Dien Bien Phu Research Paper

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The Battle of Dien Bien Phu was fought from March 13, 1954, until May 7. It was fought in the valley of Dien Bien Phu near the border of Laos and involved the French against the Viet Minh though the United States did provide some support for the French. This battle was very important to both sides and understanding this battle helps to understand the First and Second Indochinese Wars. The Viet Minh at this time had lost a series of battles to the French and needed a big victory to prove that they were getting somewhere in the war and the sacrifices were paying off. For the French, this battle was to further decrease Viet Minh morale with another decisive victory. The winner of this battle would also go to the negotiation table at Geneva with …show more content…
Artillery was vastly important in the siege of Dien Bien Phu for both sides. When asked about artillery Ted Morgan, author of Valley of Death, responded by saying “It was crucial. The Viet Minh had 75mm and 105mm artillery and rocket launchers, all of which they used to great effect. The French had 155s, but the artillery commander, Lt. Col. Piroth, placed his guns in an open area so they could fire in a 360-degree arc. This left the guns extremely vulnerable to Viet Minh fire and rendered them essentially useless ("Ted Morgan: Lessons from Dien Bien Phu.").” In “No "Technical Knockout": Giap's Artillery at Dien Bien Phu” Kevin Boylan also speaks about the 105mm artillery and states their importance to the Viet Minh victory over the French. The 105mm warheads easily destroyed the French bases as they could not protect against any warhead larger than an 82mm (1370). An example of the destruction that the 105mm caused for the French was during the first few hours on March 13 outpost Beatrice fell under attack. The Viet Minh artillery barrage on Beatrice hit and killed the French …show more content…
This plan relied heavily upon French air support and immediately fell apart due to the Viet Minh efforts and tactics. Giap knew of the French’s air power and immediately bombed the French airstrip near the center French outposts. This airstrip was put officially out of commission on the second day of siege and the loss of the airstrip spelled disaster for the French. Without the airstrip, the French were entirely isolated. The airstrip was needed to import and extract supplies and soldiers. Ted Morgan states that “Once that airstrip became unusable, the French were isolated and surrounded. They couldn’t get out and couldn't get their wounded out (Ted Morgan: Lessons from Dien Bien Phu).” Morgan goes on to speak about Giap’s strategy in using the wounded French soldiers as a weapon. He says that the French made a humanitarian appeal to Giap asking for the evacuation of the wounded but Giap refused this appeal. This idea of being isolated and alone is important to understand Giap’s strategy and French morale during the siege. Giap’s next tactic was to dig extensive trenches around the French outposts similar to World War I. These trenches allowed the Viet Minh to move along the valley in relative safety without having to worry about French gunfire or air strikes. The trenches
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