ABSTRACT
The French badly misjudged the resolve of the Viet Minh and their military leader, Vo Nguyen Giap. His men dragged 200 artillery pieces, including Chinese-made anti-aircraft artillery, through the jungle and into high-ground positions above the valley around the northeastern-most fortification, named Béatrice. Giap attacked on 14 March 1954 and seized Béatrice in a matter of hours. Two other strong points guarding the northern airstrip fell within seventy-two hours. Viet Minh guns could then be put in position to attack French aircraft attempting to land at the airstrips or trying to airdrop supplies. The Viet Minh destroyed or damaged 169 of the 420 French airplanes available to support Dien Bien Phu. Without air support, the French garrison was cut off from resupply. Giap also directed attacks at French positions across Vietnam to prevent French reinforcements from reaching the garrison by land. The Viet Minh, on the other hand, operating in an area friendly to them, could call on the civilian population for food and be assured that their own lines of communication were relatively safe.
