6 Commando (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
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| 6 Commando ANC | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1964 - 1967 |
| Country |  Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Type | Mercenary |
| Size | 5 Company |
| Nickname | "les affreux" (Fr: the terrible ones)[1] |
| Commanders | |
| Commander | Lt.Col. Lamouline |
| Commander | Robert (Bob) Denard, until January 1963, and again from February 1965 |
6 Commando was a mercenary unit of the Armée Nationale Congolaise (the Congolese National Army) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo that trained as commando. It specialized in counterinsurgency, direct action behind enemy lines, irregular warfare, long-range penetration, special reconnaissance, and tracking the enemy to combat or gathering intelligence.
6 Commando was formed in August 1964[citation needed] from mercenaries originally recruited in France, Belgium and Italy for 5 Commando. They were initially under command of Lt. Col. Lamouline, a regular Belgian officer and subsequently led by French mercenary, Robert "Bob" Denard.[2] 6 Commando members are trained to be capable of commando equivalents, their abilities were no different from the previously established 4 Commando and 5 Commando.
6 Commando was organized into company sized units, each known as a "Choc" (French for "shock").[3] As at the time of the mercenary revolt in 1967, the 'Choc' or Company organization was:[4]
- 1 Company: Maj. Karl Couke (killed 1 August 1967) – stationed in Lebo
- 2 Company: Capt. Christian Laboudigue – stationed in Stanleyville
- 3 Company: Maj. Hubert Pinaton – stationed in Panga
- 4 Company: Capt Faugere – (11 July 1967 wounded and evacuated to Angola) – stationed in Aketi.
- 5 Company: Maj. Robert "Bob" Noddyn - stationed in Uvira
The Commando never exceeded 550 men[5] and was frequently plagued with troubles arising from the irregularity of pay. The fact that it was formed from a wide range of different nationalities exacerbated these problems that became visible in morale, discipline and effectiveness, to such an extent that at times (at Paulis in March 1965) it was in such disarray that it was in no position to deploy. [6]