Commando Delta
Encyclopedia
The Commando Delta organizations were assassination teams under the control of the Organisation armés secrète (OAS)
in Algeria
during the early 1960s. The teams "interdicted" European neighborhoods by assassinating Muslims who entered. The Commandos Delta were organized by Roger Degueldre
in 1961. The "Delta" signified Degueldre, a sublieutenant who deserted from the French Foreign Legion
in 1961.
The Commandos Delta were also responsible for the assassination of persons considered "soft" or traitors to the cause of French Algeria
. Nevertheless, a certain number of killings were alleged to have been done by the Direction générale de la sécurité extérieure
(DGSE) security forces to discredit the OAS, carried out by the Service d'Action Civique
or the Red Hand. As a result, it is not possible to clearly define which actions were ascribable to the Commandos Delta in the chaotic situation of the time.
Several thousand murders of Algerians were attributed to the OAS.
Organisation armée secrète
The Organisation de l'armée secrète was a short-lived, French far-right nationalist militant and underground organization during the Algerian War . The OAS used armed struggle in an attempt to prevent Algeria's independence...
in Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
during the early 1960s. The teams "interdicted" European neighborhoods by assassinating Muslims who entered. The Commandos Delta were organized by Roger Degueldre
Roger Degueldre
Lieutenant Roger Hercule Gustave Degueldre was a leader of the OAS Delta Commandos in the last months of French rule in Algeria. There is some dispute about his origins...
in 1961. The "Delta" signified Degueldre, a sublieutenant who deserted from the French Foreign Legion
French Foreign Legion
The French Foreign Legion is a unique military service wing of the French Army established in 1831. The foreign legion was exclusively created for foreign nationals willing to serve in the French Armed Forces...
in 1961.
The Commandos Delta were also responsible for the assassination of persons considered "soft" or traitors to the cause of French Algeria
French Algeria
French Algeria lasted from 1830 to 1962, under a variety of governmental systems. From 1848 until independence, the whole Mediterranean region of Algeria was administered as an integral part of France, much like Corsica and Réunion are to this day. The vast arid interior of Algeria, like the rest...
. Nevertheless, a certain number of killings were alleged to have been done by the Direction générale de la sécurité extérieure
Direction générale de la sécurité extérieure
The General Directorate for External Security is France's external intelligence agency. Operating under the direction of the French ministry of defence, the agency works alongside the DCRI in providing intelligence and national security, notably by performing paramilitary and counterintelligence...
(DGSE) security forces to discredit the OAS, carried out by the Service d'Action Civique
Service d'Action Civique
The SAC , officially created in January 1960, was a Gaullist militia founded by Jacques Foccart, Charles de Gaulle's chief adviser for African matters, and Pierre Debizet, a former Resistant and official director of the group...
or the Red Hand. As a result, it is not possible to clearly define which actions were ascribable to the Commandos Delta in the chaotic situation of the time.
Organisation
- BAO - Bureau d'Action Opérationnelle, (Lieutenant Roger DegueldreRoger DegueldreLieutenant Roger Hercule Gustave Degueldre was a leader of the OAS Delta Commandos in the last months of French rule in Algeria. There is some dispute about his origins...
, Adjutant Lieutenant Pierre Delhomme), in charge of operations- Commandos Delta (Lieutenant Roger DegueldreRoger DegueldreLieutenant Roger Hercule Gustave Degueldre was a leader of the OAS Delta Commandos in the last months of French rule in Algeria. There is some dispute about his origins...
)- Delta 1 (Albert DovecarAlbert DovecarAlbert Dovecar was a sergeant in the French 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment of the French Foreign Legion. He was executed by firing squad at the Fort du Trou d'Enfer for his part in the assassination of French National Police Divisional Commissaire Roger Gavoury during the Algerian War.- Biography...
) - Delta 2 (Wilfried Schliederman)
- Delta 3 (Jean-Pierre Ramos)
- Delta 4 (Lieutenant Jean-Loup Blanchy)
- Delta 5 (Josué Giner, dit « Jésus de Bab-el-Oued »)
- Delta 6 (Gabriel Anglade)
- Delta 7 (Jacques Sintes)
- Delta 9 (Jo Rizza)
- Delta 10 (Joseph-Edouard Slama)
- Delta 11 (Paul Mancilla)
- Delta 24 (Marcel Ligier)
- Delta 33 (Jacques Bixio)
- Delta 1 (Albert Dovecar
- Commandos Delta (Lieutenant Roger Degueldre
The Algerian War
The Commandos Delta notably participated in the following actions :- Château-Royal assassinations : assassinations of six persons associated with social centers;
- Opération Rock and Roll: 120 explosions in two hours on the night of 5-6 March 1962;
- The "March 22 1962 murders", which led to the isolation of the Bab El OuedBab El OuedBab el-Oued is a neighbourhood in Algiers, the capital of Algeria, along the coast north of the city centre.During the existence of French Algeria, Bab el-Oued became the main neighbourhood of poor pied-noirs, including many poor fishermen...
quarter of Algiers, the followed by a counter-protest by the OAS. - The Opération Charlotte-Corday : the assassination attempt on Charles de GaulleCharles de GaulleCharles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
of 1962.
Several thousand murders of Algerians were attributed to the OAS.
Later use of the Commando Delta name
The Commando Delta name has been used in more recent times by elements of the French extreme right:- November 1977: attack on a communist bookstore in ToulonToulonToulon is a town in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department in the former province of Provence....
. - 2 December 1977: assassination of Laïd Sebaï of the Amicale des Algériens en Europe ("Friends of Algerians in Europe"} in Paris.
- 4 December 1977: bombing of an Algerian workers' foyer (lodging) in Marange-SilvangeMarange-SilvangeMarange-Silvange is a commune in the Moselle department in Lorraine in north-eastern France....
- 11 December 1977: Molotov cocktails were used against the Sonacotra foyer in Strasbourg-Meinau.
- 14 December 1977: attempted Molotov cocktail attack against a Sonocotra foyer in La GardeLa Garde-France:La Garde or Lagarde is the name or part of the name of several communes in France:* La Garde, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence département* La Garde, Isère, in the Isère département...
. - 27 December 1977: attack against a union hall in CambraiCambraiCambrai is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.Cambrai is the seat of an archdiocese whose jurisdiction was immense during the Middle Ages. The territory of the Bishopric of Cambrai, roughly coinciding with the shire of Brabant, included...
, resulting in minor damage. - 31 December 1977: bombing of the MarcoingMarcoing-References:*...
city hall. - 14 March 1978: attack on the Amicale des Algériens offices in Toulon.
- 24 March 1978: attack on a French Communist PartyFrench Communist PartyThe French Communist Party is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism.Although its electoral support has declined in recent decades, the PCF retains a large membership, behind only that of the Union for a Popular Movement , and considerable influence in French...
office in Toulon. - 4 May 1978: assassination of Henri CurielHenri CurielHenri Curiel was a left-wing political activist. Born in Egypt, Curiel led the communist Democratic Movement for National Liberation until he was expelled from the country in 1950. Settling in France, Curiel aided the Algerian Front de Libération Nationale and other national liberation causes...
in Paris - 7 April 1980: fire set at the door of a militant Communist in Aubervilliers.
- 7 June 1980: fire set at the house of a Community party member in Aubervilliers.
- 3 March 1981: attempted parcel bomb attack against a director of the Le MondeLe MondeLe Monde is a French daily evening newspaper owned by La Vie-Le Monde Group and edited in Paris. It is one of two French newspapers of record, and has generally been well respected since its first edition under founder Hubert Beuve-Méry on 19 December 1944...
newspaper. - 30 September 1983: Commandos Delta claim credit for an attack on the International Forum at the Palais des Congrès in MarseilleMarseilleMarseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
, 1 dead, 26 injured.
Sources
- This article incorporates text translated from the corresponding French Wikipedia article as of October 18, 2010.