Early 1960s Africa was the Dark Continent of James Conrad, David Livingstone, and Dr. Albert Schweitzer. Often found in any of over 20 African nations traveller Michael Walsh identified with the period with which Europe’s last gladiators would also be familiar. The dogs-of-war had worn the epaulettes of every nation. Now comrades-in-arms were veterans of the Waffen SS, The French Foreign Legion, British Parachute Regiment, Belgian, Dutch, and Irish and Swedish servicemen. Here is the real world of the men who made up the epic movie The Wild Geese. Drawn into the Congo Crisis and Biafra War of Independence, the Sudan, South Africa and Rhodesia Bush Wars the soldiers-of fortune numbered in their ranks legends as Colonel Mike Hoare, ‘Black Jack’ Schramme, veteran Colonel Bob Denard, and Major Siegfried Müller. We witness the heroic death of Marc Goosens, meet French Legionnaire Roger Faulques and ex-Hitler Youth Rolf Steiner. Never forgotten all of whom were truly the Last Gladiators of Europe.
