Battle of Agounennda The Battle of Agounennda was an engagement of the Algerian War fought 23 – 25 May 1957 between the French 3rd Colonial Parachute Regiment under Lieutenant Colonel Marcel Bigeard and FLN ’ s Commando 41 ( ‘ Ali Khodja ’ ) under Si Azzedine . Bigeard and his regiment were sent to hunt down the Commando after it had carried out several successful ambushes against French units . They met at Agounennda where the French paratroopers tried to ambush the FLN force , but the FLN discovered the French and instead concentrated their force against an outlying French company . Bigeard managed to redeploy and surround the FLN force ; it withdrew successfully albeit with heavy casualties . However , the French were unable to recover large caches of weapons - the FLN having taken them off the field . The battle altered FLN tactics , reminding them that they were unable to meet the French in open battle . Conversely , it gave the French renewed confidence in a military victory . However , sceptics on both sides saw it as evidence that neither faction would ever gain ascendancy in the other ' s arena . The FLN avoided military combat with the French , relying on guerilla warfare . Background . In early May 1957 , Commando 41 ( ‘ Ali Khodja ’ ) of the Algerian National Liberation Front ( FLN ) routed a Spahi unit , killing 60 men while only losing 7 men themselves . Roughly two weeks later , on 21 May , the same unit ambushed a detachment of the 5th Algerian Tirailleur Battalion near Médéa . A captain and 15 " tirailleurs " were killed in the engagement , while others where persuaded to defect , the FLN only lost 1 killed and 2 wounded . Lieutenant Colonel Marcel Bigeard and his 3rd Colonial Parachute Regiment ( 3e RPC ) - recently returned from successful operations in Algiers - were tasked with hunting down the unit and stopping it . French intelligence suggested that the unit would move west , tasked with escorting commanders of Wilya 4 to a rendezvous with other FLN forces near Médéa . Bigeard decided to ambush Commando 41 on their way and picked Agounenda on the Oued Boulbane , a known FLN route . Bigeard and the 3e RPC was transported by truck from their base at Sidi Ferruch to Hill 895 , where they arrived by 01 : 30 on 23 May . From there Bigeard and his 700 paratroopers made a cold , 4 - hour night approach march under strict noise and light discipline . Before dawn the paratroopers was in place and concealed . The Headquarters and mortars were on Hill 1298 ; the 1st , 2nd and 3rd Companies and the Reconnaissance Squadron on foot were spread over 10 km on four crests overlooking the enemy ’ s probable route . The 4th and Support Companies were in reserve , while helicopters and ground - attack aircraft were on stand - by at Médéa . Battle . At 10 : 30 the most northerly and exposed company , the 3rd “ Blue ” Company under Captain Llamby , radioed in that they had sighted a large FLN force approaching his position above the north bank of the Oued Boulbane from the east ; the company opened fire at 10 : 45 . The forewarned Si Azzedine , leading a column of at least three companies , was attempting to outflank the 3rd Company from the north . Captain Llamby and his 100 men , outnumbered three to one , came under intense pressure . The helicopters in reserve at Médéa were already on their way , Bigeard ordered the Support Company to be lifted onto the high ground north of 3rd Company . The first sticks jumped from the helicopters at 10 : 55 and the whole Support Company was in action by 11 : 30 . Meanwhile 1st and 2nd Companies force - marched on foot to support the 3rd Company , helicopters lifted the unengaged Reconnaissance Squadron and 4th Company to a position slightly northeast of the battle between 3rd Company and the FLN force . The FLN force took the low - lying Oued Boulbane , but was dominated from higher ground by the French paratroopers : 3rd , 4th and Support Companies from the north of it and 1st and 2nd Companies plus the Headquarters from the south . In a series of running battles over an area of some 30 square kilometres that lasted 48 hours , Commando 41 and at least two other katibas made several vigorous counterattacks which came to hand - to - hand fighting . Despite support from tactical aircraft , the paratroopers were too thinly stretched to maintain a tight cordon ; around 200 FLN fighters managed to slip away through the cracks . Aftermath . The FLN left behind 96 dead and 12 prisoners , but managed to withdraw with most of their wounded , while the French paratroopers lost 8 killed and 29 wounded , they also managed to free 5 prisoners . The French were also unable to recover large caches of weapons - the FLN having taken their guns with them . Despite the high FLN casualties , the French only recovered 45 weapons from the battlefield . The French was encouraged by the success air portability on the battlefield . The FLN on the other hand learned that large - scale engagements in the heart of the country had to be avoided at all costs . Other observers draw more pessimistic conclusions for the French , because if an elite unit like the 3rd Colonial Parachute Regiment with a great commander like Marcel Bigeard failed to score a total victory on their own terms was there much hope of winning at all .