Count von Rosen

El conde von Rosen había nacido en cuna de oro, tenía relaciones importantes y disfrutaba de mucho dinero, sin embargo, por su idealismo, se puso al frente de la armada de Biafra, llevó alimentos a los sitiados y criticó al gobierno británico por colaborar en la hambruna de millones de personas de la separatista Biafra. Anteriormente había dicho “hay un interés en esconder la verdad entre Gran Bretaña y Nigeria… esto es una tragedia para África, los muertos se cuentan por millones… los británicos incrementaron 35 veces más el tráfico de armas…”

von Rosen, to the right

Un poco más sobre la vida de Carl Gustaf von Rosen (en inglés), mercenario, piloto y humanista…

“I´ve seen people being shot, being ruthlessly shot to pieces by Russian Migs, months after months in Biafra…”

Carl died in 1977. He was the son of the explorer Count Eric von Rosen, who had been to Bolivia in an expedition at the beginning of the 20^th century.

When the Italians under Benito Mussolini attacked the independent empire of Ethiopia, von Rosen joined the Swedish Red Cross ambulance mission and flew casualties out from the battlefield under extremely dangerous conditions.

Mussolini inspecting troops during the Italo-Ethiopian War

After his return from the war in Ethiopia, he went to the Netherlands to join KLM, the first public airline in the world, and became one of their foremost pilots. When the Soviet Union invaded Finland in 1939 in the Winter War, von Rosen quit his job to fly bombing missions for the Finns.

Von Rosen also served as the pilot for the second Secretary-General of the United Nations, Dag Hammarskjöld.

He was employed by the Swedish charter airline Transair.

He gained international fame seven years later when he flew relief missions for aid organisations into war torn Biafra. These flights included flying a DC-7 from São Tomé to Uli at only a little above sea level in August 1968.

Douglas DC-7

From 1974 to 1977 he flew aid for famine and drought victims in Ethiopia.

Count Carl Gustaf Von Rosen

reasons for joining Biafran air force - Russian Migs shooting people – terrible role of Britain in Nigeria –

—Why did you join the Biafran air force?

—I had a month holiday and I come to … and baked in the sun and just enjoyed life. I´m a father of six children and five grand-children. And I´ve seen people being shot, being ruthlessly shot to pieces by Russian Migs, months after months in Biafra. And as a man I couldn´t face my family, sitting at home. So I went down to do my best to stop those Migs to shoot the population of that country into pieces.

To our surprise, after all denial from the British government, we found 6 … in a British airport. I think it´s a terrible role that the British government is playing in Nigeria and I´m sure the British people is sick of it now. I sincerely hope that the public will so influence that the government either has to go or stop it.

—Do the British air aid and the Russian aid match each other in some respects?

—No, it´s by far the British who make the war. The Russians are pulling out, in my opinion more and more.

Para saber

São Tomé es la capital y la ciudad más grande de la isla de África Central de de São Tomé and Príncipe. Fue fundada en el siglo 15 y es una de las colonias africanas más antiguas.

Baía Ana Chaves, Sao Tomé

Artículos relacionados

… se ofreció como voluntario para unirse a los Biafran Boys, un grupo de niños soldados entrenados por el ejército… Los chicos soldados

The blockade imposed during the ensuing stalemate led to mass starvation… Nigerian Civil War

Lo escribió en 1947 cuando Thomas estaba en Florencia con su familia… Do not go gentle into that good night

Otro idealista, de enorme influencia en el mundo, fue Gandhi… Gandhi employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign for India's independence from British Rule, and in turn inspire movements for civil rights and freedom across the world.

Esto es parte del archivo: ¡Biafra o muerte!