359:. He went to Angola to work as an unpaid medical orderly, in advance of his three colleagues. It was while he was working in this position that he took part in the decisive action that brought him to the notice of the FNLA leadership. When FNLA soldiers fled the advance of a MPLA force, which threatened to capture the hospital to which he was assigned, Georgiou, and longtime Irish colleague Lyndon Sheehan, led a handful of Portuguese FNLA soldiers in an offensive defence, stopping the MPLA force in its tracks. The general trend of the war for the FNLA at that time was one of a steady string of defeats, ensuring that the defeat of the MPLA column attracted immediate attention from Holden Roberto who, to Georgiou's surprise, appointed him head of the FNLA army, with the rank of Colonel (still unpaid). His three friends including Charlie Christodoulou arrived from Britain shortly afterwards. Within 48 hours of his arrival in Angola, Georgiou had already led his men in disarming and massacring a group of FNLA fighters (his supposed allies), whom he killed just for the "fun" of it all.
374:, Chris Dempster, and Dave Tomkins. Georgiou resented SAS's own leadership structure within the group, and perceived John Banks, who remained based in Britain, as a personal threat to his own position when Banks did visit Angola. Georgiou became increasingly paranoid and belligerent toward his own men, murdering African soldiers and creating a climate of fear even among the British mercenaries, none of which aided the morale of the FNLA forces or their ability to wage war successfully against the MPLA. The British journalist Patrick Brogan called Georgiou a "psychopathic killer" who executed 14 of his fellow mercenaries for cowardice, and was extremely brutal to black people. By all accounts, Georgiou killed for pleasure, and at his trial, it was established that he had killed at least 170 Angolans. Georgiou was much hated and feared by the men under his command, and by the FLNA who regarded him as a loose cannon who was just as likely to attack them as he was the MPLA.
363:
submit to military discipline. This, combined with the foreign origin of most of the core leadership, (Georgiou, Christodoulou and the
Portuguese), created a deep gulf between the officers and the British other ranks – to say nothing of the native Angolans recruited as infantry and support troops. Most of these had no military experience and many knew no English, or even Portuguese (then still the language of government and the native elite.)
389:
the best trained and disciplined either. Another factor was leadership inexperience: Georgiou had absolutely no training or experience as a commissioned officer, nor did most of his counterparts in other units. Cuban accounts of the
Angolan war speak of the mercenaries in a contemptuous tone. The majority of Cuban veterans of Angola describe the mercenaries they fought as inept soldiers whom they had no difficulty defeating.
378:
understand. These undisciplined men quickly realised the perilous situation into which they had been placed, and the instability of their leadership. A group of them consequently seized vehicles and attempted to flee the country, firing on other FNLA forces in the process, including Chris
Dempster. The deserters were quickly rounded up by Georgiou's men, and fourteen were summarily executed by firing squad.
385:
a failure. According to mercenary David
Tomkins, the group spent most of its time foraging for food, usable weapons, and ammunition. Much of this foraging consisted of "raids" on villages, where the men would casually walk into town brandishing their weapons, searching for anything of use. Anyone who offered physical resistance would be shot.
384:
The "battalion" fought several more dramatic engagements, including successful ambushes of minor MPLA detachments. However, given his limited resources and the fact that many of his men – European and native alike – were untrained, increasingly demoralised amateurs, Georgiou's campaign was ultimately
388:
Lack of proper equipment was one of the key factors in the failure of foreign mercenary units in Angola generally, and in
Georgiou's case in particular. The MPLA had Soviet tanks, artillery and crack Cuban troops fighting as their allies. The other two factions had mostly light infantry, not always
329:
extraction, but honourably discharged. An acquaintance, Nick Hall, another dishonourably discharged airborne veteran, took the initiative of putting out an advertisement soliciting mercenary employment for four able-bodied young men. These would be Hall himself, Georgiou, Christodoulou and Costas's
413:
on behalf of
Georgiou and three other condemned British mercenaries. Georgiou was executed by firing squad on 10 July 1976. His sister, Panayiota 'Blondie' Georgiades, was allowed to visit him during his captivity in Angola. In a BBC interview, she said they spoke mainly about their family and the
401:
during June and July 1976. He was charged with illegally entering Angola as a mercenary, along with twelve other defendants. In addition he was charged with involvement in the massacre of fourteen fellow mercenaries at
Maquela do Zombo in northern Angola, as well as with the murder and torture of
377:
The second contingent of mercenaries sent from
Britain, unlike the first, was made up mostly of working-class men with no military experience. Within a week of their arrival, about a dozen of the second contingent had accidentally maimed themselves by trying to use weapons that they did not fully
362:
Thanks to continuing recruitment in
England, a somewhat larger mercenary contingent was formed, but a full battalion was never realised. The enlarged force was still rather small relative to MPLA/Cuban forces, and many of the men were civilians with no military experience, and often refusing to
958:
Time 3:28 – 5:56 – Captured and killed FNLA mercenaries possibly from the 14 Feb 76 ambushes of two FNLA patrols in Cuimba. In video clip at time 3:36 – 3:53 possibly wounded mercenaries
Gustavo Grillo and John Nammock sitting in the back of a FAPLA truck. Time 4:33 and 4:53 possibly wounded
320:
By this time, Georgiou was out of the army and working part-time in construction. He had few prospects for more stable and gainful employment, given his dishonourable discharge for his part in robbing a post office. He was dating a Greek Cypriot woman, Rona Angelo. Her cousin was 'Shotgun'
402:
enemy soldiers and civilians in the town of São Salvador. The killings at Maquela occurred after some mercenary recruits had mistakenly opened fire on their colleagues and, fearing retribution by Georgiou and the MPLA, had subsequently fled towards Zaire, taking all the unit's supplies.
337:, a former British Army medic who had volunteered for a humanitarian aid group in Africa some years before. While there, he had treated several Angolan fighters wounded in the struggle against the Portuguese, earning their friendship and trust. One of his friends was
33:
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government. The new government sought and received help in the form of Cuban military advisors, combat troops and material to fight against rival factions, which included the US-backed
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In early 1972, Georgiou and three other paratroopers, Privates Cyril Verbeck, Stephen Peter Kirby, and Michael Wainhouse, carried out an armed robbery on a
1032:
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353:"Colonel Tony Cullen" – the surname of a former army friend and not, as mistakenly alleged by some journalists, inspired by the TV espionage series
297:), which received some US funding but no actual military aid. At the same time, British and American ex-military were recruited by the FNLA through
1092:
1082:
1017:
418:. Georgiou's body was repatriated to England, and he was buried secretly in a cemetery in north London in accordance with the rites of the Greek
279:
recognised the independence of its former colony of Angola, and acknowledged the Soviet-aligned People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (
1052:
1077:
1057:
247:. All four men were court-martialled. Georgiou and Wainhouse were both found guilty and each eventually sentenced to five years in prison.
751:
1047:
290:
366:
The first contingent of mercenaries was mostly made up of professional soldiers, selected by a British private military company (PMC),
891:
731:
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810:
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867:
93:
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mercenary Gary Acker. At 5:03 mercenary sitting on the ground wearing the beret is possibly Daniel Gearhart.
861:
503:
341:, leader of the FNLA. After independence, Belford became Roberto's official emissary in the United Kingdom.
259:
639:"Interview with Tony Clarke, Stormont Live Special - The Saville Inquiry Report, Stormont Live - BBC Two"
780:"Overcoming post-colonial myopia: A call to recognize and regulate private military companies](PDF)"
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465:
237:
137:
334:
742:
470:
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914:
763:
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A third contingent of similarly inept mercenaries was recruited in the US by an American PMC.
693:
926:
899:
733:'Fire Power' (first hand account of foreign mercenaries fighting on the side of the FNLA)
293:(FNLA) and the South African-backed National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (
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406:
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173:
82:
64:
966:
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410:
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752:"Soldiers of misfortune: Mercenaries play major roles in 20th-century conflicts"
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Georgiou was tried under the jurisdiction of the Angolan MPLA government in the
240:. During a hearing in 2000, a witness said he'd fired 26 shots into the crowd.
949:
244:
133:
123:
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in the unit. Georgiou has been implicated as one of the participants in the
189:
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305:) in the United Kingdom and United States. Funding was provided by various
228:
Georgiou joined the British Army and served, at first with distinction, in
882:
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111:
285:
251:
621:
Mercenaries: A Guide to Private Armies and Private Military Companies
213:
193:
185:
38:
499:"Peter McAleese: How an ex-SAS Scot was hired to kill Pablo Escobar"
294:
1028:
British people convicted of the international crime of aggression
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280:
846:
759:
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in Northern Ireland. He was credited as being one of the best
1013:
British military personnel of The Troubles (Northern Ireland)
740:
French, Carey (8 October 1988), "Of Myths and Mercenaries",
271:
Background: Roots of the conflict and Georgiou's recruitment
180:; 21 December 1951 – 10 July 1976), also known by his alias
309:-member intelligence organisations, including the American
880:
Stevens, Mark (12 July 1976), "Death for 'Dogs of War'",
405:
Georgiou was convicted and sentenced to death. President
526:
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518:
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514:
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training. Others state Georgiou was a private soldier.
892:"2000 Article – The killing of Colonel Callan]"
698:
Dirty Combat: Secret Wars and Serious Misadventures
440:"Paratrooper took aim and shot at me, says witness"
254:, Georgiou's highest British Army rank was that of
153:
143:
121:
107:
99:
89:
71:
46:
23:
809:— At the time of publication Major Milliard was a
815:United States Army Judge Advocate General's Corps
200:for activities during the civil war phase of the
998:British Army personnel who were court-martialled
1068:Prisoners and detainees of the British military
898:, Canard Volant Non Identifié, archived from
8:
590:
578:
566:
554:
484:
333:The men received a prompt reply from "Dr."
31:
20:
16:Cypriot-born British mercenary (1951–1976)
1088:People executed by Angola by firing squad
988:20th-century executions of British people
842:1976: Mercenaries trial begins in Angola
602:
530:
431:
216:in 1951, when the island was a British
922:
912:
656:Times staff (14 February 1976a), "?",
637:Fitzpatrick, Jim (21 September 2011),
542:
250:Despite later claiming to have been a
220:. His family moved to London in 1963.
863:Good Guys, Bad Guys:Tomkins Interview
7:
1043:British mercenaries killed in action
824:1976: Death sentence for mercenaries
730:Dempster, Chris (15 February 2007),
723:Death of Dignity: Angola's Civil War
1023:British people convicted of robbery
1003:British Parachute Regiment soldiers
983:20th-century British Army personnel
694:"Chapter 9: Retreat without Honour"
464:Cuss, Crispian (26 November 2014).
325:, like Costas an ex-paratrooper of
291:National Liberation Front of Angola
1033:British people executed for murder
683:Times staff (12 July 1976d), "?",
674:Times staff (29 June 1976c), "?",
665:Times staff (12 June 1976b), "?",
14:
414:trial proceedings, conversing in
230:1st Battalion, Parachute Regiment
890:Unknown Author (November 2005),
1073:People of the Angolan Civil War
778:Milliard, Todd S. (June 2003),
1093:People executed for war crimes
1083:Military personnel from London
1018:British people executed abroad
497:Prartt, David (7 March 2021).
409:rejected pleas for mercy from
301:(PMC; also known as PMIs, for
1:
1053:Cypriot emigrants to England
874:George Washington University
678:, London, pp. 1 & 5
660:, London, pp. 1 & 5
330:old comrade Mick Wainhouse.
51:Neville George Clevely Heath
37:Costas Georgiou on trial in
1078:People convicted of torture
1058:Executed military personnel
872:— Hosted on the website of
721:Brittain, Victoria (1997),
349:Georgiou was now using the
270:
202:Angolan War of Independence
1109:
1048:British white supremacists
896:The ENIGMA 2000 Newsletter
860:Staff (22 February 1999),
630:The Fighting Never Stopped
368:Security Advisory Services
299:private military companies
951:Cuban documentary footage
868:National Security Archive
700:, Mainstream Publishing,
632:, New York: Vintage Books
303:Private Military Industry
177:
163:
117:
94:Execution by firing squad
30:
628:Brogan, Patrick (1989),
258:, and he never received
1063:Executed mass murderers
993:British anti-communists
938:, New York: Grove Press
936:A Certain Curve of Horn
821:Staff. (28 June 1976),
793:: 39–40, archived from
692:Tomkins, David (2008),
224:British military career
1008:British mass murderers
934:Walker, J. F. (2004),
839:Staff (11 June 1976),
623:, Washington: CQ Press
619:Axelrod, Alan (2013),
466:"A very secular jihad"
238:Bloody Sunday massacre
725:, London: Pluto Press
581:, pp. 1 & 5.
569:, pp. 1 & 5.
323:Charlie Christodoulou
212:Georgiou was born in
130:Acting as a mercenary
800:on 26 September 2007
756:1989 Cold War series
138:Crimes against peace
787:Military Law Review
687:, London, p. 1
669:, London, p. 1
393:Trial and execution
90:Cause of death
925:has generic name (
827:, On this Day, BBC
743:The Globe and Mail
411:Queen Elizabeth II
345:Georgiou in Angola
266:Mercenary activity
1038:British torturers
591:Times staff 1976d
579:Times staff 1976c
567:Times staff 1976a
555:Times staff 1976b
167:
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766:on 11 March 2007
762:, archived from
750:Kennedy, Bruce,
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485:Fitzpatrick 2011
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154:Criminal penalty
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100:Other names
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61:21 December 1951
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902:on 23 July 2012
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845:, On this Day,
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420:Orthodox Church
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178:Κώστας Γεωργίου
170:Costas Georgiou
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108:Criminal status
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339:Holden Roberto
335:Donald Belford
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196:following the
182:Colonel Callan
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34:
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19:
935:
904:, retrieved
900:the original
895:
881:
862:
850:, retrieved
841:
829:, retrieved
823:
802:, retrieved
795:the original
790:
786:
768:, retrieved
764:the original
755:
741:
732:
722:
697:
684:
675:
666:
657:
646:, retrieved
642:
629:
620:
605:, Chapter 9.
603:Tomkins 2008
598:
586:
574:
562:
557:, p. 1.
550:
545:, p. 6.
538:
531:Axelrod 2013
504:The National
502:
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469:
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447:. Retrieved
443:
434:
404:
399:Luanda Trial
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315:French SDECE
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284:
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249:
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227:
218:Crown colony
211:
198:Luanda Trial
192:executed in
186:Cypriot-born
181:
169:
168:
148:Luanda Trial
77:(1976-07-10)
75:10 July 1976
18:
978:1976 deaths
973:1951 births
804:10 February
543:Brogan 1989
245:Post Office
967:Categories
852:22 January
831:22 January
770:22 January
613:References
471:Al Jazeera
372:John Banks
208:Early life
134:War crimes
57:1951-12-21
685:The Times
676:The Times
667:The Times
658:The Times
449:30 August
283:) as the
275:In 1975,
190:mercenary
915:citation
883:Newsweek
648:21 March
313:and the
277:Portugal
256:corporal
234:marksmen
188:British
184:, was a
112:Executed
956:YouTube
906:7 April
813:in the
286:de jure
260:officer
252:colonel
704:
356:Callan
214:Cyprus
194:Angola
41:(1976)
39:Angola
798:(PDF)
783:(PDF)
426:Notes
416:Greek
295:UNITA
174:Greek
158:Death
144:Trial
927:help
908:2007
854:2008
833:2008
806:2005
772:2008
702:ISBN
650:2016
451:2023
307:NATO
281:MPLA
72:Died
47:Born
954:on
847:BBC
791:173
760:CNN
643:BBC
311:CIA
969::
919::
917:}}
913:{{
894:,
866:,
789:,
785:,
758:,
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442:.
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876:.
870:]
817:.
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487:.
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172:(
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
