F.L.N. began its revolt with only 350 to 400 mostly sporting firearms

Evidence

Ben Bella claimed that the F.L.N. started the revolt with only 350 to 400 miscellaneous firearms, and virtually nothing heavier than a machine-gun. Not a weapon, it is worth noting, at this stage or for several years to come, was provided by the Communist bloc; nor was more than a modest quantity of guns acquired elsewhere abroad with the F.L.N.’s slender funds. Thus, from the very beginning the theft of French arms from depots or their recovery on the battlefield became a prime military objective. — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 257 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: The revolt began with only 350-400 guns and no Communist-bloc arms — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 257; The Algerian revolt began with only 350-400 mixed firearms

Related

• The Algerian revolt began with only 350-400 mixed firearms (similarity 0.98)
• The revolt began with only 350-400 guns and no Communist-bloc arms (similarity 0.97)
• The F.L.N. systematically recovered fallen fighters’ firearms (similarity 0.83)
• Eastern bloc nations first armed the Algerian rebels in late 1957 (similarity 0.81)
• The F.L.N. system recovered weapons from fallen fighters to deny them to the French. (similarity 0.80)
• The fledgling O.S. supplied the future F.L.N. its first operational funds (similarity 0.80)
• The F.L.N. had only twenty mortars and ten machine-guns before the Athos (similarity 0.80)
• The O.S. was the first body committed to armed confrontation with France. (similarity 0.78)

Broader Connections

• The revolt began with only 350-400 guns and no Communist-bloc arms #corroborates (0.95) — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 257
• The Algerian revolt began with only 350-400 mixed firearms #corroborates (0.90)