Alain Bougrenet de la Tocnaye

Alain Bougrenet de la Tocnaye is the second-in-command in Jean-Marie Bastien-Thiry’s attempt to assassinate Charles de Gaulle at Petit-Clamart. His role is both operational and immediate: he drives the second commando toward the presidential convoy, but at the decisive moment the speed of the cars leaves him with no safe opportunity to intercept it. The failed attack turns on that split-second choice.

Identity and Position

At thirty-five, Alain Bougrenet de la Tocnaye is a lieutenant from a landed family, an extreme right-winger, and a husband and father of two. Among the seven older, less nervous men in the assassination party, he ranks directly behind Bastien-Thiry, both as a senior participant and as second-in-command. The narrative distinguishes him from the five younger amateurs, placing him among the experienced core of the operation.

Role in the Ambush

Bastien-Thiry has selected a long, straight stretch of the Avenue de la Libération leading toward the main crossroads at Petit-Clamart. The first group is to fire on the presidential car from behind a roadside van; once the car is stopped, the second group is to emerge from a side road and attack the security vehicle at close range. The plan depends on timing, the convoy’s speed, and the two groups acting in sequence.

Alain’s assigned part is to drive the second group’s car out from the Avenue du Bois and intercept the convoy. Georges Watin, known as the Limp, rides beside him with a submachine gun. Bastien-Thiry’s position as lookout and the newspaper signal to the first group establish the wider coordination, but Alain’s task is distinct: bring the second commando into the attack after the opening volley.

The Split-Second Decision

As Alain waits with the engine running, the convoy approaches at high speed. He can either pull out in time to meet the cars and be cut apart by them, or release the clutch half a second too late. He chooses the latter. His car joins the convoy, but it comes alongside the car carrying the bodyguard d’Jouder and Jean Ducret, not Charles de Gaulle’s car.

Watin leans out and fires at the back of the presidential DS, whose glass has been smashed; through it he can see Charles de Gaulle’s profile. But the second commando has not achieved the planned close-range interception of the security vehicle. d’Jouder attempts to shoot across the gap between the cars, while the police driver obstructs his view. Jean Ducret orders the driver to stay with the President, and the convoy moves beyond the attackers. One motorcycle outrider is nearly unseated by Alain’s sudden emergence from the side road, but recovers and rejoins the convoy.

Aftermath and Narrative Significance

The attack’s failure leaves the OAS men no time for recriminations at the scene. They abandon the three cars used in the operation, board the getaway vehicles, and disappear. The episode gives Alain a sharply defined place in the plot: he is not merely one of the conspirators waiting at the roadside, but the driver whose attempt to intercept the convoy is forced into a choice between certain collision and a mistimed entry. The distinction between the intended target and the car he actually reaches makes the gap between the carefully measured plan and events on the road concrete.