Mar 27, 2015 the french defeat at dien bien phu in 1954 signalled the end of french influence in indochina. In northwest vietnam, ho chi minhs viet minh forces decisively defeat the french at dien bien phu, a french stronghold besieged by the. On may 7th 1954, the garnison of the fortified camp of dien bien phu ceased the fight against general giap vietminh army after an heroic resistance. Dienbienphu synonyms, dienbienphu pronunciation, dienbienphu translation, english dictionary definition of dienbienphu. The battle of dien bien phu march may 8, 1954 was not as long as some, but it played such an important role in what was to follow that years after the fact, the name dien bien phu is still met with equal amounts of disdain for french folly and admiration for the. In 1954, vietminh rebels besieged a french garrison at dien bien phu, deep in the interior of northern vietnam. Dien bien phu covers the period of 1946 1954 when a polyglot force of moroccans, senegalese, algerians, legionnaires, vietnamese, thos and others under the auspices of the french sought to retain frances hold on indochina and were opposed by the nationalist communist forces of the viet minh. Pdf on jan 1, 2012, william logan and others published victory and defeat at. Of the original 12,000 defenders at dien bien phu, 2,293 were killed and 5,4 wounded. Dien bien phu article about dien bien phu by the free. The battle fought around dien bien phu was the last major campaign by a european state in the region.
The battle of dien bien phu was the decisive engagement in the first indochina war 194654. O u r strategic direction of the winter 1953 spring. The loss of dien bien phu struck a death knell for the french effort to retain control of their former colony of indochina. Describing the french colonial beginings of the country, and their defeat at dien bien phu in march 1954. The french military base here fell to vietminh troops on may 7, 1954, after a 56day siege, leading to the. Chinese military advisors in vietnam in the early 1950s. The noted vietnam scholar stanley karnow ranked the 1954 battle of dii. Eisenhower, dulles, and dienbienphu oxford academic journals. From late 1954 to 1956, the ce would launch offensives against enemy. This strategy research project is a casestudy examination of the battle of dien bien phu during the frenchindochina war of 1946 to 1954. The game covers the critical period of viet minh assaults and french counterattacks of march to may, 1954.
Since french plans assume your forces will surround and cut off the dien bien phu garrison from ground communications, the airstrip is absolutely vital to the french for flying in supplies and. Places to visit in dien bien phu, the best time to visit. Historical dictionary of the indochina war 19451954. The french outpost at dien bien phu fell in 1954, 10 years before the united states was. Build up story commemorating the fall of dien bien phu, made up from french library material. This was followed by the division of vietnam into north and south and then the second indochinese war. On dien bien phus northern end is the enemys main airstrip, which is constructed of perforated steel planking to make it usable in all weather. It was fought between the french unions french far east expeditionary corps and viet minh communist. All in all the chinese military aid would arm a total of over 7 pavn divisions. French defense of hanoi rested on holding the red river delta, making it a key battleground. The battle of dien bien phu was a climactic confrontation of the first indochina war that took. For more information on battle of dien bien phu, visit.
In northwest vietnam, ho chi minhs viet minh forces decisively defeat the french at dien. Devotion to my duty, my service, and my country for twenty years sustained mea professional. During the course of the first indochina war, the french had established a base at dien bien phu in late 1953. After world war ii, france was able to reinstall its. Pdf new perspectives on dien bien phu pierre asselin. In his book war, army edited in hanoi, 1961 he wrote. Covering the operation from beginning until the defeat. Some of the reasons for the french military disaster at dien. The battle of dien bien phu was fought from march to may 7, 1954, and was the decisive engagement of the first indochina war 19461954, the precursor to the vietnam war.
How to travel to dien bien for your best experience dien bien travel guide 2020 what to do, when to visit, and more about 500km from hanoi, dien bien is the mountainous northwestern province of vietnam, where the battle of century dien bien phu became famous worldwide when the viet minh defeated the colonial french army in 1954. This game covers the siege of dien bien phu from march to may 7 1954 at one week per turn. Dien bien phu sealed the fate of the french in indochina and forced paris to. Get an answer for what was the significance of dien bien phu, 1954. The battle of dien bien phu, 1954 a picture from the past. Deep in the hills of northwest vietnam, the position was surrounded by high ground. Dien bien phu, battle ofstatue honouring the 50th anniversary of the battle of dien bien phu. During this time dien bien phu, surrounded by 2000 ft hills and thus difficult to resupply by air as the french had intended, became the scene of fearful contests. In february 1954, following the french occupation of di.
Project muse the battle of dien bien phu november 1953may 1954. Dien bien phu has happened during the last stage of the first indochina war, where the french is constantly losing ground and losing grip of the whole situation, the prospect of a victory is immensely important for the french, and their prayer got asnwered in a form of battle of na san. During the dien bien phu campaign, more than 200 trucks, over 10,000. This issue also includes some errata counters for issue 32. This is a list of units and commands that took part in the battle of dien bien phu during the first indochina war, with the major commands that took part in operations. History and images of the wellknown battle with the viet minh in then french indochina. The battle of dien bien phu was fought from march to may 7, 1954, and was the decisive engagement of the first indochina war 1946 1954, the precursor to the vietnam war. From a force in 1950 of 3 divisions the pavn would expand two years later into a force of 7 divisions. Pilipix 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. This system is reasonably innovative, combining aspects of pointtopoint and area movement to depict the varying uses and natures of the human and natural terrain of the siege. In 1954, french forces in french indochina sought to cut the viet minhs supply lines to laos. After world war ii, france was able to reinstall its colonial government in what was then known as indochina.
Korea, munich, dien bien phu, and the vietnam decisions of 1965. The communist forces had surrounded the dien bien phu valley where the french garrison thought they were secure. Soldiers watch as parachutes descend into dien bien phu, south vietnam, on nov. This led the french to give up in the first indochina war, securing the independence of the democratic republic of vietnam for the time. The communist forces had surrounded the dien bien phu valley where the. Like gettysburg, stalingrad, midway, and tet, the battle at dien bien phu a strategic attack launched by france against the vietnamese in 1954 after eight long years of war marked a historic. The 1954 battle at dien bien phu was waged by an army. I had known for some time that an epic stand had taken place in the hills of north vietnam in 1954 by the french, who at the time occupied the country known as french indochina. In may, after the united states refused to intervene, dien bien phu fell to the communists. After french forces occupied the dien bien phu valley in late 1953, viet minh commander vo nguyen. Pdf dien bien phu 1954 download full pdf book download.
Dien bien phu sealed the fate of the french in indochina and forced paris to abandon. Navarres choice of dien bien phu as a place to force giap to battle was a terrible one. The short film victory at dien bien phu 1964 is available for free download at the internet archive. And yet the battle of dien bien phu receives rarely more than a passing mention in most history texts. My recent work on war related sites in asia dien bien phu and long tan in vietnam, the thaiburma. Americas role in the dienbienphu crisis of 1954 has been a source of persisting. Despite suffering a humiliating military defeat at dien bien phu in 1954, france retained a more intimate knowledge of the political landscape on both sides of the dmz than any other foreign country and still dominated the economy of south vietnam into the late 1960s. Dien bien phu 1954 battle changed vietnams history by bruce kennedy cnn interactive it is seen by many military scholars as one of the great battles of the 20th century and a defining moment in the history of southeast asia. Dien bien phu is a wargame covering the decisive battle of the first indochina war in which elite french expeditionary force units defended an airland base against the communist viet minh. Dien bien phu 1954, tet offensive 1968, and clausewitz. The battle of dien bien phu, 1954 a picture from the.
The last french command surrendered on may 7, 1954. The french outpost at dien bien phu fell in 1954, 10 years before. Wellordered data, maps, photos, french and foreign legion units. This paper presents an analysis of dien bien phu and the tet offensive of 1968 by the author, a student at the national war college. In the end, of the 16,000 french troops, fewer than 100 broke through the siege at dien bien phu, with the rest killed, wounded, or captured.
So ended an epic struggle begon 170 days earlier with the landing of the first french paratroopers on the site of dien bien phu. Battle of dien bien phu french foreign legion information. Viet minh soldiers recreate their assault on the french airfield during the battle of dien bien phu in northern indochina now. Dien bien phu, battle of 1954 in the oxford companion to military history. Between november 1953 and may 1954, dien bien phu was the scene of fierce struggles between vietnamese fighters and the. The japanese invasion of southeast asia in 1941 drove the british and dutch out of. The defeat was a harsh psychological blow to the french and inspired their permanent withdrawal from indochina and the geneva accords of. The city is best known for the events which occurred there during the first indochina war, the battle of di. It was a battle between vietnamese and french forces, which vietnam won. Dien bien phu pdf epub download cause of you download. Grauwin, holding the rank of major, arrived in february 1954 to take charge of the 42bed hospital unit there, conducting triage for evacuation and operating when necessary.
French operational errors that helped ensure their. Had heard about the battle of dien bien phu when i was in the marine corps. The battle of dien bien phu began in midmarch and ended in early may 1954. In that battle, there were 1,500 french killed, 4,000 wounded and 10,000 soldiers taken as prisoners. The french defeat at dien bien phu in 1954 signalled the end of french influence in indochina. When the viet minh invaded neighboring laos the french deployed to fight a setpiece battle at dien bien phu, in 1954, but instead were trapped. The french strategy of seeking to establish a fortified base across the viet minhs route to and from laos provoked an awesome struggle that lasted from november 1953 to may 1954. Dien bien phu in oxford encyclopedia of the modern world.
May 7th, 1954 the guns fell silent as the last organized resistance in the fortified camp of dien bien phu came to an end. Survivors were herded on a long death march to vietminh prison camps. Now, as america both funds us and supplies us, were simply mercenariesgods truth, running dogs dying on nowunrecognizable strongpoints, counting down rounds and days until the agony ends, knowing, despite the scuttlebutt, that yankee bombers will never fly supporting missions. At dien bien phu, you are determined to implement a battle plan that imposes your will on the enemy. French failure to craft a viable strategy for winning the war or this battle against their enemy, the vietnamese communists or viet minh. Project muse the battle of dien bien phu november 1953.