The defence of Jadotville: A hiding to nothing

A little over 150 Irish UN troops held out against up to 5,000 soldiers until they ran out of ammunition and food using tactics that are now textbook material for aspiring military leaders in many countries.

Some of the Irish UN soldiers after the Jadotville siege who held out for five days against overwhelming odds.

The Irish UN contingent sent in to defend the town of Jadotville was on a hiding to nothing, pushed centre-stage into what was essentially a superpower struggle over minerals – the ones extracted from the Congo were vital to the nuclear weapons programmes of Cold War foes the USA and Soviet Union.

Commandant Quinlan's troops were part of a UN force sent to Congo to try and prevent bloodshed after part of the country, Katanga, declared independence.