France To Disband Foreign Legion Unit
(N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright) (Rec. 10 p.m,) ALGIERS, April 28. The pride of the French Foreign Legion its first parachute regiment rolled towards its headquarters at Sidi-bel-Abbes today to be disbanded for supporting the revolt against the French Government. The defiant paratroops blew up their camp outside Algiers before they left to prevent other units using it and chanted “Algeria is French” as they left.
The authorities pressed their search for three of the former generals—Raoul Salan. Edmond Jouhaud and Andre Zeller—who headed the brief revolt against President de Gaulle and his libera) policies in Algeria. General Salan was unofficially reported to be hiding in Algiers itself. In Paris, it was announced today that five generals would be among the members of the military tribunal which will deal “swift justice” to the arrested leaders of the Algiers revolt. General Maurice Challe. who is in the Sante Prison, will appear before the tribunal charged under articles of the penal code which can carry the death sentence —by firing squad or guillotine.
President de Gaulle, using his special powers, set up the "quick justice” tribunal. The Official Journal, published today, said the tribunal would judge “the author and accomplices of crimes, offences against the security of the State, and against the discipline of the armies as well as infractions connected with events in Algeria.” There will be no appeal against the verdicts of the tribunal.
The charges against General Challe include illegally taking over a military command. raising armed troops and distributing arms and munitions without authorisation. directing an insurrectional movement, and seeking to remove territory from French control. Defiant Legionnaires
The Foreign Legion regiment. which provided the striking force for the military junta, was ordered to leave its regimental base at Zeralda. west of Algiers, yesterday After a massive show of strength by forces loyal to the Government, the about 1000 men and officers left in a
huge convoy for Sidi-bel-Abbes. south-west of Oran. As they went, the still defiant legionnaires—many of whom are Germans —shouted out typical Rightwing slogans: “De Gaulle to the stake” and “Algerie Francaise” (French Algeria). Some were in tears, others tried to smile and shrug off the Government’s move to punish the regiment. Rolling out of their Zeralda base, the legionnaires set off charges of explosives to damage the base installations Some fires were started on the base, but the extent of the damage could not be exactly learned. As they rolled through the village of Zeralda. the troops were showered with flowers by the tearful European populace. Official sources quoted by Associated Press said it was planned to dissolve the regiment. transferring the officers and men to other legion units. These sources denied that this was the first step toward wiping out the entire legion.
although they said that should Algeria become independent, the legion would naturally have to be based elsewhere in an overseas French territory. Under the French Constitution, no legion unit can be permanently based in Metropolitan France. Algeria is the last big overseas possession of the French so that if (as expected) it decided for independence, there would appear to be no further use for the legion. Hundrds of arrests were made in Paris and Algeria yesterday by police and troops cleaning out nests of supporters of the generals’ revolt. Thousands of homes and offices throughout the country were searched under the special powers the Government now holds.
Earlier searches had turned up vital papers that contained the names of some of the main plotters in France. “Every time we went to arrest one of those named, we found mostly lists of names.” a police official told British United Press.
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Press, Volume C, Issue 29500, 29 April 1961, Page 11
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614France To Disband Foreign Legion Unit Press, Volume C, Issue 29500, 29 April 1961, Page 11
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