Rolf Steiner
Encyclopedia
Rolf Steiner was a professional soldier of fortune
, born in Munich
, Bavaria on January 3, 1933. He rose to the level of Lt. Commander of the 4th Commando Brigade in the Biafra
n Army during the Nigerian Civil War
, and later served with the Anyanya
rebels in southern Sudan.
The son of a Protestant father and Catholic mother, Steiner's father had been decorated in the First World War as part of Manfred von Richthofen
's squadron.
Following the end of the Second World War, Steiner decided to study for the priesthood at the age of 16. His goal was to become a missionary for the church in Africa. Following an affair with a nun at the school, he decided that a more interesting life lay in the military, so joined the French Foreign Legion
at the age of 17, which maintained his goal of eventually going to Africa. His mother was so disappointed by his decision that she broke off contact with him. He enlisted in the Foreign Legion office in Offenburg, and was sent to Sidi-bel-Abbes in Algeria for training. Having first served in the First Paratrooper Unit in northern Viet Nam against the Viet Minh
, he was later posted to Algeria where he met his future wife Odette, a Pied-Noir
. The Legion hardened Steiner, and he was taken not only by the bravery but by the loyalty of his Russian, Hungarian, and French counterparts who, despite being adversaries only a few years before, were now steadfast comrades.
While fighting the FLN (Front de Libération Nationale)
uprising in Algeria, Steiner become active in the anti-De Gaulle
Organisation de l'armée secrète (OAS) through his wife. He was eventually arrested, sentenced to nine months in prison, and then released into civilian life.
In 1967, while living in Paris, he made contact with former colleague Roger Faulques, who was organizing a mercenary unit for the newly independent Republic of Biafra
. Steiner flew to Port Harcourt via Lisbon, Portugal and enlisted into the Biafran army as a company commander. Steiner had success in the field, and was given the responsibility of organizing the 4th Biafran Commando Brigade as a Lt. Colonel. The first three brigades actually didn't exist; the army created this bit of disinformation to confuse the Nigerian Federal forces. Steiner used a skull and crossbones as his regimental symbol, which he thought would constantly remind his troops of the risks inherent to war, rather than any reference to the pirates' Jolly Roger or the Nazi SS. Steiner found the Biafrans to be quick learners and highly motivated. On May 25, 1968, they led a successful mission against a Federal Nigerian air field in Enugu
, destroying six Russian-made bomber and fighter aircraft. Steiner, far from being a mercenary, fought for the Biafrans without pay, serving long after most other European soldiers of fortune had left the cause.
Steiner's guerilla warfare skills served the Biafran cause far better than the conventional warfare training most of the other commanders had received at Sandhurst. Unfortunately, following several confrontations with his Biafran colleagues, Steiner resigned from service, was then arrested, and expelled from the country in handcuffs.
Following his return to Europe, he learned through his contacts in charitable foundations of the plight of Christians in southern Sudan. He offered his services to Idi Amin
, then commander of the Ugandan Army, who was funding the Anyanya
rebel forces, and was dispatched to the war zone. There not only did he provide the Anyanya with military training, but helped to resolve internal bickering between the various southern tribes. He also used his agricultural and medical skills with civilians to improve their quality of life.
Deciding to return to Europe, Steiner stopped in Kampala, Uganda and unwittingly became involved in the power struggle between Amin and President Milton Obote
. When he refused to implicate his benefactor Amin in treason, Obote had him arrested and flown to Khartoum on January 8, 1971. He spent three years in prison, being tortured in the most savage ways imaginable, and was eventually sentenced to death by the Sudanese courts, which was commuted to twenty years on "humanitarian" grounds. It was only through pressure from the West German government that he was finally released from prison.
Steiner retired to Germany where he remarried and wrote his memoirs, The Last Adventurer, which was published in 1976. It is out of print but used copies are still available from major booksellers.
Mercenary
A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
, born in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Bavaria on January 3, 1933. He rose to the level of Lt. Commander of the 4th Commando Brigade in the Biafra
Biafra
Biafra, officially the Republic of Biafra, was a secessionist state in south-eastern Nigeria that existed from 30 May 1967 to 15 January 1970, taking its name from the Bight of Biafra . The inhabitants were mostly the Igbo people who led the secession due to economic, ethnic, cultural and religious...
n Army during the Nigerian Civil War
Nigerian Civil War
The Nigerian Civil War, also known as the Nigerian-Biafran War, 6 July 1967–15 January 1970, was a political conflict caused by the attempted secession of the southeastern provinces of Nigeria as the self-proclaimed Republic of Biafra...
, and later served with the Anyanya
Anyanya
The Anyanya were a southern Sudanese separatist rebel army formed during the First Sudanese Civil War . A separate movement that rose during the Second Sudanese Civil War were, in turn, called Anyanya II...
rebels in southern Sudan.
The son of a Protestant father and Catholic mother, Steiner's father had been decorated in the First World War as part of Manfred von Richthofen
Manfred von Richthofen
Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen , also widely known as the Red Baron, was a German fighter pilot with the Imperial German Army Air Service during World War I...
's squadron.
Following the end of the Second World War, Steiner decided to study for the priesthood at the age of 16. His goal was to become a missionary for the church in Africa. Following an affair with a nun at the school, he decided that a more interesting life lay in the military, so joined the French Foreign Legion
French Foreign Legion
The French Foreign Legion is a unique military service wing of the French Army established in 1831. The foreign legion was exclusively created for foreign nationals willing to serve in the French Armed Forces...
at the age of 17, which maintained his goal of eventually going to Africa. His mother was so disappointed by his decision that she broke off contact with him. He enlisted in the Foreign Legion office in Offenburg, and was sent to Sidi-bel-Abbes in Algeria for training. Having first served in the First Paratrooper Unit in northern Viet Nam against the Viet Minh
Viet Minh
Việt Minh was a national independence coalition formed at Pac Bo on May 19, 1941. The Việt Minh initially formed to seek independence for Vietnam from the French Empire. When the Japanese occupation began, the Việt Minh opposed Japan with support from the United States and the Republic of China...
, he was later posted to Algeria where he met his future wife Odette, a Pied-Noir
Pied-noir
Pied-Noir , plural Pieds-Noirs, pronounced , is a term referring to French citizens of various origins who lived in French Algeria before independence....
. The Legion hardened Steiner, and he was taken not only by the bravery but by the loyalty of his Russian, Hungarian, and French counterparts who, despite being adversaries only a few years before, were now steadfast comrades.
While fighting the FLN (Front de Libération Nationale)
National Liberation Front (Algeria)
The National Liberation Front is a socialist political party in Algeria. It was set up on November 1, 1954 as a merger of other smaller groups, to obtain independence for Algeria from France.- Anticolonial struggle :...
uprising in Algeria, Steiner become active in the anti-De Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
Organisation de l'armée secrète (OAS) through his wife. He was eventually arrested, sentenced to nine months in prison, and then released into civilian life.
In 1967, while living in Paris, he made contact with former colleague Roger Faulques, who was organizing a mercenary unit for the newly independent Republic of Biafra
Biafra
Biafra, officially the Republic of Biafra, was a secessionist state in south-eastern Nigeria that existed from 30 May 1967 to 15 January 1970, taking its name from the Bight of Biafra . The inhabitants were mostly the Igbo people who led the secession due to economic, ethnic, cultural and religious...
. Steiner flew to Port Harcourt via Lisbon, Portugal and enlisted into the Biafran army as a company commander. Steiner had success in the field, and was given the responsibility of organizing the 4th Biafran Commando Brigade as a Lt. Colonel. The first three brigades actually didn't exist; the army created this bit of disinformation to confuse the Nigerian Federal forces. Steiner used a skull and crossbones as his regimental symbol, which he thought would constantly remind his troops of the risks inherent to war, rather than any reference to the pirates' Jolly Roger or the Nazi SS. Steiner found the Biafrans to be quick learners and highly motivated. On May 25, 1968, they led a successful mission against a Federal Nigerian air field in Enugu
Enugu
Enugu is the capital of Enugu State in Nigeria. It is located in the southeastern area of Nigeria and is largely populated by members of the Igbo ethnic group. The city has a population of 722,664 according to the 2006 Nigerian census. The name Enugu is derived from the two Igbo words Enu Ugwu...
, destroying six Russian-made bomber and fighter aircraft. Steiner, far from being a mercenary, fought for the Biafrans without pay, serving long after most other European soldiers of fortune had left the cause.
Steiner's guerilla warfare skills served the Biafran cause far better than the conventional warfare training most of the other commanders had received at Sandhurst. Unfortunately, following several confrontations with his Biafran colleagues, Steiner resigned from service, was then arrested, and expelled from the country in handcuffs.
Following his return to Europe, he learned through his contacts in charitable foundations of the plight of Christians in southern Sudan. He offered his services to Idi Amin
Idi Amin
Idi Amin Dada was a military leader and President of Uganda from 1971 to 1979. Amin joined the British colonial regiment, the King's African Rifles in 1946. Eventually he held the rank of Major General in the post-colonial Ugandan Army and became its Commander before seizing power in the military...
, then commander of the Ugandan Army, who was funding the Anyanya
Anyanya
The Anyanya were a southern Sudanese separatist rebel army formed during the First Sudanese Civil War . A separate movement that rose during the Second Sudanese Civil War were, in turn, called Anyanya II...
rebel forces, and was dispatched to the war zone. There not only did he provide the Anyanya with military training, but helped to resolve internal bickering between the various southern tribes. He also used his agricultural and medical skills with civilians to improve their quality of life.
Deciding to return to Europe, Steiner stopped in Kampala, Uganda and unwittingly became involved in the power struggle between Amin and President Milton Obote
Milton Obote
Apolo Milton Obote , Prime Minister of Uganda from 1962 to 1966 and President of Uganda from 1966 to 1971, then again from 1980 to 1985. He was a Ugandan political leader who led Uganda towards independence from the British colonial administration in 1962.He was overthrown by Idi Amin in 1971, but...
. When he refused to implicate his benefactor Amin in treason, Obote had him arrested and flown to Khartoum on January 8, 1971. He spent three years in prison, being tortured in the most savage ways imaginable, and was eventually sentenced to death by the Sudanese courts, which was commuted to twenty years on "humanitarian" grounds. It was only through pressure from the West German government that he was finally released from prison.
Steiner retired to Germany where he remarried and wrote his memoirs, The Last Adventurer, which was published in 1976. It is out of print but used copies are still available from major booksellers.
Sources
- Steiner, Rolf The Last Adventurer (Boston: Little, Brown & Co., 1978), 275 pages.
- Mok, Michael, Biafra Journal (Time-Life Books, 1969), 95 pages
External links
- Remember Biafra Page http://www.myspace.com/rememberbiafra
- Rolf Steiner Indochina, Algerien, Biafra und der Sudan.(German)http://www.kriegsreisende.de/relikte/steiner.htm
- Rolf Steiner (French) :fr:Rolf Steiner
- SOUDAN: Rolf Steiner, Portrait d'un Mercenaire (French) http://www.chris-kutschera.com/Steiner.htm
- Die Irrfahrten, des Rolf Steiner Legionär ohne Legende (German) http://www.zeit.de/1976/30/legionaer-ohne-legende
- Men Who Would Be King http://www.comebackalive.com/df/military/kingclub.htm