Accession Number:

ADA326620

Title:

Zouerate 1978: Supporting Air Operations, an Army Team Amidst France's African Strategy.

Descriptive Note:

Research rept.,

Corporate Author:

ARMY WAR COLL CARLISLE BARRACKS PA

Personal Author(s):

• Voute, Philippe M.

Report Date:

1997-04-01

Pagination or Media Count:

30.0

Abstract:

In 1975, Morocco and Mauritania shared between them the territory of the former Spanish Western Sahara. A liberation movement supported by Algeria, the Polisario Front, opposed this situation and launched devastating raids, mainly into Mauritania. To help this country, in 1977-1978, France carried out operation Lamantin. It consisted of surveillance and attack aircraft stationed in Senegal, and small Army teams deployed in Mauritanian garrisons. Zouerate, a small Northern town where a very important iron ore mine produced 16 of the countrys GNP, had been the target of two attacks before the French team came. The missions of these eight paratroopers, quite similar to some of the US Special Forces, were to comfort the European technicians, assess the situation, advise the Mauritanians, prepare the air strikes, and secure a possible downed aircraft.

Descriptors:

• *AIR STRIKES
• *SAHARAN AFRICA
• *MAURITANIA
• *MOROCCO
• ALGERIA
• MILITARY HISTORY
• MILITARY ASSISTANCE
• INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
• MILITARY FORCES(FOREIGN)
• ARMY PERSONNEL
• SPECIAL FORCES
• PARATROOPERS
• RAIDS

Subject Categories:

• Humanities and History
• Military Operations, Strategy and Tactics

Distribution Statement:

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE