Operation Pollux

Last updated
Operation Pollux
LocationVietnamLaiChau.png
Location of Lai Chau Province in Vietnam
DateNovember 7–22, 1953
Location
Between Lai Châu and Dien Bien Phu, French Indochina
Result French operational failure
Territorial
changes		 Viet Minh occupation of Lai Chau
Belligerents

Flag of France.svg French Union

Flag of North Vietnam 1945-1955.svg Viet Minh
Commanders and leaders
René Cogny
Đèo Văn Long 		Lê Quảng Ba
Strength
~2,100 Elements of the 316th Division
Casualties and losses
~1,900 killed, captured or deserted Unknown

Operation Pollux was a military operation during the First Indochina War by the French forces in northwest Vietnam in November and December 1953 was one of a twin operation, the other being Operation Castor. The names of these operations are based upon the mythological twins, Castor and Pollux. [1] Operation Castor recaptured and then established a fortified airfield in Điện Biên Phu, in the north-west corner of Vietnam. Operation Pollux was the name of the second operation (the evacuation of Lai Châu to Dien Bien Phu), which took place weeks later. These operations were developed by General Navarre who had replaced General Salan as Commander in Chief in early 1953 after the Viet Minh had conducted their successful offensive in the Black River area of northwest Vietnam and then subsequently invaded Laos in April 1953.

Contents

Background

Operations Castor and Pollux took place in the T'ai region of Vietnam. This is the home of various ethnic mountain people, called Montagnards – primarily Hmong, Tho, Muong, T'ai, Nung, Yao - not related to the majority Kinh Vietnamese. In the First Indochina War these various mountain people allied themselves with either the Viet Minh or the French. The Tho were essentially aligned with the Viet Minh while the white T'ai were France's chief allies there. (The T'ai were sub-designated as black, red, white, primarily based upon dress.) In fact the T'ai and French had entered into an accord in 1948 wherein an independent T'ai Federation was created within the French Union, grouped in the provinces of Lai Châu, Phong Tho and Song Lan under the white T'ai President, Đèo Văn Long. Meanwhile, by 1950 the Tho were giving unlimited support to the Viet Minh. [2]

The other mountain peoples supported either the white T'ai or the Tho depending upon local consideration – how they were treated by leaders, groups – rather than ideological considerations. Thus, numerous Hmong and Yao opposed the Tho and Viet Minh. These T'ai related forces supported the French in guerrilla operation against the Viet Minh bases in the upper Tonkin. A number of these pro-French peoples had been formalized into the French GMCA (Groupement de Commandos Mixtes Aeroportes or Composite Airborne Commando Group) by the French Service Action along with CIA support. These groups repeatedly harassed the Viet Minh position in the mountains. Between December 1952 and July 1954 twenty-five such military operation were conducted or assisted by these Montagnard guerrillas. Some of the more successful commando raids in 1953, such as the attack on the twin towns of Coc-Leu and Lai Cai in October made it necessary for the Viet Minh to ask for Chinese troops to cross into Tonkin to help defeat the "rebels", which they in fact did on more than one occasion. [3]

Operations Castor and Pollux were meant to re-assert French control of Dien Bien Phu after it had been overrun by the Viet Minh in the Black River Offensive of 1952. General Salan and then General Navarre had begun the implementation of plans to re-take this base almost immediately after its abandonment in December 1952. Salan' top-secret Directive No. 40 (issued on January 10, 1953) stated: "The reoccupation of Dien Bien Phu must constitute in the forthcoming period the first step for regaining control of the T'ai country and for the elimination of the Viet Minh from the area west of the Black River." [4] Salan's replacement General Navarre bought into this plan by the fall of 1953 and developed the basis for accomplishing it.

Operation Pollux

The Dien Bien Phu plateau had long been recognized by the French as part of the T'ai federation and therefore falling into the white T'ai, Đèo Văn Long domain. Nevertheless, traditional control over this area was claimed by black T'ai leaders long installed in its surroundings and in the Song La area. Đèo Văn Long then removed the black T'ai leaders and replaced them with among others his own son. Such insensitive French (and its allies') moves alienated the black T'ai to the French cause. The main leaders eventually defected to the Viet Minh side as a consequence. [5]

Subsequently, and, ultimately more importantly, the French committed another misjudgment which affected their own ally. After the French chose the Dien Bien Phu plateau for the ultimate confrontation with the Viet Minh (and took the area back on November 20–22 in 1953 in Operation Castor), they decided to withdraw from the less defended Lai Châu area and to repatriate the inhabitants from there to Dien Bien Phu. This withdrawal and repatriation was Operation Pollux.

As a token of respect for their long-time ally Đèo Văn Long, the French sent General Cogny personally to summon Đèo Văn Long and the white Tai people to abandon their traditional home and move (to where the battle was to be ultimately fought). The majority of the troops were airlifted to Dien Bien Phu from Lai Châu. The Tai irregulars had to March over the "piste Pavie" (a narrow jungle trail) and fight their way through over 110 km of Viet Minh (and their mountain allies) controlled jungle. [6]

This group met with fierce opposition during the withdrawal and most of the white Tai irregulars and their French officers (Lieutenant grade and non-commissioned officers) accompanying then did not make it to their destination. [6]

On December 11, the forces entrenched in Dien Bien Phu then made a major effort to reach and aid the guerrillas moving from Lai Châu. The 2nd Airborne Battle group moved north to try to link up with the T'ai forces moving south under Operation Pollux. The battle group not only failed to accomplish this but suffered substantial losses under constant Viet Minh ambush and was driven back to Dien Bien Phu by the Viet Minh. [7]

After this failure, the same 2nd Airborne Battle Group sent a sortie south to link up with a combined French /Laotian force near Sop Nao. This link up was successful as the battle group did not meet any Viet Minh resistance. The soldiers did however experience great difficulty in moving over the thick jungle and limestone cliffs. After the link-up each group returned to its own base, experiencing the same problems in movement and, of course, accomplishing nothing of value. It was a public relations effort to demonstrate the ability to use Dien Bien Phu as a "mooring point" and "radiating point". But now the French command there saw the exact opposite – the difficulty in using troops at the base to disrupt Viet Minh activities in this area. [7]

This recognition left two alternatives; withdraw or fight and face a major Viet Minh siege there. Gen. Navarre asked Gen. Cogny to develop a plan for a fighting retreat but Cogny did not immediately do so. When Cogny finally did provide such a plan on January 24, the Viet Minh were already encircling the base and Navarre and Cogny agreed the withdrawal now made no sense. However, the leadership also did nothing to fortify its garrison for the second alternative of the sustained siege. Instead Navarre concentrated on his offensive Operation Atlante in Annam at Da Nang and Nha Trang. [8]

Aftermath

Of the 2,100 men at the start of the evacuation, only 185 reached the outpost at Dien Bien Phu. [7] Đèo Văn Long was flown to Hanoi with his court and all the wealth he could carry. He was never again to see his homeland later living in Laos and France, where he died.

The French decision to conduct Operation Pollux can only be described (in hindsight) as incredibly arrogant. It alienated most of the T'ai Federation, who viewed the decision as a humiliation. As a result, these troops were to support the remaining French war effort less than enthusiastically while accounting for nearly one quarter of the troops at Bien Dien Phu when the battle began four months later. Many fled to the mountains or defected to the Viet Minh during the battle. Together with the other Montagnard - black T'ai, Hmong, Yao and others - they aligned with the Viet Minh. They helped build and support the unprecedented artillery pounding and the encircling and undermining of the French outpost in what was ultimately the decisive battle the First Indochina War. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Dien Bien Phu</span> 1954 battle of the First Indochina War

The Battle of 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 French Union's colonial Far East Expeditionary Corps and Viet Minh communist revolutionaries. The United States was officially not a party to the war, but it was secretly involved by providing financial and material aid to the French Union, which included CIA-contracted American personnel participating in the battle. The People's Republic of China and the Soviet Union similarly provided vital support to the Viet Minh, including most of their artillery and ammunition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Indochina War</span> 1946–1954 French colonial war in Vietnam

The First Indochina War was fought between France and Việt Minh, and their respective allies, from 19 December 1946 until 20 July 1954. Việt Minh was led by Võ Nguyên Giáp and Hồ Chí Minh. Most of the fighting took place in Tonkin in Northern Vietnam, although the conflict engulfed the entire country and also extended into the neighboring French Indochina protectorates of Laos and Cambodia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Điện Biên Phủ</span> City in Điện Biên, Vietnam

Điện Biên Phủ (Vietnamese:[ɗîənˀɓīənfû] is a city in the northwestern region of Vietnam. It is the capital of Điện Biên Province. The city is best known for the decisive Battle of Điện Biên Phủ, which occurred during the First Indochina War of independence against France. The region is a center of ethnic Thai culture. In prior history, the city was formerly called Muang Thaeng.

Articles related to Vietnam and Vietnamese culture include:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henri Navarre</span> French Army general

Henri Eugène Navarre was a French Army general. He fought during World War I, World War II and was the seventh and final commander of French Far East Expeditionary Corps during the First Indochina War. Navarre was in overall command during the French defeat at the Battle of Điện Biên Phủ.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Castor</span> French military operation in the First Indochina War

Operation Castor was a French airborne operation in the First Indochina War. The operation established a fortified airhead in Điện Biên Province, in the north-west corner of Vietnam and was commanded by Brigadier General Jean Gilles. The Operation began at 10:35 on 20 November 1953, with reinforcements dropped over the following two days. With all its objectives achieved, the operation ended on 22 November. Castor was the largest airborne operation since World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Lorraine</span>

Operation Lorraine was a French military operation of the First Indochina War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pierre Langlais</span> French general (1909–1986)

Pierre Charles Albert Marie Langlais was a senior French military officer who fought in World War II and the First Indochina War. Hailing from the Brittany region of France, Langlais was known as a tough and uncompromising character with an "unflagging devotion to his men."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Đèo Văn Long</span> The Honorable

Đèo Văn Long was the White Tai leader of the Autonomous Tai Federation of Northwestern Tonkin in post-war French Indochina.

René Cogny was a French Général de corps d'armée, World War II and French Resistance veteran and survivor of Buchenwald and Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camps. He was a commander of the French forces in Tonkin during the First Indochina War, and notably during the Battle of Dien Bien Phu. His post-war private and legal conflict with superior General Henri Navarre became a public controversy. Known to his men as Le General Vitesse, and reputable for his military pomp, physical presence and skill with the press, Cogny was killed in the 1968 Ajaccio-Nice Caravelle crash in the Mediterranean near Nice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Nà Sản</span> Battle of the First Indochina War

The Battle of Nà Sản was fought between French Union forces and the Nationalist forces of the Việt Minh at Nà Sản, Sơn La Province, during the First Indochina War for control of the T’ai region.

Operation Condor was a secret operation of the French Groupement de Commandos Mixtes Aéroportés against the Viet Minh supply column. It happened during the First Indochina War's climactic Battle of Dien Bien Phu from April, 28th to May, 10th 1954.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mường Thanh Valley</span>

The Mường Thanh Valley is a valley located in the Điện Biên Province of Northwestern Vietnam. The valley is approximately 20 km long by 5 km wide. A heart-shaped basin, the valley is surrounded by a region filled with jungles, rice paddies, and lakes. Located within the Mường Thanh Valley is the city of Điện Biên Phủ. The capital of Điện Biên Province, Điện Biên Phủ, is famous as the site of a decisive battle in 1954 in which French forces were defeated by Việt Minh troops under general Võ Nguyên Giáp.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Mouette</span>

Operation Mouette was an operation in 1953 by the French Army in Northern Vietnam during the First Indochina War. It was launched on October 15 in an attempt to locate and destroy Viet-Minh Chu Luc troops operating under the command of Võ Nguyên Giáp around the area of Phu Nho Quan, south of the Red River Delta. Following the establishment of a French camp in the area, various troops were dispatched to engage the Viet-Minh forces. The operation was ended and the French withdrew by November 7, claiming approximately 1,000 enemy combatants killed, twice as many wounded, and 181 captured as well as a substantial quantity of weapons and ammunition.

<i>7554</i> First-person shooter video game

7554: Glorious Memories Revived is a first-person shooter video game developed by Vietnamese video game developer Emobi Games for Windows. It was released for Vietnamese markets on December 16, 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sip Song Chau Tai</span> Confederation

The Sip Song Chau Tai was a confederation of Tai Dam, Tai Dón and Tai Daeng chiefdoms in the mountainous north-west of today's Vietnam, dating back at least to the 17th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">316th Division (Vietnam)</span> Military unit

The 316th Division or Bông Lau Division was a division of the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN). One of the 6 original "Steel and Iron Divisions", it was created in 1951 and consisted of some 10,000 to 15,000 men.

The Battle of Nghĩa Lộ was a battle of the First Indochina War. In the fall of 1952 the French army encountered its most serious crisis since the disasters near the Chinese border at Cao Bằng, Đông Khê and RC 4 occurred in 1949 and 1950. The Battle of Nghĩa Lộ was the opening salvo in a series of offenses and counter-offenses in late 1952 during the First Indochina War. It was part of a Việt Minh offensive in the T’ai region of Tonkin in the vicinity of the Black River. The French countered with Operation Lorraine to attack Việt Minh rear supply bases in an attempt to cut off the offensive. The Việt Minh did not cease or divert the offensive to protect its supply bases. The Việt Minh continued its offensive attack against Nà Sản where there was an outpost and a short airstrip, both guarded by the French army. This series of battles lasted for three months between October 1952 and December 1952. These actions and the Việt Minh successes set the stage for the subsequent Invasion of Laos in April 1953.

Thái, Thai or Tai people is officially recognized by the Vietnamese government as one of Vietnam's 54 ethnic groups. They are Tai ethnic groups that speak various Tai languages and use the Tai Viet script. They mostly live in the Northwest Region of Vietnam and are culturally and linguistically distinguished from other Tai peoples of Vietnam such as the Nùng and Tày people, who are natives in the Northeast Region. In Vietnam, the Thái nomenclature is composed of several Tai groups, of which the main groups are the Black Thai, White Thai and the Red Thai. The Tai Lue people are officially classified as a separated group, called Lự. They mostly speak languages in the Chiang Saen branch of the Southwestern Tai languages. Thái people in Vietnam all originate from Yunnan. However, they are also different from the Thai people of Thailand although they are both related and speak Tai-Kadai languages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hưng Hóa province</span>

Hưng Hóa was a former province of Vietnam during the Nguyễn dynasty that located the region what is present-day northwest Vietnam. Its capital was the citadel of Hưng Hóa. The province was taken by French troops commanded by Brière de l'Isle in 1884 from Chinese mercenary Black Flags.

References

  1. ↑ Fall, Bernard B. (2002). "Notes". Hell in a very small place: the siege of Dien Bien Phu. New York, N.Y.: Da Capo Press. (1966) p. 467
  2. ↑ Michaud, Jean, Turbulent Times and Enduring Peoples: Mountain Minorities in the South-East Asian Massif, Rutledge, Oxen, 2013. p. 68
  3. ↑ Gras, Ives, Histoire de la Guerra d'Indochine, Paris Denoel, 1992, p. 478.
  4. ↑ Logvall, Fredrik, Embers of War: The Fall of an Empire and the Making of America's Vietnam, New York, Random House (2012), p.382
  5. ↑ Fall, Bernard B., The Two Vietnams. A Political and Military Analysis (Second ed.). New York: Frederick A. Praeger, Inc., (1967). p. 24
  6. 1 2 Michaud, Turbulent Times and Enduring Peoples, p. 69
  7. 1 2 3 Davidson, Phillip B. Vietnam at War: The History, 1946-1975 New York Oxford Oxford University Press (1988), p. 203
  8. ↑ Davidson, Phillip B. Vietnam at War: The History, 1946-1975 New York Oxford Oxford University Press (1988), p. 204
  9. ↑ Michaud, Turbulent Times and Enduring Peoples, p. 70

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.