Battle Of Đông Khê
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The Battle of Route Coloniale 4, also called the Autumn-Winter Border Campaign (''Chiến Dịch Biên Giới Thu Đông'') by the
Viet Minh The Việt Minh (, ) is the common and abbreviated name of the League for Independence of Vietnam ( or , ; ), which was a Communist Party of Vietnam, communist-led national independence coalition formed at Pác Bó by Hồ Chí Minh on 19 May 1 ...
, was a battle of the
First Indochina War The First Indochina War (generally known as the Indochina War in France, and as the Anti-French Resistance War in Vietnam, and alternatively internationally as the French-Indochina War) was fought between French Fourth Republic, France and Việ ...
. It took place along Route Coloniale 4 (RC4, also known as Highway 4), a road used to supply the French military base at Cao Bằng. French military traffic along the road had previously been subject to an ongoing series of ambushes during 1947–1949. The aim of
Việt Minh The Việt Minh (, ) is the common and abbreviated name of the League for Independence of Vietnam ( or , ; ), which was a communist-led national independence coalition formed at Pác Bó by Hồ Chí Minh on 19 May 1941. Also known as the Vi ...
in the 1950 Border Campaign was clearing the way to the Vietnam-China border for the supply flow from the newly formed People's Republic of
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
. In this campaign the Việt Minh also tried to test new tactics and gain new experiences in a large scale battle which the Việt Minh had not previously used. The battle lasted from 30 September to 18 October 1950 and resulted in a French defeat when the Việt Minh got Chinese help. Several units of the French army, including some
battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...
s of the
French Foreign Legion The French Foreign Legion (, also known simply as , "the Legion") is a corps of the French Army created to allow List of militaries that recruit foreigners, foreign nationals into French service. The Legion was founded in 1831 and today consis ...
, were devastated by the Việt Minh and essentially ceased to exist as fighting units.


RC4 in the First Indochina War

During the French Indochina War (1946–1954), French forces attempted to re-establish colonial control of
Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
, while the Vietnamese
guerrilla Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, Partisan (military), partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include Children in the military, recruite ...
forces, the communist Việt Minh, led by
Ho Chi Minh (born ; 19 May 1890 – 2 September 1969), colloquially known as Uncle Ho () among other aliases and sobriquets, was a Vietnamese revolutionary and politician who served as the founder and first President of Vietnam, president of the ...
fought for independence. Initially the Việt Minh were unsuccessful in dealing with the better -trained and -equipped French forces. Their situation improved in 1949 after the Chinese
People's Liberation Army The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the military of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the People's Republic of China (PRC). It consists of four Military branch, services—People's Liberation Army Ground Force, Ground Force, People's ...
of
Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; traditionally Romanization of Chinese, romanised as Mao Tse-tung. (26December 18939September 1976) was a Chinese politician, revolutionary, and political theorist who founded the People's Republic of China (PRC) in ...
defeated the Nationalist army led by Chiang Kai-shek. This gave the Việt Minh, now almost completely made up of members of the Vietnam Workers Party, a safe haven for organization and training, as well as an initially sympathetic ally to provide them with arms and logistical support.
Võ Nguyên Giáp Võ Nguyên Giáp ( vi-hantu, , ; 25 August 1911 – 4 October 2013) was a Vietnamese general, communist revolutionary and politician. Highly regarded as a military strategist, Giáp led Vietnamese communist forces to victories in wars agains ...
, the military leader of the Việt Minh, launched an offensive against the French in early 1950. From February to April, his operation ''Le Hong Phong I'' developed through the
Red River Valley The Red River Valley is a region in central North America that is drained by the Red River of the North; it is part of both Canada and the United States. Forming the border between Minnesota and North Dakota when these territories were admitted ...
, largely giving the Việt Minh control of northwestern
Tonkin Tonkin, also spelled Tongkin, Tonquin or Tongking, is an exonym referring to the northern region of Vietnam. During the 17th and 18th centuries, this term referred to the domain '' Đàng Ngoài'' under Trịnh lords' control, including both the ...
, near the Chinese border. The area became a Việt Minh stronghold, except for the RC4 highway. On 25 May, 2,500 Việt Minh troops overwhelmed the French fortress at Đông Khê, which lay at the strategic center of RC4, thus cutting the supply line between the French positions at Cao Bằng and
Lạng Sơn Lạng Sơn () is a city in far Northern Vietnam, and the capital of Lạng Sơn Province. It is accessible by road and rail from Hanoi, the Vietnamese capital, and it is the northernmost point on National Route 1. History Due to its geograph ...
. French paratroops retook Đông Khê on the evening of 27 May and a company of Legionnaires took charge of the fort. Meanwhile, the Việt Minh regular army grew in size and experience. By the beginning of September, it comprised roughly 100,000 combatants in 70
battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...
s, with another 33 battalions of regional forces (40,000 men) as well as some 60,000 local support personnel. Giap then began harassing French positions along RC4 in northern Vietnam with mines and ambushes. The French responded by dismantling their small posts along the road and concentrating area forces in the fortified positions at Đông Khê and Cao Bằng. Giap planned to launch another assault on French positions in operation ''Le Hong Phong II''. On 16 September, five Việt Minh infantry and one heavy weapons battalions attacked Đông Khê. It was then garrisoned by some 300 French Foreign Legion troops comprising the 5th and 6th companies of the 2nd battalion of the 3rd Regiment (3rd REI). On 18 September, the fort was overrun after bitter fighting, and only 12 survivors escaped to the nearby post at Thất Khê. 140 Legionnaires had been taken prisoner, the remainder being killed or missing in action. Thất Khê was quickly reinforced by the Foreign Legion's 1st Parachute Battalion (1st BEP), which parachuted in on 17 September. The 1st BEP waited at Thất Khê while a force of French colonial troops, the Moroccan 1st and 11th Tabors, and the 1st Marching Battalion of the 8th Moroccan Tirailleurs Regiment, assembled at
Lạng Sơn Lạng Sơn () is a city in far Northern Vietnam, and the capital of Lạng Sơn Province. It is accessible by road and rail from Hanoi, the Vietnamese capital, and it is the northernmost point on National Route 1. History Due to its geograph ...
. Designated ''Groupement Bayard'' the combined force comprised 3,500 men under the command of
Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...
Le Page. The task force launched an intelligence raid, capturing prisoners who said a massive Việt Minh offensive was planned. Meanwhile, General Marcel Carpentier, the commander in chief of French Indochina, decided to evacuate Cao Bằng. The commander of the Cao Bằng fort, Colonel Charton, was ordered to destroy his heavy equipment and motor transport and evacuate towards Đông Khê. The plan was that Groupement Bayard would fight its way north from Thất Khê and retake Đông Khê, holding it long enough to link up with the Cao Bằng group. This group comprised 2,600 troops and 500 civilians, the latter mostly pro-French Thai partisans and their families.


Battle of RC4

On 30 September, Groupement Bayard set out from Thất Khê, led by the 1 BEP. However, Giap had concentrated ten battalions around Đông Khê, reinforced by a complete
artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...
regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...
, together with the remaining forces from Le Hong Phong I. The Việt Minh rebuffed the French forces, which were forced to pull back and wait for air support. Le Page renewed the attack on 2 October, pushing west to bypass Đông Khê as Việt Minh numbers were overwhelming. Meanwhile, Colonel Charton's group, led by the 3rd Battalion, 3rd REI, left Cao Bằng on 1 October; contrary to orders he took with him his heavy equipment. The group's movement down RC4 was slowed by Việt Minh ambushes. After bitter fighting, they finally abandoned their heavy equipment and linked up with Groupement Bayard in the hills around Đông Khê on 5 October. The French forces were driven into the Coc Xa gorge, where they were completely annihilated by 7 October. Martin Windrow notes that "Some 130 of the Legion parachute battalion out of the 500 that had jumped emerged from this breakthrough fight; they had only escaped by clambering down lianas shrouding a 75 ft cliff with their wounded tied on their backs". In an attempt to support the embattled troops the 1st BEP Replacement Company (120 men) under Lieutenant Loth had been merged with 268 men from the 3rd Colonial Commando Parachute Battalion (3rd BCCP) under Captain Cazeaux and they were parachuted into Thất Khê on 8 October, but over the course of the next week were destroyed as well. Only 23 survivors of the 1st BEP, led by Captain Jeanpierre, managed to escape to French lines: it became the first French parachute battalion lost in combat, followed by the 3rd BCCP, of which only 14 soldiers returned unscathed.


Aftermath

Of the more than 6,000 French soldiers and civilians involved in the operation, only 700 reached French lines. Lạng Sơn, the next French base to the south, was abandoned on 17 October and on 18 October the French command evacuated posts south of Lạng Sơn on RC4. Panic spread in French-controlled Hanoi and there was talk of an evacuation. Ultimately, however, General
Jean de Lattre de Tassigny Jean Joseph Marie Gabriel de Lattre de Tassigny (2 February 1889 – 11 January 1952) was a French ''général d'armée'' during World War II and the First Indochina War. He was posthumously elevated to the dignity of Marshal of France in 1952. ...
replaced Carpentier as commander in chief of French Indochina in late 1950 and restored French morale. When the Border Campaign ended, the Việt Minh controlled a large part of the Vietnam-China border. Giáp had called the previous situation, in which the French controlled the Northern border, "fighting under siege". The "siege" started in 1945 and described how the French Army had encircled the Việt Minh. After the Border Campaign was won, the
Việt Minh The Việt Minh (, ) is the common and abbreviated name of the League for Independence of Vietnam ( or , ; ), which was a communist-led national independence coalition formed at Pác Bó by Hồ Chí Minh on 19 May 1941. Also known as the Vi ...
had greater access through to their socialist allies after lifting the "siege". Fighting under siege was a phase used after the war to describe the Việt Minh's relationship with the Communist Bloc before this victory.Morris, Virginia and Hills, Clive. , McFarland & Co Inc, 2018, p. 154.


See also

* History of Vietnam


Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Battle of Route Coloniale 4 Route Coloniale 4 Route Coloniale 4 Route Coloniale 4 Conflicts in 1950 1950 in French Indochina 1950 in Vietnam Battles involving the French Foreign Legion September 1950 in Asia October 1950 in Asia History of Cao Bằng province History of Lạng Sơn province