Operation Hiroshima was a military operation conducted by the Biafran 4th Commando Brigade in an attempt to recapture Onitsha from the Nigerian 2nd Division. The operation ultimately resulted in failure and ended in the deaths of numerous mercenaries and Biafran soldiers.

Prelude

In October 1967 the Nigerian Gen.

Murtala Mohammed Murtala Ramat Muhammad (8 November 1938 – 13 February 1976) was a Nigerian general who led the 1966 Nigerian counter-coup in overthrowing the Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi military regime and featured prominently during the Nigerian Civil War ...

began a bombardment of Onitsha and later led a 10 boat armada across the

Niger River The Niger River ( ; ) is the main river of West Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in south-eastern Guinea near the Sierra Leone border. It runs in a crescent shape through ...

into the city. Nigerian soldiers looted and burned the Onitsha market to the ground, which gave the Biafrans time to re-organize and mount a counter-attack. The Biafrans managed to re-capture the city after a pincer movement from north and south devastated the Nigerian 2nd Division. After two more failed invasion attempts Gen. Mohammed moved north and crossed the Niger River at

Idah Idah is a town in Kogi State, Nigeria, on the eastern bank of the Niger River in the middle belt region of Nigeria. It is the headquarter of the Igala Kingdom, and also a Local Government Area with an area of 36 km. Idah had a population ...

. The Nigerian 2nd Division and 6th Battalion moved south-west from Enugu and managed to get within 20 km of Onitsha by January 1968. On 24 March the final battle for Onitsha lasted less than 24 hours before the Biafrans were forced to retreat to

Nnewi Nnewi is a commercial and industrial city in Anambra State, southeastern Nigeria. It is the second largest and second most populous city in the southern part of the country. Nnewi as a metropolis has one local government area, which is Nnewi Nort ...

. Ever since the beginning of the war both Biafran and white mercenary officers had been struggling against each other for various reasons. In November 1968 the Biafran Gen. Alexander Madiebo and Vice President

Philip Effiong Philip Efiong (also spelled Effiong, 18 November 1925 – 6 November 2003) was the first Vice President and the second President of the now defunct Republic of Biafra during the Nigerian Civil War of 1967 to 1970. Early life Born in Ibiono Ib ...

managed to convince President

Odumegwu Ojukwu Chukwuemeka "Emeka" Odumegwu Ojukwu (4 November 1933 – 26 November 2011) was a Nigerian military officer, statesman and politician who served as the military governor of the Eastern Region of Nigeria in 1966 and the president of the se ...

to order the 4th Commando Brigade at

Umuahia Umuahia () is the capital city of Abia State in southeastern Nigeria. Umuahia is located along the rail road that lies between Port Harcourt to its south,and Enugu city to its north. Umuahia has a population of 359,230 according to the 2006 Nige ...

to mount an offensive against Nigerian positions at Onitsha through open terrain.

Invasion

In early November 1968 the 4,000 strong Biafran 4th Commando Brigade moved northwards from

to Nkwelle, less than 10 km outside of Onitsha. On 15 November Colonel

Rolf Steiner Rolf Steiner (born 3 January 1933) is a German retired mercenary. He began his military career as a French Foreign Legion paratrooper and saw combat in Vietnam, Egypt, and Algeria. Steiner rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel commanding the ...

was ordered to launch an offensive operation coined "Operation Hiroshima". Steiner initially objected on the grounds that his troops were trained for

guerrilla tactics Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare in which small groups of combatants, such as paramilitary personnel, armed civilians, or irregulars, use military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, raids, petty warfare, hit-and-run ta ...

, but was overruled. The operation was a full frontal attack across an open field. With no aerial support or any natural obstacles to hide behind the attacking Biafran brigade was decimated by Nigerian machine gun fire and suffered heavy casualties. The Welsh mercenary Major Taffy Williams ordered a unit of Biafran soldiers under the Belgian mercenary Marc Goossens to attack a Nigerian defensive position but were almost immediately forced to retreat after Goossens was shot dead. On 29 November the remaining 2,000 soldiers of the Biafran 4th Commando Brigade retreated from Onitsha, leaving Onitsha under complete Nigerian control for the rest of the war.

Aftermath

Col. Steiner was paranoid of his fellow officers and began drinking heavily to help relieve panic attacks. On 6 December 1968 President Ojukwu ordered Col. Steiner to be questioned about his retreat from Onitsha at the State House in Umuahia. Steiner arrived drunk and belligerent, even demanding a beer and refusing it after complaining that the glass was too warm. Steiner got into an argument with one of Ojukwu's guards and came close to getting shot before Ojukwu stopped his guard from pulling the trigger. Far from being grateful, Steiner then turned his insults towards Ojukwu before being slapped across the face and taken out in handcuffs. Steiner was later deported to

Gabon Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the nort ...

along with 5 other mercenaries while Maj. Taffy Williams was made commander of the 4th Commando Brigade.

References

{{Reflist Nigerian Civil War Hiroshima 1968 in military history Hiroshima