Latest / The History of Belgium: A Small Country with a Giant Colonial Legacy — Fexingo History / The Battle of Saïo: Force Publique in WWII
Transcript
- Lucas: So we've talked a lot about the Congo under Belgian rule, the rubber terror, the évolués, the riots. But there's one episode that often gets overlooked: the role of the Force Publique in World War II. Luna: I didn't realize the Congo was involved in WWII beyond supplying resources. Lucas: It wasn't just resources — though yes, uranium, copper, rubber all went to the Allies. But in 1940, after Belgium fell to the Germans, the Congo remained loyal to the Belgian government-in-exile. The Force Publique, which had been a colonial gendarmerie, was mobilized for actual combat. Luna: So they fought? Where? Lucas: The main theatre was East Africa. Italian forces had occupied Ethiopia — or Abyssinia, as it was then — since 1936, and in 1940 they threatened British Somaliland and Kenya. The Allies needed to clear them out. A small but experienced Force Publique brigade was sent north from the Congo into the Ethiopian highlands. Luna: How many men are we talking about? Lucas: Around thirteen thousand soldiers, mostly Congolese askaris led by about three hundred Belgian officers. They formed what was called the Brigade de l'Est, under General Auguste-Édouard Gilliaert. Their mission was to capture the town of Saïo, in western Ethiopia, and cut off the Italian retreat. Luna: That's a long way from home. Were they volunteers? Lucas: Some were, many were conscripted. It's complicated. But once in the field, they proved remarkably effective. In March 1941 they began their advance through dense jungle and over mountains, often outrunning their supply lines. By July they had Saïo surrounded. Lucas: The Italian commander in the region, General Pietro Gazzera, had about seven thousand troops, but they were low on supplies and morale. After a brief siege, Gazzera surrendered to Gilliaert on July 3, 1941. It was a significant Allied victory — and the first time the Force Publique had captured a European general. Luna: I can imagine that made headlines in Belgium. Lucas: It did. The government-in-exile in London used it as a huge morale boost. For a country that had been overrun in eighteen days, seeing its colonial troops win in Africa was a powerful symbol. Gilliaert became a hero, and the Force Publique was decorated. Luna: But what about the Congolese soldiers themselves? What did they think of fighting for Belgium, so far from home? Lucas: That's a harder question. Many saw it as a chance for adventure and pay, but also as a way to prove their worth. However, the campaign also exposed them to a wider world — they saw Ethiopia, a free African country, and interacted with British and other Allied troops. Some started questioning why they couldn't have similar freedoms back in the Congo. Lucas: After the war, those soldiers returned with new ideas. The Force Publique itself was seen as more capable, but also more dangerous to colonial rule. Some of the men who fought at Saïo later participated in the independence movement. Luna: So it's a double-edged legacy. Lucas: Exactly. They were used to preserve an empire, but their own experience helped erode it. And the campaign itself, though successful, is mostly forgotten today. It's not taught in Belgian schools as much as it should be. Lucas: You know, that's part of why we do the show — to bring these stories to light. We deliberately don't run ads on these conversations. If you want to support that choice, the link is buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Luna: Yeah, it's nice to keep the focus on the history without commercial breaks. Lucas: Anyway, back to Saïo — the aftermath was also interesting. The Italian prisoners were treated relatively well, and some even stayed in the Congo after the war. Gilliaert was later involved in the reorganisation of the Force Publique. Luna: And a victory that Belgium desperately needed at the time. Lucas: Right. So the next time someone mentions Belgium and World War II, we can remember that it wasn't just about the Ardennes or the resistance — it was also about a small colonial army in the mountains of Ethiopia, marching under the Force Publique flag.