http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?

t=13555
Operation Leopard (Kolwezi, May 1978)

The city of Kolwezi is in south-east Zaire (Katanga province), on the Benguela Railway
which links it to the port of Lobito, Angola, near Benguela. Kolwezi is the center of a major
copper- and cobalt-mining area ; uranium, radium, oxide ores, and lime deposits also occur. In
the city are plants in which copper and cobalt ores are concentrated; the ores are then shipped
by rail to Likasi, to the east, for processing. Kolwezi is also the trade center for the
surrounding agricultural area.

Shaba Province, under the name of Katanga, had attempted to break away from the newly
independent Congo in 1960. A secessionist insurrection was crushed with the help of United
Nations troops. Though the breakaway movement had been defeated, relations between the
province and the central government remained poor, and sporadic fighting continued.

At dawn on May 13th 1978, the province was invaded by Angola-based separatist rebels : the
Front de Liberation National de Congo (Congolese National Liberation Army; FNLC) who
took over the town of Kolwezi. Kolwezi was inhabited by over 3,000 Europeans, mainly
mining experts and their families, who were regarded as potential hostages by Major Mufu
and his 4,000 separatist "Tigers". Reports emerged of massacres of Europeans.
Kolwezi was seized by the kind of madness and violence that European residents believed to
be a thing of the distant past. The Katanga secession crisis, sparked of by Moise Tshombe,
was a dim memory, and the central government assured its authority by the presence of troops
of the Zairean regular army. But when the shooting started on that already stifling dawn, the
Zairean troops scattered almost without a fight, and left the population, black and white, to the
mercy of the Katangan "Tigers" rebels.

The rebels simply put Kolwezi to the sack, pillaging the stores, wrecking the houses, drinking
anything they could lay hands on, raping and murdering indiscriminately.

In Kinshasa, the directors of the Gecamines mining company were warned of the situation by
the radio operator at Kolwezi, who still able to transmit at that stage. At first, the simply
prayed that the rebels would soon drift away. When this hope proved vain, they turned to the
French Ambassador and to Colonels Larzul and Gras, respectively the French military attaché
and the head of the technical assistance team. These officers passes on the appeal to the
Western powers, and even outlined a possible scheme for a rescue mission led by troops from
Europe.

A drop of Zairean paratroopers into the town on 16 May was a fiasco. The Zairean leader,
President Mobutu, had discussed the affair with his French counterpart to arrange foreign
intervention if necessary ; it was now very necessary.

On May 17th, convinced that the European residents of Kolwezi were in deadly danger, and
inpatient at the procrastinations of the Belgian government, the French government decided to
intervene. The 2nd REP, stationed at Calvi in Corsica, was put on stand by. Companies
dispersed on exercise, and individuals absent on courses, were recalled at once. By the end of
that afternoon, the commander, Colonel Philippe Erulin, could report that his regiment was
ready. He received his movement order at 1.30AM on the 18th May. Operation "Leopard" had
begun.
An enormous distance (more than 6,000 km) separated Solenzara airfield in Corsica from the
Objective in Shaba province. It would take eight hours by jet airliner to reach Kinshasa, and
another four hours in the paratroop transports from the capital to Kolwezi. The time available
for preparing the operation was cut to the bone, even a rumor of forthcoming "drop", which
was hard to keep secret, under the circumstances, might be the signal for a general massacre
of the Europeans.

The first elements to leave Corsica to Zaire were 1st, 2nd and 3rd companies, and part of the
HQ Company (1st wave), in five DC-8 aircrafts on the night of 17/18 May. The support
company (CEA = compagnie d'eclairage et d'appui) and 4th company would follow later (2nd
wave). Flying to Kinshasa first, the Legionnaires were packed into four C-130s and one
Transall aircraft for the drop : 500 paras in very cramped conditions.
While carrying out their final preparations in Kinshasa, the Legionnaires discovered that the
American T10 parachutes they had been loaned in Zaire were incompatible with their French
harnesses. Undaunted, they modified the US rigs with bits of wire and string on which to
attach equipment.

On 19 May at 03.30PM, the leading 2nd REP companies (1st, 2nd and 3rd Coys), in broad
daylight, parachuted into two drop zones very near to Kolwezi in order to capture key
buildings and facilities and successfully rescued several hundred European hostages against
determined rebel resistance.
Without any reconnaissance ground, absolutely no artillery or aerial support, they jumped
"blind" near Kolwezi. It was a desperate race against time to save lives. In at least 15 minutes
a command post was quickly established and the men were regrouped. Even before all the
paras had landed, the first groups fanned out and advanced to their objectives. Although the
"Tigers" outnumbered the paras, their discipline and morale had crumbled. Resistance did
stiffen, but nothing could halt the ruthless momentum of the attack. As Legionnaires cleared
large parts of the town, white settlers began to emerge from cover, most of them hungry,
thirsty, and suffering from shock. Tragically, those held in the Impala Hotel were killed
before the Legionnaires reached them. They discovered several mass graves and mutilated
bodies. It was the first operational air assault for the French army since the opearations in
Suez and in Algeria.
Within two hours of the initial jump, the Legionnaires were in almost complete control of the
town. The second wave of aircrafts carrying the 4th company, the support company and the
rest of the HQ Company was ordered by Colonel Erulin to fly on to Lubumbashi to avoid a
night drop. Meanwhile on the ground the Legionnaires continued to patrol and engage the
enemy, killing many Tigers. It was the first time the FR-F1 sniper rifle saw action and it
proved very efficient.

The second wave dropped in during the early hours of 20 May, but there was little overall
fighting until the afternoon, when 4th company ran into heavy resistance near Metal Shaba.
The "Tigers" mounted an attack, but were stopped by support company's 81mm mortars and
89mm anti-tank rockets. The "Tigers" fled, leaving 80 KIAs.

From 22nd to 27th May the rebels regrouped in the towns around Kolwezi (Luilu, Kamoto,
Karat ...) but they were defeated and driven back across the border into Angola. The 2,000
Europeans were safe.
On 28 May, the regiment handed the city to a multi-national African force and on 4 June,
returned to Corsica. During the nine days operation, 2nd REP lost five men killed and twenty
wounded againt more than 250 losses for the rebels.

The 500 (1st wave) + 200 (2nd wave) French soldiers were dropped directly on the enemy
positions. They were only armed with MAT49 SMGs, MAS49/56 semi-auto rifles, FR-F1
sniper rifles, AA-52 LMGs and for the support a few 81mm mortars and 89mm AT rocket
launchers. The rebels were more numerous (4,000 men) and heavily armed ... facing soldiers
with AK-47 and FAL assault guns when you have only SMGs and rifles was probably not that
obvious. I guess it accelerated the deliveries of the FAMAS assault rifle which entered in
service on that time.

2nd REP KIAs :

Sergent-chef DANIEL
Caporal ARNOLD
Légionnaire CLÉMENT
Caporal HARTE
Caporal-chef ALLIOUI

2nd REP WIAs :

Sgt CABROL 2° Cie
C/C SENEKOVIC 2° Cie
Cpl OVACICK 2° Cie
Lég. SEEGER 2° Cie
Cpl PRUDENCE 4° Cie
Lég. SORAL 1° Cie
Lég. MARCO 1° Cie
Lég. GILBERT CCS
Cpl PAIN 1° Cie
Lég. RODRIGUEZ 3° Cie
Cpl DALLET 2° Cie
Lég. SVOBODA 3° Cie
Lég. FORESTIER 3° Cie
Cpl COURSON 3° Cie
Lt RAYMOND 2° Cie
Lég. DEMONT CEA
Cpl MUNOZ CAE
Lég. JAKOVIC 4° Cie
Lég. BECKER CEA
Cpl BAREDA 2° Cie

The "Tigers" losses against the French troops :

250 KIAs
2 AML-90 armored cars
4 recoilless guns
15 mortars
21 rocket launchers
10 HMGs
Links used for this synthesis (Have a look for a few PHOTOS) :
http://www.legion-etrangere.info/site/kolwesi.php
http://www.frenchforeignlegion.org/d...ta/dta108.html
http://delestraint.free.fr/kolwezi/kolwezi_histo.php3
http://www.legion-etrangere-parachut...om/kolwezi.php
http://www.specialoperations.com/Cou...sm/Kolwezi.htm
http://www.brushfirefilms.com/Kolwezi/pages/index1.html

Regards,

David
MASSACRE OF THE WHITES

The bodies lying in the sunshine outside a suburban garden gate are only four out of anything
up to 150. But this dreadful picture conveys the beginning of an idea of what it was like in
Kolwezi.

From that beginning, the shocked half-disbelieving words of survivors who landed in Brussels
yesterday pick up the story...

Freddie Wauters, a 40-year-old Belgian engineer saw the invading rebels sweep into his street
in the mining town. "They show everything that moved," he said. "They lined up Europeans,
stole their clothes, stood them naked and then shot them down."

"What can you call such people who shot their way into a Belgian woman's house in Kolwezi.
She was on the point of giving birth. They slit her belly open. The mother and the child died."

A 49-year-old Belgian woman whose husband, a mining engineer, is missing in Kolwezi said:
"They shot their way in and occupied my house for four days and nights until the French
arrived. For four days and nights I was raped by hordes of rebels."

An auburn haired Belgian girl in her early 20s staggered from the plane with a kitten in her
arms. She said: "This is all I have now. My husband is lost. I was raped eight times by the
beasts."

Harold Amsutz, an American pilot working for a missionary church, was still shaking as he
told his story among bandaged and tearful victims in an airport lounge which resembled a
refugee camp.

"Those men had one purpose - to kill the lot of us," he said.

For eight days he and his 44-year-old wife Elsie lay on the floor of their bungalow in Kolwezi
while the rebels strafed his street with machine-gunfire. They blasted holes in the wall six
inches above his body.

The ordeal began at 6 a.m. last Saturday week - May 13.

At first, they heard the gunfire getting closer and shells falling around the town.
"Then we heard the gunfire getting closer," said 49-year-old Mr Amstutz, of Portsmouth,
Viginia.

"Vehicles arrived in the street and suddenly a gun blasted our house.

"It was indiscriminate shooting. We locked the doors and went to an inside room, but it wasn't
far enough away.

"Bullets came through the window and through the walls of the house.

"Fighting killing was going on all over the place. Ten of my friends have been killed by these
men.

"They just went on the rampage. Firing went on for four hours at a stretch.

"They knew exactly what they were doing - they were killing ever goddam soul who moved.

"Anyone who resisted was shot. Even those in hiding were rooted out and executed.

"And any women they could get hold of, white or black, they raped.

"Four Europeans tried to make it to the airport but were just mown down. I saw bodies and
parts of their bodies lying all over the place."

Mr Amstutz siad that the rebels were well trained. "You could tell they weren't going to give
up - they've had training and help from somewhere else," he said.

Two Belgian nuns, Sister Richard and Sister Helena, said they suffered "the most dreadful of
violences" from the rebels who destroyed their medical centre in Kolwezi.

And one missonary said that the rebels raped dozens of women who were among the
Europeans sheltering in a college.

"The rebels burst in and took off the women, raped them and threw them out of their lorries in
the street," he said. "Men who tried to defend their womenfolk were mercilessly beaten with
rifle butts."

The first Britons to be flown out were Kevin Press, a 34-year-old engineer from Farnborough,
Hampshire, his 34-year-old wife, Anne, and their children, Brigid, 11, Martin, nine, and Paul,
six.

Mr Press, who had been Kolwezi for 17 months, was at home when the rebels launched their
bloody attempt to capture Zaire's mineral-rich Shara province from the regime of President
Mobutu.

When Mr Press heard gunfire, he barricaded the house and kept the family in a back room out
of sight.

He took the doors off the hinges and built a shelter for the family inside the house.
"Grenade splinters crashed through the walls," he said. "And Zaire Air Force jets began
bombing runs."

He and his wife kept the children happy with a Lego set and a jigsaw.

Mr Press told how the family listened to cricket commentaries on the radio when the terror
was at its height and the rebels took over the street. "Some people were taken out and never
came back." he said. "We were just lucky."

Foreign Secretary David Owen said yesterday that five Britons had died in the massacre. Two
British children who were earlier reported missing were rescued from Kolwezi by Belgian
troops.

The offical European death toll is now 150 but could be even higher. The rescue airlift
continues today and up to 2,000 evacuees will be flown out from Kinshasa the Zaire capital.

The French paratroopers, the first forces flown in to rescue the whites, have now wiped out
the rebel resistance in Kolwezi. French soldiers are also said to be pursuing rebels who have
taken 12 Europeans hostage.

Seems they had outside help :-

Quote

Some witnesses of the Kolwezi attack reported the presence of Spanish-speaking observers
who might have been Cubans. Jose Gomes Jardim, a Portuguese resident of Kolwezi, said he
had seen and heard four black men and one white speaking Spanish during the assault. "One
of them wanted to kill my family," Jardim said later, "but a Katangese commander said, 'No,
he is Portuguese. Don't kill him.' Whether they were Cubans or not I do not know."

[...]

Then came the uncovering of horrors. Most of the slaughtered Europeans had been killed in
clusters—including one group of 34 who were gunned down in a small room of a house
where they had taken refuge. Bodies were left lying in the streets for days. The Zaïre news
agency AZAP lamely tried to explain that "for purposes of identification and to facilitate the
work of the press and the Red Cross, all bodies have been left at the spot where they were
killed." As the stench became intolerable and the threat of a cholera epidemic grew, Red
Cross officials recruited local workers, provided them with masks, and set up burial crews.

Even as the graves were being dug, new bodies were found.

Several days after the fighting ended, one legionnaire patrol came across a group of 20
hysterical women and children on the outskirts of Kolwezi. Near by lay the bodies of their
men, killed by the retreating rebels.

Time Magazine, June 5th, 1978

Quote

An Eyewitness account

The house of death seemed so quiet.

Even Africa's ever-present crickets had fallen silent in the heavy stench of corruption that
hangs over Kolwezi's once-pleasant streets.

The house is small, pre-fabricated, white painted. Outside its open front door yesterday were
two corpses, both white men.

One wore a sweater with the words "Yale University" written on the chest.

They were surrounded by the personal contents of several looted suitcases: underwear, bits of
paper, a shirt, a child's doll.

As I walked toward the house I saw in the grass a tiny gold earring, a four-leaf clover with a
ball in the centre.

The pile of hundreds of gleaming brass cartridge cases should have warned me of what might
be inside, but there are thousands of cartridges scattered all over the streets and I paid no
special attention, and walked through the door and into a small room.

The body of a grey-haired man lay sprawled across the threshold. Farther in the room, corpses
lay tumbled over one another in a pile that was knee-deep.

One man had thrown a protective arm over a small girl. Others had their arms across their
faces.

In the corner sat a woman, held upright by the press of bodies.

She still had her fingers pressed to her ears and her mouth was wide open in a deathly, silent
scream of terror that showed she knew death was coming.

The French Foreign Legionnaire behind me swore softly. He was white and visibly trembling.
So was I.

Thirty four people died in that small room. Their killers stood on the lawn, a few yards away
and opened fire with machineguns through the window.

I talked to the Belgian paratroopers' chaplain at the airport among the refugees with the pets
and hastily packed possessions.

He was close to tears.

"What I have seen, what I have seen," he said in a despairing voice.

He had toured four streets of the town a few hours before.

The rebels opened the doors of white homes, tossed grenades inside and closed the doors.

"Then they went in and shot whoever was still alive," said the chaplain.

"Oh my God, it was awful to see those bodies."

French and Belgian legionnaires are still looking for Europeans, living or dead. Senior
officers reckoned about 150 Europeans died in Kolwezi, but the rebels took some French
people with them as hostages, possibly as many as 60, the officers said.

A woman at the airport said, "I pray to God they will be spared, but I fear they won't."

Almost every refugee now being airlifted to Kinshasa and Brussels has his account of
indiscriminate killing, looting, and rape by rebels who were often drunk or "high" on drugs.

It boggles the mind to think why would the Establishment (including the church) want to
keep importing these savages into Australia?, I'm sorry, but "savages" is the only way to
describe these beasts. I can only hope those missionaries who survived reconsider just who is
and who isn't part of the "brotherhood of man". Is what happened in Kolwezi what our own
government wants to happen here? . :furious_tb: :furious_tb: