Maurice Challe
Encyclopedia
Maurice Challe was a French
general during the Algerian War, one of four generals who took part in the Algiers putsch
. It is believed that it was Challe who devised the secret British-French-Israeli military response to the Suez Crisis
in 1956.
A native of Le Pontet, Vaucluse
, and a veteran of the Second World War, Challe had transmitted the Luftwaffe
order of battle to the British prior to D-Day
and had backed De Gaulle's return to power . Challe was a French Air Force general whose greatest military success was in the realm of counter-insurgency operations during the Algerian War. His offensive, begun in March 1959 and also known as the Challe Plan, succeeded in substantially weakening the ALN
. Through the use of speed and concentration of force, Challe kept the ALN insurgents in constant retreat and disorder. His innovative tactics would be studied and emulated by others seeking to keep insurgency at bay and off-balance. The Challe Plan was only partially completed before he was reassigned to France.
A militarised line, the Challe Line, was named after him. It doubled another defence work, the Morice Line
, which fortified the border and separated Algeria from Morocco and Tunisia.
He was Commander-in-Chief Allied Forces Central Europe (CINCENT) from May, 1960 to his deliberate resignation, February, 1961.
Challe was one of the heads of the Algiers putsch of 1961, along with Raoul Salan
, Edmond Jouhaud
and André Zeller
. After the putsch failed, he and Zeller surrendered to the French army (while Salan and Jouhaud created the OAS) and was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment. He was freed in December 1966 and received amnesty from President de Gaulle
in 1968.
Challe died on 18 January 1979.
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...
general during the Algerian War, one of four generals who took part in the Algiers putsch
Algiers putsch
The Algiers putsch , also known as the Generals' putsch , was a failed coup d'état to overthrow French President Charles De Gaulle and establish an anti-communist military junta...
. It is believed that it was Challe who devised the secret British-French-Israeli military response to the Suez Crisis
Suez Crisis
The Suez Crisis, also referred to as the Tripartite Aggression, Suez War was an offensive war fought by France, the United Kingdom, and Israel against Egypt beginning on 29 October 1956. Less than a day after Israel invaded Egypt, Britain and France issued a joint ultimatum to Egypt and Israel,...
in 1956.
A native of Le Pontet, Vaucluse
Le Pontet, Vaucluse
Le Pontet is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.It is the most populous suburb of the city of Avignon, and lies adjacent to the north side of the city.-External links:*...
, and a veteran of the Second World War, Challe had transmitted the Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
order of battle to the British prior to D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
and had backed De Gaulle's return to power . Challe was a French Air Force general whose greatest military success was in the realm of counter-insurgency operations during the Algerian War. His offensive, begun in March 1959 and also known as the Challe Plan, succeeded in substantially weakening the ALN
Armée de Libération Nationale
The Armée de Libération Nationale or ALN was the armed wing of the nationalist Front de Libération National during the Algerian War of Independence...
. Through the use of speed and concentration of force, Challe kept the ALN insurgents in constant retreat and disorder. His innovative tactics would be studied and emulated by others seeking to keep insurgency at bay and off-balance. The Challe Plan was only partially completed before he was reassigned to France.
A militarised line, the Challe Line, was named after him. It doubled another defence work, the Morice Line
Morice Line
The Morice Line was a defensive line constructed in the 1950s and finished in September 1957. It was built to prevent Algerian FLN guerrillas from entering the French colony of Algeria from Tunisia and Morocco. It was named after the French Minister of Defence André Morice.-Design:The center of the...
, which fortified the border and separated Algeria from Morocco and Tunisia.
He was Commander-in-Chief Allied Forces Central Europe (CINCENT) from May, 1960 to his deliberate resignation, February, 1961.
Challe was one of the heads of the Algiers putsch of 1961, along with Raoul Salan
Raoul Salan
Raoul Albin Louis Salan was a French Army general and the fourth French commanding general during the First Indochina War. Salan was one of four generals who organized the 1961 Algiers Putsch operation and then founded the Organisation de l'armée secrète....
, Edmond Jouhaud
Edmond Jouhaud
Edmond Jouhaud was one of four French generals who briefly staged a putsch in Algeria in April 1961. As Army General he had been the Inspector General of the Air Force in French North Africa. After the failure of the putsch, he became the deputy of Raoul Salan in the Organisation de l'Armée Secrète...
and André Zeller
André Zeller
André Zeller was a French Army general, one of the four generals who organized the Algiers putsch of 1961...
. After the putsch failed, he and Zeller surrendered to the French army (while Salan and Jouhaud created the OAS) and was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment. He was freed in December 1966 and received amnesty from President de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles 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....
in 1968.
Challe died on 18 January 1979.