Jean “Black Jack” Schramme was not your typical soldier of fortune. A Belgian plantation owner turned mercenary commander, Schramme rose to infamy during the Congo Crisis of the 1960s, where he led European mercenaries and Katangese fighters in a failed attempt to reassert control over a crumbling post-colonial state.

His exploits captured headlines in both Africa and across Europe, where he was viewed as a heroic folk hero by some and a symbol of neo-colonial violence by others. His story is one of resistance to decolonization, shifting loyalties, and a readiness to restore order through armed force.

Early Life

Jean Schramme was born in 1929 in Bruges, Belgium, into an upper-middle-class family. His father was a well-regarded lawyer, his mother a secondary-school headmistress, and his

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