CENTURIONS D'ALEXANDRE

Heir to the French SAS paratroopers and precursor of the Special Operations Command operators, the 1er régiment de parachutistes d’infanterie de marine stationed in Bayonne was just a front for the Groupement opérationnel (GO). Established to strengthen the ranks of the French Secret Service (SDECE) field operatives, the GO was assigned special undercover missions by SDECE director Alexandre de Marenches, such as supporting President Mobutu against the Katangese, overthrowing Emperor Bokassa, to put President Abdallah in the saddle or to protect President Houphouët-Boigny. It was finally disbanded in 1981 when a wave of panic troubled its civilian and military command. But in 2019, the secrets of the GO are a thing of the past. The ranks of its former members are beginning to thin out, and the adventures experienced by its 200 paratroopers deserve to be told.