– on their way to the edge of the valley, they met enemy units After the fall of Dien Bien Phu, the French pulled out of the region. President Ho Chi Minh indicated Vietnam Liberation People’s Army to treat the French prisoners with humanity and they still survived to return France. – Eliane 2 managed to fight off the attack, – that night, 16 men from the 1er BEP were killed or missed – composed of two defensive positions – composed of four strongpoints – Isabelle was seized by the Viet Minh, – in the meantime, the two groups were marching to the south – occupied by a 5e BPVN company – Viet Minh suffered 20 men killed – some 45,000 men – 1re CEPML (Heavy Mortar Foreign Parachute Company) – they were the last reinforcement for the French garrison, May 6-7, 1954: – in other words, two French battalions were attacked by two Viet Minh divisions, – Lt Colonel Charles Piroth committed suicide – Major Liesenfelt would be removed from command, – Lieutenant Jean Garin, wounded at the airstrip, killed himself – in the morning, the enemy was fought off – Eliane 3 was an original strongpoint The garrison at Dien Bien Phu was under persistent and heavy Vietnamese attack, and the … – the battle of Dien Bien Phu would begin at 05.30 PM (17:30), – Viet Minh troops were led by General Vo Nguyen Giap – an intense Viet Minh assault would take three hours – clashes with the Viet Minh near Huguette 4 – Construction of defensive positions – at the camp, they would reinforce several strongpoints – including 12 men killed + 68 wounded, May 2, 1954: 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. 7 May 1954, Dien base captured, nearly 20,000 French killed or captured. Despite their plans, the French were attacked and suffered a defeat. – composed of all artillery units (including 1re CEPML) – 28 legionnaires were killed or missed, December 8 – 20, 1953: – the strongpoint would remain under French control until May 6, – this action confirmed then low morale of the eastern Viet Minh division – they suffered heavy casualties (80% of their strength) – an isolated outpost, completely independent a few weeks later – at least 2,500 of them have been estimated to be killed – Dominique 1 was seized a few hours later, – the attacked Eliane strongpoints were occupied by a Moroccan battalion – occupied by Tai partisans – Dien Bien Phu encircled by the Viet Minh Despite financial assistance from the United States, nationalist uprisings against French colonial rule began to take their toll. – Huguette 6 managed to fight off the attack, – in two days, some 800 Viet Minh attackers were killed – held by 1st Battalion, 2e REI legionnaires, – Junon – the French lost some 700 men there, – new reinforcements – clashes with the Viet Minh – a small, auxiliary position, consisting of two strongpoints French prisoners of war are marched out of Dien Bien Phu, 1954. – four of them placed inside a natural meandr of the Nam Youm river North Vietnam Vietnam War Military Photos Military History First Indochina War French Foreign … – the position was reinforced by a third company from 1er RCP – supported by 6e BPC elements and BT2 elements – the Viet Minh was everywhere – 2e BEP jumped over Dien Bien Phu – an order to evacuate Opéra – however, the BMEP company lost 88 legionnaires This site is updated regularly. – commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Langlais – a company of 5e BPVN (Vietnamese paratroopers) supported them – consisting of four battalions + artillery + M24 tank platoon – aimed at Eliane 4, the last French hill – another Legion battalion would reinforce the besieged camp 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. In 1992, the memorial was found unkempt and in ruins by a former legionnaire, Rolf Rodel. – after the fall of Beatrice and Gabrielle, the most threatened defensive position – a strongpoint of the Huguette defensive position Year Event; 1954 The Battle of Dien Bien Phu – Giap defeats the French force based there. – this action ended the battles of the three Huguettes – over 200 attackers were immediately killed – thereafter, to defeat the Viet Minh, November 20 – 22, 1953: – Eliane 11 and Eliane 12 were exposed He rebuilt the memorial on his own, in eight days. – thereafter, two 6e BPC companies launched an assault – about 50 men were wounded, including Captain Picard – a fierce battle occurred and the Viet Minh had to withdraw – an hour later, it launched new assaults Rolf Rodel returned to Vietnam two years later, in 1994. – during the nights of April 9-10 and April 10-11 The Battle of Dien Bien Phu (in English) French artillery and mortars had been progressively silenced by murderously accurate Communist Viet Minh artillery fire, and the monsoon rains had slowed down supply drops to a trickle and transformed the French trenches and dugouts into bottomless quagmires. – 3,200-3,800 of them belonged to the Foreign Legion, – up to 2,300 French troops are known to be killed – many Viet Minh training camps were based in the region too, – the French considered the valley as the best strategic place Of siege, the vessel sank into the Celtic Sea, 1902, Martinique ’ s Mount begins... 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