20-28mm Wargames

The Siege at Jadotville: The Irish Army's Forgotten Battle, by Declan Power

A Company's position and defenses:

Page 132-133

A Company were located in offices and villas surrounding the Purfina garage on the outskirts of Jadotville.  Lt. Joe Leech, commander of the first platoon described the area:

"A single story villa and out offices.  Civilians occupied the houses on both sides of these buildings and directly across the road was a vacant space, one unoccupied villa with an overgrown garden.  Behind the billets was a mixed bush and elephant grass area; slog on for some 500 meters to a dry stream bed at the bottom of the valley."

A company attempted to burn the grass to provide no cover to an advancing enemy, but failed to do so.

Commandant Quinlan's company's position was not of his choosing and was ordered by his UN superiors.  The officers of A Company would assert that they were ordered to take up those positions (the same positions that the previous UN troops had occupied), and in the after action assessment, Quinlan was criticized by Indian Major General Indar Jit Rikhye (military advisor to the General Secretary of the UN) claiming Quinlan had taken up position "as a matter of convenience and for quick access to the European quarters, in doing so he had ignored tactical considerations . . ."

Lufira Bridge:

Two days after arriving in Jadotville, the Lufira bridge (18 miles from Jadotville) that connected A Company with Elizabethville was blocked by the Katangan Gendarmerie, and Quinlan was cut off from supplies and reinforcements; realizing that his men were isolated and exposed, Quinlan ordered trenches to be dug in preparation of being attacked by a continuously provocative European and Katangan community.

Quinlan ordered the construction of defensive positions to be quietly carried out so as not to provoke the local community, but the Irish were being watched.  Quinlan had platoon leaders create a defensive position that included positioning the two Ford Armored Cars, the Gustav AT guns, the 60mm mortars, MMGs, and Bren guns.

Heroes of Jadotville: The Soldiers' Story, by Rose Doyle.

Trench Defenses:

Doyle states: "The trenches, five feet deep in the dry African soil, were what saved them (A Company).  The trenches and the defensive tactics [of Quinlan] and their [the soldiers] own bloody-minded courage." (3)

Captain Donnelly, commanding the support platoon, remembers Quinlan saying, "We've a problem here.  We'd better be prepared."  Quinlan ordered trenches to be dug immediately. (4)

Cook/Corporal Bobby Allan believed that the trenches saved lives and made the difference when under fire from small arms, artillery, and strafing, "We'd been slaughtered if it wasn't for them" [the trenches].

Having been cut off from reinforcements and surrounded, Quinlan had his men dig more trenches at night.  

A Company's position at Jadotville:

"Their [A Company's] position, on the edge of Jadotville, was exposed, unsuitable, and chosen for them by UN Procurement officers.  The trio of villas (bungalow-style houses) they had been allocated, along with HQ rooms over a garage called Purfina, were enclosed by dense bush, elephant grass, low buildings, ant hills and 3,000 heavily armed Katangan Gendarmerie soldiers.  The Gendarmerie were led by mercenary officers, most of them ex French paratroopers, others ex Belgian Army." (5)

Weapons:

Four WWI Vicker MMGs, 60mm mortars, a few 84mm Gustav anti tank guns, and because A company had only one truck, they had left behind their 81mm mortars, extra food rations, and had no barbed wire or flares.  The troops had no steel helmets, only UN plastic helmets and no flack jackets. (5)

The Lufira bridge:

Quinlan believed that the key to the whole of Katanga was the Lufira bridge.  On September 9, he requested that battalion HQ in Elizabethville send troops to take and hold the Lufira bridge.  Quinlan stated: "If I had known [about Operation Morthor] I would have taken Lufira that morning and all would have been over in Katanga because they had 90% of their forces on my side of the bridge . . . ." (29)

A Company's Defensive Positions:

Quinlan's attention to detail was laid out in his defense locations.

No. 1 Platoon on the right side of the road with elements of the Company HQ --the mounted machine gun section in No. 1 Platoon location to cover the main road to Jadotville and the bush area, and another road leading around our position to Lufira.  We had observation on this road at two points at 1250 and 1500 yards.

No. 2 Platoon on the left of the road facing Jadotville.

The Ford Armored Cars provided fire support to any threatened areas.  Troops cut tracks through bushes to allow the Fords to move into position.

Two high buildings [the Purfina Garage and a strategically placed villa called the "Red House"] gave good observation over the area and were occupied with two light automatic teams in each.  Sgt. Prendergast and 15 men from the Company HQ occupied the villa.

Two 84mm anti tank guns were situated covering the main road, one towards Jadotville and one towards Elisabethville.  The third [84mm] was in mobile reserve. (43-44)