French forces reached 160,000 and intelligence on the F.L.N. improved late in 1955

Evidence

In the military sphere, forces at Soustelle’s disposal had now been inflated to the large total of 160,000, and towards the end of the year he claims the situation was beginning to look much brighter. A successful raid on the desert head-quarters of Bachir Chihani had produced a windfall of documents, giving the Deuxième Bureau its first clear view of the overall structure of the F.L.N. On the other hand, this had been offset by the disturbing news of the first significant desertions from Tirailleur units returned from Indo-China. — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 391

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Aurès rebels held a decisive intelligence and mobility edge over French columns; French escalation was matched by rising FLN strength and expertise — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 512; French penetration of the F.L.N. netted a whole zone’s general staff — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 806

Related

• French escalation was matched by rising FLN strength and expertise (similarity 0.90)
• Aurès rebels held a decisive intelligence and mobility edge over French columns (similarity 0.90)
• French operations had reduced the interior A.L.N. to 8,000 scattered men (similarity 0.86)
• French penetration of the F.L.N. netted a whole zone’s general staff (similarity 0.86)
• French leaders saw new arms inflows as the main threat to military victory (similarity 0.83)
• The A.L.N. reached peak military strength in 1958 despite heavy losses (similarity 0.83)
• By 1960 French operations had destroyed most regular A.L.N. katibas inside Algeria (similarity 0.83)
• French offensives shattered the F.L.N.’s interior command-and-control network by 1959 (similarity 0.82)
• The A.L.N. peaked in 1958 even as French killed or captured 25,534 effectives. (similarity 0.82)
• Massive French troop increases failed to halt the rebellion’s spread in 1955-56. (similarity 0.81)
• FLN gained most from French brutal strike-breaking methods. (similarity 0.81)
• French military pressure by 1958 drove A.L.N. morale collapse and mass defection (similarity 0.80)
• The A.L.N. appeared statistically defeated by early 1960 (similarity 0.80)
• Pre-Challe French tactics wasted vast firepower while letting the A.L.N. slip away intact (similarity 0.80)
• The A.L.N. paid double the casualties it inflicted in May 1958 (similarity 0.80)

Broader Connections

• French penetration of the F.L.N. netted a whole zone’s general staff #expands (0.60) — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 806