The conflict in the former Belgian Congo in the 1960s was lengthy, complex and brutal. In the midst of the fighting, stood a band of mercenaries named Commando N5 led by WW2 veteran and legendary mercenary Mad Mike Hoare.
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The group was hired by the Congolese Government to do one thing only: kill communists. The N5 comprised of a few hundred men from 19 different nationalities from all walks of life to include Rhodesians, South Africans, Wehrmacht soldiers, anti Castro cubans, British SAS, Spanish Foreign Legion soldiers, Americans and even a terminally Ill man who came to the congo to "get it over with". Each man signed a contract for $420 a month, plus $12.50 each day in combat pay. The contract even provided for a carefully worked out percentage formula for physical disabilities—75 percent for a lost right arm, 60 percent for a left, moving down to 5 percent for a big toe and 3 percent for a small.
As for fighting, Hoare told his officers that “since there is no book on the Congo, you will have to write it yourselves.” Hoare’s tactics were basic, but devastatingly effective: wild, hell-for-leather jeep charges with mounted machine guns and automatic weapons blazing. It was clearly understood by all that the rules of engagement were, 'No quarter asked, no quarter given.'
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As Hoare’s men moved north, liberating towns previously held by rebels, they also liberated money, gold, diamonds, ivory, and anything else of value. Not naïve about many of his men’s primary motivations, Hoare generally looked the other way. When he did enforce discipline, Hoare was blunt and brutal.
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In 1964, he and his men liberated thousands of hostages in the city of Stanleyville who were held captive by the rebels. By 1965, Hoare and his mercenaries had “turned the tide in the Congo" and had wiped out the majority of the communist forces in the country.
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The men were disbanded in 1967, with some saying, also ending the romantic age of mercenaries.
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"Tell no lies in battle. Exaggerate to your girlfriends later, but never in battle."
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