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The Wild Geese - Mad Mike Hoare - Retro Patch - 5 Commando Congo - Belgian Mercenary
The Wild Geese - Mad Mike Hoare - Retro Patch - 5 Commando Congo - Belgian Mercenary
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The Wild Geese - Patch - MERCENARY ADVISOR - Mad Mike Hoare
Mercenary - Mercenaries - MERCS
Mercenaries, previously Congo - Reproduction
Measures - 3.2 inches in diameter (8 cms)
Proud of his Irish roots, Hoare chose a flying goose as the emblem for 5 Commando and dubbed his men the Wild Geese, inspired by the renowned Irish soldiers who fought for the Stuarts in exile during the 17th and 18th centuries.
In the mid-1970s, Hoare served as a technical adviser for the film "The Wild Geese," a fictional tale of mercenaries rescuing a deposed African president. The character "Colonel Allen Faulkner" (played by Richard Burton) was based on Hoare, and some actors, including Ian Yule, had prior mercenary experience under Hoare's command. Hoare praised the movie for authentically portraying the mercenary lifestyle in Africa, emphasizing that mercenaries were volunteers driven by both financial incentives and a genuine desire for the work. The film's message aligning with Hoare's views suggested an influence on the portrayal of pro-Western politicians and mercenaries as heroes in Africa.
Mad Mike Hoare – 5 / 6 Commando – Mercenary
Thomas Michael Hoare (17 March 1919 – 2 February 2020), known as Mad Mike Hoare, was a British mercenary soldier who claimed to have killed between 5,000 and 10,000 people during the Simba rebellion, and attempted to conduct a coup d'état in the Seychelles.
Hoare led two separate mercenary groups during the Congo Crisis.
A number of operatives that previously fought with Hoare later came under the employ of the South Vietnam Government in their fight against the Viet Cong.
Hoare at varying times operated with the 4, 5 and 6 Commando Groups in Africa.
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