November 1, 1954 · Aurès Mountains & across Algeria Theater
November 1, 1954
On the night of November 1, 1954, the newly-formed FLN launched 70 simultaneous attacks across Algeria, striking military installations, police posts, and infrastructure. The attacks killed 8 people and wounded dozens, but their political impact was enormous — they announced the birth of an armed independence movement to the world. French Interior Minister François Mitterrand famously replied that 'the only possible negotiation is war.'
Commanders