With regards to the douk douk I am going off what I was told by one of the french soldiers who served in the conflict. I never had cause to question it. Was that the urban legend?
Douk douks were everywhere in algeria at the time. They were originally designed as cheap knives for french interests in polynesia. But they didn't sell so they marketed them instead to north africa. This I have from a visit to Thiers and discussion with staff some of the knife shops there.
The word douk douk in algeria later entered slang as a more generic terms. Whether all knife assaults where done with purebred douk douks I can't say. It's a bit like pitbulls and ak47's ... to the uninformed every bully mix is a pitbull and every magazine fed rifle with a bit of wood on it is an AK47.
I do know that for a time the french algerian authority banned the douk douk. Whether it was due to violence or economics I can't say.
If you question the war crimes...
Enough time has passed for bits and pieces of the truth to come out. Despite the best efforts if those involved to cover them up. I am not terribly well versed in it (nor am I that interested as it does not directly concern me) but you can look at the ICRC reports or the testimony of general Aussaresses who admitted to carrying them out.
or you could see if you could track down one of the hundreds of books that detailed the war but were banned in france.
or you could look up the military manuals where best practices for that school of thought on fighting a counterinsurgency were layed out. See the works of colonel trinquier. Methods that were later exported and used in several south american conflicts. The argentinians did not invent throwing people you don't like out of airplanes.
Of course some of the gruesome stuff got sublet to paramilitary forces on both sides but some was done by rank and file french military as well. I'm sure the legion did some of the lifting as well. And of course nothing truly happens without leadrship.
Whether you think I'm right or wrong... (and this is by no means the optimal platform for historical research
)
If perception is reality the douk douk doesn't fit the image of a gentlemanly knife.
Which of course still does not detract from the utilitarian value of the knife.
"Oh Belvedere, this banana needs slicing!"
