Son of Jacques, Count Hughes Le Grelle was a paracommando officer who first jumped on Stanleyville during Operation Dragon Rouge, the code name for the 24 November 1964 mission in the former Belgian Congo during which the paracommandos freed hundreds of Belgian and foreign hostages held in Stanleyville by Congolese rebels led by Christian Gbenye of the Simba rebellion. By 1964, the Léopoldville government, supported by Western powers, was gaining a foothold in its fight to suppress the communist-backed Simba rebellion. Fearing an inevitable defeat, the rebels resorted to taking hostages of the local white population in areas under their control. On 28 October, the Simba rebels arrested all Belgians and Americans in Stanleyville. Several hundred hostages were taken to Stanleyville and placed under guard in the Victoria Hotel. The Léopoldville government turned to Belgium and the United States for help. In response, the Belgian army sent a task force to Léopoldville, airlifted by the U.S. 322nd Airlift Division. Washington and Brussels worked jointly on a rescue plan. The soldiers took over Stanleyville first. Hughes Le Grelle then participated in the liberation of Paulis (Operation Black Dragon) but, although young officers were motivated to continue to save their fellow citizens, their commander had to stop their ardor, for the mission. Due to the growing international pressure, Belgium and the United States decided to abandon plans for follow-on operations. The paracommandos returned to Belgium after six days, where they were received with great pomp, taking part in a historic ticker-tape parade going back on Rue Royale to the Brussels Courthouse on 1 December 1964. Hugues Le Grelle also participated in Operation Red Bean, the Battle of Kolwezi in 1978. After his retirement, he took over the management of the family business "Het Beste Brood", where he organized the sale and complete exit of the capital for the entire Le Grelle family.