Gdyel

Gdyel
Commune and town
Gdyel
Coordinates: 35.782171°N 0.423746°W / 35.782171; -0.423746
Country	Algeria
Province	Oran Province
District	Gdyel District
Area
• Total	36.22 sq mi (93.82 km2)
Population  (2009)
• Total	39,129
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)

Gdyel (Arabic: قديل), former Saint-Cloud, is a town and commune in District Gdyel, Oran Province, Algeria, about 15 miles to the east of Oran. Under French rule, it was the centre of a wine-growing district and was called St. Cloud.

According to the 1998 census it has a population of 29 999.

When the Americans invaded Algeria in November 1942 (Operation Torch), the troops who landed at Beach Z, between Arzew and St. Leu (now called Bethioua) were held up for two days by fierce fighting at St. Cloud. Eventually, the town was simply by-passed by Major-General Terry de La Mesa Allen, which surprised the defenders of Oran, who quickly surrendered.

References

{{ar:قديل}} {{fr:Gdyel}}