No other mercenary figure crops up so often as does the frenchman, colonel bob denard, from his first appearance and taste of notoriety in the congo during the early 1960s to his final exit from the. How a rivalry between two mercenaries landed the better man in prison by helen andrews 5. An excerpt from my new book shadow wars, available for preorder from. According to xavier renou, author of a book on private military contractors, denard foresaw the transition between traditional mercenaries to. Congo crisis, parachute regiment, military training, modern warfare, colonel, ol days, thug life, about uk, books to read. April 1929 in grayanetlhopital im departement gironde als gilbert bourgeaud. He had been suffering from alzheimers disease and was 78 years old. Join facebook to connect with bob denard and others you may know. Although said to have retired two years ago, denard was reported by a. Denard, 78, was notorious for leading coups in africa, including four in the comoros islands the most recent of which was in 1995. Regarding yemen, in this book the spotlight is given to the french while the essential role of the british, who were the organizers and contractors is obscured. Comoros islands a travelogue book bob denard and the. Bob denard and the late president of the comoros ahmed abdallah.
He was known for having done various jobs in francafrique a term referri. Colonel bob denard april 7, 1929 october, 2007, born gilbert bourgeaud, was a french soldier and mercenary. It looks like we dont have any biography for bob denard yet be the first to contribute. Bob denard helps organize a transition government aiming at reinstating a democratic government. Bob denard was the prototypical soldieroffortuneshadowy origins, a menagerie of aliases, and questionable renegade tactics. A fictional portrait of mercenary operations in the 1970s is frederick forsyths book, the dogs of war, which was set on the island of malabo renamed zangaro in the novel and given a platinum deposit. This riveting book gives an account of an intrepid young womans. Colonel bob denard, born gilbert bourgeaud, was a french soldier and mercenary. October 4th 1995, the french governments launches an operation aiming at restauring law in the comores and arresting the mercenaries having participated in the coup.
Throughout the french mercenarys career, wherever a state was failing, denard could be found either propping up or dismantling the government roughly in accordance with frances desires. In 1967, at the tail end of the congo mercenary story, denard led 16 mercenaries on bicycles. Robert denards phone number, email, address spokeo. With toki pilioko, iliana zabeth, mikaele tuugahala, laurent pakihivatau. A young man of wallisian origin in new caledonia defies his father to go and play rugby in france. On the night of september 27, 1995, bob denard landed on the comoros with 30 men in zodiac inflatable boats in an attempted coup against president said mohamed djohar, abdallahs successor. Find robert denards phone number, address, and email on spokeo, the leading online directory for contact information. Bob denard, hired gun for coups, is dead at 78 the new york.
Provides a closeup look at the life and times of bob denard, an elusive french mercenary who plied his trade throughout africa. I confirm that he has died, his sister georgette garnier told reuters. Bob denard project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. Bob denard, gilbert bourgeaud, french mercenary born april 7, 1929, bordeaux, francedied oct. Bbc news africa comoros mercenary cleared of assassination. Earlier that year, denard had deposed a marxist dictator in the comoros, a tiny island nation in the same neighborhood as the seychelles and in many ways a mirror image of it, apart from. He was one of the most famous mercenaries after world war ii during his time in the french navy denard fought in indochina and in algeria, and spent some time in jail.
I confirm that he has died, georgette garnier, denards sister, told reuters. In the 1970s and 80s, bob denard was their king, and the east african island. He was on a boat, armed to the teeth at the head of a mercenary army, bound for the. According to xavier renou, author of a book on private military contractors, denard foresaw the transition between traditional mercenaries to contemporary private military contractors, creating a small army during his stay in the comoros in the 1980s.
A third accused, jeanpaul captain siam guerrier, failed to. Online shopping from a great selection at books store. Moravian knight and who led a mercenary army during the thirteen years war. The mercenary installed him in power twice, removed him from power once and was later involved in his assassination. Bob denard, hired gun for coups, is dead at 78 the new. Bob denard, the french mercenary and patriot famed among his. An excerpt from my new book shadow wars, available for preorder from potomac books. Just click the edit page button at the bottom of the page or learn more in the biography submission guide. Invading an impoverished country mostly by himself, legendary gunforhire bob denard created a whole class of modern mercenaryand a new way of war. Despite haveing recieved advanced notice and hints about the coup, france did nothing until the day of the invasion. On september 28, 1995 bob denard and 33 mercenaries took control of the comoros islands in a coup named operation kaskari by the mercanaries against president djohar. Death of bob denard shadowspear special operations.
The french mercenary, bob denard, has died, his family says. Bob denard, the french soldier whose near mythical involvement in african wars since the 1960s made him one of the worlds most famous mercenaries, has died. Imagine if jacques audiard had tried to make an inspirational sports movie, and youll get an idea of what its like to watch mercenary. Of particular fascination to her was french mercenary bob denard, a major player in the comorian security and military forces, who, since 1960, had served as a. Bob denard is a mercenary, not a pirate, so the title of this book doesnt make sense to me. He was hired by the teutonic knights during the battle of chojnice and was later sent to relieve the besieged city three years later. Living on his own on the other side of the world, he learns there is a price to pay to find success. Since the discovery of oil there in the mid1990s, it does not need a fictional platinum deposit for it to be of interest to financiers.
Bob denard simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Szumborski committed a number of atrocities during the conflict and was eventually poisoned. However, he also went on to write dogs of war his third novel published in 1974, and many believe that he used his two visits to biafra to gather information for this very successful book. The republic share of shadow special investigation duration.
Robert denard 7 april 1929 october 2007 was a french soldier of fortune and mercenary. Avec toki pilioko, iliana zabeth, mikaele tuugahala, laurent pakihivatau, petelo sealeu. Of particular fascination to her was french mercenary bob denard, a major player in the comorian. The mercenaries mike hoare, bob denard, and black jack schramme are all named in the novel. The trial drew out another side of fatherofeight mr denard, who sobbed in court after being described by marieelise, the most recent of his seven wives or companions, as a protector and a good family man. On october 4, in accordance with an agreement between france and the comoros, the french army put an end to the attempt. Bob denard in 1995, after france ended his coup in comoros. Cat shannon, the mercenary in frederick forsyths novel the dogs of war. In the early 1960s the former belgian congo came apart at the seams.
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