The Battle of Douar Souadek, or Battle of Boukerker, was a military engagement between the
French Army
The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...
, and the
ALN
Aln, ALN, or AlN may refer to:
Organizations
Paramilitary
* Ação Libertadora Nacional, a Brazilian Marxist–Leninist guerrilla movement
* Armée de Libération Nationale, the armed wing of the nationalist National Liberation Front of Alge ...
.
Background
In the early morning hours of 1 November 1954,
FLN ''maquisards'' (guerrillas) attacked military and civilian targets throughout Algeria in what became known as the ''
Toussaint Rouge
(, "Red All Saints' Day"), also known as ("Bloody All-Saints' Day") is a series of 70 attacks committed by militant members of the Algerian National Liberation Front (FLN) that took place on 1 November 1954—the Catholic festival of All S ...
'' (Red
All-Saints' Day). The country was divided into several Zones, later
Wilayas, and each had a leader. The leader of
Zone II, was
Mourad Didouche
Mourad Didouche (; 1927–1955) was an Algerian revolutionary, and a political and military figure of the Algerian War of Independence.
Biography
Mourad Didouche, nicknamed Si Abdelkader, was born on July 13, 1927, at El Mouradia in Algiers ...
, who was one of the six founders of the FLN. He regularly used
hit and run tactics to weaken local French elements, and he was also well known to visit individual maquis, to inspect, or train them.
Battle
On 18 January 1955,
Mourad Didouche
Mourad Didouche (; 1927–1955) was an Algerian revolutionary, and a political and military figure of the Algerian War of Independence.
Biography
Mourad Didouche, nicknamed Si Abdelkader, was born on July 13, 1927, at El Mouradia in Algiers ...
, was at the head of a group of nine
Fellagha
The ''Fellagha'', an Arabic word literally meaning "bandits" (الفلاقة, singular الفلاق), refers to groups of armed militants affiliated with anti-colonial movements in French North Africa. It most often is used to refer to armed A ...
s, in a local maquis called Douar Souadek located 12 km from the town of
Condé-Smendou. He was most likely training them. They were armed with 6 rifles, and 6 pistols. According to the details reported by the ''
La Dépêche de Constantine
LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America.
La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music
*La (musical note), or A, the sixth note
*"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smit ...
'' newspaper, about twenty French
gendarmes
A gendarmerie () is a paramilitary or 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" (). In France and som ...
led by Lieutenant Malherbe had taken the direction of Douar Souadek in the dawn of 18 January 1955. On the spot, near the Boukerker wadi, they were ambushed by the aforementioned maquis.
According to La Dépêche de Constantine'','' the battle began around 8:30 am. After only a few shots fired, a French gendarme was killed, and two others wounded, while the Algerians suffered no casualties. Seeing the scale of the engagement, Lieutenant Malherbe asked for reinforcements. At the end of the morning, three gendarmerie
platoon
A platoon is a Military organization, military unit typically composed of two to four squads, Section (military unit), sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the Military branch, branch, but a platoon can ...
s arrived from
Constantine
Constantine most often refers to:
* Constantine the Great, Roman emperor from 306 to 337, also known as Constantine I
* Constantine, Algeria, a city in Algeria
Constantine may also refer to:
People
* Constantine (name), a masculine g ...
,
Azzaba and
El Harrouch, followed by two
CRS companies, and reportedly a paratrooper one under the command of
Paul Ducournau.
Despite their initial successes, the ten Fellaghas got cornered by the numerically superior, and far better armed French units. Despite this, they resisted until about 5:15 pm. By the end of the battle 7 fellaghas died, two were wounded, and one was able to escape, albeit wounded. One of the killed was Mourad Didouche himself.
Identification of bodies
Ever since the beginning of the ''
Organisation spéciale'', all officers and leaders had
Pseudonym
A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...
s, as to avoid identification. As such, the French army never realized that one of the killed resistance fighters was Mourad,
as they thought that it was instead somebody called Abdelkader.
See also
*
Operation Véronique
Operation Véronique was an unsuccessful military operation undertaken by the French Army during the Algerian War in the hope of eradicating the National Liberation Front (Algeria), National Liberation Front (FLN).
Background
The Algerian War, ...
*
Ambush of Palestro
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Douar Souadek
1955 in the Algerian War
Battles of the Algerian War
History of Constantine Province
January 1955 in Africa