Christian Marie Ferdinand de la Croix de Castries (11 August 1902 – 29 July 1991) was the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

commander at the

Battle of Dien Bien Phu The Battle of Dien Bien Phu (french: Bataille de Diên Biên Phu ; vi, Chiến dịch Điện Biên Phủ, ) was a climactic confrontation of the First Indochina War that took place between 13 March and 7 May 1954. It was fought between the Fr ...

in 1954.

Biography

Christian de Castries was born into a distinguished military family, the

House of Castries The house of la Croix de Castries () is a French noble family from Languedoc. The city of Castries in the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia was named after one of its members. History Their heraldic shield is "Azure (heraldry), azure, on a cross, ...

, and enlisted in the army at the age of 19. He was sent to the

Saumur Saumur () is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France. The town is located between the Loire and Thouet rivers, and is surrounded by the vineyards of Saumur itself, Chinon, Bourgueil, Coteaux du Layon, etc.. Saumur statio ...

Cavalry School. In 1926 de Castries was commissioned as a cavalry officer but later resigned to devote himself to equestrian sports. After rejoining the army at the start of World War II, he was captured (1940), escaped from a German prisoner-of-war camp (1941), and fought with the Allied forces in North Africa, Italy, the south of France, and finally in the invasion of southern Germany. He ended the war in command of the 3rd Moroccan Spahis (mechanized cavalry), whose distinctive red cap he subsequently wore throughout his service in Indochina. In 1946, de Castries, soon to become a lieutenant colonel, was sent to Indochina where he commanded a ''tabor'' (battalion) of Moroccan

goumiers The Moroccan Goumiers (french: Les Goumiers Marocains) were indigenous Moroccan soldiers who served in auxiliary units attached to the French Army of Africa, between 1908 and 1956. While nominally in the service of the Sultan of Morocco, they s ...

. He was wounded and spent a year recuperating in France before returning to Vietnam as a full colonel. In December 1953, he was charged with defending Dien Bien Phu against the

Viet Minh The Việt Minh (; abbreviated from , chữ Nôm and Hán tự: ; french: Ligue pour l'indépendance du Viêt Nam, ) was a national independence coalition formed at Pác Bó by Hồ Chí Minh on 19 May 1941. Also known as the Việt Minh Fro ...

. After an eight-week siege, the garrison was defeated, and near the end, de Castries was promoted to brigadier general. The French were overrun by Viet Minh forces on 7 May 1954, effectively ending the First Indochina War and French presence in Southeast Asia. He was held prisoner for four months while an armistice agreement was reached in Geneva. Upon his return to France, de Castries was appointed to command the 5th Armored Division, then stationed in West Germany. Following a car accident in 1959, he retired from the military.

Martin Windrow Martin C. Windrow (born 1944) is a British historian, editor and author of several hundredWindrow, Martin ''The Last Valley'', preface books, articles and monographs, particularly those on organizational or physical details of military history, an ...

, 'The Last Valley: Dien Bien Phu and the French Defeat in Vietnam' Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London, 2004 He subsequently headed a recycling firm and died in Paris on 29 July 1991.

References

1902 births 1991 deaths Military personnel from Paris French generals French military personnel of the First Indochina War

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

Prisoners of war held by Vietnam {{France-mil-bio-stub