Re: Ddie^.n Bie^n Phu?

[Aiviet Nguyen <aiviet@cat.syr.edu>]

Hi Anh Giang and Vinh and others,

   Can you tell me why Gen.Nava dropped his soldiers to Ddie^.n Bie^n Phu??
Is there any strategic fantasy or just a contribution to Gen.Giap's victory?

  Some French told me that DeLatre de Tasigny would have been a real rivalist
for Giap. 

  Before Nava, the "Chie^'n Di.ch Ddo^`ng ba(`ng", "Na` sa?n" were failures
under Gen. DeLatre de Tasigny. However, in those offensives, the French were
in defensive role. In Ddie^.n Bie^n Phu?, Nava maight want to initiate 
the offensive role and was defeated.

  After the batle environment was set up, the chance was fifty-fifty ( 
Including Giap's preparation "Ke'o pha'o va`o, ke'o pha'o ra", Gen.Nguyen 
Chi' Thanh's campaign of " Chi?nh qua^n" and Gen. Tra^`n Dda(ng Ninh's
effort to concentrate the logistic supports). These efforts balanced the
well trained army backed up by american air planes led by Gen.De Castries,

  On the one side it was a professional army with Gens trained in the best
schools in France, on the other side it was the peasant-soldiers 
surviving from the 1945's famine with a teacher-Gen VNG peasant-gen NCT and
a will.

  The tie breaker was the battle at Himlam. The French fought bravely but
nobody could foretell ( Even Gen Giap) the fate of Himlam was decided by
the act of Phan Ddi`nh Gio't.

  After HimLam surrendered, the advantage was in Giap's hand, but the job 
was not trivial at all.

Cheers
Aiviet