Customer Reviews

Congo Mercenary

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This review has two parts: comments on the story told by the book, and then comments about the book itself.

First, the story. This is Colonel Hoare's personal account of his service in the Congo as a mercenary, helping the Congolese government put down a communist-backed revolt. Colonel Hoare is a good author, and his retelling of the events makes for a very fascinating read. This book may challenge any preconceptions you have about mercenaries and their use, and give you some insights into the mind of a mercenary commander. It documents the struggles he had getting his mercenary group (5 Commando) organized and trained, and of course their many experiences through 18 months of service, including heart-wrenching accounts of the atrocities inflicted by the rebels on the European (mostly Belgian) residents.

This is better than any adventure novel--it really happened. If you are a student of military history, African history, or just like reading these types of stories, I highly recommend this book.

Now for the book itself (e.g. the paper, binding, print quality, etc.). This is advertised as a reprint. To be more specific, this appears to be a reprint that was made by scanning an earlier printing and then reprinting it. The text is very readable, but is not "clean", like you would expect from a typeset edition. If you've ever scanned a B/W document (at 300 DPI, say) and printed it on your laser or inkjet printer, you'll get the idea. It's readable, but not perfect. This has two downsides: first, sometimes the text shows flaws in places where the scanning was imperfect (the scanning head moved slightly or some such thing). Second, the pictures look like they were printed at very high resolution on a laser printer, and are not the high quality photos that appeared in earlier editions of this book.

I found this to be disappointing--thirty dollars isn't cheap. I have hardcover books (good ones) that cost less than this book, and for the price I would have hoped that more care and attention would be put into its preparation. Scanning, followed by the use of OCR software and several rounds of proofreading would have resulted in a boot with much better print quality. This may have something to do with the fact that Paladin Press is a small publishing house, and so they may not have the resources to dedicate to making a better-quality reprint. That, or they chose not to use them.

I would describe this book as a trade paperback. The quality of the paper and binding seem to be on par with other books of this type that I own. Take care of the book, and it should last a while, I would imagine.

So, is the book worth the $30 (plus shipping and tax)? If you really want a book by Colonel Hoare, you don't have much of a choice, as earlier editions of his books are much in demand and very expensive. Personally, I'm satisfied with it.

First of all, the edition of the book I read is an older one, but I assume the newer edition is pretty similar. In "Congo Mercenary", Col. Mike Hoare vividly and effectively recounts his mercenary exploits in the dark years of 1964-1965. His penmanship is quite good and the book comes with some extras including a short essay on leadership, maps, a brief summary of the Congo Crisis leading up to the events, and photographs ranging to rescued hostages to an amphibious landing (there are some brutal images as well such as the bodies of Catholic priests murdered by the Simbas and the bloated corpse of a dead rebel laying on the ruins of a Simba monument in Stanleyville).

As to the book itself, it blows the fictional "Heart of Darkness" out of the water. Early on readers see Hoare arrive as a lone passanger on a plane into a country decending into chaos. Communist-backed Simba rebels are rampaging, looting, killing, and raping across sizable portions of the Congo. The Congo government is suffering from political intrigues that will eventually bring Mobutu to power by the end of the book. Hoare and some others realize something must be done so they form a force of mercenaries called 5 Commando to crush the Simbas and rescue hostages (and get a sizable pay check of course).

The book flows through scenes of humor and tragedy. It also tries to bring to life warfare in the Congo ranging from holding the line against drugged teenage rebels with antiquidated weapons to being on a gunboat caught in a storm on a large African lake. And then there are the columns of trucks, jeeps, and armored cars driving at breakneck speed down jungle roads shooting their way out of one ambush after another. As the book progresses, the rebels generally become more skilled and employ heavy machine guns, mortars, mines, 76 mm guns and AK-47s. Cuban and Ugandan advisors also begin assisting them and making thing a little tougher for the mercenaries who nevertheless still usually dominate the battlefield with some help from exiled Cuban pilots.

Not only is this a story of adventure and politics, but it is surprisingly an often disturbing and touching story of the human heart. Hoare planely admits to allowing his mercenaries to use torture in a few cases to gain vital information if he thinks it will protect his soldiers or help save hostages and he admits some of his character flaws. That said, the mercenaries do a considerable amount of good and liberate many European, American, and Congolese hostages. The Congolese soldiers and in particular the Simba rebels show a disturbing level of cruelty. The rebels make liberal use of cruelty ranging from severing limbs to rape to impalement to in some cases cannabalism. Missionaries, nuns, and priests are victimized in particular. Needless to say, captured rebels are often shown little quarter by government troops.

This book contains seens that may remain with the reader. Perhaps it is will be the humor of Hoare getting kicked by his wife under the table while talking to a pretty lady or perhaps it is the sad scene of a mother and her children acidentally being shot by a mercenary thinking they were rebels. Perhaps readers will remember Hoare naming his newborn son after one of his killed soldiers. There are stories here ranging from a reporter who thought this assignment would be his last in the Congo (it tragically was) to the group of lepers who protected a nun during the fighting. There are the images of a mercenary standing in the ruins of his childhood home and of the eight year old boy dying from rebel-inflicted wounds who nevertheless managed to touch the hearts of his rescuers with his bravery. There is the story of the wounded woman weakly asking Hoare why God allowed her family to be murdered by the rebels and the story of a murdered Catholic priest whos last words asked God to forgive the Simbas who tortured him. Overall what I expected to be an interesting story of adventure, brutal warfare, and historical significance also turned into a very human tale of the best and worst qualities within the human race.

As a person interested in history, the book was fascinating. As a Christian, I was touched by the stories of martyrs and acts of kindness. As a human, I was disturbed by the epic tragedy that war brings. Overall, a fascinating book that surpasses Conrad's tale of the Congo. I recommend it but caution readers that it is both controversial in places and is very violent at times.

If you want to know what was really going on in the Congo in the sixties buy this book now. i have read a lot of books on mercs & i like this one the best. worth the read in my mind.

To make it short, I would say that if the life of a mercenary soldier interests you, you will like this book. If that subject never held your interest and you are just looking for something to read, you will probably be bored.

But in any case, I enjoyed reading the book even though the subject really only had limited appeal to me.

However, the poor reprint quality will probably make you question the high price.

I lived in southern africa in the early 1970s and met a number of the mercenaries who fought in the Congo with Col. Hoare. Mr. Hoare's short book is very informative and is recommended for those adventurous souls who missed this action.

This is a great book for those interested in mercenary war in Africa, which has long been one of my interests.

If you liked the movie "Dogs of War" for example, this might be a book you would like.

I also liked books by authors such as J.F.C. Fuller and Deneys Reitz on various earlier wars in Africa. "Congo Mercenary" gives a more modern example that helps fill out the picture, and gave me some factual details filling in gaps in my historical knowledge.

Congo Mercenary is a good start on learning about mercenary life. The author gives us aa positive view of the soldier for hire. His pride in his military correctness is refreshing. As an officer, he insists on proper military dress and decorum. The material is ample, though not always significant; the descriptions are set-pieces, but a welcome break from the galloping narrative. A lot is said that could have been left unsaid, and much is not said that would have been interesting. Nevertheless, it did hold my attention because it was about a far away place at a time when I worked at the U.N., knew about the conflict, and had to deal with unruly Congolese delegates.

Great Book! Best of the Mike Hoare books in my opinion but the rest are great too. Gives a clear picture of what was going on in Congo in the 60's. Couldn't put it down.

I read this book as a teenager in the late 70's and it obviously influenced me greatly (I remember I loaned my paperback copy to my brother-in-law to be and he lost it and I was upset as it was impossible to find it in the bookstores). Several vignettes stand out in my memory of the book (which I have since replaced and sits alongside all of Hoare's other books) -- the vote on punishment for a mercenary guilty of rape (one of the officers votes to have his thumbs cut off) and another about Hoare showing up with a typewriter to lead a mercenary force for the Congolese government. That was the mark of a professional in that era ... showing up with a typewriter as he knew he'd need it desperately. And going through the ranks and summarily dismissing some of the drunks and vagabonds who'd been recruited in South Africa.

Highly recommended for history of the era of soldiers of fortune in Africa...

Author of SAVE THE LAST BULLET FOR YOURSELF: A Soldier of Fortune in the Balkans and Somalia

This book is very well written and tells you exactly what went on behind the scenes. I know - I was there.