Battle of Algiers (1957)

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Battle of Algiers
partof= Algerian War


caption=
date= 7 January 1957 - 8 October 1957
place= Algiers, French Algeria
result= French military victory
FLN political victory
combatant1=flagicon|Algeria|1958 FLN
combatant2=flagicon|France France
commander1=Larbi Ben M'hidiKIA
Saadi YacefPOW
Ali AmmarKIA
commander2=Jacques Massu
Yves Godard
strength1=1,400 operativesharvnb|Horne|1977|p=184.]
strength2=4,600 soldiers
1,500 policemenharvnb|Horne|1977|p=188.]
casualties1=
casualties2=
notes=The Battle of Algiers was a campaign of guerrilla warfare carried out by the National Liberation Front (FLN) against French rule in 1957. The conflict began as a series of hit-and-run attacks by the FLN against the French Police in Algiers. Violence escalated when the French government deployed the French Army in Algiers to suppress the FLN. Civilian authorities left all prerogatives to general Massu who, operating outside legal frameworks between January and March 1957, successfully eliminated the FLN from Algiers. The use of torture resulted in a backlash against French presence in Algeria, triggered a controversy in France, and stimulated international support for the FLN.

Early Stages

In March 1955, Rabah Bitat, head of the FLN in Algiers, was arrested by the French. Abane Ramdane, recently freed from prison, was sent from Kabylie to take the political direction of the city in hand. In a short time, Ramdane managed to revive the FLN in AlgiersGuy Pervillé, « [http://www.histoire.presse.fr/archives/perville214.asp Terrorisme et torture : la bataille d’Alger de 1957] », in "L'Histoire", n°214 (octobre 1997)] .

In 1956, the so-called "Algerian question" was to be debated at the United Nations. During the Summam Congress ("Congrès de La Soummam") Abane Ramdane and Larbi Ben M'Hidi decided to escalate the conflict by focusing the operations of the FLN in the capital [http://www.ldh-toulon.net/spip.php?article1768#nh1 « la bataille d’Alger, par Benjamin Stora »] , entretien avec Benjamin Stora, "L’Express" du 5 janvier 2007.] .

During the summer of 1956, secret negotiations between the French and Algerian separatists took place in Belgrade and Rome. The hard-liners of French Algeria began to organise themselves in paramilitary group under André Achiary, as former officer of the SDECE and under-prefect of Constantinois at the time of Sétif massacre. Helped by members of Robert Martel's "Union française nord-africaine", Achiary planted a bomb at Thèbes road in the casbah during the night of 10 August 1956; the explosion claimed 73 lives. This terrorist action marked a turn in the conflict "In Algiers, counter-terrorism preceeded terrorism". Patrick Rotman in "L'Ennemi intime", 2002] Marie-Monique Robin, "Escadrons de la mort, l'école française"] .

:"Until the Thèbes road massacre, we only mounted attacks in Algiers as retaliations to massive arrests or excecutions. But this time, we had no choice: enraged, Casbah inhabitants marched down towards the European town to avenge their dead. I had the outmost difficulties to stop them, with a speech from a balcony, to avoid a bloodbath. I promised that FLN would avenge them." Yacef Saâdi

Peace talks broke down and Guy Mollet's government put an end to the policy of negotiations. Larbi Men M'Hidi decided to extended terrorist actions to the European city as to touch more urban populations, Arab bourgeoisie in particular, and use Algiers to advertise his cause in metropolitan France and in the International community. After FLN members were excecuted by guillotine, Larbi Men M'Hidi ordered to "shoot down any European, from 18 to 54. No women, no children, no elder." [ Yves Courrière, "Le Temps des léopards", Paris, Fayard, 1969, Alger, éditions Rahma, 1993, pp. 357-358]

The "Battle of Algiers" started on 30 September 1956, when a trio of female FLN militants, Djamila, Zohra and Hassiba, carried out a series of bomb attacks on civilian locations (a milk bar, a cafetaria and a travel agency).

On 22 October 1956, a Moroccan DC-3 plane ferrying the foreign affairs personel of the FLN from Rabat to Tunis for a conference with President Bourguiba and the Sultan of Morrocco was re-routed to Algiers. Hocine Aït Ahmed, Ahmed Ben Bella, Mohammed Boudiaf, Mohamed Khider and Mostefa Lacheraf were arrested.

In December, general Raoul Salan was promoted commander in chief of the army of Algeria. Salan was an adept of the theory of counter-insurgency; he chose veterants of the First Indochina War as his lieutenants, most notably general André Dulac, colonel Goussault (psychological operations), general Robert Allard, and lieutenant-colonel Roger Trinquier.

Intervention of the Army

On 4 January 1957, at Matignon, President of the Council Guy Mollet gave general Massu absolute power on civilian and military matters in Algeria. Robert Lacoste, Christian Pineau (foreign affaires minister), Paul Ramadier (finance), Maurice Bourgès-Maunoury (Defence minister, disciple of the counter-insurgency doctrine), and Max Lejeune and Louis Laforêt (secretaries of State).

Beyond his own troops, the 10th Parachute Division (now 11th Parachute Brigade), General Massu had control of Police (1,100 men), the Direction de la surveillance du territoire, the Service de Documentation Extérieure et de Contre-Espionnage, the elite 11th Parachute Storm Regiment (3,200 men), the 9th Zouave Regiment (based in the Casbah, 350 mounted troops of the 5e régiment de chasseurs d'Afrique, 400 men of the 25th Dragoon regiment, 650 men of two Intervention and Reconnaissance detachments, 55 gendarmes, 920 men of the Compagnies républicaines de sécurité, and 1,500 men of the Unités territoriales, mostly composed of extremist pied-noirs lead by colonel Jean-Robert Thomazo.

On 7 January 1957, acting upon orders of minister Lacoste, prefect Serge Barret signed a delegation of powers to General Massu, stipulating that

:"over the territory of the Algier department, responsability for riot control is transferred, from the publication date of this decree, to the military authority that shall exercise police powers normally devoted to civilian authorities"Marie-Monique Robin, "Escadrons de la mort, l'école française", 2008, p.95 ] .

Massu was charged to: :"institute zones where stay is regulated or forbidden; to place any person whose activity would prove dangerous to public security and order under house arrest, under surveillance or not; to regulate public meetings, shows, bars; to order declaration of weapons, ammunition and explosives, and order their surrendering or seek and confiscate them; the order and authorise perquisitions of homes by day or night; to decide of penalties imposed as reparations of damage to public and private property to anyone found to have helped the rebellion in any way."

Counter-Insurgency Operations

Films

*"Lost Command" (1966) by Mark Robson
*"The Battle of Algiers" (1966) by Gillo Pontecorvo
*"La Question" (1977) by Laurent Heynemann

Notes

References

*citation
last = Horne
first = Alistair
author-link =
publication-date = 2006
date = 1977
year = 1977
title = A Savage War of Peace: Algeria 1954-1962
publisher = New York Review
isbn = 978-1-59017-218-6;

External link

* [http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/2006/RAND_MG478-1.pdf Pacification in Algeria] , RAND