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Dienbienphu
Dienbienphu or Dien Bien Phu , former French military base, N Vietnam, near the Laos border. It was the scene in 1954 of the last great battle between the French and the Viet Minh forces of Ho Chi Minh in Indochina. The French occupied the base by parachute drop in Nov., 1953; this move prevented a Viet Minh thrust into Laos and provided support for indigenous forces opposing the Viet Minh in that area. Although the base could be supplied only by air, the French military felt its position was tenable. Weary of inconclusive guerrilla warfare, they were willing to invite an open Viet Minh attack in an area where their superior weaponry could be used to full advantage. The Viet Minh army, under the command of Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap, chose to engage the French, and by Mar., 1954, some 49,500 Viet Minh troops had encircled Dienbienphu, where some 13,000 soldiers, under the leadership of Col. (later Gen.) Christian de Castries, were firmly entrenched in strong positions. The first Viet Minh assault came on Mar. 13, and by the end of April, despite massive French air bombardment, the French defense area had been reduced to 2 sq mi (5 sq km). Desperate pleas for U.S. intervention were unsuccessful, and on May 7, after a 56-day siege, the French positions fell. This defeat signaled the end of French power in Indochina. |
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"Dienbienphu." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Dienbienphu." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Dienbien.html "Dienbienphu." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Dienbien.html |
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Dien Bien Phu
Dien Bien Phu A village in North Vietnam, strategically close to the Laotian border. It became the site of a decisive battle in the French-Indochina War after the decision of the French Commander-in-Chief, Henri Navarre, to occupy it in November 1953, in an attempt to prevent the Vietminh troops from crossing the border into Laos. It came under siege by numerically vastly superior Vietminh forces on 7 March 1954, and was finally captured on 7 May 1954. Of the French garrison of 16,500 men, little more than 3,000 survived the siege or subsequent imprisonment. By contrast, over 25,000 Vietminh troops died. While not a disastrous loss in military terms, it was none the less a severe blow to French morale: days before the Geneva conference (Geneva Agreements), it demonstrated that the French would never be able to overcome the numerically superior Vietminh armies.
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JAN PALMOWSKI. "Dien Bien Phu." A Dictionary of Contemporary World History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JAN PALMOWSKI. "Dien Bien Phu." A Dictionary of Contemporary World History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O46-DienBienPhu.html JAN PALMOWSKI. "Dien Bien Phu." A Dictionary of Contemporary World History. 2004. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O46-DienBienPhu.html |
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Dienbienphu
Dienbienphu (1954) The decisive military engagement in the FRENCH INDO-CHINA WAR. In an attempt to defeat the VIETMINH guerrilla forces, French airborne troops seized and fortified the village of Dienbienphu overlooking the strategic route between Hanoi and the Laotian border in November 1953. Contrary to expectations, the Vietnamese commander General GIAP was able to establish an effective siege with Chinese-supplied heavy artillery, denying the garrison of 16,500 men supply by air, and subjecting it to eight weeks of constant bombardment between March and May 1954, which finally forced its surrender. The ensuing armistice ended French rule in Indo-China within two months.
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Cite this article
"Dienbienphu." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Dienbienphu." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-Dienbienphu.html "Dienbienphu." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-Dienbienphu.html |
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Dien Bien Phu
Dien Bien Phu the site of a French-fortified base in Vietnam that fell to communist Vietminh forces in 1954. This prompted the French to agree to talks (the Geneva Agreement on Indochina) that ended the war and led to the partition of Vietnam. The talks also provided for elections that could have led to reunification, but these were never held.
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"Dien Bien Phu." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Dien Bien Phu." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-DienBienPhu.html "Dien Bien Phu." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-DienBienPhu.html |
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Dien Bien Phu
Dien Bien Phu Fortified village in n Vietnam. In 1954, the the Vietnamese Viet Minh captured the French stronghold after a siege lasting 55 days. French casualties were c.15,000. The resultant cease-fire ended eight years of war.
http://www.dienbienphu.org |
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"Dien Bien Phu." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Dien Bien Phu." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-DienBienPhu.html "Dien Bien Phu." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-DienBienPhu.html |
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Dien Bien Phu
Dien Bien Phu a village in NW Vietnam, in 1954 the site of a French military post which was captured by the Vietminh after a 55-day siege; a significant defeat for French forces in the war (1946–54) in Indo-China.
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Dien Bien Phu." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Dien Bien Phu." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-DienBienPhu.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Dien Bien Phu." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-DienBienPhu.html |
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