Rolf Steiner Rolf Steiner was a professional soldier of fortune , born in Munich , Bavaria on January 3 , 1933 . He rose to the level of Lt . Commander of the 4th Commando Brigade in the Biafra n Army during the Nigerian Civil War , and later served with the Anyanya rebels in southern Sudan . The son of a Protestant father and Catholic mother , Steiner ' s father had been decorated in the First World War as part of Manfred von Richthofen ' s squadron . Following the end of the Second World War , Steiner decided to study for the priesthood at the age of 16 . His goal was to become a missionary for the church in Africa . Following an affair with a nun at the school , he decided that a more interesting life lay in the military , so joined the French Foreign Legion at the age of 17 , which maintained his goal of eventually going to Africa . His mother was so disappointed by his decision that she broke off contact with him . He enlisted in the Foreign Legion office in Offenburg , and was sent to Sidi - bel - Abbes in Algeria for training . Having first served in the First Paratrooper Unit in northern Viet Nam against the Viet Minh , he was later posted to Algeria where he met his future wife Odette , a " Pied - Noir " . The Legion hardened Steiner , and he was taken not only by the bravery but by the loyalty of his Russian , Hungarian , and French counterparts who , despite being adversaries only a few years before , were now steadfast comrades . While fighting the FLN ( Front de Libération Nationale ) uprising in Algeria , Steiner become active in the anti - De Gaulle Organisation de l ' armée secrète ( OAS ) through his wife . He was eventually arrested , sentenced to nine months in prison , and then released into civilian life . In 1967 , while living in Paris , he made contact with former colleague Roger Faulques , who was organizing a mercenary unit for the newly independent Republic of Biafra . Steiner flew to Port Harcourt via Lisbon , Portugal and enlisted into the Biafran army as a company commander . Steiner had success in the field , and was given the responsibility of organizing the 4th Biafran Commando Brigade as a Lt . Colonel . The first three brigades actually didn ' t exist ; the army created this bit of disinformation to confuse the Nigerian Federal forces . Steiner used a skull and crossbones as his regimental symbol , which he thought would constantly remind his troops of the risks inherent to war , rather than any reference to the pirates ' Jolly Roger or the Nazi SS . Steiner found the Biafrans to be quick learners and highly motivated . On May 25 , 1968 , they led a successful mission against a Federal Nigerian air field in Enugu , destroying six Russian - made bomber and fighter aircraft . Steiner , far from being a mercenary , fought for the Biafrans without pay , serving long after most other European soldiers of fortune had left the cause . Steiner ' s guerilla warfare skills served the Biafran cause far better than the conventional warfare training most of the other commanders had received at Sandhurst . Unfortunately , following several confrontations with his Biafran colleagues , Steiner resigned from service , was then arrested , and expelled from the country in handcuffs . Following his return to Europe , he learned through his contacts in charitable foundations of the plight of Christians in southern Sudan . He offered his services to Idi Amin , then commander of the Ugandan Army , who was funding the Anyanya rebel forces , and was dispatched to the war zone . There not only did he provide the Anyanya with military training , but helped to resolve internal bickering between the various southern tribes . He also used his agricultural and medical skills with civilians to improve their quality of life . Eventually he quarreled with Col . Joseph Lagu , an Anyanya leader , and was ordered by Lagu to leave the Sudan . Deciding to return to Europe , Steiner stopped in Kampala , Uganda and unwittingly became involved in the power struggle between Amin and President Milton Obote . When he refused to implicate his benefactor Amin in treason , Obote had him arrested and flown to Khartoum on January 8 , 1971 , charged with " crimes against Africa . " He spent three years in prison , being tortured in the most savage ways imaginable , and was eventually sentenced to death by the Sudanese courts , which was commuted to twenty years on " humanitarian " grounds . It was only through pressure from the West German government that he was finally released from prison . Steiner retired to Germany where he remarried and wrote his memoirs , " The Last Adventurer " , which was published in 1976 . It is out of print but used copies are still available from major booksellers .