Hello all
I think comparisons between the British Army and the Irish Army at the time do not stand up to comparison. The Irish went to the Congo with outdated firearms, vehicles, clothing, training, no artillery, no air cover and a penny-pinching attitude at home from the bureaucrats. They had in effect been in garrison mode since the Emergency and were utterly unready for any kind of foreign deployment. That they did so well is a testimony to their ability to learn.The British Army, then and in the time of the Falklands, were a worldwide, widely experienced force with plenty of direct in-house experience of war and a long habit of learning from past wars and changing to suit. Do you honestly think that if a British unit had been going to the Congo in 1962, that they would have gone with bolt-action rifles, no tropical clothing and grossly obsolete armour, not to mention utter dependence on other forces for heavy lift, artillery and air cover? As for the late "H" Jones, my opinion is that he saw a need for a decisive act to move the fight on to his advantage and carried out a move that lost him his life, but transferred the initiative to the British.He probably knew full well that he would be killed, but still went ahead.
The Irish of Jadotville should be given an award for their courage, stability under fire and resolute attitude. Anyone who slags them off should be ashamed of themselves.
regards
GttC
I think comparisons between the British Army and the Irish Army at the time do not stand up to comparison. The Irish went to the Congo with outdated firearms, vehicles, clothing, training, no artillery, no air cover and a penny-pinching attitude at home from the bureaucrats. They had in effect been in garrison mode since the Emergency and were utterly unready for any kind of foreign deployment. That they did so well is a testimony to their ability to learn.The British Army, then and in the time of the Falklands, were a worldwide, widely experienced force with plenty of direct in-house experience of war and a long habit of learning from past wars and changing to suit. Do you honestly think that if a British unit had been going to the Congo in 1962, that they would have gone with bolt-action rifles, no tropical clothing and grossly obsolete armour, not to mention utter dependence on other forces for heavy lift, artillery and air cover? As for the late "H" Jones, my opinion is that he saw a need for a decisive act to move the fight on to his advantage and carried out a move that lost him his life, but transferred the initiative to the British.He probably knew full well that he would be killed, but still went ahead.
The Irish of Jadotville should be given an award for their courage, stability under fire and resolute attitude. Anyone who slags them off should be ashamed of themselves.
regards
GttC
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