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In 1953 the French had started the process of strengthening its defenses in the Hanoi delta region and were generally preparing for a series of offenses against the Viet Minh staging areas in north-west Vietnam. They had also set up a number of fortifed towns and outposts in the area, including Lai-Chau near the Chinese border to the north, Na San to the west of Hanoi, and Luang-Prabang and Plaine de Jarres in northern Laos.
That spring General Giap launched a major offensive against Na San. After several days of fierce fighting, the Viet Minh were broken, leaving 1,544 casualties at the base, and another 1,932 walking wounded. He withdrew the majority of his forces but left small numbers to hamper any attempt at a French withdrawal. Nevertheless, French General Henri Navarre successfully withdrew the forces from Nan Sanh soon after his arrival in May.
It was at this point that the French started thinking about Dien Bien Phu. In pitched battles the superior firepower of the French forces invariably won out, but the Viet Minh generally avoided such battles in the past. With their size growing and a general need to be involved in some action, it appeared that the war would be entering a new phase. If a smaller hastily prepared base like Na San could do so much damage in a pitched battle, it seemed that a well-planned one could bring them to task.
Several sites were studied, but Dien Bien Phu always rose to the top. It lies in a bowl-shaped valley with a flat enough bottom for a major airbase, was near or on several major roads, and was surrounded by easily defendable hills. By taking the hills the valley would be secure, and could be used as a major air-supply route
All the advantages were equal disadvantages for the Viet Minh. A number of their troop concentrations were on the far side of the valley, supplied over the roads they would now cut. These forces would be forced to either move east over considerably roughter terrain, or attempt to open the roads with an attack on the base itself. The French hoped for the later. In addition the same terrain should prevent the movement of the Viet Minh's Chinese supplied artillery into the area.
On the downside, Dien Bien Phu was far enough from Saigon that if a major fight did break out, the French air transport units would be very hard pressed to keep up with demands. Although they believed they were barely able to make it "work", yet no steps were taken to improve this vital part of the operation.
In late 1953, as both sides prepared for peace talks, the French decided to strengthen their hand at the table with one major victory, and started the process of taking Dien Bien Phu.
Operations at Dien Bien Phu started on the morning of November 20th, 1953, when Operation Castor dropped or flew-in 9,000 troops into the area over three days. These troops set about building a huge airbase in the valley with two airstrips while others set out to capture all of the eight hills surrounding the valley and fortifying them, each named for a woman. By early 1954 the troop count had risen to 13,000, including a number of artillery units, and several light tanks.
The Viet Minh were too spread out to interfere with these preparations, and there was some concern that they were going to ignore the base and move east.
Things changed in early March 1954, when it became clear that an increasing number of Viet Minh troops were moving into the area. The battle proper opened on March 13th, when much to the surprise of the French, it started with a massive artillery barrage. By the end of the first night 9,000 shells had fallen on the area and the Beatrice and Gabrielle positions had both fallen, albeit at huge cost to the attackers. In a major logistical feat, the Viet Minh had dragged scores of artillery pieces up steeply forested hillsides the French had written off as impassable. The French artillery commander, distraught at his inability to bring counterfire on the well-camouflaged Viet Minh batteries, went into his dugout and killed himself. He was buried there in great secret to prevent loss of morale in the French troops.
The French responded by parachuting in reinforcements, but they were fired on by anti-aircraft guns, another surprise the Viet Minh had in store for them. Considering the vital need for air supply, this was a troubling development. The French also started using their fighter bombers against the artillery, but there were nowhere near enough to have any real effect considering how well they were hidden.
Realizing the importance of the air supply, the Viet Minh switched from their costly assaults to a siege mode, bombarding the airfields until both were eventually knocked out of action. In addition they started the process of digging long trenches towards the middle of the camp, covering their movements from direct fire, and allowing for a buildup and assault under cover. The first runway fell after a five day advance from the 18thMarch 18 is the 77th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (78th in leap years). There are 288 days remaining. Events 37 The Roman Senate annuls Tiberius' will and proclaims Caligula emperor. 1229 Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor declares himself King to the 23rdMarch 23 is the 82nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (83rd in Leap years). There are 283 days remaining. Events 752 Stephen II becomes Pope. 1568 Peace of Longjumeau ends the Second War of Religion in France. Again Catherine de Medici and Charle. The last aircraft landed on the 28thMarch 28 is the 87th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (88th in Leap years). There are 278 days remaining. Events 800-1899 845 Paris is sacked by Viking raiders, probably under Ragnar Lodbrok, who collects a huge ransom in exchange for leaving. on the second runway, but was destroyed in the process. The French responded with an offensive of their own on the 28th, attacking anti-aircraft positions. On the 31st the French recaptured two of the hilltop fortifications, but later had to evacuate them because of lack of reinforcements.
With resupply now entirely by parachute, supply flow started to dwindle. A good portion of the airdropped supplies landed in Viet Minh-controlled areas giving them much needed material. The Vietnamese had essentially won the battle at this point, and referred to the remainder of the battle as "slowly bleeding the dying elephant". During the last week of April the yearly monsoon arrived, further reducing the effectiveness of any air support that could be given. Trenches became hazards and bunkers collapsed. The last replacements, 4,306 soldiers under General Marcel Bigeard, parachuted in between March 14March 14 is the 73rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (74th in Leap years). There are 292 days remaining. Events 1489 The Queen of Cyprus, Catherine Cornaro, sells her kingdom to Venice. 1492 Queen Isabella of Castille ordered her 150 000 Jewish and May 6May 6 is the 126th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (127th in leap years). There are 239 days remaining. Events 1527 Spanish and German troops sack Rome; some consider this the end of the Renaissance. 1682 Louis XIV of France moves his court to V did not even make up for the loses suffered between those dates, 5,500.
The French saw that defeat was imminent, but they sought to hold on till the GenevaGeneva ( French: Geneve German: Genf Italian: Ginevra Spanish: Ginebra is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zurich), located where Lake Geneva (French: Lac de Geneve or Lac Leman empties into the Rhone River. It is the capital of the Can peace meeting, which took place on April 26April 26 is the 116th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (117th in leap years). There are 249 days remaining. Events 1478 The Pazzi attack Lorenzo de' Medici and kill his brother Giuliano during High Mass in the Florence Cathedral. 1607 English col. The last French offensive took place on May 4, but was ineffective. The Viet Minh then began to hammer the fort with newly acquired Russian rocket artillery. The final fall took two days, May 6th and 7th, during which the French fought on but were eventually overrun by a huge frontal assault.
At least 2,200 members of 20,000-strong French forces died during the battle. Of the 100,000 or so Vietnamese involved there were an estimated 8,000 killed and another 15,000 wounded, almost half of the attacking force.