As you may know, I have the pleasure of tutoring a 2nd/3rd year history subject on the wars in Vietnam. In light of this, I thought itd be nice to take a moment to remember the battle of Dien Bien Phu. The battle of Dien Bien Phu was one of the most important in the 20th century, and really, it was a triumph, not just for the Vietnamese, but for humanity. It saw the forces of the Viet Minh, led General Nguyen Vo Giap pitted against the technically superior French. The French were led by a debauched, womanising military adventurer named, Christian Marie Ferdinand de la Croix de Castries. Also leading the French was a one-armed Lieutenant Colonel Charles Piroth, who upon the total failure of his mission, had the decency to kill himself with a grenade. Additionally, many Nazis were fighting in the French army: many former Waffen SS members who wanted to evade justice and keep killing non-white people joined the French Foreign Legion (which was only too happy to have them). The French were lured by General Giap into establishing a remote fortress in north western Vietnam, at the village of Dien Bien Phu. This fortress would be supplied entirely by air, and it is estimated that it would have required up to a year to transport the tonnage of military equipment needed to make it viable. Yet, in the spirit of colonial arrogance that motivated the French in Vietnam (and Algeria, Morocco and elsewhere), the French command assumed that the Viet Minh would be unable to marshal enough forces to challenge them. This was a poor call. The French forces totalled around 20,000, including non-combat forces. They were supported by American transport planes and fighter/bombers. The Vietnamese forces included close to 50,000 fighters, supported by up to 200,000 volunteers. These volunteers are perhaps the true heroes of Dien Bien Phu. Given its remoteness, and given French air superiority, the only way for General Giap to supply his fighting force was by foot. And more than just this, this army of volunteers dragged heavy cannons, anti-aircraft guns and shells hundreds of kilometres, through extraordinarily dense jungle, and over mountains considered impassable. This vast logistical network speaks to the genuine popularity enjoyed by the Viet Minh, as well as the deep and bitter hatred the Vietnamese had for the colonists. This way, General Giap constructed a ring of fire in the mountains around the French positions in the valley of Dien Bien Phu. The Viet Minh buried cannons in caves, so that their positions would not be exposed when firing, and to defend them against air raids. They set off explosive charges timed to coincide with barrages in order to confuse the French as to the location of their artillery batteries. So, the French were completely surrounded and mercilessly pummelled by Viet Minh artillery. This completely disrupted French air supplies (many of which were shot down or which were dropped inadvertently in Viet Minh territory). This left the French forces in Dien Bien Phu short on food, ammunition, reinforcements and medical aid. A field hospital which had been set up to cater to tens of people was transformed to accommodate 3000. It became a blood and excrement soaked hell full of gangrene and maggots. Then, the rains begun. They transformed the valley of Dien Bien Phu into a muddy abyss. In their state of utter desolation, the French positions were systematically and quickly overwhelmed by Viet Minh forces. In total, over 10,000 French were killed or captured, with over half that number wounded. This loss represented about one tenth of the French force in Veitnam, and it spelled the total defeat of the French occupation of Vietnam. Moreover, it was an inspiration to countless other peoples struggling against colonialism and imperialism the world over, for example in Algeria. So why did I want to remember this? Well a few reasons. Firstly, freedom does sometimes come from the barrel of a gun, and that’s worth remembering. Secondly, anti-colonialism is too often presented in a way that is ideologically pleasing to western liberal-democratic audiences. Ghandi and his policy of non-violence (which only ever reinforced the violence of the British) are celebrated while people like General Giap or Ho Chi Minh, who were able to organise a devastating military defeat of a major colonial power are ignored or demonised. And thirdly, although the Vietnamese revolution was a national revolution and socialist in name only, I’m still quite happy to get enthusiastic about it. Photos: An injured French officer (not sure who), unhappy French troops in a trench (the Viet Minh occupied high ground in the background), and finally, a Viet Minh flag being raised over a captured French position.
Posted on: Tue, 11 Mar 2014 02:14:50 +0000
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