Let's look back at each of the fortified French strongholds that fell to the Viet Minh forces during the 56 days and nights of the Dien Bien Phu offensive.
Dien Bien Phu is a city built right on the site of the fierce battles of 70 years ago. Along with the development of new infrastructure, this city still preserves the relics that commemorate the heroic achievements of our ancestors during the glorious 56 days and nights of the war. A map of the Dien Bien Phu battlefield compared to recent satellite imagery. In late 1953, after parachuting into and occupying the Muong Thanh basin, the French army built the Dien Bien Phu fortified complex with three sectors. The northern sector included strongholds at Doc Lap Hill (Gabrielle), Him Lam Hill (Béatrice), and Ban Keo (Anne-Marie). The southern sector (Hong Cum - Isabella) consisted of a cluster of strongholds and the Hong Cum airfield. The central sector included the A, C, and D strongholds, the Muong Thanh airfield, and the command headquarters of the fortified complex (the refuge of General De Castries). At 5:05 PM on March 13, 1954, Viet Minh troops began a concentrated artillery bombardment of the Him Lam stronghold, marking the beginning of the entire campaign. After several assaults, our 312th Division completely took control of the Him Lam stronghold at 11:30 PM the same day. Today, the Him Lam Hill historical site is located in Him Lam Ward, Dien Bien Phu City, 400 meters from the Dien Bien Phu Provincial Police headquarters.
Having captured Him Lam, the Viet Minh troops targeted their next stronghold in the northern sector: Doc Lap Hill. After initial diversionary tactics, at 3:00 AM on April 15th, Viet Minh mountain artillery and 105mm cannons launched a concentrated barrage on Doc Lap Hill. The fighting at Doc Lap Hill was even more fierce than the Battle of Him Lam. The enemy mobilized counter-attack forces in an attempt to rescue the stronghold, but without success. By 6:30 AM on April 15th, the Viet Minh had completely taken control of Doc Lap Hill. In these two opening battles, and in subsequent battles, the Viet Minh troops employed a "fortified assault" strategy, meaning they surrounded the enemy stronghold, launched a concentrated artillery barrage, and then sent overwhelming numbers of infantry to storm the breach and seize the entire stronghold. After hearing news of the fall of Him Lam and Doc Lap, the morale of the Thai (pro-French) soldiers at the Ban Keo stronghold plummeted. Coupled with the Viet Minh's "persuasion" efforts, a large number of Thai soldiers at this stronghold surrendered. On March 17th, at the end of the first offensive, the Viet Minh completely controlled the northern sector. The second offensive began on March 30, 1954, when our forces tightened their encirclement around the central sector of the fortified complex. The image shows Hill D1 (Dominique 2), the highest hill in the central sector, occupied by the 3rd Battalion of the Algerian Regiment. (The summit of D1 was later chosen for the Dien Bien Phu Victory Monument). During the second offensive, a series of strongholds in the eastern hill range, including D1, C1, C2, E, A1..., suffered a relentless attack by the Viet Minh. Our forces employed the tactic of digging trenches to encircle and gradually suffocate the central sector. Gradually, only A1 (Eliane 2) remained as the last stronghold stubbornly resisting. It had not fallen after numerous attacks thanks to its fortified underground tunnel system. To capture Hill A1, the troops dug a tunnel through the hill and placed a 1-ton explosive charge. On the night of May 6th, in the decisive battle of the third offensive, our troops detonated the explosive charge and stormed to capture Hill A1. The explosion inside the hill created a large sinkhole, blowing away the bunker and creating an opening for the assault troops. On the morning of May 7th, Hill A1 fell, signaling the end of the entire fortified complex.
On the afternoon of May 7th, the troops were ordered to launch a general offensive in the central area, where General De Castries' command bunker was located. The enemy offered sporadic resistance, with many French soldiers surrendering. Around 5 PM that same day, the troops entered the command bunker and captured General De Castries, the highest-ranking commander of the entire fortified complex. When the situation in the central sector was decided, French soldiers in the southern sector (Hong Cum) still harbored hopes of breaking through to escape to Laos. However, the encirclement by the Viet Minh forces there had also tightened, giving the enemy no chance to escape. The Battle of Hong Cum lasted until the night of May 7th, when the Vietnamese army secured the last remaining defensive positions in the southern sector, officially ending the Dien Bien Phu fortified complex. The complete destruction of the French stronghold at Dien Bien Phu led to the signing of the Geneva Accords in 1954, ending the nine-year resistance war against French colonialism in Vietnam.
Việt Nam•09/04/2024
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