Congo Mercenary - Softcover

In July 1964, after four years of uneasy independence, the Democratic Republic of the Congo was engulfed by an armed rebellion that spread throughout the country like a bush fire. The rebel soldiers struck terror into the hearts of civilians and National Army soldiers alike. Faced with this situation, the Congolese government hired legendary mercenary leader `Mad' Mike Hoare to quell the uprising and bring order to the country. In Congo Mercenary, Mike Hoare tells the true story of his resolute band of mercenaries during the Congo war. In fascinating detail, Hoare describes how the mercenaries were recruited and trained, and then recounts their adventures through four combat campaigns over an 18-month period during which they liberated Stanleyville, fought rebels in the hinterland, freed hundreds of European hostages, and restored law and order to the Congo. Originally published in 1967, and now including a new foreword by Mike Hoare, Congo Mercenary is a well-written and historically important account of one of the most brutal rebellions in Africa, as well as an accurate and gritty depiction of the mercenary life.

Mike Hoare is one of the 20th century's most famous adventurers, and clearly one of its most talented scribes. Hoare was born in India to Irish parents and educated in England. He emigrated to Africa in 1948 and fell in love with the land and its people. Though he is best known as a mercenary leader in the Congo and the Seychelles, his two new books describe his nonmilitary adventures on land and sea: Mike Hoare's Adventures in Africa and Three Years with Sylvia .