Opération Corse
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Opération Corse was a military operation that precipitated the fall of the Fourth French Republic in 1958.


Background

The War in Algeria was going poorly, with the government of France viewed increasingly unfavorably by the French Army in Algiers. A group of rebel officers decided to take action by installing retired General
Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (; ; (commonly abbreviated as CDG) 22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Governm ...
as the President of France. The prelude to this goal was to be Opération Corse.


Algiers

It started as a coup attempt led at
Algiers Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques d ...
on 13 May 1958 by a military coalition headed by Algiers deputy and reserve airborne officer
Pierre Lagaillarde Pierre Lagaillarde (; Courbevoie, 15 May 1931 – 17 August 2014) was a French politician, and a founder of the ''Organisation armée secrète'' (OAS). Lagaillarde was a lawyer at Blida in Algeria, a reserve officer of the paratroopers, and an el ...
, Generals Raoul Salan, Edmond Jouhaud, Jean Gracieux, and
Jacques Massu Jacques Émile Massu (; 5 May 1908 – 26 October 2002) was a French general who fought in World War II, the First Indochina War, the Algerian War and the Suez crisis. He led French troops in the Battle of Algiers, first supporting and later ...
, and by Admiral
Philippe Auboyneau Philippe Auboyneau (9 November 1899 – 22 February 1961) was an officer in the French Navy. As an admiral, he was commander of the Free French naval forces in the Pacific and the Mediterranean during the Second World War. He was awarded the Ordr ...
, commander of the Mediterranean fleet. The putsch was supported by former Algerian Governor General
Jacques Soustelle Jacques Soustelle (3 February 1912 – 6 August 1990) was an important and early figure of the Free French Forces, a politician who served in the French National Assembly and at one time served as Governor General of Algeria, an anthropologist s ...
and his activist allies. After his tour as governor general,
Jacques Soustelle Jacques Soustelle (3 February 1912 – 6 August 1990) was an important and early figure of the Free French Forces, a politician who served in the French National Assembly and at one time served as Governor General of Algeria, an anthropologist s ...
had returned to France to organize support for de Gaulle's return to power, while retaining close ties to the army and the settlers. By early 1958, he had organized a
coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...
, bringing together dissident army officers and colonial officials with sympathetic
Gaullist Gaullism (french: link=no, Gaullisme) is a French political stance based on the thought and action of World War II French Resistance leader Charles de Gaulle, who would become the founding President of the Fifth French Republic. De Gaulle with ...
s. An army junta under General
Jacques Massu Jacques Émile Massu (; 5 May 1908 – 26 October 2002) was a French general who fought in World War II, the First Indochina War, the Algerian War and the Suez crisis. He led French troops in the Battle of Algiers, first supporting and later ...
seized power in Algiers on the night of 13 May.
General Salan Raoul Albin Louis Salan (; 10 June 1899 – 3 July 1984) was a French Army general. He served as the fourth French commanding general during the First Indochina War. He was one of four retired generals who organized the 1961 Algiers Putsch op ...
assumed leadership of a Committee of Public Safety formed to replace the civil authority and pressed the
junta Junta may refer to: Government and military * Junta (governing body) (from Spanish), the name of various historical and current governments and governing institutions, including civil ones ** Military junta, one form of junta, government led by a ...
's demands that de Gaulle be named by French president
René Coty Jules Gustave René Coty (; 20 March 188222 November 1962) was President of France from 1954 to 1959. He was the second and last president of the Fourth French Republic. Early life and politics René Coty was born in Le Havre and studied at t ...
to head a government of national union invested with extraordinary powers to prevent the "abandonment of Algeria." Salan announced on radio that the Army had “provisionally taken over responsibility for the destiny of
French Algeria French Algeria (french: Alger to 1839, then afterwards; unofficially , ar, الجزائر المستعمرة), also known as Colonial Algeria, was the period of French colonisation of Algeria. French rule in the region began in 1830 with the ...
”. Under the pressure of Massu, Salan declared ''Vive de Gaulle !'' from the balcony of the Algiers Government-General building on 15 May. De Gaulle answered two days later that he was ready to “assume the powers of the Republic”. Many worried as they saw this answer as support for the army.


Opération Corse: The invasion of Corsica

On 24 May, French paratroopers from the Algerian corps landed on
Corsica Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of ...
by aircraft, taking the French island in a bloodless action called "Operation Corse." They met no resistance by the
Gendarmerie Wrong info! --> A gendarmerie () is a military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (literally, ...
guarding Ajaccio's airport. Subsequently, preparations were made in Algeria for "
Operation Resurrection Operation Resurrection was a planned military operation of the French Army in 1958 that sought to take over the capital of France, Paris, to force the return of Charles de Gaulle to head the government. Masterminded by General Jacques Massu, the o ...
," which had as objectives the seizure of Paris and the removal of the French government, through the use of
paratrooper A paratrooper is a military parachutist—someone trained to parachute into a military operation, and usually functioning as part of an airborne force. Military parachutists (troops) and parachutes were first used on a large scale during Worl ...
s and armoured forces based at
Rambouillet Rambouillet (, , ) is a subprefecture of the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region of France. It is located beyond the outskirts of Paris, southwest of its centre. In 2018, the commune had a population of 26,933. Rambouillet lie ...
.


Reaction to Opération Corse by the French government

The French government immediately resigned, and President Rene Coty appointed General de Gaulle Prime Minister, with a mandate to dismantle the Republic and erect a new one.


Notes


References

Military history of France 1958 in France Battles in Corsica Airborne operations Battles and conflicts without fatalities Conflicts in 1958 {{France-battle-stub