Rudyard Kipling"
“When you're left wounded on Afganistan's plains and
the women come out to cut up what remains, Just roll to your rifle
and blow out your brains,
And go to your God like a soldier”
General Douglas MacArthur"
“We are not retreating. We are advancing in another direction.”
“It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it.” “Old soldiers never die; they just fade away.
“The soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and be the deepest wounds and scars of war.”
“May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't .” “The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.
“Nobody ever defended, there is only attack and attack and attack some more.
“It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.
The Soldier stood and faced God
Which must always come to pass
He hoped his shoes were shining
Just as bright as his brass
"Step forward you Soldier,
How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To My Church have you been true?"
"No, Lord, I guess I ain't
Because those of us who carry guns
Can't always be a saint."
I've had to work on Sundays
And at times my talk was tough,
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.
But, I never took a penny
That wasn't mine to keep.
Though I worked a lot of overtime
When the bills got just too steep,
The Soldier squared his shoulders and said
And I never passed a cry for help
Though at times I shook with fear,
And sometimes, God forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.
I know I don't deserve a place
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around
Except to calm their fears.
If you've a place for me here,
Lord, It needn't be so grand,
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand."
There was silence all around the throne
Where the saints had often trod
As the Soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.
"Step forward now, you Soldier,
You've borne your burden well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell."
THE LOOMING BATTLE OF NYUNZU by Lieutenant Colonel Tan Siew Soo (Retired) Royal Malaysian Armour
Monday, August 09, 2021
Lt Col Bruno Ungku Nazaruddin, second from the left in Kindu during his morning inspection round. Capt Zakaria Dahlan (IO) on the right and the interpreter on the left.
The article is my tribute to my then Commanding Officer, Lt Col (Bruno) Ungku Nazaruddin Ungku Mohamad. At the end of the writing I mentioned Ungku Nazaruddin retired a Lieut General as Chief of the General Staff (now Chief of the Army). I was not aware until very recently he was promoted to a 4 star General on retirement prior to taking up the post of Ambassador at The Hague.
Nyunzu a strategic town was located about half way along the Albertville-Kabalo route in Northern Katanga. Situated at a T-Junction the northern exit led to Kongolo, the east to Albertville and the west to Kabalo.
Northern Katanga, a sub province of Katanga was itself about the size of Peninsular Malaysia. The inhabitants here were the Baluba who were openly hostile and defiant of Tshombe, the ruler of Katanga. Geographically the region belonged to Katanga but politically the Baluba belonged to the Balubakat Cartel, a party allied to Lumumba's MNC Party.
The strategically important region whose commercial and economic life centred around CFL (Chemin de Fer des Grands Lacs), the great rail and port conglomerate with Belgians, French and British interests .A very important line of communication comprising the CFL railway line with a parallel road ran from the river port of Kabalo in the west to Albertville (now Kalemie) in the east by the western shores of Lake Tanganyika.
Under an agreement between Tshombe and ONUC in October 1960, Northern Katanga was declared a neutral zone whereby the area had neither Katangese soldiers nor the Central government army. Only ONUC were permitted to deploy troops in this wild and anarchic region. An Ethiopian and an Irish battalion were deployed at Kabalo and Albertville respectively. The agreement was broken when Congolese troops belonging to the Stanleyville faction marched south and captured the mining town of Manono in Northern Katanga.
With that invasion Tshombe declared the agreement with ONUC null and void. During February and March 1961, Tshombe despatched his troops and mercenaries to recapture Manono. Not only that, he also occupied Nyunzu and Kongolo. He then despatched his mercenaries to capture Kabalo defended by the Ethiopian.It was a complete rout for Tshombe's mercenaries .Sailing up the Lualaba (the Congo river at this point is called Lualaba) the mercenaries met stiff opposition. A lucky mortar round by the Ethiopians hit the boiler of the river boat resulting in some mercenaries drowning and the rest captured.
After this incident ONUC decided it must assert its physical presence along the line of communication Kabalo-Nyunzu-Albertville. Nyunzu was the only location without ONUC troops. A MSF Battle Group consisting of A, B and C Coys 4 R Malay and C Sqn 2 Recce was ordered by higher command at ONUC to move from Kindu to Kabalo and there advance to occupy Nyunzu. D Coy remained at Kindu airport. This Battle Group was faced with a looming battle ahead, it was on a collision course with Tshombe forces.
Earlier, Tshombe had announced to the world he did not want any ONUC troops in Nyunzu and any move into the town would be resisted by force. We knew he had troops including mercenaries in Nyunzu but due to poor intelligence we were not sure of the exact strength. It was this unknown factor that caused much anxiety.
