"I hear on Hanoi radio - three or four times a day - about a place called Dien Bien Phu. Something's happening: what is it?"
Ho Chi Minh took off his sun helmet. He turned this upside down on the table and he felt around the bottom of it, and he said "Dien Bien Phu is a valley, and it's completely surrounded by mountains. The cream of the French Expeditionary corps are down there, and we are around the mountains. And they'll never get out."
- Vietnam: The ten thousand day war
Dien Bien Phu is a small market town in north-eastern Vietnam, on the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Known locally as the 'arena of the Gods' the town had a long history in Asian warfare, been positioned as it was on a crucial supply route from both China and Laos. Battle at Dien Bien Phu was to spell the end of the Franco Viet-minh war after a crushing defeat for the French. Actually, they had already lost the war some months ago - Dien Bien Phu was merely a last, desperate attempt to scratch some sort of victory out of an overall loss.
Just like the Americans would later, the French had trouble countering the guerilla tactics of the Viet Minh, and longed to lure them into conventional conflict. By establishing a garrison in so audacious a place this is what they achieved.
On November 20 1953, 800 French paratroopers dropped into the town, believing it to be empty. They landed right on top of two companies of Viet Minh fighters, but managed to defeat them after a day of fighting and 40 casualties. Once the town was secure 10,000 French troops moved in with 5,000 in reserve. The French dug bunkers and trenches and erected strong-points in the valley, none of which would save them from the ferocity of the Viet attack.
The Vietnamese accepted the challenge. 50,000 of them began to converge on the valley - all the available fighters plus scores of civilian brigades carrying supplies marched arduously or proceeded on bikes. In an astonishing feat, Vietnamese had dragged 200 artillery pieces through the jungle at a rate of half a mile a day for three months. At 1700 hours on 12 March, they opened up on the French strong points. French artillery could do nothing to counter this, either - all the Viet pieces were in caves or protected in other ways, and even when the French located them they could rarely destroy them. The French artillery commander commited suicide after realising the futility of his efforts.
The battle did not end until May 7. By then the French were exhausted, out of ammunition and just about everything else. They had lost the fort's airstrip on March 27, and from that point onwards had to rely on uncertain air drops to resupply. As they lost more and more land and planes were forced higher and higher, air drops started to fall into Viet hands. Water, ammunition, and in one case even valuable intelligence information were all lost to the enemy.
Another problem for the French were a lack of medical facilities - they had only one nurse, Genevieve de Galard, and four surgeons, and after the airstrip was closed there was no way to evacuate the wounded. The French dug additional underground tunnels and accomodated the wounded underground - this meant moving able-bodied men out of their shelter to brave the assault above ground. Genevieve would eventually receieve the Legion of Honor for her efforts in tending for the wounded.
The French staged several brave counter-attackers to liberate strong points, but in the end defeat was inevitable. They inflicted many casualties on the Viets - about 8,000 - but they lost 3,000 men with the same number seriously wounded. A relief bombing plan was drawn up in America - it is even claimed they planned to drop three small, tactical nukes on the Viet positions. The actions were stopped by Congress leaders, especially House Leader Lyndon Johnson.
After the fort had fallen, French survivors - 8000 of them, including the Generals - began a sixty-day march to the Red River delta 500 miles away, where prison camps awaited them. Only 50% of them would survive. The wounded and Genevieve were left behind until hospital planes could evacuate them.
lalala says that the French were airdropping in insane things like pate and champagne with which to try and enjoy their last days.