Mad Mike Hoare facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mad Mike Hoare
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Mike Hoare, June 2018
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| Birth name | Thomas Michael Hoare |
| Born | 17 March 1919 Calcutta, British India |
| Died | 2 February 2020 (aged 100) Durban, South Africa |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom (Second World War-era) |
| Branch | British Army |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Unit | London Irish Rifles |
| Wars | |
| Spouse(s) |
Elizabeth Stott
(m. 1945; div. 1961)Phyllis Sims
(m. 1961) |
| Children | 5 |
| Mercenary career | |
| Nickname(s) | "Mad Mike" |
| Allegiance |
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| Battles |
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Thomas Michael Hoare (born March 17, 1919 – died February 2, 2020), known as Mad Mike Hoare, was a British soldier. He was known for leading groups of mercenaries (soldiers who fight for money) in Africa. He played a role in the Simba rebellion in the Congo and later tried to lead a coup d'état (a sudden takeover of a government) in the Seychelles.
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Early Life and Military Service
Mike Hoare was born in Calcutta, India. His parents were from Ireland. When he was eight, he went to school in England. He trained to be an accountant. Since he couldn't go to a military academy, he joined the Army Reserve.
When the Second World War began, Hoare joined the London Irish Rifles. He later became an officer in the Royal Armoured Corps. He fought in battles in Burma and India. He was promoted to the rank of major. In 1945, he married Elizabeth Stott and they had three children.
After the war, he finished his accounting training. But life in London felt boring to him. He decided to move to Durban, South Africa. There, he started a safari business. He also became a soldier-for-hire in different African countries. Hoare was always looking for adventure. He once rode a motorcycle from Cape Town to Cairo. By the early 1960s, he wanted to be a soldier again. This led him to become a mercenary.
Congo Crisis (1961–1965)
Mike Hoare led two different groups of mercenaries during the Congo Crisis. This was a time when the Republic of the Congo was facing many challenges after gaining independence.
Fighting in Katanga
Hoare's first mercenary job was in 1961. He went to Katanga, a region that wanted to break away from the Congo. His group was called "4 Commando." Hoare enjoyed the excitement of being a soldier. He believed that a strong, disciplined force was needed in war.
During this time, he married Phyllis Sims, who was an airline stewardess.
The Simba Rebellion
In 1964, the Congolese Prime Minister, Moïse Tshombe, hired Hoare again. Hoare was asked to lead a military unit called 5 Commando. This group had about 300 men, mostly from South Africa. Their mission was to fight a rebellion known as the Simba rebellion. The Simbas were rebels who were causing trouble in the country.
To find soldiers, Hoare put ads in newspapers. He looked for strong, fit white men who liked fighting and adventure. Even though the British press called him "Mad Mike," Hoare was a very strict leader. He made sure his men were always clean and well-behaved. They had to keep their hair short and attend church. The 5 Commando group included men from South Africa, Rhodesia, Britain, Belgium, and Germany.
Hoare told the press that his men were not just mercenaries. He said they were "volunteers" fighting against Communism in the Congo. The men of 5 Commando were paid well. Hoare always said he fought for "glory" and that money was not important to him. He chose a flying goose as the symbol for 5 Commando. He called his men the "Wild Geese," after famous Irish soldiers from history. Hoare was known for being calm and brave in battle. He led from the front to inspire his men.
Hoare led his men quickly through the country. They used aircraft for support and even took over boats to travel up the Congo River. Their goal was to rescue people held hostage by the Simbas. The Simbas were not as well-trained or armed as 5 Commando. Because of this, Hoare's disciplined force was very effective against them.
Later, Hoare and his mercenaries worked with Belgian soldiers and pilots hired by the CIA. They worked together to save 1,600 civilians in Stanleyville (now Kisangani, Congo). This mission was called Operation Dragon Rouge. It saved many lives. Hoare and 5 Commando are believed to have saved about 2,000 Europeans who were held hostage. This made him famous around the world.
Hoare was promoted to lieutenant-colonel in the Congolese army. He commanded 5 Commando from July 1964 to November 1965. He later said that 5 Commando had defeated many Simba rebels. He also claimed to be the first person to defeat the famous revolutionary, Ernesto "Che" Guevara, who had advised the Simbas.
Hoare wrote a book about his time in the Congo called Congo Mercenary. His adventures helped make the idea of mercenaries seem exciting in books and magazines.
The Wild Geese Film
In the mid-1970s, Mike Hoare worked as an adviser for the movie The Wild Geese. This film was about a group of mercenaries hired to rescue a deposed African president. The main character, "Colonel Allen Faulkner," played by Richard Burton, was based on Hoare. Some of the actors in the film had even served as mercenaries under Hoare.
Hoare said that The Wild Geese showed what mercenary life in Africa was really like. He believed the film captured the spirit of soldiers who chose to fight because they wanted to.
Seychelles Event (1981)
Background
In 1978, some people from the Seychelles who were living in South Africa wanted to overthrow their new president, France-Albert René. They talked to the South African government about a coup d'état. The United States was also interested in this plan because of concerns about its military base on Diego Garcia island.
Planning the Mission
Friends of the former Seychelles president contacted Hoare. He was living in South Africa as a civilian at the time. Hoare put together a team of about 55 men. These men included former South African and Rhodesian soldiers, and other mercenaries who had fought in the Congo.
In November 1981, Hoare called his group "Ye Ancient Order of Froth Blowers" (AOFB). This was the name of an old English social club.
The Airport Incident
The plan went wrong at the airport. One of Hoare's men accidentally went into the "something to declare" line at customs. A customs officer insisted on searching his bag. The rifles were hidden in false bottoms of the bags. But one rifle was found, and the officer raised the alarm. One of Hoare's men quickly put together his hidden rifle and shot the customs officer.
Fighting started at the airport. In the middle of the chaos, an Air India plane landed. It was damaged by trucks on the runway. Hoare managed to arrange a ceasefire so the plane and its passengers would not be caught in the gunfire. After several hours, the mercenaries were in a difficult situation. Some wanted to leave on the plane, which needed fuel. Hoare agreed, and the pilot allowed them on board after Hoare found fuel for the aircraft.
On the plane, Hoare asked the pilot why he had landed when he knew there was fighting. The pilot explained that once the plane started to descend, he didn't have enough fuel to climb back up and reach his destination. Hoare's men still had their weapons. Hoare asked if they could open the door to throw the weapons into the sea before returning to South Africa. But the pilot explained that this was not possible with a pressurized aircraft.
Aftermath and Prison
Six of the mercenaries were left behind in the Seychelles. Four of them were found guilty of treason.
An international group from the United Nations Security Council investigated the attempted coup. Their report said that South African defense groups were involved and had supplied weapons.
Hoare and his men were charged with hijacking the plane. Hoare was found guilty and sentenced to ten years in prison. He spent 33 months in prison before being released early. While in prison, Hoare memorized plays by Shakespeare.
After his release, Hoare wrote another book about the Seychelles event called The Seychelles Affair. He also wrote a historical novel about the Cathars, a medieval religious group.
Personal Life
Mike Hoare married Elizabeth Stott in 1945. They had three children: Chris, Tim, and Geraldine.
He left his accounting job and ran a car business. In 1954, he rode his motorcycle across Africa from Cape Town to Cairo. In 1959, he started a safari business in the Kalahari and the Okavango delta. He loved sailing and bought a large boat called Sylvia. He sailed the Mediterranean Sea for three years with his family and wrote a book about their travels.
After divorcing Elizabeth in 1960, he married Phyllis Sims in 1961. They had two children, Michael Jeremy and Simon.
His niece, Bree O'Mara, was a novelist. She wrote a book about Hoare's adventures in the Congo, but it was not published before she passed away.
Hoare's son, Chris Hoare, wrote a biography about his father called 'Mad Mike' Hoare: The Legend.
Death
Mike Hoare passed away peacefully on February 2, 2020, in Durban, South Africa. He was 100 years old.
Works by Mike Hoare
- Congo Mercenary, London: Hale (1967), ISBN: 0-7090-4375-9
- Congo Warriors, London: Hale (1991), ISBN: 0-7090-4369-4
- The Road to Kalamata: a Congo mercenary's personal memoir, Lexington, Mass.: Lexington Books (1989), ISBN: 0-669-20716-0
- The Seychelles Affair, Bantam, ISBN: 0-593-01122-8
- Three Years with Sylvia, London: Hale, ISBN: 0-7091-6194-8
- Mokoro – A Cry for Help! Durban North: Partners in Publishing (2007), ISBN: 978-0-620-39365-2
- Mike Hoare′s Adventures in Africa, Boulder, CO: Paladin Press (2010), ISBN: 978-1-58160-732-1
- The Last Days of the Cathars, Durban: Partners in Publishing (2012 and 2019)
See Also
