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Commandos de Chasse
Commandos de Chasse shoulder patch
Active	1959-1962
Country	France
Branch	French army
Type	Commando
Role	Air assault Artillery observer Bomb disposal Clandestine operation Close-quarters battle Counterinsurgency Desert warfare Direct action Forward air control HUMINT Irregular warfare Long-range penetration Manhunt Mountain warfare Raiding Reconnaissance Special operations Special reconnaissance Tracking Urban warfare
Size	Company
Engagements	Algerian war
Commanders
Notable commanders	General Challe

The Commandos de Chasse were a French Army Commandos (special operations capable) unit that specialized in clandestine operation, commando style raids, counterinsurgency, irregular warfare, long-range penetration, special operations, special reconnaissance, and targets tracking. This unit raised for the Algerian war.

French Air Force General Maurice Challe ordered the forming of Commandos de Chasse (Hunting Commandos) in December 1958 and by 1959 there were around 25 commando units in each Army Corps area in Algeria. Around 150 would be eventually formed with most containing around 140 men but with some commando legers (light commandos) having only 70 men. Enlisted membership consisted of 30 to 60 percent Moslem volunteers, mostly harkis, "turned" ALN fighters, and veterans of regular French army units. The commandos contained a higher proportion of French personnel than other French colonial units.

The Commandos' task was to track and follow ALN units until they were engaged by French army intervention units.Many times their mission involved long-range penetration for a quick raiding to destroy enemy hideouts, special operations behind enemy lines to capture or kill high-value targets (most were killed more than captured), and special reconnaissance to intelligence gathering on enemy movements.

The Commandos were designated by either a K (for Kimono) or P (for Partisan) prefix followed by a number.

Commandos wore the standard French Army green or camouflaged uniforms, often mixed, with Bigeard caps or camouflaged berets. They did not wear bush hats or helmets. They often disguised themselves in partial or full native clothing.

They were equipped with standard French army small arms and light machine guns, mainly of 9mm MAT 49 submachine guns, 7.5mm MAS 36 bolt-action rifles, MAS 49 semi-automatic rifles and MAS 49/56 grenade launcher rifles, some AA52 light machine guns, which supplanted and then replaced the FM 24-29 light machine guns, as well as offensive and defensive hand grenades.

See also

• Counterinsurgency
• Commandos (Portugal)

References

1. ^ "commandos algerie guerre commando de chasse renseignement choc". Commandos-algerie.com. 2011-10-14. Retrieved 2012-04-03.
2. ^ Commandos de Chasse Les "têtes chercheuses" du général Challe, Pierre Andre Cerutti and Jean Christophe Damaisan D'Ares, L'esprit du Livres Collection Histoire & Memoires combattantes, Copyright 2011, ISBN 978-2-363181-83-1 (French only)
3. ^ The Algerian War 1954-62, Osprey Men-at-Arms 312, Martin Windrow, Copyright 1997, ISBN 1-85532-658-2

v t e Algerian War (1954–1962)
Background	Settler colonialism French conquest of Algeria Invasion of Algiers Atrocities Mokrani Revolt Deportations French Algeria Algerian popular resistance Algerian nationalism Attempted reforms 1920 petition Jonnart Law 1943 manifesto Divide and rule policies Crémieux Decree Kabyle myth French Union Indigénat Legal status [fr] Pied noir Sétif and Guelma massacre Other factors Cold War Decolonisation of Africa Brazzaville Conference (1944) First Indochina War (1946–54) Malagasy Uprising (1947–49) Massacre of 14 July 1953 in Paris
War	Chronology [fr] of key events Declaration of 1 November 1954 Toussaint Rouge Battle of Philippeville Soummam conference Battle of Algiers Hijacking of the FLN plane Operation Corsica Week of barricades [fr] Algiers putsch War crimes / human rights violations Torture Killing of Saadia Mebarek Charonne subway massacre Paris massacre Reactions Communauté française Constantine Plan FLN football team Manifesto of the 121 Proposed partition of Algeria [fr]
End of the war	1961 French referendum on Algerian self-determination Évian Accords referendum Algerian independence
Legacy and aftermath	May 1958 crisis French Fifth Republic Year of Africa Aftermath in Algeria 1962 Algerian crisis Effects in Algerian politics Films Monuments and commemorations 1 November 1954 Stadiums Algiers Batna El Oued Tizi Ouzou Martyrs' Memorial Memorial to the Liberation of Algeria
Groups	Pro-independence National Liberation Front National Liberation Army Algerian National Movement Algerian Communist Party Oujda Group Anti-independence France French Armed Forces Commandos de Chasse La Main Rouge Front Algérie Française Organisation armée secrète Other groups Defectors from the French army to the ALN Harkis Women
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