Implementing the upcoming combat policy set forth by the Party Committee and the Dien Bien Phu Campaign Command: "Continue to consolidate and develop the offensive and encircling positions closer to the enemy, capture a number of important positions to gradually tighten the encirclement.
On the enemy side: The enemy continued to drop the 2nd Colonial Airborne Battalion to support Dien Bien Phu. Also on the same day, the enemy bombed Long Nhai village, killing more than 440 of our compatriots.
At 5:00 AM on April 10th, Bigeard, sitting in a bunker at Eliane 4 with six radios around him, ordered the attack. All 20 remaining 105mm cannons at Muong Thanh and Hong Cum concentrated their fire, unleashing approximately 1,800 rounds on C1. Dive planes dropped bombs. After the artillery barrage, four tanks advanced to Eliane 4, aiming their cannons at the hilltop. Simultaneously, nearly 20 mobile machine guns on Hill C1 opened fire. Enemy artillery shifted its firepower to clear the way for the paratrooper units to advance. Aircraft blocked our supply routes. Bigeard advocated using maximum firepower to conserve the lives of the paratroopers.
On our side: On April 10th, General Vo Nguyen Giap - Commander-in-Chief of the Vietnam People's Army - issued Secret Order No. 95ML/B1 to the 316th, 308th, 312th, 304th, and 351st Divisions. The order instructed the units to continue consolidating their defensive positions, learn from recent combat experiences, and prepare to continue attacking the enemy at Dien Bien Phu.
The Campaign Command under the direct command of General Vo Nguyen Giap is discussing the battle plan for each battle. With the "fight firmly, advance firmly" fighting method, our army "encircled" the stronghold from the outside in, successively destroying each stronghold cluster, moving towards completely destroying the enemy. Photo: VNA
On April 10th, implementing the upcoming operational plan set forth by the Party Committee and the Campaign Command: "Continue to consolidate and develop the offensive and encirclement positions closer to the enemy, capture more important positions to gradually tighten the encirclement; completely capture the airfield to completely cut off the enemy's air supply and reinforcement routes, minimize the number of enemy parachute drop zones; further threaten the enemy's deep penetration to move towards a general offensive to end the fate of all remaining enemy forces in the Dien Bien Phu fortified complex…".
Units assigned specific tasks to prepare for the new offensive:
- Division 308 developed a siege and attack position on strongholds 206, 310, 311A, 311B in the Huguette stronghold cluster to protect the western flank of the airport, while coordinating with Division 312 to dig trenches across the airport south of stronghold 206.
- Division 312 continued to build an attack position from the east of Keo village to the east of Muong Thanh airport; built attack positions for bases 105, 203, 204 and coordinated with Division 308 to dig traffic trenches across Muong Thanh airport.
- Division 316 continued to build an offensive position in the East of Muong Thanh, adjacent to the left wing of Division 312 and the right wing of Division 308; built an offensive position at strongholds A1, C2, and Chau Un Hill; consolidated the defensive position at Hill C1 and part of Hill A1.
- Regiment 57, Division 304 continued to consolidate and build an offensive position to surround Hong Cum and create a position to block reinforcements between Hong Cum and Muong Thanh; continued to restrain enemy artillery in Hong Cum.
- The 351st Division built additional artillery positions in the Northwest of Muong Thanh, bringing large artillery down to the valley to support the infantry.
From April 10th, units, based on their assigned tasks, immediately began consolidating and developing their positions. After more than a week of consolidating their positions, the trenches of Regiment 141, Division 312, advanced east of the main airfield in Muong Thanh. The airfield was protected by five layers of barbed wire fences, interspersed with dense minefields. Hundreds of gun emplacements surrounded the airfield.
Military units trekked through forests and waded through streams to advance into the Dien Bien Phu battlefield. (Photo: Archival material/TTXVN)
On Hill C1, we had made preparations. The night before, the engineers had moved timber to reinforce the fortifications. A company of the 439th Battalion, directly commanded by Battalion Commander Hoang Vuong, was ready to meet the enemy. Our artillery immediately bombarded the enemy's artillery positions in Muong Thanh and fired at the paratroopers advancing up the hill. The leading paratrooper company, commanded by Trapp, had to huddle on the western slope of the hill. Lepage's second company, carrying flamethrowers and a suicide machine gun detachment, broke through the enemy's blocking fire and attempted to advance up the hill. The machine gun detachment was wiped out. Lieutenant Combaneyre was seriously wounded. The enemy's flamethrowers covered the Flagpole bunker. Our troops had to retreat to hold the eastern half of the hill.
The enemy pursued us, trying to push us out of C1. At that moment, two reinforcement platoons from the regiment, braving enemy bombardment, arrived. All the soldiers threw grenades and then charged forward with their rifles fitted with sharp bayonets. Faced with our valiant momentum, the enemy retreated towards the Flagpole. At 2 PM, Bigeard had to deploy two companies from the 2nd Foreign Legion Paratrooper Battalion, which had arrived in Muong Thanh the night before, to C1 to replace the attacking force, which had suffered nearly half its casualties.
At 6:45 PM, as the 2nd Parachute Unit was reinforcing the trenches shattered by the daytime battles, a storm of artillery and mortar fire descended upon the battlefield. Following the artillery barrage, the 439th Battalion and a newly reinforced battalion from the 312th Division split into two wings and launched an assault to retake the Flagpole and the western bunkers. The paratroopers, having run out of ammunition, could not stop our assault. Captain Charles was killed in action. Captain Minaud was seriously wounded. Both parachute companies, without commanders, disintegrated into small groups, desperately resisting. At 9 PM, Bigeard hastily mobilized all reserve parachute forces to provide reinforcements. Our troops and the enemy engaged in fierce hand-to-hand combat.
* Coordinate with Dien Bien Phu battlefield:
- We attacked Dan Nhiem position ( Hung Yen ) and killed 125 enemies.
(excerpt)
1. General Vo Nguyen Giap: Complete Memoirs, People's Army Publishing House, Hanoi , 2010.
2. General Hoang Van Thai: Complete Works, People's Army Publishing House, Hanoi, 2007.
3. Dien Bien Phu Campaign - Facts and Figures/Nguyen Van Thiet - Le Xuan Thanh, People's Army Publishing House, Hanoi, 2014.
4. Dien Bien Phu - seen from two sides, Thanh Nien Publishing House, 2004.
5. Dien Bien Phu - Historical Rendezvous/Memories of General Vo Nguyen Giap by writer Huu Mai, Information and Communication Publishing House, 2018.
According to the People's Army Newspaper
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