Niemba
Encyclopedia
Niemba is a town in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Katanga Province
. It is situated on the Lukuga River, a tributary of the Lualaba river. The population is around 1,800. It is connected by rail to Kalemie
.
The Niemba Ambush took place on November 8, 1960. Ireland
had deployed Irish Army
troops as ONUC peacekeepers during the Congo Crisis
. On 8 November, an eleven-man Irish platoon was patrolling a nearby bridge over the Luweyeye River, where they were ambushed by Baluba tribesmen armed with bows and poison-tipped arrows, as well as some guns. The patrol was first hit with a wave of poison-tipped arrows. Some soldiers were wounded and bludgeoned to death, while others were hit and died minutes later. The Irish soldiers returned fire with their Gustav submachine guns
, Lee Enfield rifles and Bren light machine guns, causing casualties among the Baluba. The remaining Irish troops regrouped by a ridge but were surrounded, and continued to fire. All but two of the soldiers were killed, and the survivors escaped and were found by other UN troops the following day. The platoon commander, Lieutenant Kevin Gleeson from Carlow, was killed in the action along with Sgt. H. Gaynor, Cpl. P. Kelly, Cpl. L. Dougan, Pte. M. Farrell, Tpr. T. Fennell, Tpr. Anthony Browne, Pte. M. McGuinn and Pte. G. Killeen. Twenty-five Baluba tribesmen were also killed.
For his conduct during the ambush, 19 year old Tpr. Browne was posthumously awarded the Military Medal for Gallantry, Ireland's
highest military award. A stone commemorating
Lt. Gleeson can be found in Carlow
town.
Katanga Province
Katanga Province is one of the provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Between 1971 and 1997, its official name was Shaba Province. Under the new constitution, the province was to be replaced by four smaller provinces by February 2009; this did not actually take place.Katanga's regional...
. It is situated on the Lukuga River, a tributary of the Lualaba river. The population is around 1,800. It is connected by rail to Kalemie
Kalemie
Kalemie, formerly Albertville/Albertstad, is a town on the western shore of Lake Tanganyika in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The town is next to the exit of the Lukuga River flowing out from Lake Tanganyika to the Lualaba River....
.
Niemba Ambush
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
had deployed Irish Army
Irish Army
The Irish Army, officially named simply the Army is the main branch of the Defence Forces of Ireland. Approximately 8,500 men and women serve in the Irish Army, divided into three infantry Brigades...
troops as ONUC peacekeepers during the Congo Crisis
Congo Crisis
The Congo Crisis was a period of turmoil in the First Republic of the Congo that began with national independence from Belgium and ended with the seizing of power by Joseph Mobutu...
. On 8 November, an eleven-man Irish platoon was patrolling a nearby bridge over the Luweyeye River, where they were ambushed by Baluba tribesmen armed with bows and poison-tipped arrows, as well as some guns. The patrol was first hit with a wave of poison-tipped arrows. Some soldiers were wounded and bludgeoned to death, while others were hit and died minutes later. The Irish soldiers returned fire with their Gustav submachine guns
Carl Gustav M/45
Kulsprutepistol m/45 , also known as the Carl Gustav M/45 and the Swedish K SMG, is a 9 mm Swedish submachine gun designed by Gunnar Johnsson, adopted in 1945 , and manufactured at the Carl Gustafs Stads Gevärsfaktori in Eskilstuna, Sweden. The m/45 was the standard submachine gun of the...
, Lee Enfield rifles and Bren light machine guns, causing casualties among the Baluba. The remaining Irish troops regrouped by a ridge but were surrounded, and continued to fire. All but two of the soldiers were killed, and the survivors escaped and were found by other UN troops the following day. The platoon commander, Lieutenant Kevin Gleeson from Carlow, was killed in the action along with Sgt. H. Gaynor, Cpl. P. Kelly, Cpl. L. Dougan, Pte. M. Farrell, Tpr. T. Fennell, Tpr. Anthony Browne, Pte. M. McGuinn and Pte. G. Killeen. Twenty-five Baluba tribesmen were also killed.
For his conduct during the ambush, 19 year old Tpr. Browne was posthumously awarded the Military Medal for Gallantry, Ireland's
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
highest military award. A stone commemorating
Memorial
A memorial is an object which serves as a focus for memory of something, usually a person or an event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects or art objects such as sculptures, statues or fountains, and even entire parks....
Lt. Gleeson can be found in Carlow
Carlow
Carlow is the county town of County Carlow in Ireland. It is situated in the south-east of Ireland, 84 km from Dublin. County Carlow is the second smallest county in Ireland by area, however Carlow Town is the 14th largest urban area in Ireland by population according to the 2006 census. The...
town.