History of the French Foreign Legion’s Elite 2nd Parachute Regiment in Algeria, 1955 - 1962

Contemporary history has often overlooked the significant complexities surrounding the Franco-Algerian War. Over the past six decades, there has been a notable lack of English literature regarding the conflict, with little focus on the activities of the participating units. This captivating book strives earnestly to document the operational history of the venerated 2nd Parachute Regiment of the Foreign Legion throughout the brutal conflict.Arriving in Algeria in 1955, following a brutal seven-year campaign in Indochina, the regiment would stoically endure a long, intense, bloody guerrilla war amid the harsh Aurès and Nementcha mountains, vainly trying to stem the flow of ALN fighters attempting to cross the Tunisian frontier before typically making for the safety of the mountainous hinterland. This book, for the first time, explores the largely overlooked chapter concerning the regiment during the Generals' Putsch in 1961 and examines the fates of both the officers and the regiment immediately following the Gaullist purges.