Masterminded by General Jacques Massu, the operation was to be preceded by Opération Corse in which French Army paratroopers took over Corsica.
General Charles de Gaulle headed the Free French Forces, which resisted Nazi Germany during World War II and became a national and military hero.
The government's policy on Algeria angered the millions of French settlers, army officers and right-wing politicians in France.
Massu, who had gained prominence and authority when he ruthlessly suppressed Algerian militants, famously declared that unless de Gaulle was returned to power, the French Army would openly revolt.
Massu and other senior generals had covertly planned the takeover of Paris with 1,500 paratroopers by preparing to take over airports with the support of French Air Force units.