Ben Bella claimed that the F.L.N. started the revolt with only 350 to 400 miscellaneous firearms, and virtually nothing heavier than a machine-gun. Not a weapon, it is worth noting, at this stage or for several years to come, was provided by the Communist bloc; nor was more than a modest quantity of guns acquired elsewhere abroad with the F.L.N.’s slender funds. Thus, from the very beginning the theft of French arms from depots or their recovery on the battlefield became a prime military objective.

DEFINE: Explains how the F.L.N. acquired weapons through theft and capture rather than external supply.

Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Alge…, loc. 257