First of all, on the purely military level, the style of guerrilla warfare was such that, with the FLN constantly on the move, few men in the field had either the time or circumstances to keep coherent journals. And, it must be remembered, many were illiterate. Unlike the Yugoslav partisan war of 1942–5, with its rich literature, there was no centralised command.

Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Alge…, loc. 13