Logistical strength in the Dien Bien Phu Campaign

Dien Bien Phu was the largest-scale campaign of the Vietnamese army and people in the resistance war against French colonialism (1945-1954). In this campaign, logistics had to ensure the largest number of troops, with the largest amount of material, under very difficult and fierce conditions. To successfully complete each battle and the entire campaign, "the issue of ensuring food and ammunition supply was an extremely important factor, no less important than tactical issues".

During the process of implementing the campaign logistics mission, the following main contents emerged:

Firstly, closely combining military logistics with people's logistics and on-site logistics to create a combined strength to ensure the campaign's victory: Faced with the great and urgent needs of the Dien Bien Phu Campaign, the Party Central Committee and the Government instructed the entire Party and people to concentrate all their efforts to support the frontline, in which mobilizing on-site logistics in the Northwest was identified as especially important.

In order to carry out the order, the Party Central Committee members directly went to the inter-zones and provinces to inspect and urge the mobilization of human and material resources. The Central Front Supply Council directed the localities, economic and financial sectors to organize the mobilization of talents and material resources from the whole country to serve the front line. Thanks to that, the human and material resources from the local areas and from Inter-zones 3, 4, and Viet Bac Inter-zone were mobilized to ensure meeting the campaign's logistical requirements.

Bicycle convoy on the way to the front line. Photo: VNA

Bicycle porters on the way to the front line. Photo: VNA

Second, organize and arrange to create a solid, interconnected logistics position, promote the strength of logistics forces: Implementing the Winter - Spring 1953-1954 combat plan, the main direction is the Northwest, the General Department of Logistics made adjustments, concentrated the warehouses and transport stations of the General Department in various places, forming five strategic logistics areas: The central base in the Bac Kan - Thai Nguyen area, the remaining bases were arranged in the directions of the battlefield.

The General Department of Supply organized logistics into two routes: the rear route was undertaken by the General Department of Supply in coordination with the Supply Councils of the Viet Bac, Inter-zones 3 and Inter-zones 4; the campaign route was undertaken by the General Department of Forward Supply in coordination with the Northwest Region Supply Council. In addition, the General Department of Forward also organized the Muong Luan - Na Sang route to exploit and transport rice from the upper Ma River to the south of Dien Bien Phu; organized the Ba Nam Cum - Lai Chau route using boats and rafts along the Nam Na River to transport 1,700 tons of rice provided by China to Lai Chau and Dien Bien Phu.

The tactical logistics line is organized at the division and regimental levels. The operational medical service organizes three treatment teams directly behind the division treatment teams.

During the mission, campaign logistics closely coordinated forces deployed in all directions to create a solid, reasonable, and interconnected arrangement to ensure victory for the combat forces.

Third, proactive, flexible and creative direction, command and operation of campaign logistics: In the Dien Bien Phu Campaign, campaign logistics was proactive and flexible in organizing, commanding, and operating logistics work, promptly proposing many measures to solve difficulties and meet the needs of the campaign. With the motto "Active, proactive, mobile, flexible", logistics fulfilled the task of ensuring troops from preparing for "quick fight, quick solution" operations to preparing to ensure troops fought long-term and continuously.

To solve the transportation problem, the General Department thoroughly transported by motor vehicles, at the same time taking advantage of all primitive means, taking advantage of time to have large reserves. Ensuring the health of soldiers fighting continuously and for long periods in the mountainous battlefield, in harsh weather, far from the rear, and with difficult food conditions is a task that requires great efforts from the Logistics sector.

During the preparation phase, the General Military Commission required protecting the health of soldiers participating in the campaign and improving their lives; many measures and initiatives were flexibly and creatively applied such as: Processing dry foods (sesame, beans, peanuts), salting meat, pickling vegetables... to send to the front. From the second phase of the campaign, promoting the disease prevention and hygiene movement, digging Hoang Cam stoves right on the battlefield, organizing food reserves, food, dry firewood, water, digging wells on the battlefield; all tunnels and fortifications had toilets, soldiers took turns bathing and washing...

The success of the logistics work of the Dien Bien Phu Campaign left many lessons:

First of all, promote the great strength of people's logistics through the Central Front Supply Council and all levels in creating and exploiting resources; thoroughly exploit on-site logistics to ensure the campaign.

Second, organize a tight logistics system at all levels to ensure centralized and unified command, direction and operation according to hierarchy.

Third, lead, direct, proactively and flexibly organize good logistics preparation work; focus on ensuring focus and key points, closely following the campaign motto.

Fourth, organize protection and effectively exploit the transportation network and forces participating in transportation.

Currently, the world and regional situation continues to change rapidly and complicatedly. Hostile forces continue to increase their "peaceful evolution" intervention in our country's internal affairs, sabotage the Party, the State and the cause of innovation of our people. The war to defend the Fatherland (if it happens) will be a highly developed people's war against the enemy's war of aggression using high-tech weapons. That poses new requirements and challenges, requiring logistics to proactively prepare, focusing on the following main issues:

Firstly, continue to thoroughly grasp and creatively apply the Party's all-people national defense policy, people's war, and all-people logistics viewpoint; together with promoting the experience and tradition of the logistics sector, especially self-reliance and self-strengthening; comprehensively build the national rear and local on-site rear in both position and potential, taking "people's hearts and minds" as the foundation; taking the creation of resources and exploitation of local potential as fundamental; regularly consolidate the strong people's logistics organization system at all levels, build strong and comprehensive defense area logistics, implement logistics associated with the people, associated with the economy, and associated with key areas of each military region.

Forming on-site logistics areas with independent capabilities to ensure the armed forces operate and fight in all situations. Paying attention to improving logistics capacity; maintaining a lean, compact, and strong logistics force; building a large, high-quality reserve logistics force, especially medical and transport forces, to be ready to mobilize when situations arise.

Second, build strong logistics potential, a solid and interconnected logistics posture nationwide. Perfect the mechanism and methods, promote the construction and operation of military defense logistics in military regions and local defense areas, and mobilize resources to ensure logistics. Closely combine economy - defense, defense - economy, build potential in all economic and social sectors and fields, in all localities, create logistics potential to meet the requirements of military and defense tasks, and be ready to ensure combat. Plan and organize logistics components in accordance with military posture according to determination and combat plans at all levels, ensuring interconnection, solidity, mobility, and readiness to flexibly transform according to combat situations. Closely combine the construction of national defense posture, the construction of logistics posture with socio-economic development; Synchronize with planning, socio-economic development in each direction and locality, creating a solid, interconnected position, well meeting the requirements of protecting the Fatherland.

Third, improve the capacity, command, direction and operation of logistics officers at all levels: Synchronously implement the activities of organizations and forces that impact the logistics officers at all levels, in order to improve the capacity of command, management and operation of logistics according to the hierarchy in ensuring logistics for combat, meeting the requirements and tasks of ensuring combat in the war to protect the Fatherland. In all conditions, logistics officers at all levels must have good qualities and ethics, regularly improve their professional qualifications, and practice their organizational, command, direction, management and operation capacity./.

According to Nhan Dan Newspaper

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