14 November 1951: At the Muong tribe capital of Hoa-Binh currently in Viet-Minh hands, three French paratroop battalions are airdropped and capture the city without resistance. To support this airborne operation 15 Infantry battalions, 7 artillery battalions, and two armored groups comprising almost 100% of the French reserve move off from the starting point of the de Lattre line to Initiate the first French counter-offensive since the action at Viet-Tri. Communist General Glap withdraws all local forces and allows the French an Important political victory (the French National Assembly, impressed by the victory votes funds to continue the war) but simultaneously orders three divisions and all regimental forces and militia to Hoa-Binh where he hopes to repeat the smashing success of R.C.4. The 316th and 320th divisions are to Infiltrate and disrupt French supply lines leading to Hoa-Binh from Inside the de Lattre line and the lowlands surrounding the Day and Black Rivers.

French engineers clear road number six, the main road into Hoa-Binh, making it passable for both military and supply traffic but fail to clear the jungle from the sides of the road. they were never given the time to correct this mistake. Dinnasaunts patrol the Black River and supply French troops stationed on its west bank. By 9 December almost two Viet-Minh divisions, the 312th and elements of the 308th totaling five regiments, are in position to start the general counter-offensive.

At 2100 hours on 10 December they attack Tu-Vu, a French position on the west bank of the Black River, completely overrunning the southern half. By 0300 on the 11th it is all over. The French battalion at Tu-Vu no longer exists, and only a few survivors reached a small Island In the middle of the Black River. A Moroccan company reoccupies the position later that day.

Giap repeated the opening of R.C.4 by crushing the string of French outposts along the Black River. The outposts could always be reoccupied, but the troops reoccupying the position were frequently annihilated. The operation against the Communists in Hoa-Sinh, code name Operation Meat Grinder, was fast becoming a miniature Verdun, with the French losing once again.

At the beginning of the New Year the French could no longer reinforce or supply Hoa-Binh by river. Road number six, defended by a string of outposts similar to the Black River never had a chance. At every outpost, although the strategic forces were nearly equal, the Viet- Minh would outnumber the French four or more to one. The French reinforced the position at Hoa-Binh with G.M.s 1,4 and 7 and the airborne group under Colonel Gilles. It took Col. Gilles twelve days to cover the 26 miles between the Day River and Hoa-Binh against ambushes, snipers, and other types of enemy resistance. It was estimated that it cost the French one man per day for every 25 km of road and the 26 miles to Hoa-Binh was to be no exception.

General Salon, the late General de Lattre's replacement as theatre commander, ordered Hoa-Binh withdrawn from in late January by a leapfrog operation. Beginning on 22 February and ending two days later the withdrawal from Hoa-Binh cost the French a platoon here, and A company there, until the 13th Foreign Legion Half- Brigade, later to he destroyed at Dien Bien Phu, withdrew behind the de Lattre line.

In March of 1952 nearly all French forces In Indochina were stationed in Tonkin, but despite the heavy concentration of armed forces in North Vietnam, South Vietnam and Laos were quiet theaters where the war had ended except for incidents of terrorism. This however, mean hat Giap had also concentrated his forces In North Vietnam, and after regiment 42 and 48 infiltrated into the Delta region, the French mounted armored operations behind the lines In a vain effort to clear communications.

On 11 October 1952 fourteen regiments from the 308th, 312th and 316th divisions and Independent regiment 148 advanced on a forty mile front across the led River north of Viet-Tri to capture the Tai country. The French position at Nghia-Lo was captured by a surprise attack in an hour and one-half which opened wiith a huge mortar barrage that wiped out the minefields, barbed wire. and guns.

The Air Force arrived at 1830 to see French prisoners marching into captivity under guard by the Communists. By passing the French strong point at Lal-Chau the Viet-Minh raced through the Tai Highlands and into Laos, crushing all French forces in their path. In an effort to divert the VietMinh, the French raided a supply depot on the Chinese border which succeeded as a raid, but failed to halt or slow the Communist advance. In the wake of the powerful VietMinh offensive small guerilla groups of French and loyal Tai operated behind VietMinh lines until 1954. Of the guerrilla who missed the surrender and evacuation broadcast only one survived and the last weren't exterminated by the Viet-Minh until 1956, two years after the war officially ended.

Operation Lorraine

Operation Lorraine began on 9 October 1952 with four G.M. units and eleven supporting ground units seizing a bridgehead across the Red River north of Viet-Tri, from the two G.M. units raced across road number 2 and then north to capture Ngoc Thap. The entire advance went like clockwork against no enemy resistance. The 36th regiment of the Communist 316th division, clearly outnumbered, withdrew to hide in the jungle. A composite armored group from G.M. 1 and G.M. 4 moved north up road number 2 through Chan Muong Gorge into Phu-Doan.

In Phu-Doan the French received a break, for Phu-Doan was the supply depot for that region of Indochina. Over two divisions worth of equipment was captured along with a Soviet-made truck, proving conclusively that the Soviet Communists had entered the war in a more passive way than the Chinese training camps From 1952 until 1954 the Viet-Minh increased their firepower by addition of the latest Soviet equipment, replacing captured (from Chiang Kai-Sheck or the French) American equipment.

The withdrawal did not go like clockwork; the entire countryside was shrouded in fog, grounding the French Air Force, leaving it unable to support the French at the beginning of the coming battle. As the component G.M. unit withdrew from Phu-Doan and passed through Chan Moung Gorge, regiment 36 went over to the attack.

The French, having no other choice, drove straight into it. Precisely at the moment G.M. number 1's rearguard entered the valley the enemy guns and tele-guided mines disabled vehicles and tanks, blocking escape from the valley floor. Some of the enemy guns were within 50 yards of the French column, and they slaughtered the trapped French.

Then Viet-Minh infantry swept down onto the column from the hills and methodically killed all French defenders in and among the burning vehicles. The fog lifted and the Air Force strafed the 36th's regimental CP and gun positions, slowing the artillery fire on the road.

Fortunately communication remained between the dispersed elements of the French column and six hours after the ambush began the French infantry arose and fought hand-to-hand to counter-attack into the hills. Displaying enormous control over the battlefield, the 36th's infantry withdrew immediately and the artillery bombardment started smashing the French infanlry, who had fought their way into open areas.

The Foreign Legion battalion of G.M. 1 reached the jungle and engaged the Communists there. The Battaillon de Marche did not - it remained under the artillery fire pinned, slowly dying. After 30 minutes of surviving the artillery bombardment a bayonet charge order was given to the members of the Battailion de March. They charged into the hills; the Viet-Minh had had enough, and after eight hours of close-range combat the 36th regiment withdrew. Chan Moung cost the French two companies of casualties including another ambush two hours later.

Operation Lorraine was to be the last of the French offensives in the Indochina war. On 1 December 1952 the bridges over the Red River were destroyed, never to be crossed by the French again.

1953 - 1954 Offensives

The 1953 offensive into Laos was a victory for the Viet-Minh; they demoralized the defenders of Laos by besieging and almost killing to the last man every unit in some border strongpoints along the North Vietnamese border.

In South Vietnam the French started Operation Camargue, an attempt to clear Communist regiment 95, one of the four now operating in South Vietnam. from the Saigon-to-Hue roaa. It was a dismal failure.

In 1954 South Vietnam became alive. The four Communist regiments started a minor guerriIla war. G.M. 100, the strongest unit of its type in terms of firepower and men, attempted to defend the Southern Plateau reqi on with its headquarters at Pleiku.

Composed of two full strength battalions from Korea, the French battalions which fought under the U.S. 2nd division's command. a Vietnamese artillery battalion, the 43rd Battalion de Marche, an armored platoon, and a CP company, G.M. 100 ceased to exist after five months of combat. In the ambush at PK 15 a full half of the unit was killed or wounded by the two communists units, the 108th, and 803rd regiments. Two more ambushes followed the large one at PK 15 until at Chu-Dreh Pass the Korea battalions, or at least their remnants . never came through the pass. G.M. 42, which joined G.M. 100 after PK 15, went on down the road without even noticing the missing Korea units. With all its radios and trucks knocked out the Korea battalion died in silence in Vietnam. Only the armored platoon's reckless dash into the pass, drawing away the Viet-Minh, allowed 54 men of the Korea battalion to survive, plus 53 others in hospitals in Saigon. Only 107 men left South Vietnam from the two battalions which had brought 1668 men to Vietnam.

More Tonkin War 1950-1954

Opening Involvement
The Battle for Hanoi January-June 1951
Hoa-Binh (Nov 1951 - Feb 1952) to Operation Lorraine (Oct-Nov 1952)
Dien Bien Phu