Documentary Series Examines the Battle of Algiers as Pivotal Moment in Algerian War

The documentary series '13h15 le dimanche' presents its third episode focusing on the Battle of Algiers, analyzing how this conflict became a crucial turning point in the Algerian War. The episode explores why a French military victory transformed into a moral defeat. It begins with the bombing of the Milk-Bar ice cream parlor in Algiers on September 30, 1956, which killed three people and injured dozens, including five-year-old Danielle Michel-Chich who lost a leg. This event marked the start of intense urban warfare between French paratroopers under General Jacques Massu and the Algerian National Liberation Front (FLN) from January to October 1957. The documentary presents multiple perspectives, examining how Massu's 10th Parachute Division systematically employed torture against thousands of Algerian suspects throughout 1957, a practice France would not officially acknowledge until decades later. The series, created by Patrice Brugère, Mathilde Rougeron, and Félix Albert, is part of a four-episode collection about the Algerian War within France Télévisions' programming.