If you look at the history books, you'll find a surprising answer to the question of how was Charles de Gaulle assassinated: he wasn't. He actually died in his armchair at home in Colombey-les-Deux-Églises, clutching his chest while waiting for the evening news to start in 1970. But that simple fact ignores one of the most chaotic, violent, and frankly miraculous runs of survival in modern political history.
He didn't die by a bullet or a bomb, but it certainly wasn't for a lack of trying on the part of his enemies.
Between 1944 and 1966, there were approximately thirty serious attempts on his life. Some historians argue the number is higher. He survived snipers, industrial-grade explosives, and high-speed ambushes that left his car looking like a piece of Swiss cheese. To understand why people were so obsessed with killing him, you have to look at the Algerian War and a group known as the OAS (Organisation armée secrète). They saw De Gaulle as a traitor for granting Algeria independence. They didn't just want him gone; they wanted him erased.
The Night at Petit-Clamart: A Hail of Bullets
The most famous attempt—the one that almost changed the map of Europe—happened on August 22, 1962. This is usually what people are looking for when they ask how was Charles de Gaulle assassinated because it came so incredibly close to succeeding.
De Gaulle was being driven from the Élysée Palace to Orly Airport in a Citroën DS 19. If you know anything about cars, you know the DS was a marvel of engineering, but it wasn't an armored tank. As the convoy sped through the suburb of Petit-Clamart, a commando unit led by Jean-Marie Bastien-Thiry opened fire.
It was an ambush. Twelve gunmen positioned themselves with submachine guns. They fired 187 rounds. It was absolute carnage. Bullets shattered the rear window, missing the General’s head by mere inches. Two of the car's tires were shot out.
Now, here is where the story gets weird. Most cars would have spun out, crashed, and left the passengers sitting ducks. But the Citroën DS had a unique hydropneumatic suspension system. Even with two tires shredded and the rims hitting the pavement, the car leveled itself out. The driver, Paul Foutrier, managed to accelerate and maintain control, racing out of the "kill zone."
De Gaulle’s reaction? He supposedly brushed the shards of glass off his coat and told his wife, Yvonne, "I hope the chickens are alright," referring to the poultry in the trunk. He was famously unflappable. Or maybe he was just tired of people shooting at him.
The OAS and the "Jackal" Obsession
The men trying to kill him weren't just random thugs. Bastien-Thiry was an engineer, a high-ranking military officer. He was convinced that De Gaulle was destroying France. This wasn't just a political disagreement; it was a blood feud.
This specific assassination attempt became so legendary that it inspired Frederick Forsyth’s classic novel The Day of the Jackal. While the book is fiction, the atmosphere of dread it captures was very real. The French secret service, the SDECE, was in a constant state of paranoia. They were fighting a "shadow war" against the OAS, a group made up of former French soldiers who felt betrayed by the government's retreat from Africa.
Why did they keep failing?
- Incompetence: Despite being military men, the assassins often botched the timing. In Petit-Clamart, the lookout signaled the start of the ambush late because it was getting dark and he couldn't see the car clearly.
- Luck: Pure, dumb luck. At one point, a bomb hidden in a sand pile failed to detonate properly because of a damp fuse.
- The Citroën: Seriously, that car saved his life more than his bodyguards did.
The Pont-sur-Seine Explosion
A year before the Petit-Clamart incident, in September 1961, another massive attempt took place near Pont-sur-Seine. The assassins buried a "napalm bomb"—a mix of oil, soap, and gasoline—along the road. It was meant to turn the General’s car into a fireball.
When the bomb went off, it created a wall of flame that engulfed the vehicle. But again, the driver didn't brake. He drove through the fire. The car emerged on the other side, scorched but moving. De Gaulle stepped out later and basically shrugged it off.
It’s hard to wrap your head around that level of stoicism. Honestly, if you or I were shot at 187 times, we’d probably never leave the house again. De Gaulle used these failures to build his own myth. He believed he was a man of destiny. Every missed bullet was "proof" to him that he was meant to lead France.
Why the Assassination Attempts Actually Mattered
If any of these attempts had worked, the ripple effects would have been seismic. France was on the brink of civil war in the early 60s. De Gaulle was the only thing holding the Fourth Republic (and then the Fifth) together.
If Bastien-Thiry’s bullets had hit their mark at Petit-Clamart:
- The French military likely would have staged a coup.
- The Algerian War could have reignited into a much bloodier, prolonged conflict.
- The stability of the newly formed European Economic Community would have been shattered.
Instead, the failure of the assassins actually strengthened De Gaulle’s power. He used the public shock over the Petit-Clamart attack to push through a massive constitutional change. He convinced the French people that the President should be elected by direct universal suffrage. He argued that the office needed to be stronger than any one man's life.
It worked. He turned a near-death experience into a political landslide.
The Myth vs. The Reality
You'll sometimes hear rumors that the CIA was involved in these plots. While it’s true that the US government was frustrated with De Gaulle’s "France first" attitude and his withdrawal from NATO’s integrated command, there is no credible evidence that they tried to kill him. The OAS had enough motivation and manpower on their own.
Another common misconception is that he was "saved" by secret high-tech gadgets. Nope. He was saved by a good driver, a clever suspension system, and the fact that most of the assassins were surprisingly bad shots under pressure.
How to Research the De Gaulle Era Safely
If you’re diving into this period of French history, you have to be careful about your sources. The 1960s in France were a time of intense propaganda.
- Check the memoirs: Read Memoirs of Hope by De Gaulle himself, but take it with a grain of salt. He was writing for history.
- Look at the trial records: The trial of Bastien-Thiry is a goldmine of information about the logistics of the Petit-Clamart attack. Bastien-Thiry was ultimately the last person in France to be executed by firing squad.
- Museums: If you ever find yourself in Paris, the Musée de l'Armée at Les Invalides has incredible exhibits on the Fifth Republic and the constant threats De Gaulle faced.
What History Teaches Us About Survival
The story of Charles de Gaulle isn't just about a guy who didn't die. It’s about the fragility of political systems. One man’s life was the linchpin for an entire nation’s stability.
To recap the "how" of it all:
- Was he assassinated? No.
- Did people try? Yes, constantly.
- Most common method? High-caliber gunfire and roadside explosives.
- Cause of death? A ruptured aneurysm (natural causes) at age 79.
It’s a bit ironic. After surviving grenades, snipers, and napalm, the man who shaped modern France was taken out by a blood vessel while waiting for the news.
If you want to understand the modern French state, start by looking at the scars on that Citroën. They tell a story of a country that was born out of the chaos of the 1960s, held together by a leader who seemed to be bulletproof—right up until the moment he wasn't.
Next Steps for History Buffs
To get a true feel for the tension of this era, you should look into the "Year of 1962." It was the turning point for the French Empire. Search for archival footage of De Gaulle’s speeches after the Petit-Clamart incident; his calmness is genuinely unsettling. You can also look into the history of the French Foreign Legion during this time, as many of the OAS members were recruited from their ranks, which adds a whole other layer of complexity to the betrayal he felt.