Bombardment of Chefchaouen

The Bombardment of Chefchaouen was an aerial bombardment of Chefchaouen, Morocco carried out in the middle of the Rif War by a rogue American squadron in the service of the French colonial empire, the Escadrille Cherifienne, on September 17, 1925.[1]

Bombardment of Chefchaouen
Part of Rif War
DateSeptember 17, 1925
Location
Chefchaouen, Morocco
Front page of the Paris edition of Le Petit Journal from August 6, 1925. Translation: "The American volunteer pilots left yesterday for Morocco / Before departure: General Dumesnil gives the American colonel Sweeny a bon voyage toast."
Photo of American members of the Escadrille Cherifienne, which carried out the bombardment of Chefchaouen, at a charity ball for the Association des Dames Françaises held at Majestic.

Motivation

The motivation to bomb Chefchaouen specifically was to drive the Jebala people out of the war, as it was a city the tribe considered holy.[2]

Reflections

Paul Ayres Rockwell later wrote: "The city looked lovely from the air, hugging its high mountain and surrounded with many gardens and green cultivations… I looked down upon the numerous sanctuaries, the six mosques, the medieval dungeon, the big square with its fountain playing and fervently hoped none of them had been damaged."[2]

References
  1. Yabiladi.com. "History : When an American squadron violated US neutrality laws, bombing Chefchaouen". en.yabiladi.com. Retrieved 2019-07-14.
  2. Roberts, Charley; Hess, Charles P. (2017-09-08). Charles Sweeny, the Man Who Inspired Hemingway. McFarland. p. 154. ISBN 9781476669946.
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