Battle of Dien Bien Phu order of battle

This is a list of units and commands that took part in the Battle of Dien Bien Phu during the First Indochina War, with the major commands that took part in operations.

Operational Group North-West (GONO) Command Group Commander Main units Operational Group North-West (GONO) Colonel Christian de Castries Group Mobile 6 (GM 6) Lieutenant Colonel André Lalande 3/3 REI 2/1 RTA 5/7 RTA Group Mobile 9 (GM 9) Lieutenant Colonel Jules Gaucher 1/13 DBLE 3/13 DBLE 1/2 REI 3/3 RTA 2nd Airborne Brigade (GAP 2) Lieutenant Colonel Pierre Langlais 1 BEP 8 BPC 5 BPVN Artillery Colonel Charles Piroth

Infantry Unit Commander Position 1st Battalion/13th Foreign Legion Demi-Brigade (1/13 DBLE) Major de Brinon/Major Robert Coutant Claudine 3rd Battalion/13th Foreign Legion Demi-Brigade (3/13 DBLE) Major Paul Pégot Béatrice 1st Battalion/2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment (1/2 REI) Major Clémençon Huguette 3rd Battalion/3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment (3/3 REI) Major Henri Grand d'Esnon Isabelle 2nd Battalion/1st Algerian Rifle Regiment (2/1 RTA) Capitaine Jean Sallot des Noyers; Capitaine Pierre Jeancenelle Isabelle 3rd Battalion/3rd Algerian Rifle Regiment (3/3 RTA) Capitaine Jean Garandeau Dominique 5th Battalion/7th Algerian Rifle Regiment (5/7 RTA) Major Roland de Mecquenem Gabrielle 1st Battalion/4th Moroccan Rifle Regiment (1/4 RTM) Major Jean Nicolas Eliane 2nd Tai Battalion (BT 2) Major Maurice Chenel Eliane 3rd Tai Battalion (BT 3) Major Léopold Thimonnier Anne-Marie

Parachute Infantry Unit Commander 1st Foreign Parachute Battalion (1st BEP) Major Maurice Guiraud 2nd Foreign Parachute Battalion (2nd BEP) Major Hubert Liesenfelt 1st Colonial Parachute Battalion (1st BPC) Capitaine Guy Bazin de Bezon 6th Colonial Parachute Battalion (6th BPC) Major Marcel Bigeard 8th Shock Parachute Battalion (8th BPC) Major Pierre Tourret 5th Vietnamese Parachute Battalion (5th BPVN) Capitaine André Botella 2nd Battalion/1st Parachute Chasseur Regiment (II/1RCP) Major Jean Bréchignac

Armoured Cavalry Unit Commander Tank Position 3rd Squadron/1st Light Horse Regiment (3/1 RCC) Capitaine Yves Hervouët M24 Chaffee (x10) Claudine Isabelle

Artillery Unit Commander - Position 2nd Group/4th Colonial Artillery Regiment (II/4 RAC) Major Guy Knecht HM2 105 mm howitzer (x12) Dominique 3rd Group/10th Colonial Artillery Regiment (III/10 RAC) Major Alliou HM2 105 mm howitzer (x12) Isabelle Claudine 11th Battery/4th Group/4th Colonial Artillery Regiment (11/IV/4 RAC) Capitaine Déal HM1 155 mm howitzer (x4) Claudine Platoon/1st Colonial Far East Anti-Aircraft Artillery Group (I GAACEO) Lieutenant Paul Redon Quad-50 M2 0.50cal MG (x4) Epervier 1st Foreign Composite Heavy Mortar Company (1 CMMLE) Lieutenant René Colcy 120 mm mortar (x8) Claudine 2nd Foreign Composite Heavy Mortar Company (2 CMMLE) Lieutenant Fetter 120 mm mortar (x8) Gabrielle Anne-Marie 1st Foreign Parachute Heavy Mortar Company (1 CEPML) Lieutenant Paul Turcy 120 mm mortar (x12) Claudine Dominique

Engineers Unit Commander 31st Engineer Battalion (31 BG) Major André Sudrat/Major Maurice Durieux

Service Units Unit Commander 2nd Company/822nd Signals Battalion (2/822 BT) – 2nd Company/823rd Signals Battalion (2/823 BT) – 342nd Parachute Signals Company (342 CPT) – 2nd Platoon/5th Foreign Legion Medium Repair Company (2/5 CRMLE) Lieutenant Bugeat 3rd Ammunition Resupply Company (detachment) (3 CM) Sous Lieutenant Léonard 730th Fuel Resupply Company (detachment) (730 CR) – 712th Traffic Company (712 CCR) – 3rd General Staff Transport Company (3 CTQG) – 1st Exploitation Group (Quartermaster Corps) (GEO 1) – 3rd Marching Battalion/Republican Guard Mobile Gendarmerie (detachment) (3 LM/GRGM) – 403rd Military Post Office (403 BPM) –

Medical Service Units Unit Commander 29th Mobile Surgical Team (ACM 29) Major Paul Grauwin 44th Mobile Surgical Team (ACM 44) Lieutenant Jacques Gindrey 3rd Parachute Surgical Team (ACP 3) Lieutenant Louis Résillot 5th Parachute Surgical Team (ACP 5) Capitaine Ernest Hantz 6th Parachute Surgical Team (ACP 6) Lieutenant Jean Vidal

Intelligence Unit Commander 8th Commando Group/Mixed Intervention Group (GC 8/GMI) Capitaine Hébert Operations-Patrols Detachment (DOP) –

Air Force Unit Commander Aircraft Airfield Control Post 'Torri Rouge' (PCIA) Major Jacques Guérin Fighter Squadron 1/22 'Saintonge' Capitaine Claude Payen F8F-1 Bearcat (x6) 21st Artillery Air Observation Squadron (GAOA 21) Lieutenant Asselineau MS-500 Criquet 1st Light Medical Evacuation Company (1 CLES) – Sikorsky H-19 S-55 21/374th Air Force Signals Company (CT 21/374) – 195th Air Base Detachment (DB 195) – Air Force Marching Company Capitaine Jean Charnod

Air Units Support Air Force Unit Aircraft Base Fighter Squadron 2/22 'Languedoc' F8F-1 Bearcat Haiphong (Cat Bi) Bomber Squadron 1/19 'Gascogne' B-26 Invader Haiphong (Cat Bi) Bomber Squadron 1/25 'Tunisie' B-26 Invader Haiphong (Cat Bi) Transport Squadron 2/62 'Franche-Comté' Dakota DC-3 Hanoi (Bach Mai Airfield) Transport Squadron 2/63 'Sénégal' Dakota DC-3 Hanoi (Gia Lam) Transport Squadron 1/64 'Béarn' Dakota DC-3 Hanoi (Gia Lam) Transport Squadron 2/64 'Anjou' Dakota DC-3 Hanoi (Bach Mai) 23rd Artillery Air Observation Squadron (GAOA 23) MS-500 Criquet Muong Sai 80th Overseas Reconnaissance Squadron (EROM 80) RF-8F Bearcat (reco) B-26C Invader (reco) Hanoi (Bach Mai) 52nd Air Liaison Squadron (ELA 52) Sikorsky H-19 S-55 Biên Hòa 53rd Air Liaison Squadron (ELA 53) Sikorsky H-19 S-55 Hanoi (Gia Lam)

Naval Air Arm

Unit Aircraft Base 3rd Carrier Attack Squadron (3F) SB2C-5 Helldiver Carrier Arromanches (Tourane) Hanoi (Bach Mai) 11th Carrier Fighter Squadron (11F) F6F-5 Hellcat Carrier Arromanches (Tourane) Hai Phong (Cat Bi) 14th Carrier Fighter Squadron (14F) F4U-7 Corsair AU-1 Corsair Carrier Bois Belleau (Halong Bay) Hanoi (Bach Mai) 28th Bomber Squadron (28F) PB4Y Privateer Hai Phong (Cat Bi)

U.S. Central Intelligence Agency

Unit Aircraft Base Pilots Civil Air Transport (CAT) Dakota DC-3C-119 Flying Boxcar Hai Phong (Cat Bi) 37

Việt Minh Command Commander PositionVietnam People's Army (VPA) General Võ Nguyên Giáp Muong Phang

Infantry Unit Commander Notes Division 304 (less)Title: Vinh Quang (Glory)Codename: 'Nam Định'Commissar Le ChuongChief of Staff: Nam LongInfantry regiment 9Tran Thanh TuInfantry battalions 353, 375, 400Infantry regiment 57Nguyen CanInfantry battalions 265, 346, 418 Division 308Title: Quan Tien Phong (Vanguard)Codename: 'Việt Bắc'Colonel Vuong Thua VuCommissar Song HaoInfantry regiment 36Title: Bac BacAlias: Sa PaPham Hong SonInfantry battalions 80, 84, 89Infantry regiment 88Title: Tu VuAlias: Tam DaoNam HaInfantry battalions 22, 29, 322Infantry regiment 102Title: Thu Do (Capital)Alias: Ba ViNguyen Hung SinhInfantry battalions 18, 59, 79 Division 312Title: Chien Thang (Victory)Codename: 'Bến Tre'Colonel Lê Trọng TấnCommissar Tran DoInfantry regiment 141Title: Ba ViQuang TuyenInfantry battalions 11, 16, 428Infantry regiment 165Title: Lao Ha Yen, Thanh Dong Bien GioiAlias: Dong TrieuLe ThuyInfantry battalions 115, 542, 564Infantry regiment 209Title: Song LoHoang CamInfantry battalions 130, 154, 166 Division 316Alias: Biên HòaColonel Le Quang BaCommissar Chu Huy ManInfantry regiment 98Vu LangInfantry battalions 215, 439, 938Infantry regiment 174Title: Cao Bac LangAlias: Sóc TrăngNguyễn Hữu AnInfantry battalions 249, 251, 255Infantry regiment 176Infantry battalions 888, 910, 999

Artillery

UnitCommanderNotesArtillery-Engineer Division 351Alias:Long ChauDao Van TruongCommissar Pham Ngoc MauArtillery Regiment 45Title:Tat Thang (Inevitable Victory)Nguyen Huu My24 M101 105mm howitzers632nd artillery battalion (12 M101 105mm howitzers)954th artillery battalion (12 M101 105mm howitzers)Artillery Regiment 675Title:Anh Dung (Valiant)Doan Tue20 Type-41 75mm mountain guns16 M1938 120mm mortars175th mountain gun battalion275th mountain gun battalion83rd mortar battalionAAA Regiment 367 (less)Le Van Tri2 AAA battalions (12 M1939 37mm AA guns each)Heavy Weapon Regiment 237Mortar battalion 413(54 M-37 82mm mortars)H6 rocket battalion (12 Chinese six-barrel 75 mm H6 rocket launchers)75 mm recoilless gun battalionEngineer Regiment 151Pham Hoang

References

Bergot, Erwan. Les 170 jours de Dien Bien Phu. Presses de la Cité, 1979 Brancion, Henri de. Dien Bien Phu: Artilleurs dans la fournaise. Presses de la Cité, 1993 Bruge, Roger. Les hommes de Dien Bien Phu. Perrin, 1999 Fall, Bernard. Hell in a very small place. Lippincott, 1967 Rocolle, Pierre. Pourquoi Dien Bien Phu. Flammarion, 1968 Windrow, Martin. The last valley. Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2004 Võ, Nguyên Giáp. "Tổng tập hồi ký". Nhà xuất bản Quân Đội Nhân Dân, 2006(Vo, Nguyen Giap. "Memoirs Collection". People's Army Publishing House, Hanoi, 2006) "Lịch sử Bộ Tổng tham mưu trong kháng chiến chống thực dân Pháp 1945–1954". Nhà xuất bản Quân Đội Nhân Dân, 1991("History of the General Staff in the Resistance War against French Colonialists 1945–1954". People's Army Publishing House, Hanoi, 1991) "Đại đoàn Quân Tiên Phong". Nhà xuất bản Quân Đội Nhân Dân, 1966.(The "Vanguard" Division. People's Army Publishing House, Hanoi, 1966) "Sư đoàn 304 – Tập 1: 1950–1954". Nhà xuất bản Quân đội Nhân dân, 1980("The 304th Division – Volume 1 (1950–1954)". People's Army Publishing House, Hanoi, 1980) "Lịch sử sư đoàn bộ binh 312 1950–2000". Nhà xuất bản Quân đội Nhân dân, 2001.("History of the 312th Infantry Division 1950–2000". People's Army Publishing House, Hanoi, 2001) "Sư đoàn 316 – Tập 1: 1951–1954". Nhà xuất bản Quân đội Nhân dân, 1981("The 316th division – Volume 1 (1951–1954)". People's Army Publishing House, Hanoi, 1981) "Pháo binh nhân dân Việt Nam: Những chặng đường chiến đấu". Nhà xuất bản Quân đội Nhân dân, 1982("Vietnamese People's Artillery: Tracks of Combat". People's Army Publishing House, Hanoi, 1982)

External links Source for Airplane crash at Dien Bien Phu (Aviation-Safety.net) Knights of the Legion of Honor to seven CAT pilots at Dien Bien Phu US secret involvement made official (French embassy in USA) CAT pilots to be honored by France

vi:Trận Điện Biên Phủ