Siege at Jadotville

The Irish Army’s Forgotten Battle

By: Declan Power

Narrated by: Gerard Doyle

Length: 6 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's Summary

The Irish soldier has never been a stranger to fighting the enemy with the odds stacked against him. The notion of charging into adversity has been a cherished part of Ireland's military history. In September 1961, another chapter should have been written into the annals, but it is a tale that lay shrouded in dust for years.

The men of A Company, 35th Irish Infantry Battalion, arrived in the Congo as a United Nations contingent to help keep the peace. For many it would be their first trip outside their native shores. Some of the troops were teenage boys, their army-issue hobnailed boots still unbroken. They had never heard a shot fired in anger. Others were experienced professional soldiers but were still not prepared for the action that was to take place.

Led by Commandant Pat Quinlan, A Company found themselves tasked with protecting the European population at Jadotville, a small mining town in the Southern Congolese province of Katanga. It fell to A Company to protect those who would later turn against them. On September 13, 1961, the bright morning air of Jadotville was shattered by the sound of automatic gunfire. The men of A Company found their morning mass parade interrupted, and within minutes they went from holding rosaries to rifles as they entered the world of combat. This was to be no Srebrenica; though cut off and surrounded, the men of Jadotville held their ground and fought. This is their story.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2016 Declan Power (P)2016 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Fitting tribute to those who fought.

Exhaustive and compelling - a thorough study of the events leading to and during the battle at Jadotville in The Congo in September 1961 with clear, polished, and well-paced reading.

Basic Historical Error

Said that the Russians put a man on the moon a month before the Irish troops deployed to Africa in May 1961. And claimed Yuri Gagarin was said man. While Gagarin was the first man in space, he was not, nor was any Soviet ever to land on the moon, and the Americans would only finally land a man on the moon in July of 1969. If an author of history can't get two of the most well known and important events of the 20th Century right, why should the rest of their claims of history be trusted?

Down the historical Rabbit hole

This book was amazing, and I am glad I gave it the listen. This had an interesting account that is tremendously frustrating to hear about. No matter who the soldier is, no government should brush them aside for standing so bravely. This book launched me into trying to look up history that I never knew about africa in the sixties and seventies. I highly reccomend this as a first step for anyone looking into military history. Stay strong Ireland.

Very Good Story & Narration. One serious gripe.

I really appreciated the story and the presenter. My gripe is about an early statement in it. Paraphrasing here:"The early colonial occupation of Congo by Belgium left it little-changed." All of several books and other documentary accounts I'm aware stress the exceptional brutality and greed with which Belgium's King Leopold II controlled Congo while he alone 'owned' it. The accounts are too gruesome to fathom. I think "little-changed" is an absurd comment & casts some skepticism on the author's accounts, which is an injustice if all the people & events are depicted in an essentially accurate way.

Amazing story poorly presented

This is a story that deserves to be heard, but I thought it could have been handled in a far more engaging way. Truly, the actual situation was horribly complicated, but I would have hoped the author could have written the events in a way that was both engaging and insightful. That was but the case.

Good listen

Excellent book and a great narration. Very interesting on a little known topic in history.

History of the brave Irish left to die by the UN

Typical of the UN and bureaucrats and career minded officers and politicians, sadly this story is just as real today as it was then or in year previous to the Jadotville seige. Posturing bozos maneuvering for political points send willing, brave warriors in to fight ill equipped, with poor intelligence, not knowing who the real enemy is (hint it is always the men in suits on both sides). They order the men to take a tactically inferior position, then fail to give these men on the ground a clear objective. No support is ever given when requested. the men make a noble stand but in the end after much miscommunication, no water or supplies, the CO realizes they have been left for dead and surrenders his unit to prevent their needless slaughter. For saving his soldier's lives the whole unit is black-balled as if the debacle were their fault. Only decades later are they receiving the recognition they deserve. The worst part of the whole mess, and I feel this is often the case in war, the actual warriors who fight, bleed and die, would likely have no issue with one another in a different situation, but the men in suits let their greed spill blood of better men. It was mentioned in another review of this book and it is true that the author states the Russians had placed men on the moon the year before this incident claiming one was Yuri Gagarin. This is completely false, obviously. Gagan was the first human in space but neither he, nor any Soviet Cosmonaut ever set foot on the moon. I am not sure what possessed the author to write such a whacky thing in this book, but I think it should not cast a poor light on what the Irish soldiers or the French and Belgian mercenaries, the African soldiers, or Gurkhas or any of the others who fought in this engagement did. All fought hard and did their jobs well. Their actions have been described in other books as well so should not be doubted simply because the author seems to have lost his marbles momentarily. Enjoy the book!

Unknown Hero's!

Great Book! Really enjoyed it. Great insight into a small bit of history that was covered up.

news to me, shocking as an Irish man.

it should be thought as Irish history. very good listen. enjoyed the film too. 5 thumbs up.

History rewritten and a cover up revealed!

Having recently viewed the Netflix release of this story I was propelled to discover more of this story. Being Irish I was curious as to the reasons behind the cover up of information regarding this event in history. This story is well written, not too complex or confusing in language. It is also clearly narrated. This audiobook is truly worth giving your time to listen and reflect upon its contents.

Siege at Jadoville

A thorough analysis of the issues concerning this action involving the Irish armies involvement in the UN’s Congo mission in 1961. The phrase ‘lions led by donkeys’ comes to mind.

Fantastic real tale of unknown Irish heroes

The most amazing part of this story is that it’s real. Describes beautifully how politicians and bureaucrats can mess up and expect warriors to fix their mess. Shameful hotel the Irish government and the army treated these men. A great story a great book and a great movie. Calling it the Irish Irish Roukes drift does not come close but it’s as close as I can get.

Excellent

Great telling of the men of A coy and cmdt Quinlan. And the Congo in that period.

Real hero's 🇮🇪

Best read of Irish soldiers treated like crap by Politicians . ..... Connor Cruz O'Brien was a disgrace to the country but was met out to be a hero.

well presented

I have read this book multiple times, decided to listen to it for a change. the story is bitter sweet to hear as with any other outcome I wouldn't be here to write this. my grandfather served in A comp and it is hard to hear what they had to endure from both friend and foe, on every occasion he can, he will mention how Comdt Quinlan saved their lives with his approach to digging in, how they defended themselves and deciding to hold off and not leave position to follow enemy. Great book and I'm sure I will read and listen many more times throughout my life.

well done.

This lays bare the incompetence of the UN and the never diminishing ability of those in command to find a lower rank to blame.

Yawnfest zzzzz Nothing like the film

I had high hopes for this but after a promising start the book descends into a history lesson and far to much political / strategy analysis.
I tried to hang on but I’m the end several chapters had gone by and I hadn’t a clue what was going on anymore.
If this was a sandwich it would be 99% bread and 1% filling.