Battle of Hoa Binh

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Battle of Hoa Binh
Part of the First Indochina War
Date 10 November 1951 - 25 February 1952 Location Hoa Binh, Vietnam Result Viet Minh strategic victory
Belligerents
French Union France State of Vietnam	Viet Minh
Commanders
Jean de Lattre de Tassigny Raoul Salan	Vo Nguyen Giap
Casualties and losses
436 killed, 458 missing 2,060 wounded.	3,455 killed, 307 captured 7,000 wounded.

The Battle of Hoa Binh was fought during the First Indochina War. It occurred from 10 November 1951 to 25 February 1952, when French Union forces attempted to lure the Viet Minh out in the open and fight on French terms.

Prelude

Following the string of victories during the early months of 1951, the French command under General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny sought to go back on the offensive. After the French victory at the battle of Dong Trieu, de Lattre had drawn up a plan to test his offensive strategy.

Hoa Binh was selected by General de Lattre for the offensive, capital of the Muong tribe located 62 km from Hanoi. Hoa Binh was an area of strategic significance for many reasons. For the Viet Minh, the control of Hoa Binh would allow them free movement in the valleys north of Hanoi as well as the flow of arm supplies. As part of his plan de Lattre's forces would take Hoa Binh, where Giap's regular divisions would be forced to confront superior French firepower and eventually destroyed.

Battle

Phase I & II

On 10 November 1951, Operation Tulipe was launched with the objective of seizing Cho Ben Pass and extend French control beyond Provincial Route 21.

After the French Task Force North and the 1st Foreign Parachute Battalion (1er BEP) had linked up west of Cho Ben, they both continued the thrust while other mobile groups were moving in from the south and the east. At this point, the Viet Minh were forced to abandoned Cho Ben, but heavy fighting occurred between the French and elements of the Viet Minh that included the 64th Regiment and 164th Regional Battalion. By the end of the day, the French Union forces had achieved their objective with Mobile Group 2 and 1st Colonial Parachute Battalion (1er BPC) reaching their target north of Cho Ben.

With the completion of the first phase, de Lattre planned his next move. Realising the difficult task of phase two, de Lattre divided French Union armies into three operational groups, together they would capture Hoa Binh by land, sea and air. Mobile Group 7, as part of Group North, would move southward along the Black River with a riverine unit. Group South, which consists of Mobile Group 3, would link up with paratroop battalions in Hoa Binh. Mobile Group 2 would form an operational liaison group for the other two Mobile Groups.

By the early hours of 14 November, both Operational Group North and South had reached their initial objectives. On the morning of 14 November, the 1st Colonial Parachute Battalion, the 2nd Colonial Parachute Battalion (2e BPC) and the 7th Colonial Parachute Battalion (7e BPC) captured Hoa Binh with ease against little or no resistance from the Viet Minh.

Mobile Group 3 took the lead in the clearing operations along Colonial Route 6, while Mobile Group 3 linked up with the three paratroop battalions after crossing the Black River. By 22 November, the operation was over with the French Union troops suffering light casualties.

Giáp's counterattack

On 21 November, General Vo Nguyen Giap decided to deal with the French by ordering his 304th and 312th Divisions from the Red River. The two divisions were ordered to prepare for Hoa Binh.

French bases at Ap Da Chong, Ap Phu To, Dan The, La Phu, Rocher Notre-Dame, Xom Bu and Tu Vu were places where General Giáp's regular divisions would initiate the first challenge. The 304th and 312th divisions were in position to isolate the Ap Da Chong and cut French communication lines and other strongpoints. Due to the build-up of Viet Minh forces in the area, elements of the 1st Colonial Parachute Battalion were ordered to reinforce Thu Phap.

Between 10 December and 14 December, there were heavy engagements between the French Union and Viet Minh forces. First, the VM 88th Regiment pounded Tu Vu but were driven off by two Moroccan companies supported by tanks. Then the 165th and 209th Regiments of the Viet Minh 312th Division infiltrated Ba Tri and Ba Vi, where they faced Mobile Group 4. The 5th Colonial Parachute Battalion, with support from Sherman tanks, were sent in to remove the Viet Minh. However, a company from the 5e BPC were ambushed by the 165th Regiment and heavy casualties were suffered as a result.

On 11 January 1952, General de Lattre died at the Neuilly military hospital due to cancer. At the same time, Vo Nguyen Giap began to concentrate his troops on Hoa Binh and Colonial Route 6 as the 304th, 308th and 312th Divisions were being redeployed with fresh reinforcements.

From the end of 1951, the buildup of Viet Minh presence around Colonial Route 6 were noted by French military intelligence. The Viet Minh made no secret of their presence as they regularly attacked French convoys, and conducting sapper attacks on French positions. The new commander of French Union forces, General Gonzales de Linares, planned to take back Colonial Route 6 piece by piece.

Between 10 January and 29 January, the French Union armies managed to clear Dong Ben, Xom Pheo, Bai Lang, Xuan Mai, Kem Pass and Ao Trach under heavy Viet Minh pressure. Each time, French forces relied upon artillery and close air support to inflict damages on the Viet Minh. On 30 January, the Viet Minh went back on the offensive at Suc Sich, where they battled with a company from the 8th Colonial Parachute Battalion.

Although the French army still held Hoa Binh and Colonial Route 6, areas under true French control only extended from Hanoi to Xuan Mai. And manning French outposts between Don Goi and Hoa Binh put heavy pressure on French manpower, where 20,000 troops are tying down. As a result of this, when the Viet Minh 316th and 320th Divisions moved in to replace the other divisions, General Salan decided to withdraw the remaining French forces. And by 25 February 1952, the evacuation of French troops from Hoa Binh was completed.

Aftermath

From the beginning, French Union forces sought to draw the Viet Minh out to fight on French terms, however, they subsequently went on the defensive as General Vo Nguyen Giap continued to put heavy pressure on French positions. Although suffering heavier casualties than the French, the Viet Minh came out victorious.

Media links

• Bao Dai honors VNA veterans of Hoa Binh (French newsreels, January 3, 1952)

External links

• The Hoa Binh Campaign