The 1954 battle of dien bien phu ranks with stalingrad and tet for what it ended imperial ambitions, what it foretold american involvement, and what it symbolized. The battle prodded negotiators at the geneva conference to produce the final geneva accords in july 1954. Both his parents were killed by the nazis in world war ii. French war, 19451954 chapter 2 vietnams american war. The battle of dien bien phu 19531954, stresses the author, was one of the modern eras most decisive confrontations. The siege occurred while the 1954 geneva conference was ironing out agreements between the major powers, including the future of indochina. Feb 02, 2012 the battle was dubbed hell in a very small place by the french author bernard b. Today marks the 60 th anniversary of the surrender of the french fortress outpost at dien bien phu in vietnam. This month marks the 50th anniversary of the geneva accords that ended the war in indochina, six weeks after the french army was defeated at dien bien phu. This major confrontation occurred at dien bien phu, a large heartshaped valley located in northwestern part of vietnam, near the border with laos. July 16, 2009 on may 6, 1954, legendary pilot james b.
New perspectives on dien bien phu france, the final deterrent was its eightyear long dirty war sale guerre that ended with the unequivocal victory of vietnamese nationalist forces at dien bien phu in 1954. Street without joy indochina at war 19461954 bernard b. Battle of dien bien phu, the decisive engagement in the first indochina war 194654. The neighboring countries of thailand and burma could be expected to fall under. May 07, 2015 on this day in 1954, the french garrison at dein bien phu was overrun.
The battle of dien bien phu was a climactic confrontation of the first indochina war that took. Dien bien phu by john keegan meet your next favorite book. Soon, the french garrison at dien bien phu grew to over 12,000. Ted morgan has written an excellent book about the 1954 battle of dien bien phu. Americans working for cat played a crucial role in the last days of this battle. The battle of dien bien phu was one of the most influential battles in military history. The battle of dien bien phuended may 7,1954, after a 56day siege that. Bernard fall wrote that in comparison with other world battles, dien bien phu could hardly qualify as a major battle, let alone a decisive one. The battle of dien bien phu was the decisive engagement in the first indochina war 194654.
To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. Despite financial assistance from the united states, nationalist uprisings against french colonial rule began to take their toll. Bernard fall on the battle of dien bien phu parallel. The siege of that french fortress was an epic of colonial warfare and one of the most significant battles of the 20 th century through the early 1950s, the french had been battling to hold their indochina colonies against a powerful, communistled insurgency. During this time dien bien phu, surrounded by 2000ft hills and thus difficult to resupply by air as the french had intended, became the scene of fearful contests. See more ideas about first indochina war, vietnam war and french foreign legion. When viet minh forces overran dien bien phu on may 7, 1954, it was, according to fall, the end of french military influence in asia. The battle of dien bien phu ended may 7, 1954, after a 56day siege that. The battle of dien bien phu, 1954 a picture from the. The fall of dien bien phu may 7th 1954 french prisoners on may 7 th in hanoi a small remembrance was held to mark the fall of dien bien phu and honor the victor, 101 year old general vo nguyen giap at his home. The battle of dien bien phu, 1954 a picture from the past. 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.
According to the mutual defense assistance act, the united states provided the french with material aid during the battle aircraft supplied by the uss saipan, weapons. Dien bien phu is the definitive account of the great, climactic battle in french indochina that led to the american commitment to vietnam. Causes and consequences of the battle of dien bien phu examine the causes and consequences and consequences of the battle of dien bien phu, 1954, which affected the lives of the vietnamese until the 1960s. Dien bien phu and the bitter taste the weary traveller. Martin woollacott is moved by martin windrows judicious account of the battle, the last valley. A guerrilla force of viet minh destroyed a technologically superior french army, convincing the viet minh that similar tactics might prevail in battle with the u. The entrenched camp of dien bien phu had 30 firebases which had each. The siege occurred while the 1954 geneva conference was ironing out agreements between the. The siege of dien bien phu is a source frequently quoted the book is more than just a slightly expanded version of this in fact the author goes to some lengths to point out where aspects of fall s work are are not supported by factual evidence or other sources as quite some materials have. It increased substantially the volume and tempo of american military. Covering the operation from beginning until the defeat. After french forces occupied the dien bien phu valley in late 1953, viet minh commander vo nguyen. The battle of dien bien phu in 1954 resulted in a the end of the vietnam war.
Causes and consequences of the battle of dien bien phu bartleby. A german legionnaire participating in the battle of dien bien phu in 1954, as a commando leader with 10th company, 3e rei at isabelle. The battle was dubbed hell in a very small place by the french author bernard b. On 7 may 1954, after a 56day siege, the french army surrendered. The fall of dien bien phu was a disaster not just for france but also for the united states who, by 1954, were underwriting 80% of french expenditures in indochina.
The final french defeat came at dien bien phu in 1954, setting the stage for american involvement and a far bloodier chapter in vietnams history. The siege of dien bien phu is a source frequently quoted the book is more than just a slightly expanded version of this in fact the author goes to some lengths to point out where aspects of falls work are are not supported by factual evidence or other sources as quite some materials have. Thus, the coming battle qf dien bien phu came to have a crucial significance in. The previous, a push by elements of three divisions into laos inter alia through dien bien phu in separate columns, narrowly avoided disaster when at least one came close to starving when logistics collapsed. The fall of dien bien phu 59 years gone by and still forgotten dien bien phu today it was an epic battle in a tragic war and most people neither know or care what happened in the valley where a small border post named dien bien phu became synonymous with forgotten sacrifice. An aircraft belonging to civil air transport, a cia proprietary airline, flown by mcgovern was shot down by communist antiaircraft fire.
Not soviet, chinese and no rpg, vietnam only has rpg 2 in late 50s and widely spread in the 60s, main armaments were still ww1 and ww2 stuff,no sks or ak 47, vietnam had artillery before dien bien phu, captured from french but had no use for them, limited shells and no training crew, dien bien phu was the first battle where vietnam had their first artillery trained units taking part in combat. Dien bien phu, symbol for all time global policy forum. The fall of an empire and the making of americas vietnam. Like gettysburg, stalingrad, midway, and tet, the battle at dien bien phua strategic attack launched by france against the vietnamese in 1954 after eight long. The time and date were carefully chosenthe hour allowed the artillery to fire in daylight, and the date was chosen because it was a. During this time dien bien phu, surrounded by 2000 ft hills and thus difficult to resupply by air as the french. The viet minh victory in this battle effectively ended the eightyearold war. The attack at dien bien phu began on march, 1954, with a strong viet minh attack, and continued through may. From the acclaimed scholar and reporter, a thorough and revealing account of the historic turning point in vietnams long strugglethe 1954 battle for dien bien phu like gettysburg, stalingrad, midway, and tet, the battle at dien bien phua strategic attack launched by france against the vietnamese in 1954 after eight long years of warmarked a historic turning point. Four times wounded during the battle, he was deprived of his military medal due to his active participation in the generals putsch in algeria in 1961. Information agency correspondent visited the isolated fre. Dien bien phu north vietnam received military weapons and other support from the soviet union and. Mcgovern and his flight officer, wallace wally buford, were flying supplies to french forces at dien bien phu in northern indochina. The entrenched camp of dien bien phu had 30 firebases which had each the manpower of from a company to a battalion.
Apr 19, 2004 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. On may 7 th in hanoi a small remembrance was held to mark the fall of dien bien phu and honor the victor, 101 year old general vo nguyen giap at his home. Dien bien phu was a valley, and the french would not likely hold the high ground, so the hills ringing the valley would put them at a serious disadvantage. Jun 30, 2014 not soviet, chinese and no rpg, vietnam only has rpg 2 in late 50s and widely spread in the 60s, main armaments were still ww1 and ww2 stuff,no sks or ak 47, vietnam had artillery before dien bien phu, captured from french but had no use for them, limited shells and no training crew, dien bien phu was the first battle where vietnam had their first artillery trained units taking part in combat. Fall combined graphic reporting with deep scholarly knowledge of vietnam and its colonial history in a book memorable in its descriptions of jungle fighting and insightful in its arguments. It marked the end of the first indochina war, the partition of vietnam into communist and noncommunist zones, and the beginning of american involvement that led to our own vietnam war. Judging by the volume of american assistance to france in 1953, the. The battle of dien bien phu is seen as the decisive battle of the first indochina war between french troops and the viet minh league for the independence of vietnam, a nationalist, prosoviet union movement of ho chi minh. The battle of dien bien phu the last pitched battle fought. Ho chi minh 18901969 was a vietnamese communist revolutionary leader who was chairman and first secretary of the workers party of vietnam, and later became prime minister and president of the. 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. This is probabaly the best book you can find of the battle of dien bien phu if you want to have a complete picture of that important struggle of 195354, without spending many days studying the massive and more authoritative volumes of fall and windrow. The french were unable to slow the viet minh advance, who fell back only after. The fall of dien bien phu marks the end of one war and the beginning of another.
Causes and consequences of the battle of dien bien phu. Of the original 12,000 defenders at dien bien phu, 2,293 were killed and 5,4 wounded. Bien phu was a symbol throughout the world that small guerrilla forces like the viet minh could turn away even the largest of imperial powers. French m24 at dien bien phu 1954 eliane itself is well preserved as befitting of its importance but you cant help but feel that conditions must have been truly awful during the battle. The defeat was a harsh psychological blow to the french and inspired their permanent withdrawal from indochina and the geneva accords of. The vietminh won the battle of dien bien phu due to their advantages in topography and terrain, logistics, artillery and antiaircraft capabilities and political will. At the end of 1953, the french settled in dien bien phu, a city in northwestern vietnam. The battle of dien bien phu in 1954 was the last major battle between the french expeditionary corps and the vietnamese guerrilla army, the viet minh. We still live in an early work by the dean of military historians. Causes and consequences of the battle of dien bien phu essay. Bernard fall on the battle of dien bien phu parallel narratives. The decisive battle of the west was supplanted by the insurgency model of mao. In the late 1940s, the french struggled to control its colonies in indochina vietnam, cambodia, and laos. Build up story commemorating the fall of dien bien phu, made up from french library material.
The french planned to lure the viet minh to defeat in this valley. The ground turned to mud once the monsoon began, and men clung to craters and ditches in conditions reminiscent of the battle of verdun in 1916. The last french command surrendered on may 7, 1954. Fifty years ago the fall of dien bien phu put paid to the french presence in vietnam. On may 7, 1954, where did a french force fall to the vietminh. Hell in a very small place, subtitled the siege of dien bien phu is the classic account. Battle of dien bien phu newspaper archives newspaperarchive.
Survivors were herded on a long death march to vietminh prison camps. It was one of the few remembrances held anywhere marking that battle which was one of the watersheds of the 20 th century. Fall, a victim of the war he covered through two decades, was french himself, and in addition to. It was a bloody and gruesome battle with trench warfare like ww1. Dien bien phu, 1954, was the final battle of the first indochina war. The pentagon papers, chapter 2, us involvement in the franco. The base was wellfortified and defended by crack troops, but it could only be reached by air. Battle of dien bien phu french foreign legion information.
The fall of the french empire by alain ruscio le monde diplomatique july 2004. Fall published his in 1966, as the us involvement in south vietnam was building to. Like gettysburg, stalingrad, midway, and tet, the battle at dien bie. John keegan does a masterful job of explaining the battle of dien bien phu. May 07, 2014 the last weeks of the battle of dien bien phu were atrociously gruelling. Hoping to fight the viet minh, the french built up their garrison. Navarre nonetheless persisted with his plan, and french troops started parachuting into the valley to prepare fortified positions from the end of november 1953. The battle occurred between march and may 1954 and culminated in a. Multidivisional operations around the frenchfortified red river delta were similarly separate in space although not in time. Dien bien phu sealed the fate of the french in indochina and forced paris to abandon the pursuit of colonial interests. In late fall, the french seized control of customs offices at all major. The origins of dien bien phu go back to the mid to late 19th century when france invaded, colonized and ultimately annexed vietnam, cambodia and laos into what would become. Bien phu marked the end of the first indochinese war and left the french decimated and embarrassed.
Viet minh soldiers recreate their assault on the french airfield during the battle of dien bien phu in northern indochina now. The battle of dien bien phu in 1954 resulted in a the end. A half a world away in houston texas a small group of french veterans, expatriates and historians. In february 1954, following the french occupation of di. A brief history of the battle of dien bien phu section 117. The battle of dien bien phu was the climatic battle of the first indochina war 1946 1954 between french military forces and those of the communist viet minh. We were there in the dry season but a touch of rain combined with military activity would have transferred conditions quickly into a sea of mud.
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