By Pat Carty.
Some sixty years ago, in May 1965, some of the largest hostage rescue missions involving Belgian and American forces took place in the Belgian Congo. They included mission names such as “Dragon Rouge” (Red Dragon) and “Dragon Noir” (Black Dragon).
The Congo had been a Belgian colony until its independence on 30 June 1960. Unrest and mutiny among the Congolese Public Force then followed in many parts of this vast country, leading to further involvement by Belgian military forces, who had remained in the area.
Shortly after Congo’s independence, the mineral-rich Katanga province seceded and created its army. Whilst doing so, it also seized most of the aircraft operated by the Aviation de la Force Publique, and used them to launch their own Air Force. However, the Congolese Air Force was subsequently established to counter these rebel forces.
After Katanga’s defeat in 1963, its remaining assets were integrated into the Congolese Army. However, as it faced significant shortages of skilled personnel and equipment, it called upon Belgium to provide the crews and technical personnel it lacked. This resulted in one hundred and twenty Belgian personnel forming the Congolese Tactical Air Force (FATAC) on June 22, 1964, who then operated primarily from bases in Kamina (Katanga), Kitona (Bas-Congo) and in the capital, Léopoldville (later renamed Kinshasa). Plus, two airfields at N’Djili and N’Dolo.
Once established, the Belgian Special Forces used their expertise in a high-stakes environment, and whilst stationed at strategic bases, had to navigate logistical and political challenges and, as a result, executed one of the most significant rescue missions of the era, underscoring Belgium’s critical role in supporting the Congolese government during this turbulent period.
Back in May 1955, Belgium had established Kamina Air Base (BAKA), a sprawling 50,000-hectare airbase in the Belgian Congo, designed as a strategic haven in the event of a nuclear war in Europe. However, following Congo’s independence in 1960 and the resulting unrest, Swedish UN troops occupied BAKA until June 1964, when it was looted and destroyed shortly after. Nevertheless, the newly formed FATAC, staffed by Belgian personnel, restored operations at this old and derelict base through considerable hard work.
In 1964, General Mobutu Sese Seko had risen to power as president of the newly independent Congo. The Simba rebellion, a violent uprising, then overwhelmed the Congolese forces, prompting Mobutu to request further Belgian military assistance. As a result, in late November 1964, Belgium deployed an additional 350 Para-Commandoes, transported by American C-130 Hercules aircraft to Stanleyville (now Kisangani) to rescue mostly Belgian hostages. The operation succeeded, but Simba rebels fled into the dense equatorial forest and continued their guerrilla attacks. As a result, Mobutu then secured American aid, receiving eleven C-47 transport aircraft and six Vertol-Piasecki H-21 helicopters. These helicopters were nicknamed the “Flying Banana” due to their distinctive shape and were a very versatile tandem-rotor helicopter. They were built by Piasecki Helicopters (later Boeing Vertol) and were capable of operating on wheels, skis, or floats.
A CIA front company, Anstalt WIGMO, then provided maintenance support and aircraft to the Congolese Air Force (CAF) from 1964 to 1968, with CIA Cuban pilots assisting the Belgians from late 1962.
By October 1964, the 5th Mechanised Brigade, a diverse force of Belgian Special Forces, Soldiers, Mercenaries, Katangan units and Congolese National Army (ANC) troops, was operational. Under its commander, Colonel Vandewalle. They were instrumental in numerous operations, including the 24 November 1964 rescue of American and Belgian hostages held by the Simba rebels at the Hotel Victoria, Stanleyville. Plus, the rescue of CIA agent Richard Holm by a Belgian Air Force H-21 aircrew.
The situation in the Congo deteriorated with the Simba rebellion, which led to horrific atrocities, including hostages being eaten, as Simba rebels thought it gave them more power! On 30 May 1965, 23 Belgian and Dutch Crosier missionaries were brutally killed by the Simba rebels. Their bodies were mutilated and thrown into the Rubi River, only to be eaten by crocodiles. On 26 June 1965, mercenary soldiers affiliated with the Congolese Army rescued 19 European missionaries, including a woman and her two children, from near Buta. Among them was Margaret Hayes, a 41-year-old British missionary nurse, who had survived two previous massacres: one in May 1964, where 31 Dutch and Belgian priests were executed, and another on 25 November 64, claiming 16 foreigners, including five children.
On June 27, 1965, a Belgian Air Force crew prepared a Congolese Air Force helicopter FG-378, an H-21B, for a mission to rescue nuns held hostage in Buta, 400Km north of Stanleyville. The crew included First Pilot Warrant Officer Robert “Bob” Jacobs, Flight Engineer Captain Raymond Bordon, and Warrant Officer Frans Allaeys, who replaced Second Pilot Lieutenant Henri at the last moment, due to Henri having to return to Headquarters over a missing revolver. Both Jacobs and Allaeys were graduates of the 133rd course, where they earned their pilot wings back in October 1957.
After the helicopter had departed Stanleyville, it encountered severe weather, forcing it to turn back. At 07.00 Zulu time, the crew reported being 30 minutes and approximately 65Km from base. Radio silence followed at 07.19, and FG-378 never returned!
Despite extensive aerial searches, psychological leaflet drops, and rewards offered via radio and newspapers, the dense jungle thwarted efforts to locate the crash site. So, after ten months, the Belgian crew were declared “missing presumed dead”.
In 1995, recently retired Belgian Air Force Commander Poly Stevens assumed a new role in Nairobi with the European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office. When he learned of FG-378’s disappearance, he was determined to honour the crew and so campaigned for a new search. As a result, and after some seven years pushing, Padre Quertemont of the 2nd Commando Battalion was able to inform the crew’s families that a request for a search had been made to the then Defence Minister André Flahaut. However, Flahaut then deemed it too costly and risky. Nevertheless, following Steven’s crusade and persistence (which upset many), search permission was finally granted by Flahaut’s successor, Pieter De Crem, in June 2009.
“Operation Buta 65” was led by Major Landas of the 3rd Belgian Commando Battalion and began on 21 November 2010, when a detachment of 34 Belgian troops, including Special Forces, 11 Congolese soldiers, 3 local guides, and 30 porters, traveled via a Belgian Air Force C-130H Hercules to Kisangani. From there, they reached Banalia, where they crossed the 600-meter-wide Aruwimi River using inflatable boats with outboard motors, transporting their vehicles. After navigating some 15Km of dirt roads and a further 19Km of track, the team trekked on foot a further 60Km through dense jungle. Finally, on 3 December 2010, they located the crash site of FG-378 (N1.870278, E24.871940) 22 Km from its expected location. In doing so, they located the helicopter’s rotor head, identity plate, metal fragments, cartridge cases, and a belt buckle. However, no human remains were found.
(Click here to view a larger image of the above map)
On 26 January 2011, Major Landas briefed military authorities, families, and Defence Minister Pieter De Crem in Belgium on the outcome of the search. Major Engineer Vermeulen-Perdaen of the Aviation Safety Directorate (ASD) also presented technical findings. He said the wreckage indicated a low-speed, near-horizontal crash, likely slowed by jungle foliage. The Plexiglas cockpit shattered, offering no protection. A fire, fueled by 1,000 litres of aviation gasoline and onboard ammunition, consumed the fuel tank and engine. Minimally damaged transmissions suggested the engine was not at full power. The ASD concluded the crash resulted from poor weather or mechanical failure, or both. Retired Commander Michel “Tem” De Temmerman, who commanded Allaeys in 1960, then dismissed pilot error, citing Allaeys’ skill in low-visibility conditions, supported by flight logs.
The absence of human remains suggested the crew survived the crash, but became lost in the jungle. Then killed and eaten by locals, who were infamous for being cannibals! However, the investigation also provided closure for friends and relatives, even though the crew’s fate remained unresolved.
Following the briefings, speeches were made by Jacobs’ daughters and Allaeys’ brother, alongside tributes from General (ret) W. De Brouwer, who honoured the crew’s sacrifice. Their legacy endures through FATAC’s life-saving operations and the bravery of Belgian and Congolese forces during the Congo Crisis.
On 1 February 1989, Koksijde Air Base was renamed “Basis Adjudant Vlieger Frans Allaeys” to commemorate Allaeys, the pilot of FG-378. On 27 September 1990, a memorial plaque honouring the crew was also unveiled at the entrance to the administrative section at Koksijde. Sixty years later, on Friday, June 27, 2025, the base held a ceremony remembering the crew and also unveiled a new copper plaque, replacing the original one that had succumbed to age and weather.
“Basis Adjudant Vlieger Frans Allaeys” is now home to 40 Squadron’s NH-90 search-and-rescue helicopters. One of which I was fortunate to fly in during my recent research for this article. So, a big thank you to the Belgian Air Force, especially Majoor Vlieger Tom Verduyckt, Commandant 1W/BKOKS, also “Ernest” and “Peanut”.
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Author: Pat Carty is a NATO accredited journalist who covers military news, events, operations, and exercises; including special operations forces. He is a contributor to SOF News as well as several other military defense publications.
Article images:
FG-378 Flying Banana days before its tragic rescue mission. (Courtesy of Belgium military)
2nd Commando Battalion light vehicle ferry. (DG IPR Bel Defence)
FG-378 crash site and wreckage. (DG IPR Bel Defence)
Sketch of the crash area. (DG IPR Bel Defence)
Plaque at Koksijde Air Base commemorating (Majoor Vlieger Tom Verduyckt)