Battle of Philippeville
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Philippeville was part of the Algerian War between France
and Algerian rebels, primarily the National Liberation Front (FLN)
The battle took place on August 20, 1955 and centered on the Algerian town of Philippeville
, though the FLN also made attacks on surrounding areas.
: "I will not agree to negotiate with the enemies of the homeland. The only negotiation is war!" The French adopted an increasingly aggressive policy in Algeria, and in early March 1955, the French government of Prime Minister
Pierre Mendes-France was replaced by that of Edgar Faure
.
To help combat the insurgency
, Paul Aussaresses
was dispatched to restart the intelligence unit from scratch, which had been disbanded during peacetime. Aussaresses set up the unit and started to collect intelligence and establish a network of informants and field agents.
, but Philippeville was a mid-sized town and an important port city.
In the days before the attack, FLN commandos took up positions in cellars within the town, while several thousand more fellagha
prepared to attack the French forces in Philippeville , which numbered about 400. The French quietly prepared for the anticipated attack, not even acting against the commandos who they knew were there, for fear that the FLN would realize the French had discovered their plan.
Action first broke out during the hour before attack, when the deputy police commissioner in charge of public safety, Superintendent Filiberti, took four men outside of town to make an unrelated arrest. The four men were pinned down by about 500 fellagha, but eventually able to fall back around a half hour before the attack began. The main attack began around noon, and the fellagha, under the influence of narcotic
s, attacked without any regard to their safety. They did not expect the French to see the attack coming, and were surprised when the French had set up positions to defend the city, as well as defend against the commandos which emerged from the cellars. There were 134 fellagha killed in the streets of Philippeville, and several hundred more wounded; the French citizens killed were 71 and the FLN also killed 52 Muslims, many of whom were prominent politicians.
While the main assault was going on, there were also side actions in the countryside around Constantine
. One was an attack on El-Halia, a sulphur-mining community where 130 Europeans had lived with about 2,000 Algerian Muslims in peace. The Muslims were encouraged to rise up against the Europeans after the FLN told them there would be no risk, because Egyptian and American troops were landing that day to expel the French from Algeria.. Led by the FLN, babies were chopped into pieces and smashed against walls, while women were raped, disemboweled and decapitated. The men were off working in the mines when the fellagha attacked. Their weapons were locked up because the person in charge of the key had gone to the beach, but were later relieved by 200 fresh recruits, supported by two T-6
trainer aircraft
.
Three hours later, French troops arrived, flying military planes overhead and raining bullets onto the town of El Halia indiscriminately.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Algerian rebels, primarily the National Liberation Front (FLN)
National Liberation Front (Algeria)
The National Liberation Front is a socialist political party in Algeria. It was set up on November 1, 1954 as a merger of other smaller groups, to obtain independence for Algeria from France.- Anticolonial struggle :...
The battle took place on August 20, 1955 and centered on the Algerian town of Philippeville
Skikda
Skikda is a city in north eastern Algeria and a port on the Gulf of Stora, the ancient Sinus Numidicus. It was known as Philippeville until the end of the Algerian War of Independence in 1962...
, though the FLN also made attacks on surrounding areas.
Prelude
The Algerian War had begun on November 1, 1954 when the first major attack of the FLN was launched, consisting of "scores of scores of spectacular attacks." The conflict began to escalate, as evidenced by the remarks of then-Minister of the Interior, François MitterrandFrançois Mitterrand
François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand was the 21st President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra, serving from 1981 until 1995. He is the longest-serving President of France and, as leader of the Socialist Party, the only figure from the left so far elected President...
: "I will not agree to negotiate with the enemies of the homeland. The only negotiation is war!" The French adopted an increasingly aggressive policy in Algeria, and in early March 1955, the French government of Prime Minister
Prime Minister of France
The Prime Minister of France in the Fifth Republic is the head of government and of the Council of Ministers of France. The head of state is the President of the French Republic...
Pierre Mendes-France was replaced by that of Edgar Faure
Edgar Faure
Edgar Faure was a French politician, essayist, historian, and memoirist.-Career:Faure was born in Béziers, Languedoc-Roussillon. He trained as a lawyer in Paris and became a member of the Bar at 27, the youngest lawyer in France to do so at the time...
.
To help combat the insurgency
Insurgency
An insurgency is an armed rebellion against a constituted authority when those taking part in the rebellion are not recognized as belligerents...
, Paul Aussaresses
Paul Aussaresses
Paul Aussaresses is a retired French Army general, who fought during World War II, the First Indochina War and Algerian War...
was dispatched to restart the intelligence unit from scratch, which had been disbanded during peacetime. Aussaresses set up the unit and started to collect intelligence and establish a network of informants and field agents.
The battle
Aussaresses was surprised by a set of attacks the FLN launched on June 18, 1955, which his intelligence unit had not heard anything about beforehand. After this, a more proactive policy was adopted, which resulted in the discovery of the FLN's plan to launch a massive frontal assault on August 20 at noon, with the primary objective of taking Philippeville. The FLN was not powerful enough to capture a large city, such as the capital at AlgiersAlgiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
, but Philippeville was a mid-sized town and an important port city.
In the days before the attack, FLN commandos took up positions in cellars within the town, while several thousand more fellagha
Fellagha
The Fellagha, an Arabic word literally meaning "bandit", but also comes from "fellah" or farmer, and "fallaq" or blow up, refers to groups of armed militants affiliated with anti-colonial movements in French North Africa...
prepared to attack the French forces in Philippeville , which numbered about 400. The French quietly prepared for the anticipated attack, not even acting against the commandos who they knew were there, for fear that the FLN would realize the French had discovered their plan.
Action first broke out during the hour before attack, when the deputy police commissioner in charge of public safety, Superintendent Filiberti, took four men outside of town to make an unrelated arrest. The four men were pinned down by about 500 fellagha, but eventually able to fall back around a half hour before the attack began. The main attack began around noon, and the fellagha, under the influence of narcotic
Narcotic
The term narcotic originally referred medically to any psychoactive compound with any sleep-inducing properties. In the United States of America it has since become associated with opioids, commonly morphine and heroin and their derivatives, such as hydrocodone. The term is, today, imprecisely...
s, attacked without any regard to their safety. They did not expect the French to see the attack coming, and were surprised when the French had set up positions to defend the city, as well as defend against the commandos which emerged from the cellars. There were 134 fellagha killed in the streets of Philippeville, and several hundred more wounded; the French citizens killed were 71 and the FLN also killed 52 Muslims, many of whom were prominent politicians.
While the main assault was going on, there were also side actions in the countryside around Constantine
Constantine, Algeria
Constantine is the capital of Constantine Province in north-eastern Algeria. It was the capital of the same-named French département until 1962. Slightly inland, it is about 80 kilometres from the Mediterranean coast, on the banks of Rhumel river...
. One was an attack on El-Halia, a sulphur-mining community where 130 Europeans had lived with about 2,000 Algerian Muslims in peace. The Muslims were encouraged to rise up against the Europeans after the FLN told them there would be no risk, because Egyptian and American troops were landing that day to expel the French from Algeria.. Led by the FLN, babies were chopped into pieces and smashed against walls, while women were raped, disemboweled and decapitated. The men were off working in the mines when the fellagha attacked. Their weapons were locked up because the person in charge of the key had gone to the beach, but were later relieved by 200 fresh recruits, supported by two T-6
T-6 Texan
The North American Aviation T-6 Texan was a single-engine advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces, United States Navy, Royal Air Force and other air forces of the British Commonwealth during World War II and into the 1950s...
trainer aircraft
Trainer (aircraft)
A trainer is a class of aircraft designed specifically to facilitate in-flight training of pilots and aircrews. The use of a dedicated trainer aircraft with additional safety features—such as tandem flight controls, forgiving flight characteristics and a simplified cockpit arrangement—allows...
.
Three hours later, French troops arrived, flying military planes overhead and raining bullets onto the town of El Halia indiscriminately.