The Battle of Dien Bien Phu
Battle of Dien Bien Phu
The Battle of Dien Bien Phu was a climactic confrontation of the First Indochina War that took place between 13 March and 7 May 1954. It was fought between the French Union's French Far East Expeditionary Corps and Viet Minh communist revolutionaries.
What happened to Dien Bien Phu after the war?
News of Dien Bien Phu's fall was announced in France several hours after the surrender, around 4:45pm, by Prime Minister Joseph Laniel. The Archbishop of Paris ordered a mass, while radio performances were cancelled and replaced by solemn music, notably Berlioz ' Requiem.
Did Langlais take over command of Dien Bien Phu?
Phillip Davidson stated that the "truth would seem to be that Langlais did take over effective command of Dien Bien Phu, and that Castries became 'commander emeritus' who transmitted messages to Hanoi and offered advice about matters in Dien Bien Phu".
What is the last movie about the Battle of Dien Bien?
Memory of Dien Bien (2004), a war drama directed by Đỗ Minh Tuấn, about a Vietnamese and a French war veteran looking back at the battle. The last battle was depicted in 2011 Vietnamese first person shooter video game 7554.
How did Giáp defeat the French at Biên Phủ?
At Điện Biên Phủ, Giáp amassed anti-aircraft batteries that quickly shut down the runway, and made it extremely difficult and costly for the French to bring in reinforcements.
What were the consequences of the Battle of Dien Bien Phu?
French Union casualties at Dien Bien Phu to date have been approximately 5,500. The defeat of the force now at Dien Bien Phu would add another 11,000, thus bringing the total French Union losses to roughly 17,000.
What was the result of the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu in 1954 quizlet?
The French defeat at Dien Bien Phu in 1954 signalled the end of French influence in Indochina.
What were the results of the Battle of Dien Bien Phu and the Geneva conference?
The deciding factor was the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954, where the French were decisively defeated. This resulted in French withdrawals, and the Geneva conference. It was decided that Vietnam would be divided at the 17th parallel until 1956, when democratic elections would be held under international supervision.
How did Dien Bien Phu affect the Cold War?
During the Battle of Dien Bien Phu, the French almost completely misjudged the true military strength of their enemies, entirely discounting the massive support and reinforcement in the campaign by the Communist bloc, particularly by the Chinese, who had just emerged victorious from the Korean War with a huge stockpile ...
What was the result of Dien Bien Phu quizlet?
In 1954, Vietminh rebels besieged a French garrison at Dien Bien Phu, deep in the interior of northern Vietnam. In May, after the United States refused to intervene, Dien Bien Phu fell to the communists.
What happened to Vietnam after the battle of Dien Bien Phu quizlet?
Called First Indochina War until French humiliating defeat at Dien Bien Phu in 1954 resulted in a peace settlement, which officially divided Vietnam into North Vietnam, communist and South Vietnam, under a French-backed emperor.
How did the battle of Dien Bien Phu lead to the Vietnam war?
The Viet Minh victory at Dien Bien Phu signaled the end of French colonial influence in Indochina and cleared the way for the division of Vietnam along the 17th parallel at the conference of Geneva.
What was the significance of the battle of Dien Bien Phu quizlet?
What was significant about the Battle of Dienbienphu in 1954? The Battle of Dienbienphu was important because it was this battle that convinced the French (defeated) to leave Vietnam in the Indochina War.
What was the result of the Geneva conference?
The Geneva conference took until July 21st before it produced a formal agreement. Among the terms of the Geneva Accords were the following: Vietnam would become an independent nation, formally ending 75 years of French colonialism. The former French colonies Cambodia and Laos would also be given their independence.
Why was Dien Bien Phu significant in the US?
When Dien Bien Phu fell to the Viet Minh on May 7, 1954, after nearly two months of bitter fighting, it marked the first time a non-European colonial independence movement which had evolved from guerrilla bands to a conventional army had been able to defeat a modern Western occupier.
How did the United States respond to the French defeat at Bien Dien Phu?
Explanation: The Americans were reluctant to put boots on the ground to help the French before Dien Bien Phu. The U.S. had been obstructive of the French efforts to recolonize Vietnam immediately post World War. They were philosophically opposed to recolonization.
Why did France lose at Dien Bien Phu?
The French lost their Indochinese colonies due to political, military, diplomatic, economic and socio-cultural factors. The fall of Dien Bien Phu in 1954 signalled a loss of French power. General Vo Nguyen Giap and his Viet Minh had triumphed on the eve of the Geneva Conference.
What happened to Dien Bien Phu?
News of Dien Bien Phu's fall was announced in France several hours after the surrender, around 4:45pm, by Prime Minister Joseph Laniel. The Archbishop of Paris ordered a mass, while radio performances were cancelled and replaced by solemn music , notably Berlioz ' Requiem.
What was the significance of the Dien Bien Phu?
Dien Bien Phu was a serious defeat for the French and was the decisive battle of the Indochina war. The garrison constituted roughly one-tenth of the total French Union manpower in Indochina, and the defeat seriously weakened the position and prestige of the French; it produced psychological repercussions both in the armed forces and in the political structure in France. This was apparent with the previously planned negotiations over the future of Indochina, which had just begun. Militarily there was no point in France fighting on, as the Viet Minh could repeat the strategy and tactics of the Dien Bien Phu campaign elsewhere, to which the French had no effective response.
What happened in March 17th?
During this lull, the French suffered from a serious crisis of command. "It had become painfully evident to the senior officers within the encircled garrison – and even to Cogny at Hanoi – that de Castries was incompetent to conduct the defense of Dien Bien Phu. Even more critical, after the fall of the northern outposts, he isolated himself in his bunker so that he had, in effect, relinquished his command authority". On 17 March, Cogny attempted to fly into Điện Biên Phủ to take command, but his plane was driven off by anti-aircraft fire. Cogny considered parachuting into the encircled garrison, but his staff talked him out of it.
Why did Navarre choose de Castries?
Navarre chose de Castries, a cavalryman in the 18th-century tradition, because Navarre envisioned Điện Biên Phủ as a mobile battle.
How long did the North Vietnamese battle at Khe Sanh last?
The battle ended when the Americans withdrew, leading the North Vietnamese to declare victory. Giáp's forces besieged Khe Sanh for 77 days. Historians are divided on whether this was a genuine attempt to repeat their success at Điện Biên Phủ by forcing the surrender of the Marine base, or else a diversion from the Tết Offensive, or an example of the North Vietnamese Army keeping its options open, or the other way around: the Tet Offensive itself a distraction from the offensive at Khe Sanh.
What was the name of the battle that led to the victory of the French in 1954?
1954 battle of the First Indochina War; decisive Viet Minh victory over the French. Battle of Dien Bien Phu. Part of the First Indochina War. Viet Minh troops plant their flag over the captured French headquarters at Dien Bien Phu: a still from Soviet filmographer Roman Karmen. Date.
What tanks did the French use in the Battle of Bisons?
The French deployed a small number of M24 Chaffee light tanks (US supplied) during the battle which they nicknamed " Bisons ". The Viet Minh countered these with heavy artillery and rocket-propelled grenade launchers (RPGs).
What was the Battle of Dien Bien Phu?
Battle of Dien Bien Phu, the decisive engagement in the First Indochina War (1946–54). It consisted of a struggle between French and Viet Minh (Vietnamese Communist and nationalist) forces for control of a small mountain outpost on the Vietnamese border near Laos.
Why did the French occupy Dien Bien Phu?
The battle was joined in late 1953 when French forces, who had been rapidly losing ground to the popularly supported Viet Minh, occupied the town of Dien Bien Phu in an attempt to cut the nationalist supply lines into Laos and to maintain a base for forays against enemy forces.
What was the United States concerned about in 1954?
With the defeat of the French at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954, the United States became concerned about communist gains in Vietnam. From Vietnam Perspective (1985), a documentary by Encyclopædia Britannica Educational Corporation. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
How many men did the Vietnamese use to break French lines?
They were thus taken by surprise when the Viet Minh Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap surrounded the base with 40,000 men and used heavy artillery to break the French lines.
What was the significance of the victory of Dien Bien Phu?
The Viet Minh victory at Dien Bien Phu signaled the end of French colonial influence in Indochina and cleared the way for the division of Vietnam along the 17th parallel at the conference of Geneva. On September 2, 1945, hours after the Japanese signed their unconditional surrender in World War II, communist leader Ho Chi Minh proclaimed ...
What army moved to Dien Bien Phu?
The fort was also out in the open, and the French believed that their superior artillery would keep the position safe. In 1954, the Viet Minh army, under General Vo Nguyen Giap, moved against Dien Bien Phu and in March encircled it with 40,000 Communist troops and heavy artillery.
When did the Vietnamese fight the French?
Beginning in 1949, the Viet Minh fought an increasingly effective guerrilla war against France with military and economic assistance from newly Communist China. France received military aid from the United States. In November 1953, the French, weary of jungle warfare, occupied Dien Bien Phu, a small mountain outpost on the Vietnamese border ...
Where did the French defeat the French?
French defeated at Dien Bien Phu. In northwest Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh’s Viet Minh forces decisively defeat the French at Dien Bien Phu, a French stronghold besieged by the Vietnamese communists for 57 days.
When did Germany surrender to the Allies?
Germany surrenders unconditionally to the Allies at Reims. On May 7, 1945, the German High Command, in the person of General Alfred Jodl, signs the unconditional surrender of all German forces, East and West, at Reims, in northeastern France.
What was the name of the volcano that wiped out the city of Saint Pierre?
On May 7, 1902, Martinique’s Mount Pelée begins the deadliest volcanic eruption of the 20th century. The following day, the city of Saint Pierre, which some called the Paris of the Caribbean, was virtually wiped off the map. Mount Pelée, the name meaning bald in French, was a ...read more. Crime. 1896.
French Military Incursions Begin in Vietnam
The First Indochina War
- The Viet Minh began fighting against the French in 1946 in what became known as the First Indochina War, first using guerrilla tactics and then more conventional methods of warfare as it received weapons and financial support from the Soviet Unionand China. In November 1953, thousands of French paratroopers dropped into the Dien Bien Phu Valley in the mountainous far …
Viet Minh Surround French Forces
- On March 13, 1954, under the dark sky of a new moon, the Viet Minh artillery began shelling one of the French perimeter garrisons and the army laid siege to the entire French outpost. The next day, Giap’s artillery disabled the airstrip and his troops attacked and captured another perimeter garrison. For the next two months, under the cover of arti...
Casualty Numbers High For Both Sides
- The 57-day battle was a complete rout for the French army, which lost more than 2,200 soldiers killed in action, and almost 11,000 more who were captured, including more than 5,100 who were wounded. Only about 3,300 of the French prisonersof war made it home. Thousands died in captivity as the French negotiated its exit from Indochina during the 1954 Geneva Conference. T…
Lead-Up to Vietnam War
- The push for Vietnam’s complete independence did not stop, and in South Vietnam, insurgents coalesced as the Viet Cong. With the support of North Vietnam and its army, the Viet Cong engaged in guerilla warfare to challenge the ever-growing U.S. force, leading to the Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, which stretched from the 1950s to the 1970s. In 1973…
Dien Bien Phu Today
- Today, Dien Bien Phu is a popular Vietnam historical tourist attraction. It has a modern museum and much of the battlefield is preserved, including several of the fortified French positions, the bunkered French headquarters and the Viet Minh headquarters complex. Regular commercial flights from Hanoi land at the same airstrip, now paved in concrete.
Sources
- “An Analysis of the French Defeat at Dien Bien Phu,”by Major Harry D. Bloomer, USA, GlobalSecurity.org. “Dien Bien Phu and the Fall of French Indochina,”Office of the Historian, Foreign Service Institute, United States Department of State. “Dien Bien Phu: Digging Into History,”(Dien Bien Phu today), by Stephen Grenville, The Interpreter, Lowy Institute. “Dien Bien P…
Overview
The Battle of Dien Bien Phu was a climactic confrontation of the First Indochina War that took place between 13 March and 7 May 1954. It was fought between the French Union's colonial Far East Expeditionary Corps and Viet Minh communist revolutionaries. The United States was officially not a party to the war, but it was secretly involved by providing financial and material aid to the French Union, w…
Background
By 1953, the First Indochina War was not going well for France. A succession of commanders – Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque, Jean Étienne Valluy, Roger Blaizot, Marcel Carpentier, Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, and Raoul Salan – had proven incapable of suppressing the insurrection of the Viet Minh fighting for independence. During their 1952–1953 campaign, the Viet Minh had overrun vast swathes of Laos, Vietnam's western neighbor, advancing as far as Luang Prabang and the Pl…
Prelude
In June 1953, Major General René Cogny, the French commander in the Tonkin Delta, proposed Điện Biên Phủ, which had an old airstrip built by the Japanese during World War II, as a "mooring point". In another misunderstanding, Cogny envisioned a lightly defended point from which to launch raids; Navarre, however, believed that he intended to build a heavily fortified base capable of …
Battle
The Viet Minh assault began in earnest on 13 March 1954 with an attack on the northeastern outpost, Béatrice, which was held by the 3rd Battalion, 13th Foreign Legion Demi-Brigade. Viet Minh artillery opened a fierce bombardment with two batteries each of 105 mm howitzers, 120 mm mortars, and 75 mm mountain guns (plus seventeen 57 mm recoilless rifles and numerous 60 mm …
Aftermath
Dien Bien Phu was a serious defeat for the French and was the decisive battle of the Indochina war. The garrison constituted roughly one-tenth of the total French Union manpower in Indochina, and the defeat seriously weakened the position and prestige of the French; it produced psychological repercussions both in the armed forces and in the political structure in France. This was appa…
Comparison with Khe Sanh
In January 1968, during the Vietnam War, the North Vietnamese Army under Võ Nguyên Giáp's command initiated a siege and artillery bombardment on the U.S. Marine Corps base at Khe Sanh in South Vietnam, as they did at Điện Biên Phủ. A number of factors were significantly different between Khe Sanh and Điện Biên Phủ. Khe Sanh was much closer to a US supply base (45 km or 28 mi) compared to a French one at Điện Biên Phủ (200 km or 120 mi). At Khe Sanh, the U.S. Ma…
See also
• Vietnam portal
• War portal
Notes
1. ^ Anthony James Joes (2010). Victorious Insurgencies: Four Rebellions that Shaped Our World. University Press of Kentucky. pp. 121–. ISBN 978-0-8131-2614-2.
2. ^ Boylan & Olivier 2018, p. 286.
3. ^ Riley 2014, pp. 194–95.