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Central Government & UN (ONUC)
Katanga, Secessionists & Rebels
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Operation Morthor and the Death of Hammarskjöld

September 13–18, 1961 · Katanga and Ndola (Northern Rhodesia) Theater

UN offensive stalls; the Secretary-General killed in a mysterious air crash.

September 13–18, 1961

The UN launched Operation Morthor to end the Katangese secession by force, but the offensive bogged down and the Jadotville debacle followed. Flying to Ndola to negotiate a ceasefire with Tshombe, UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld was killed when his aircraft crashed at night in still-unexplained circumstances — long suspected by many to have been shot down or sabotaged.

  • Operation Morthor and the Death of Hammarskjöld

Commanders

Central Government & UN (ONUC) · UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld; Conor Cruise O'Brien
Katanga, Secessionists & Rebels · Katangese forces; the mercenary pilot(s)