The Algerian War, 1954-62

In the mid-1950s to early 1960s the Algerian war dominated the European press, comparable in impact to the Vietnam War. France was divided politically, and governments rose and fell regularly. Algeria was France's oldest, richest and most integrated colony, but during the war in Indochina an underground separatist movement began. Its armed wing, the ALN, began to act in 1954. The tactics they used are described in this text, ranging from assassination, including attempts on de Gaulle, to the intimidation of natives. The actions of the French military are covered, including the French Foreign Legion and the first use of airborne counter insurgency operations, now commonplace in modern warfare. The war is also considered the source of the reputaion now associated with paratroopers as crack troops.