Explain why the French lost at Dien Bien Phu in 1954?
3 Answers
Military strategy was ridiculous
Explanation:
The military strategy pushed forward by French was basically ridiculous, and the Vietnamese were determined to get their country back. Dien Bien Phu was nothing more but a giant hole and stationing the French Army was nonsense. The country had undergone occupation during WWII, it was hard to carry out a war and it would have been impossible without the weapons given by the American government.
A static defense and an underestimation of the capabilities of the Vietnamese army.
Explanation:
The French foreign legion was used to fighting in North Africa. The strategy was to build a fort and control the surrounding country side.
A fort with a commanding view and fields of fire worked great in the deserts of North Africa. In the jungles of Vietnam the French had to destroy a large amount of jungle to create the field of fire for the fort. It was easiest to do this in a semi level valley.
The static defense strategy tied the French forces down making them a set target for the Vietnamese forces. The French failed to recognize that the Vietnamese were not the semi barbaric armies that the French had previously fought.
The Vietnamese did not charge the fort with small arms as the French expected taking punishing loses from the defensive fire from the fort. Instead with great effort the Vietnamese moved modern artillery ( provided by the soviet union) to the tops of the surrounding mountains.
The fort was surrounded by Vietnamese forces protected by the cover of the jungles. Artillery fire from the fort was not effective against the artillery fire on the higher ground. The Vietnamese were able to reinforce and replace their loses. The French were cut off from supplies and reinforcements.
Attempts to break out of the fort were repulsed. The French were trapped. Running short of ammunition, food, and increasing casualties the French were forced to surrender.
The French strategy of static defensive positions failed in Vietnam. The terrain was not ideal for this strategy and the French greatly underestimated the capabilities of their Vietnamese opponents.
It is worth reading "Hell in a Very Small Place" by Bernard Fall for a detailed analysis of how inadequate the French efforts were.
Explanation:
Bernard Fall was actually a supporter and advocate of a war in Vietnam. He started to change his opinion later and was killed while embedded with an American patrol in 1967 by a mine.
The French Base was set up to support local anti-communist guerrilla factions in Northern Vietnam and Laos. The base was strongly held and fortified to defend itself from assessed capabilities of the Viet Minh. They even brought tanks that were disassembled and reassembled for air transport.
They did not know of the Viet Minh had the capability of a division of medium artillery. The French had no counter for such a force. The French Artillery Commander committed suicide early on when he realized the extent of error and that little could be done. The Viet Minh transported, often by carrying though the jungle the artillery in pieces to caves and concealed areas around the French Base. They also brought and concealed large numbers of anti aircraft guns. All with large stocks of ammunition.
The French countered with air raids of transportation routes and other measures. Their preparation of the base was inadequate. The airport was shutdown almost immediately and airdrop became the only way to make supplies available. The French did not have enough pilots to man the aircraft they had. Many American pilots were used to help with the airlift. The French tried to get the Americans more involved in the Battle. The French did not have the supply capability to support the base.
The make up of some of the French units was analysed to perhaps blame German veterans in the Foreign Legion. Not all the troops were Foreign Legion and many Vietnamese were part of the French forces at the time including those in elite paratroop forces.
It was a long and hard fought battle that the Vietnamese won in time for the peace talks.
The French soldiers went to prison camps and were eventually released. Those that stayed in the Foreign Legion went on into the fighting in Algeria.
As a aside he mentions that there were brothel units at the Base, at least 1 Vietnamese and 1 African, who were also detained.
