3. Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle was one of the most famous presidents in French history, not only because of his heroism but because of his brazen attitude and inability to be killed. There are 31 recorded attempts on his life and an actual terrorist group formed with the sole purpose of bringing an end to the French leader. Many credit de Gaulle’s survival with his courage under fire and his uncanny ability to remain calm in any situation.
The first assassination attempt occurred even before de Gaulle became President and was merely a General. A petty officer who believed General de Gaulle was little more than a stooge for the British aimed a gun at the General, but his attempt failed when another soldier disarmed him before he could fire. One of the more daring assassination attempts was to blow up de Gaulle’s car on September 8th, 1961. De Gaulle was driving with his wife and his chauffeur when a sand pile next to the car exploded. The bomb was filled with Napalm and shot flames across the entire road. Charles de Gaulle ordered his chauffeur to drive through the flames and keep going.
Another attempt involved several cars full of snipers armed not only with sub-machine guns but also grenades and Molotov cocktails. De Gaulle appeared calm in his Citroen DS was 140 bullets were fired at the car. The bullets killed the motorcycle bodyguards, shattered the back window of De Gaulle’s car and struck all four tires. The car was still able to drive and thanks to the quality of the car and the skills of the chauffeur, neither Charles de Gaulle or his wife suffered any injuries. The event has now been re-told in books and film as “The Day of the Jackal.”
Charles de Gaulle would eventually die of old age at 79.