The Martyr: Jean Bastien-Thiry and the Assassination Attempt of Charles de Gaulle
On August 22, 1962, Charles du Gaulle, then President of France, travelled with his wife and entourage through a quiet Paris suburb. With a shot, everything changed. Over 180 bullets showered the cars, the streets, the shops. Amazingly, everyone escaped without injury....but the hunt was now on. Who and why would someone attempt to kill one of France's most beloved political figures?
In gripping narrative, this book chronicles the planning of the failed attempted and everything that happened after.
In gripping narrative, this book chronicles the planning of the failed attempted and everything that happened after.
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Excerpt
Prologue
On the evening of September 9, 1961, General Charles de Gaulle, the president of France, accompanied by his wife Madame Yvonne de Gaulle, left the Elysee Presidential palace and entered their chauffeur-driven limousine.
The route de Gaulle was to travel, Nationale 19, just outside of Paris, had already been cleared and a decoy convoy sent ahead. Security on the President was tight.
De Gaulle’s motorcade consisted of three vehicles led by two escort motorcycles - their destination; the Generals villa in Colombey. De Gaulle was travelling in the first limousine; the second one following carried one gunman, in addition to the General’s personal physician. The third vehicle, a Citroen Idee, held the police of Garde Republicaine.
As people outside the palace watched the procession leave, one lone man among them quietly walked off and entered a café. Moving directly towards the telephone, he placed a call, spoke a few words, and then hung up. Elsewhere in the city, others immediately moved into action.
Traveling 70 mph, Francis Marroux, de Gaulle’s chauffer, kept his eyes glued to road. They were at Pont-sur-Seine, and the stretch ahead of them was clear and devoid of traffic. Still, the chauffer felt uneasy, tense, and very much aware of his surroundings.
Suddenly, there was a tremendous explosion, and a huge cloud of dirt and sand erupted right before them, swirling around, raining down on the limousine. Marroux, caught off guard, swerved to the left and desperately tried to level the car out. From the back seat, President de Gaulle shouted to drive faster.
Marroux floored the gas pedal, and the limousine shot forward. But just as it did, a wall of fire erupted in front of him, the flames shooting skyward, the entire road seemingly engulfed. Marroux pressed harder on the gas and drove straight into the towering inferno. Within seconds, the limousine appeared on the other side of the fire and sped off at a high rate of speed, disappearing into the darkness.
The two vehicles following de Gaulle, distracted at the explosion, had only seen the tail end of his limousine as it disappeared into the flames. To them, it appeared as if the vehicle had been blown apart. Both cars were forced to stop before the fire, where the men frantically issued a general alert.
Marroux was still speeding away when he looked at his watch. It was 9:35pm. Glancing in the rearview mirror, he saw the General sitting calm and erect, absolutely unfettered. Beside him sat his wife, every bit as composed as her husband. When the car finally pulled into the Air Force barracks at Romilly, Marroux stepped outside, as did de Gaulle and his wife. As the chauffer examined the damage to the vehicle, the General and Madame de Gaulle calmly walked away towards another waiting car and got in. Then, escorted by three Air Force vehicles, the President continued on his way to Colombey.
Chapter 1: A Hunted Man
President Charles de Gaulle was a man with a price on his head, and he knew it. For years he had watched the people of France run the gauntlet of emotions where their feelings towards him were concerned. In WWI he had been a hero, in WWII a savior, and now, during the Algerian war, he was hated by many.
The issue that had propelled de Gaulle from a beloved leader to a man with a bounty on his head was the country of Algeria. A French colony ever since France had invaded it back in 1830, Algeria had not surrendered to the French easily. A Muslim country, the natives had immediately declared Jihad on the European settlers, or Pied Noir as they were called, who moved in and claimed their land for their own.
The fighting between the Algerians and the Pied Noir had never been on an even keel. While the Pied Noir had the backing of the French military, the Algerians had only themselves. Still, they fought hard, and they never gave in. They were a proud people, and fiercely determined to one day re-gain their independence.
During WWII, after France fell to the Nazis and the new Vichy Government was installed, Algeria came within an inch of re-gaining her freedom. But when the Allies liberated France and General Charles de Gaulle seized power, he refused to let Algeria go.
On the evening of September 9, 1961, General Charles de Gaulle, the president of France, accompanied by his wife Madame Yvonne de Gaulle, left the Elysee Presidential palace and entered their chauffeur-driven limousine.
The route de Gaulle was to travel, Nationale 19, just outside of Paris, had already been cleared and a decoy convoy sent ahead. Security on the President was tight.
De Gaulle’s motorcade consisted of three vehicles led by two escort motorcycles - their destination; the Generals villa in Colombey. De Gaulle was travelling in the first limousine; the second one following carried one gunman, in addition to the General’s personal physician. The third vehicle, a Citroen Idee, held the police of Garde Republicaine.
As people outside the palace watched the procession leave, one lone man among them quietly walked off and entered a café. Moving directly towards the telephone, he placed a call, spoke a few words, and then hung up. Elsewhere in the city, others immediately moved into action.
Traveling 70 mph, Francis Marroux, de Gaulle’s chauffer, kept his eyes glued to road. They were at Pont-sur-Seine, and the stretch ahead of them was clear and devoid of traffic. Still, the chauffer felt uneasy, tense, and very much aware of his surroundings.
Suddenly, there was a tremendous explosion, and a huge cloud of dirt and sand erupted right before them, swirling around, raining down on the limousine. Marroux, caught off guard, swerved to the left and desperately tried to level the car out. From the back seat, President de Gaulle shouted to drive faster.
Marroux floored the gas pedal, and the limousine shot forward. But just as it did, a wall of fire erupted in front of him, the flames shooting skyward, the entire road seemingly engulfed. Marroux pressed harder on the gas and drove straight into the towering inferno. Within seconds, the limousine appeared on the other side of the fire and sped off at a high rate of speed, disappearing into the darkness.
The two vehicles following de Gaulle, distracted at the explosion, had only seen the tail end of his limousine as it disappeared into the flames. To them, it appeared as if the vehicle had been blown apart. Both cars were forced to stop before the fire, where the men frantically issued a general alert.
Marroux was still speeding away when he looked at his watch. It was 9:35pm. Glancing in the rearview mirror, he saw the General sitting calm and erect, absolutely unfettered. Beside him sat his wife, every bit as composed as her husband. When the car finally pulled into the Air Force barracks at Romilly, Marroux stepped outside, as did de Gaulle and his wife. As the chauffer examined the damage to the vehicle, the General and Madame de Gaulle calmly walked away towards another waiting car and got in. Then, escorted by three Air Force vehicles, the President continued on his way to Colombey.
Chapter 1: A Hunted Man
President Charles de Gaulle was a man with a price on his head, and he knew it. For years he had watched the people of France run the gauntlet of emotions where their feelings towards him were concerned. In WWI he had been a hero, in WWII a savior, and now, during the Algerian war, he was hated by many.
The issue that had propelled de Gaulle from a beloved leader to a man with a bounty on his head was the country of Algeria. A French colony ever since France had invaded it back in 1830, Algeria had not surrendered to the French easily. A Muslim country, the natives had immediately declared Jihad on the European settlers, or Pied Noir as they were called, who moved in and claimed their land for their own.
The fighting between the Algerians and the Pied Noir had never been on an even keel. While the Pied Noir had the backing of the French military, the Algerians had only themselves. Still, they fought hard, and they never gave in. They were a proud people, and fiercely determined to one day re-gain their independence.
During WWII, after France fell to the Nazis and the new Vichy Government was installed, Algeria came within an inch of re-gaining her freedom. But when the Allies liberated France and General Charles de Gaulle seized power, he refused to let Algeria go.
