Sergeant Leif Persson from Limhamn, 25, received a serious gunshot wound to the neck. Vice Corporal Erik Johansson, 29, from Tenhult, was injured by shrapnel in the right lung. Furir Jan Jonsson, 26, from Ramsele, was slightly wounded. Vice Corporal Leif-Ove Larsson, 20, from Vinberg, received minor shrapnel injuries. Vice Corporal Ove Eriksson, 21, from Stennäs in Västerbotten was also slightly wounded.^[10] Between 10^[4] and 20^[3] Katangese gendarmes were estimated to have died during the attack. The Swedes claimed to have taken eight prisoners, of which five were Europeans. Two snipers were caught red-handed. One of the captured Europeans claimed to be a "craftsman", had eight rifles. Another was wearing a Belgian paratrooper uniform and a blue beret of the type worn by UN soldiers.^[4]

Two days of lighter battles followed with the clearing of other resistance strongholds in the city. On 18 December Secretary-General U Thant declared a unilateral ‘temporary ceasefire’^[6] and Tshombe began to negotiate with the central government. During the December fightings, three Swedes were killed, while 13 were wounded. A moderate figure in accordance with professional analysts, given the opponent's firepower.^[7] In total during the December fighting, 21 UN troops were killed and 84 wounded. Among the Katangans, 206 Gendarmes were killed and an unknown number wounded.^[6] The 12th Swedish Battalion was demobilized and flown back to Sweden where the Army Command received them.^[7]

Footnotes

↑ Also called Camp Tshombe by Katangans.^[5]

Related Research Articles

Moïse Kapenda Tshombe was a Congolese businessman and politician. He served as the president of the secessionist State of Katanga from 1960 to 1963 and as prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1964 to 1965.

The Congo Crisis was a period of political upheaval and conflict between 1960 and 1965 in the Republic of the Congo. The crisis began almost immediately after the Congo became independent from Belgium and ended, unofficially, with the entire country under the rule of Joseph-Désiré Mobutu. Constituting a series of civil wars, the Congo Crisis was also a proxy conflict in the Cold War, in which the Soviet Union and the United States supported opposing factions. Around 100,000 people are believed to have been killed during the crisis.

The United Nations Operation in the Congo was a United Nations peacekeeping force which was deployed in the Republic of the Congo in 1960 in response to the Congo Crisis. The ONUC was the UN's first peacekeeping mission with significant military capability, and remains one of the largest UN operations in size and scope.

Jean "Black Jack" Schramme was a Belgian mercenary and planter. He managed a vast estate in the Democratic Republic of the Congo until 1967.

As part of the larger Congo Crisis (1960–1964), the siege of Jadotville began on 13 September 1961, lasting for five days. While serving under the United Nations Operation in the Congo, a small contingent of the Irish Army's 35th Battalion, designated "A" Company, were besieged at the UN base near the mining town of Jadotville by Katangese forces loyal to the secessionist State of Katanga. The siege took place during the seven-day escalation of hostilities between ONUC and Katangese forces during Operation Morthor. Although the contingent of 156 Irish soldiers repelled attacks by a 3,000-strong Katangese force, they were eventually forced to surrender after running out of ammunition and water. "A" Company was subsequently held as prisoners of war for approximately one month, before being released on 15 October as part of a prisoner exchange. The Irish forces inflicted approximately 1,300 casualties on the Katangan force, with no deaths amongst "A" Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gurbachan Singh Salaria</span> Indian Army officer and member of a United Nations peacekeeping force

Captain Gurbachan Singh Salaria, PVC was an Indian military officer and member of a United Nations peacekeeping force. Salaria was an alumnus of King George's Royal Indian Military College and the National Defence Academy (NDA). He was the first NDA alumnus and is the only UN Peacekeeper to be awarded a Param Vir Chakra (PVC), India's highest wartime military decoration.

The State of Katanga, also known as the Republic of Katanga, was a breakaway state that proclaimed its independence from Congo-Léopoldville on 11 July 1960 under Moise Tshombe, leader of the local Confédération des associations tribales du Katanga (CONAKAT) political party. The new Katangese state did not enjoy full support throughout the province and was constantly plagued by ethnic strife in its northernmost region. It was dissolved in 1963 following an invasion by United Nations Operation in the Congo (ONUC) forces, and reintegrated with the rest of the country as Katanga Province.

Torsten Emanuel Stålnacke was a Swedish United Nations soldier and Swedish Army överfurir, mostly known for his actions during the Congo Crisis in 1961.

The Battle of Prek Klok I occurred on February 28, 1967 during Operation Junction City, a search and destroy mission by American military forces in Tay Ninh Province of South Vietnam, to the west of the capital Saigon. A few days before the battle, the 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment was brought into the area near Suoi Da and Prek Klok to defend a highway, airfield, and artillery base in the area, and to carry out search and destroy operations around it. On the morning of 28 February, elements of the battalion headed east, and were attacked from the front by Viet Cong (VC) infantry with gunfire, rockets and mortars. Soon after, they were attacked from all fronts as the VC tried to surround them with a battalion-sized force. However, with superior firepower available, the Americans called in air strikes and artillery, and by mid afternoon, had repelled the VC attacks. The Americans lost 25 killed while the VC lost 167.

The Niemba ambush took place on 8 November 1960, when an Irish Army patrol in Congo-Léopoldville was ambushed, the first time the Irish Army was embroiled in battle since the 1922-23 Irish Civil War. Ireland had deployed troops as United Nations Operation in the Congo (ONUC) peacekeepers.

Stig Erik Otto von Bayer is a former Swedish Army officer, war veteran, peacemaker and writer. He was the longest serving UN soldier during the Congo Crisis.

<i>The Siege of Jadotville</i> (film) 2016 historical action-war film

The Siege of Jadotville is a 2016 action-war film directed by Richie Smyth and written by Kevin Brodbin. An Irish-South African production, the film is based on Declan Power's book, The Siege at Jadotville: The Irish Army's Forgotten Battle (2005), about an Irish Army unit's role in the titular Siege of Jadotville during the United Nations Operation in the Congo in September 1961, part of the Congo Crisis that stretched from 1960 to 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger Faulques</span> French military officer and mercenary

Roger Louis Faulquesa.k.a.René Faulques, was a French Army Colonel, a graduate of the École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr, a paratrooper officer of the French Foreign Legion, and a mercenary. He fought in World War II, the First Indochina War, the Suez Crisis, the Algerian War, the Congo Crisis, the North Yemen Civil War and the Nigerian Civil War. He is one of France's most decorated soldiers.

Operation Grandslam was an offensive undertaken by United Nations peacekeeping forces from 28 December 1962 to 15 January 1963 against the forces of the State of Katanga, a secessionist state rebelling against the Republic of the Congo in Central Africa. The Katangese forces were decisively defeated and Katanga was forcibly reintegrated into the Congo.

Operation Rum Punch or Operation Rampunch was a military action undertaken by United Nations peacekeeping forces on 28 August 1961 against the military of the State of Katanga, a secessionist state from the Republic of the Congo in central Africa. UN troops arrested 79 foreign mercenaries and officers employed by Katanga with little conflict.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pat Quinlan (Irish Army officer)</span>

Patrick Quinlan (1919–1997) was an Irish Army officer who commanded the Irish UN force that fought at the Siege of Jadotville in Katanga in 1961, and surrendered when they ran out of ammunition and other supplies. Despite the initial lack of recognition for the events leading up to the surrender, in the years following Quinlan's death his reputation in Ireland was restored.

The Battle of Kabalo was fought at Kabalo by United Nations peacekeeping forces and Baluba militias from 7 April to 11 April 1961 against mercenaries and the gendarmerie of the State of Katanga, a secessionist state rebelling against the Republic of the Congo in central Africa. The Katangese forces attacked the town as part of a larger offensive meant to restore their authority in northern Katanga which was challenged by the Baluba. A United Nations Operation in the Congo peacekeeping contingent garrisoning Kabalo, acting under the authority of their mandate to prevent civil war in the country, resisted the initial attack and arrested 30 mercenaries in Katanga's employ. Armed Baluba repelled a Katangese ferry carrying troops as well as an armoured train. The next day the ferry returned but was sunk by UN forces. Fighting continued over the next few days between the Baluba and Katangese until the latter withdrew. The battle led to a deterioration of relations between the Katangese government and the United Nations Operation in the Congo.

The Katangese Gendarmerie, officially the Katangese Armed Forces, was the paramilitary force of the unrecognized State of Katanga in Central Africa from 1960 to 1963. The forces were formed upon the secession of Katanga from the Republic of the Congo with help from Belgian soldiers and former officers of the Force Publique. Belgian troops also provided much of the early training for the Gendarmerie, which was mainly composed of Katangese but largely led by Belgians and later European mercenaries.

Lucas Samalenge was a Congolese and Katangese politician who was Katanga's Secretary of State of Information.

Operation Unokat, also styled Operation UNOKAT, was an offensive undertaken by United Nations peacekeeping forces from 5 to 21 December 1961 against the gendarmerie of the State of Katanga, a secessionist state rebelling against the Republic of the Congo in Central Africa. The United Nations had tried several times to reconcile the government of the Congo with the State of Katanga, which had declared independence under Moïse Tshombe with Belgian support in 1960.

References

1 2 3 4 5 "SVENSKARNA I NÄRSTRID MED KATANGESERNA" [THE SWEDES IN CLOSE COMBAT WITH THE KATANGANS]. Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). No. 342. Élisabethville. UPI, AP, TT. 17 December 1961. p. 14A. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
1 2 Carlén, Anders; Falk, Mattias (2012). Svenskar i strid: veteranernas historier 1943-2011 [Swedes in battle: Veteran Stories 1943-2011] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Bonnier. ISBN 978-91-0-012739-8.
1 2 3 "ELISABETHVILLE I FN-HÄNDER - GENDARMER FLYR" [ELISABETHVILLE IN UN HANDS -THE GENDARMERIE FLEES]. Aftonbladet (in Swedish). No. 341. Élisabethville. 17 December 1961. p. 7. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
1 2 3 4 von Friesen, Hans (18 December 1961). "Svenska styrkor i Camp Massart utsatta för häftig granatkastareld" [Swedish forces in Camp Massart exposed to intense grenade fire]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). No. 343. Léopoldville. p. 8A. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
↑ "CONGRESSIONAL RECORD - SENATE" (PDF). Congressional Record . 12 October 1962. p. 23320. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
1 2 3 Findlay, Trevor (2002). The Use of Force in UN Peace Operations (PDF). Sipri Publication. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 79. ISBN 0-19-829282-1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-08-09. Retrieved 2020-05-14.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Brink, Lars (2001). "FÖR 40 ÅR SEDAN I AFRIKA" [40 YEARS AGO IN AFRICA](PDF). Hemvärnet: Folk och Försvar (in Swedish) (6). Stockholm: Centralkommittén för det frivilliga försvarsarbetet: 17–18. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
↑ von Friesen, Hans (1961-12-17). "Tshomestyrkor till motanfall innan Camp Massart utrymdes" [Tshome forces to counterattack before Camp Massart was evacuated]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). p. 8A. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
↑ Johansson, Stina (2009-04-24). "Granatkastare i fredens tjänst. Studie av faktorer som har påverkat funktionen indirekt eld vid internationella operationer" [Mortars for peace. Study of factors that have affected the function of indirect fire in international operations] (in Swedish). Swedish Defence University. p. 15. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
↑ "FN-svensk död i strider - Fem sårades" [UN-Swede killed in action - Five wounded]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 1961-12-18. p. 3. Retrieved 20 March 2023.