Battle of Agounennda

Battle of Agounennda
Part of Algerian War
Date23–25 May 1957
Location
Agounennda, Algeria
Result

French victory

  • Si Azzedine escape French forces but with heavy casualties
  • Marcel Bigeard operation is a success[1]
Belligerents
France French Republic AlgeriaFLN
Commanders and leaders
Colonel Marcel Bigeard Commander Si Azzedine
Strength
700 soldiers[2] 300 militants[3]
Casualties and losses
8 killed
29 wounded[2]
97 killed
12 captured
unknown number wounded[2]

The Battle of Agounennda was an engagement of the Algerian War fought from the 23–25 May 1957 between the French 3rd Colonial Parachute Regiment under Lieutenant Colonel Marcel Bigeard and FLN’s Commando 41 (‘Ali Khodja’) under Si Azzedine. Bigeard and his regiment were sent to hunt down the Commando after it had carried out several successful ambushes against French units. They met at Agounennda where the French paratroopers tried to ambush the FLN force, but the FLN discovered the French and instead concentrated their force against an outlying French company.

Bigeard managed to redeploy and surround the FLN force; it withdrew successfully albeit with heavy casualties. However, the French were unable to recover large caches of weapons - the FLN having taken them off the field. The battle altered FLN tactics, reminding them that they were unable to meet the French in open battle. Conversely, it gave the French renewed confidence in a military victory. However, sceptics on both sides saw it as evidence that neither faction would ever gain ascendancy in the other's arena. The FLN avoided military combat with the French, relying on guerilla warfare.[4]

  1. ^ Bigeard, Marcel-Maurice (2010). Ma vie pour la France (in French). Rocher. ISBN 978-2-914214-84-1.
  2. ^ a b c Windrow 1997, p. 35.
  3. ^ Horne 1977, pp. 251–253.
  4. ^ Horne 1977, pp. 253–254.