This week, our IDFVN series on the 32nd Infantry Battalion follows the advance party into Goma.
Their job was to prepare the ground for the arrival of Ireland's first battalion-strength United Nations deployment.
On paper, that meant securing accommodation, recovering stores, making contact with local authorities, and preparing for the main body.
On the ground, it was far more delicate.
The advance party landed at Goma without incident. Waiting at the airfield were about 200 armed Congolese troops, roughly 80 armed police, and a crowd estimated at around 10,000 civilians.
The officer commanding the advance party addressed those present from the steps of the aircraft. He explained the purpose of the United Nations mission and set out the intentions of the Irish troops.
A conference then took place in the terminal building with the local military commander, chiefs of police, the territorial commissioner, and local administrators.
At first, the reception appeared friendly.
A written message was sent back by aircraft to United Nations headquarters stating that the advance party had been received in a friendly manner and that little difficulty was expected in recovering its stores.
But the situation was not as settled as it looked.
The Irish officer addressed the crowd again, speaking about the United Nations mission and also about the history of the Irish people and their attitude to colonialism. The civilians received the speeches well.
The military were less certain.
The unit history records that the Congolese military remained distrustful of the Irish party's motives and unsure about their nationality.
That uncertainty mattered.
The advance party was brought by military bus into Goma. Schools were inspected for accommodation. Visits were made to the territorial commissioner and local administrator. The Irish also visited the Congolese Army camp to check the location of stores that had been seized.
It was there that the danger became clear.
According to the unit history, some Congolese Army officers were putting pressure on their commandant to detain the Irish advance party in the camp.
The Irish were shown around the camp and brought to a recreation hut or canteen, where beds had been prepared. The commandant then invited them to stay.
In normal circumstances, that might have sounded like hospitality.
In Goma, in July 1960, it sounded very different.
There were heated discussions among Congolese officers and NCOs in the commandant's office. The Irish could only partly understand what was being said through interpreters, but enough was understood.
There was support for holding the Irish advance party as prisoners.
The officer commanding the advance party declined the invitation to remain in the camp. He instead requested that the Irish stores be made available at the airfield the following morning at 0900 hours, and that trucks be provided for the transport of the battalion and its stores when they arrived.
That decision took nerve.
No drama. No grandstanding. Just a calm refusal in a dangerous room.
The advance party then moved to the Grand Lacs Hotel, where it established its headquarters.
Even there, the tension did not disappear.
On the advice of the United Nations political adviser, the Irish officer invited the local administrator, the commandant, and two chiefs of police to dinner in the hotel. The gesture helped reduce some suspicion. The unit history notes that in 1960 no Belgian would have invited Congolese personnel into that hotel.
But it did not remove the danger entirely.
That night, the hotel was surrounded by about one platoon.
The men of the advance party had landed to prepare the way for the battalion. Within hours they had faced armed troops, seized stores, racial tension, political uncertainty, and the real possibility of detention.
It was an early lesson in peacekeeping.
The blue beret did not make the ground safe. A United Nations mandate did not guarantee trust. Calm judgement still mattered. Discipline still mattered. So did the ability to stand firm without turning a tense situation into a disaster.
Story adapted from the 32nd Infantry Battalion Congo Unit History.