[rajasinghe]

For context, it should be noted that this song was adopted following the participation of the 1st REP (1st Foreign Parachute Regiment) in the 1961 putsch against the French government. President Charles de Gaulle had embarked on a policy of self-determination for Algeria (which would culminate in independence). This was met by disbelief within army which had been fighting the Algerian rebels for the past seven years. As a result, there was widespread dissent, culminating in the failed 1961 putsch. Several of the generals were caught and court-martialed, while others went underground and joined the OAS terrorist group.