Operation Dragon Rouge - An Insane Forgotten Special Forces Mission

On November 24, 1964, a dozen C130 aircraft flew slowly over the Congo River in tight formation as fog blanketed them as they headed toward the colonial town of Stanleyville. The plane was carrying an elite group of Belgian commandos as part of Operation Red Dragon with a daring objective: to rescue more than 2,000 American and European prisoners captured by communist rebels. Time was running out and they had to act quickly. The rebels, nicknamed the Lions, used brutal tactics and committed horrific acts of violence, so every second counted. Finally, at 6:00 am, Belgian paratroopers ventured into the jungle and attempted to carry out one of the largest hostage rescue

operation

s in history...

Civil unrest In 1960, the Congo was ready to achieve independence from the iron control of the Belgians. Under the leadership of King Leopold I, Europeans had taken control of the territory since the mid-19th century. However, Congo, rich in gold, diamonds, uranium, copper and other precious minerals, was rocked by a civil war that would destabilize its central government. The now independent Republic of the Congo became a Cold War proxy war. The president asked the Russians for help, and soon after, the Americans became involved to support rebels opposing the new Soviet-backed government. Four years later, in 1964, political unrest loomed over the nation, as the United States named a new president who was disobeyed and confronted by several regions.

The United Nations then sent troops to the capital, Léopoldville, to impose order, but to no avail. Christophe Gbenye, an indoctrinated communist, declared himself president of the Congo and formed a savage tribe that took over the country. They called them Simba or Simbas, the Swahili word for "lion." The ruthless killers wore leopard skins, palm leaves and other relics that they believed would make them immune to bullets. Additionally, the Simba practiced cannibalism because they believed that eating human hearts gave them supernatural powers. To fight the Simbas who put his army in perpetual retreat, Congolese President Moise Tshombe hired South African Major Michael Hoare, a World War II veteran known as Mad Mike who had earned a ruthless reputation throughout Africa, as He had fought in Burma. under the command of Brigadier General Orde Wingate, the creator of the Chindit deep penetration

forces

.

President Tshombe asked Mad Mike to raise an army of mercenaries to help the Congolese army. Hoare then called more than 300 white mercenaries to arms and the unit was named 5 Commando. However, despite Mad Mike's reputation, his unity would not be enough to subjugate the enemy, prompting Tshombe to request assistance from the United States. At that time, the domino theory was in full swing. It was the geopolitical threat that if one country or region fell into communism's sphere of influence, others would soon follow. The threat was real and palpable, and the United States was unwilling to allow communism to spread across Africa.

Accordingly, President Lyndon Johnson answered the call by assembling Joint Task Force Leo, a Strike Command task force composed of three C-130s from the Tactical Air Command. Additionally, a platoon of paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne was assigned to the task force to protect the plane while it was on the ground, and Johnson also sent secondary military assistance composed of expatriate Cuban mercenaries hired by the CIA to blow up T28 Trojans and B26 intruders. . A Hostage Situation In August 1964, the Simba captured Stanleyville. At first, they treated the white and American population with respect, but once they became aware of American support for their enemy, they became violent.

The Congolese army had begun to make progress and the rebels could not allow it. With the tide slowly turning against them thanks to American support, the Simba began taking the whites hostage. Furthermore, black Congolese who supported the government and harbored whites were tortured mercilessly. In September, American consul Michael Hoyt was taken hostage along with the rest of his staff and sent to the Victoria Hotel, where others were held as bargaining chips. From then on, the ruthless Simbas began imprisoning every white person they could find, including women and children. The rebels eventually gathered people from more than 20 countries, including Dr.

Paul Carlson of the Protestant Aid Agency, accused of being an undercover CIA agent. Additionally, thousands of middle-class Congolese lost their lives for having ties to whites. In early November, the Simbas threatened to kill all their prisoners if the United States did not withdraw its support for the Congolese government. Then, concerned about the escalation of the crisis and the fate of hundreds of civilians, nuns, priests and children, the United States and Belgium attempted to negotiate with the Simbas, although to no avail. The communist rebels refused to talk, and consequently the United States and Belgium prepared a top-secret military intervention.

They were going to fight their way to Stanleyville to save the hostages. The Red Dragon The plan called for the use of an elite group of paratroopers who would be airlifted directly to the Congo to rescue the hostages. The United States would provide the planes and the Belgians would provide the paratroopers. The

operation

was codenamed Dragon Rouge or Red Dragon. Brigadier General Robert D. Forman, commander of the 322nd Air Division, prepared the operation and gave the green light to Colonel Burgess Gradwell to lead the ground

forces

and rescue the hostages. The operation would involve 600 paratroopers and more than 14 planes to transport everyone.

The men involved were informed on November 20 about the secrecy of the operation and prepared for combat. On the morning of November 24, 1964, Captain Marck Secord was surveying the thick jungle canopy surrounding the Congo River through the cockpit of his C130. Minutes later, once the fog cleared, Secord gave the green light for the Belgian paratroopers to land at Sabena airport and secure it before more planes could land men and supplies. The rest of the aircraft crews were met with tracer fire from Chinese 12.7 millimeter anti-aircraft machine guns, but half an hour later, soldiers secured the airport and supplies landed shortly after.

Capt. Donald Strobaugh, commander of the 5th Aerial Port Squadron's combat control team, made sure his men regrouped before heading into the city and rescuing the hostages. Meanwhile, in Stanleyville, the Simbas had heard and seen approaching enemy planes and decided to take over 250 whites to the Lumumba monument for execution. As they approached the scene, a Belgian civilian heard a rebel radio operator shouting to shoot everyone down. Although some of the Simbas tried to stop their companions, the rest of the men opened fire mercilessly. Then, as they reloaded for a second round, one of the survivors saw a Belgian paratrooper with a submachine gun in a corner.

He was soon joined by more paratroopers and the rebels' supposed bravery disappeared instantly. Most of them disappeared into the streets and fled before the Belgians had a chance to shoot them dead. The sight the paratroopers received was disconcerting, and they went after the Simbas in search of revenge. After half an hour, the commandos cleared the area and prepared to remove the first group of survivors in the afternoon. Time of extractions At 10:00 a. m., the first convoy of survivors arrived at the airport and boarded a C130. However, about 300 rebels approached the runway and broke through the Belgian defenses.

As the plane prepared to take off, the rebels opened fire, damaging one of the engines and the wings. Still, the plane was able to take off and soon other Belgian DC6s joined the airlift to speed up the evacuation. As night fell, Captain Strobaugh and his men struggled to hold off a 150-man rebel assault with mortars, while the Simbas deployed snipers to eliminate their Belgian and Congolese friends. One officer lost his life during the clashes. The evacuation resumed on the morning of November 26, and over the two days, C130s and DC6s flew 41 sorties, rescuing more than 1,800 Americans and Europeans and more than 300 Congolese VIPs.

Then, in the evening, another C130 flew directly to the town of Paulis, near Stanleyville, to pick up other hostages, and the Belgian paratroopers jumped into thick fog that limited visibility. However, they all landed successfully and continued their

mission

inside Paulis while the mercenaries hired in Stanleyville rescued other hostages and headed to the city center. Both the Belgians and the mercenaries were deeply shocked by the violence inflicted by the rebels and responded mercilessly. Chaos Continues On November 27, 1964, the Belgians finally withdrew from Stanleyville and flew to Kamina on their way home. Although the top-secret

mission

had managed to rescue the Americans, Europeans, and Congolese from the onslaught of the revolution, the operation was not well received by smaller countries, as they considered the American and Belgian intervention as another act of imperialism.

In addition, several communist movements used propaganda to embarrass the operation. Violence in the Congo would continue for several months, leading to further senseless losses, and on November 29, King Baudouin awarded several of the men involved in Operation Red Dragon the Order of Leopold II to commemorate one of the operations. largest rescue in history. . Thanks for watching our video! Like and subscribe to our Dark Documentaries channels for more interesting historical content. And let us know in the comments below what you think of the joint

special

operation carried out by Belgium and the United States. Was there another solution to resolve the crisis?

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