The SEIGE of JADOTVILLE on Netflix

[Griff Murphey]

This is a new movie which had a brief cinematic run in Ireland and became available October 7th on Netflix.
The movie is about the 1961 intervention of peacekeeper forces in the Congo, specifically about 155 Irishmen deployed as Company A. Regrettably Indian peacekeepers carried out a massacre at the Katanga radio station which provoked Moise Tshombe into calling DeGaulle. In hopes of keeping the French owned mines from being nationalized, DeGaulle provided ex-Legionairre mercs to lead Tshombe's army which was also joined by many Belgian Settlers. Eventually over 2,000 men attacked the Irish, supported by a Fouga Magister jet trainer outfitted to carry bombs. The Irish troops killed at least 300 and wounded a further 900.
It's a good movie, reasonably realistic. The best weapon the Irish had was a sniper with his No. 4 T. The unit used about 50/50 SLRs and No. 4s. Also Brens, Vickers, Swedish Ks and a couple of 60mm mortars. Despite being hung out to dry by incompetent UN and Irish military leadership, the Irish gave a good account of themselves. In the deteriorating situation, UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold was killed when his DC-6 went down; the film suggests he was shot down by a fighter of unknown origin. It's an interesting period of history, now largely forgotten.
The unit's last ditch weapon was big improvised Claymores using fired brass as the projectiles. Despite extreme heroism and perhaps unexpected professionalism, considering the total lack of prior combat experience, they never received proper credit even in Ireland. No medals, no mention. They fired away every round and were still accused of cowardice by the REMFs back in Eire.
In 2005 the "JADOTVILLE JACKS" were finally honored by the Irish government.

[PhillipM]

It was a great movie. I was surprised the weapons were so correct for the period.

[p246]

Loved the movie and had read about it before so I looked forward to the movie and watched it the day it was released. Little motion picture BS when the sniper used a Bren as a single shot to snipe the mine boss when his 4T was right there. Like the fact both the SLR and No 4s were presented correctly. Saw the opposition with metric pattern FALs Mausers and Lee Enfields. In reality the Irish had two Ford armored trucks with Vickers. The movie showed all open tops vehicles with mounted vickers, close enough. Did anyone also think the unknown aircraft in the movie that shot down the D.C. 6 was an F4 or was it just me.

[PhillipM]

I thought it was the same V tail trainer used to strafe the Irish. I'll have to watch it again.

[Griff Murphey]

I thought it was the same V tail trainer used to strafe the Irish. I'll have to watch it again.

Definite F-4 painted sand overall. The only country with them in 1961 was us afaik maybe the Royal Navy?
So... Wrong. Probably just cgi'd anyway.

And....
I started to mention that long range shot single loading the Bren. The only thing I can say about that is you could build a BS case for it as the guy may NOT have had confidence in his hold over with the 32 scope as adding elevation is dicey, plus the post would have covered up the target if holding over, and we could postulate he had more confidence in the tangent sight on the Bren with its little optic.... Plus the fat bastard was wearing a white suit, nice aiming point for irons....

Also noticed on more than one occasion he was aiming in with the sling dangling. A competent rifleman will always grasp the forend and pull the sling to the rear to minimize the swing that dangling sling will impart.

[PhillipM]

Who was the guy in the white suit? I had a hard time understanding the Irish accent and my setup won't do closed captioning.

[Griff Murphey]

Who was the guy in the white suit? I had a hard time understanding the Irish accent and my setup won't do closed captioning.

He was never identified but was clearly directing the attack. The fact that the mercs abandoned the attack the second he was hit told me he was either a mineowner or French gov't representative .

[p246]

I have the book Siege of Jadotville released in early 2000s. Some of my comparisons are based on the book versus movie, hence me being suspect of the Bren thing. The Mercs also had a 75mm field gun which the Irish knocked out via 60 mm mortar tube, no small feat. I think the Mercs got a little too close with their howitzer. I need to watch the movie again and see if they show the field gun or just the 81mm tubes. Regardless very good work by 155 undersupported men. Plus it goes to show you the UN was just as messed up in 61 as it is in 2016. Politicians were also just as big of crooks, hence naming the unit the Jadotville Jacks and shaming them for years because they surrendered. Ah, you hung them out they fought till the ammo was gone and you couldn't re supply them. No bullets no water no fight.

[Ken The Kanuck]

This is a new movie which had a brief cinematic run in Ireland and became available October 7th on Netflix.
The movie is about the 1961 intervention of peacekeeper forces in the Congo, specifically about 155 Irishmen deployed as Company A. Regrettably Indian peacekeepers carried out a massacre at the Katanga radio station which provoked Moise Tshombe into calling DeGaulle. In hopes of keeping the French owned mines from being nationalized, DeGaulle provided ex-Legionairre mercs to lead Tshombe's army which was also joined by many Belgian Settlers. Eventually over 2,000 men attacked the Irish, supported by a Fouga Magister jet trainer outfitted to carry bombs. The Irish troops killed at least 300 and wounded a further 900.
It's a good movie, reasonably realistic. The best weapon the Irish had was a sniper with his No. 4 T. The unit used about 50/50 SLRs and No. 4s. Also Brens, Vickers, Swedish Ks and a couple of 60mm mortars. Despite being hung out to dry by incompetent UN and Irish military leadership, the Irish gave a good account of themselves. In the deteriorating situation, UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold was killed when his DC-6 went down; the film suggests he was shot down by a fighter of unknown origin. It's an interesting period of history, now largely forgotten.
The unit's last ditch weapon was big improvised Claymores using fired brass as the projectiles. Despite extreme heroism and perhaps unexpected professionalism, considering the total lack of prior combat experience, they never received proper credit even in Ireland. No medals, no mention. They fired away every round and were still accused of cowardice by the REMFs back in Eire.
In 2005 the "JADOTVILLE JACKS" were finally honored by the Irish government.

Thanks we watched the movie today and enjoyed it.

KTK

[Dienekes]

My son put me onto the movie last week; so I watched it on his TV and drank his beer. Excellent movie.

Seeing the F-4 behind the DC-6 gave me a start, though...

[Clark Howard]

Another sterling performance by our friends, the French. The muz are about to hand them their a$$es in their own back yard.

[Art]

I saw this last nite and enjoyed it. Equipment went from very authentic to questionable. The F4 behind Hamerskjold's plane has already been mentioned. To make up for that, the bad guys were supported by a Fouga CM170 Magister armed jet trainer and sure enough, there was a CM 170 supporting the evil Katangans.

That the bad guys had mixed weapons is not unusual, I can't imagine the Irish having a mix of No 4 Enfields and FALs but I guess it is possible. Complaints about it being a WW II weapon aside, that was exactly the right situation for a couple of Vickers guns. The silliest thing was the sniper giving up his No4 sniper rifle to shoot the civilian bad guy with a Bren gun with iron sights. Had to have a Hathcock moment I guess. Also, like Jackson in "Saving Private Ryan" the Irish sniper was left handed...maybe that's a trendy thing now :evil6:.

On the "mercs" These guys were French Government contractors in the movie (whether they were in real life who knows.) If that's the case "Big Charlie" was ahead of his time. Today "contractors" (ex servicemen in the employ of their country as civilian combatants) are common, I understand we actually have more of them than regular military in Afghanistan now. The give a country "plausible deniability" when needed and if they're killed it doesn't carry the same political baggage as when a regular soldier is. The Rooskies had a bunch of their contractors shot up when they were in the wrong place at the wrong time in Syria not too long ago.

I checked on the casualties, the contractors/mercenaries and the militia suffered almost 1,400 dead and wounded for a cost of about a half a dozen wounded Irishmen. Remarkable that with all that lead flying around none of those Irish boys were killed.