On the occasion of “60 years of foreign missions” of the Austrian Armed Forces, we spoke with retired Colonel Wolfgang Brauner about the first mission in the Congo.
In 1960, soldiers of the Austrian Armed Forces were deployed abroad for the first time: five contingents were sent to the Congo for six months at a time. Part of the fifth and last contingent in 1963 was the then 22-year-old Lieutenant Wolfgang Brauner, now an 80-year-old retired colonel.
Colonel, how did you end up going to the Congo at the age of 22?
That was pure coincidence. Three months after I was discharged from the military academy – I was a young platoon commander in the Guards at the time – I was sitting in a coffee party in the officers’ mess. Out of the blue, the commander of the last sanitary contingent, whom I only knew by sight, asked me if I spoke English. “I’ve already visited England and have a modest amount of practice,” I replied. So he offered me the chance to go to the Congo with him, and I spent a total of six months there from May 1963.
What was your task here?
I actually arrived in Congo as an adjutant, where Austria provided a field hospital in 1960. However, our task was then to sort out and organize all the equipment and inventory and bring it back home or return UN property to the UN. This task fell to me quite suddenly, as the economic officer in charge developed jaundice. So I went from being a layman to an administrative officer.
What is your best memory of this time?
Fortunately, I had a good command of English and was able to meet the challenge set for me to the complete satisfaction of the commander and the UN authorities. It was a very memorable experience for me, I also have fond memories of the cooperation and the community there, and I was able to gain valuable and helpful experience for all my later assignments. In addition, my time in Congo – we were stationed in the capital of the then province of Katanga – was of course an experience of the landscape, the country and the people. You come back and have been able to look a little beyond the horizon. Such assignments abroad were something huge for everyone back then.
Was the assignment in Congo your only foreign assignment?
No, in 1966 I also spent six months in the field hospital in Cyprus in the same capacity. The commander probably offered me the assignment out of appreciation and gratitude for my services in the Congo. After passing a military interpreting exam, I also spent a year and a half as a military observer in Palestine, Israel and Egypt in 1978 and 1979. Again without any request. These were all great experiences that were given to me.
Now that you are retired, what do you miss most about the armed forces?
I don’t really miss anything, because I took over my parents’ farm during my active service in 1971. It keeps me so busy that I want for nothing. The army was my profession and I lived it, and it shaped me. I bring my professional experience, such as stamina, camaraderie and enthusiasm, to the care of the farm.
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