Miscellaneous

A collection of small items.

Congo Democratic Republic.

In photos of Kinshasa and environs during the opening phase of the Second Congo War, one sees many pro-Kabila soldiers with their camouflage jackets worn inside-out, seemingly as a field sign to distinguish them from the anti-Kabila forces.

Tanganyika / Congo / “Africa Addio”.

The infamous Africa Addio features two scenes where we see soldiers wearing overalls in Italian telo mimetico pattern — one purportedly in Tanganyika, the other purportedly in the Congo. This is, to my eyes, a little curious — outside of this film I don’t believe I’ve ever seen Italian camouflage used by either country — and, indeed, I wouldn’t expect to see it. I understand vaguely that this movie —at least, in certain parts— has been accused of fakery. I know nothing about movies, or Africa, so I can’t contribute intelligently to that discussion — but, to my inexpert eyes, the movie as a whole feels authentic. However, the idea that the filmmakers staged a few shots to add excitement and interest is hardly implausible. The Italian camouflage appears in particularly memorable moments — the scene where the filmmakers barely avoid execution by the Tanganyikan army, and the shots of Congolese soldiers looting a Simba rebel base. I could easily imagine that these events did take place in front of the filmmakers, but weren’t caught on camera — so the filmmakers decided to re-stage them later, using camouflage and other items brought over from their native Italy to add the appropriate military flavour. I’m not saying that this is what happened, but I think it’s at least a possibility.

A rather horrible scene purportedly shot in Dar es Salaam in 1964. As mentioned, we have alleged Tanganyikan soldiers wearing overalls in Italian telo mimetico pattern, along with WWII British type webbing and helmets. Some men have a cloth bandolier as pictured. Weapons Thompson SMGs or a rifle of some sort, as pictured.

Various shots of Congolese soldiers plundering a captured Simba rebel base. Amusingly, one man has stolen a toilet, another a black tailcoat, and two men have liberated wall-mounted deer skulls. One of the deer skull men seems to be the same as the toilet man (note the teal armband, or whatever it is). I think he’s also the black tailcoat man — or, if not, they’ve borrowed the same hat.

Another shot shows a man in mimetico roughly handling some prisoners. This shot feels authentic, and the white man in the background, who can be seen better in another shot, is wearing a correct mercenary cap badge. The cap is of curious design but the red piping is appropriate for the Force Publique.