When the French Presidential Car Managed to Thwart the Assassination of Charles de Gaulle

Charles de Gaulle menaiki Citroen DS (Foto: Wikimedia Commons)

JAKARTA - Today, 58 years ago, French President Charles de Gaulle survived one of the assassination attempts. Charles de Gaulle was one of the most famous politicians in French history. He often became the target of assassination.

He survived more than 30 assassination attempts in his life, which allegedly involved the CIA. One of the stories, his survival was very dependent on his trusted driver and the role of his Citroen car.

At that time, a group called the OAS (Secret Army Organization) planned an assassination attempt against De Gaulle, who they believed had betrayed France by handing over Algeria to the Algerian nationalists. As dusk fell, de Gaulle and his wife were driving from the Elysee Palace to Orly Airport. As his black Citroen DS cruised passed through the Avenue de la Liberation in Paris at 70 miles per hour, 12 men armed with OAS opened fire on his car.

Quoted from History, Saturday, August 22, 140 bullets rained down on the car, most of them coming from behind. The gunfire killed two presidential bodyguards on a motorbike, shattered the rear windshield, and pierced all four tires. Even though the Citroen had front-wheel slippage, the driver was able to get out of the slip and drive to a safe place.

It was all thanks to the superior Citroen DS car suspension system. De Gaulle and his wife kept their heads down and walked out unscathed. Frederick Forsyth dramatized the shooting in his best-selling novel: "The Day of the Jackal", which was later made into a film.

Apart from being shot, De Gaulle had also been subjected to murder by poisoning. The CIA was involved in the effort to overthrow De Gaulle for many reasons. It was because of De Gaulle's involvement in Algeria's dependence on the amount of oil in Algeria, as well as because De Gaulle was against the Vietnam War.

The CIA was approached by French dissidents who wanted help by poisoning a ring that was worn by an old soldier for military events. After shaking his hand, they believed that De Gaulle would fall dead, and the killer would walk away. However, the event never took place.

Thanks to the Citroen DS Car

The Citroen DS had a sensational debut at the Paris Motor Show in 1955. Its sleek shape stood out among the tailfins and chrome-plated cars that were popular in that era. Away from the 2CV Citroen, the DS has a 1.9-liter engine and a powerful gearshift, clutch, steering, and brake system. The highlight, however, is the Hydropneatic suspension system that automatically adjusts the car's height to keep it level and allows the driver to maintain control more easily.

On the first day Citroen DS was introduced, there were 12 thousand orders for the car. Citroen DS has become known as the preferred mode of transportation among the richest and most powerful French citizens.

In 1969, De Gaulle, knowing that he owed his life to Citroen cars, preventing the direct sale of the main car manufacturer in France to the Italian automaker, Fiat. De Gaulle also limited the shares Fiat could buy to just 15 percent. In 1975, to prevent potential bankruptcy, the French Government decided to fund the sale of Citroen to a group that included its French rival, Peugeot. The result was PSA Peugeot Citroen SA, formed in 1976.